Week 7 in the USL Championship was something like a mile marker on the highway. Many clubs are nearing the one-quarter mark of their regular season slate, and next weekend will mark the beginning of USL Cup action in 2026 – a pause within the usual league tempo. It’s still early, but trends like Tampa Bay’s continuing excellence and the immense parity of the Western Conference should be taken seriously.
The weekend’s action served to further those narratives, and it also featured a new form of protest at the start of each game. Players from rival clubs locked arms after the kickoff of each half, signaling solidarity amidst ongoing collective bargaining talks.
With a full slate in the rearview mirror, how did the competitive landscape across the USL Championship change? Let’s dig into this week’s power rankings.
1. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Trending: No change
Result: 1-1 draw at Charleston
Dom Casciato hasn’t been afraid of the high press in 2026, but it isn’t a must-have. Tampa Bay entered Week 7 with a passes against per defensive action mark of 9.0 – in the better half of the Championship, but only just. It speaks to the Rowdies’ flexibility that they found ways to withstand Charleston on Saturday, tweaking their shape to contain the Battery in a match where hard-charging dominance wasn’t on the menu.
Tampa Bay has often defended in a 4-4-2 this season, and they reprised that look in the Lowcountry. However, it quickly became clear that a more layered defensive approach led to more controlled outcomes. Where the 4-4-2 could lead to overeager wing play and excessively burden Max Schneider and Pedro Dolabella to cover space through the pivot, a 4-3-3 alternative was occasionally used to lock down the midfield.
That variation is seen here, with Russell Cicerone pushing from the left wing to close down against a No. 6 on the Charleston side. Meanwhile, striker MD Myers drops a step to shadow the other member of the opposing pivot. If the ball swings wide in either direction, Tampa Bay’s three-man midfield (yellow) will be able to rotate while still keeping two space-occupying midfielders in position.
