Last season, Cal Jennings and Juan David Torres were two of the best players in the USL – so good, in fact, that they respectively ranked as #4 and #1 in Backheeled’s USL Top 50 list. Both left the Championship over the offseason in search of new and different opportunities. Now, both are back.
How will Jennings improve Sacramento? Can Torres elevate Phoenix back into the playoff places? Those are major plotlines for the final 10 weeks of the season, but the transfer moves themselves are likely the first dominos to fall as next month’s roster freeze approaches. Whether any signings can match Jennings and Torres’ collective star power remains to be seen, but we’re entering the “arms race” portion of the calendar.
What defined the actual action on the pitch in Week 24, and what did we learn about the Championship’s playoff race along the way? I’m power ranking all 25 clubs in the league to find out.
1. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Trending: No change
Result: 2-0 win v. Rhode Island
The USL’s first treble is likely off the table with Tampa Bay having crashed out of the USL Cup on Wednesday, but the Rowdies are only getting better. This week, the club added Sporting Kansas City defender Ethan Bartlow on loan, their second MLS arrival in as many weeks. In just under 800 league minutes this year, the center back won 51% of his duels and exceeded his expected completion rate on a 9% touch share; in other words, Bartlow is a clean defensive presence who punches above his weight as a high-volume passer.
Licking their wounds after the midweek defeat, the Rowdies put Bartlow and fellow loanee Conner Antley into the lineup against Rhode Island. Reprising the back three that couldn’t get the job done in the cup, Tampa Bay looked far more threatening on Saturday. Bartlow and Antley’s confidence on the ball goaded RIFC forward, and Lewis Hilton’s poise at the No. 6 spot only helped the cause. Time and again, the Rowdies leveraged an overeager midfielder to find wingback Dion Acoff one-on-one in the attacking zone.
The cut 🤌 The strike 😮💨
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 16, 2026
Conner Antley fires @TampaBayRowdies into the lead with a stunning strike 🎯 pic.twitter.com/zp8MrFORw9
The aggressiveness that permeated the right side of the pitch through Acoff and Antley led to some defensive vulnerabilities, but the trade-off was worth it. When Tampa Bay took a lead in the 62nd minute, the wingback received and brought menace off the right flank, demanding defensive attention. That presence opened a gap, and Antley tore forward on the underlap to take advantage. For as inspired as the Rowdies have been all year, that manner of attacking flair from a defender simply hasn’t been on the menu.
In other words, it’s clear that the new faces are making Tampa Bay better. It would’ve been easy for the Rowdies to rest on their laurels. Instead, they’ve actively tried to keep their distance from the rest of the pack in the USL. Maybe three trophies aren’t on the cards, but that boldness will keep Tampa Bay as the presumptive favorites to go win the Players’ Shield.
2. New Mexico United
Trending: No change
Result: 1-0 win v. Tulsa
As hot as New Mexico has been as of late, they’d posted a -4.0 expected goal difference in the league since the start of June entering Week 24. Valentin Noel wondergoals are undeniable, but the minute-to-minute reality (as reflected in the underlying data) has gone in another direction. That’s not to say United are fraudulent, but it’s a sign that greater sustainability is needed.
