The best team in the USL plays in the Eastern Conference, but the West is far deeper. If, say, Lexington SC (ranked 11th in the conference) or the Sacramento Republic (tied for the final playoff spot) won it all in November, it wouldn’t be a shock. At the top of the table, clubs like San Antonio FC and Orange County SC continue to roll. Things will continue to change in the final two-thirds of 2026, but it seems certain that the West will be a bloodbath all the way through to the final weekend.
Week 12 continued to bolster that storyline, but how did it shake up the landscape across the USL? I’m power ranking all 25 clubs in the Championship to find out.
1. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Trending: No change
Result: 1-0 win at New Mexico, 3-0 win v. Phoenix
Tampa Bay’s star-powered offense is their calling card, but they’ve quietly been a defensive juggernaut in 2026. Entering Week 12, the Rowdies’ opponents had taken 142 final-third passes to generate each of their expected goals, 16% better than any other team in the Championship. This club does it without overextending, mixing clever pressing schemes with an understanding of how to shut games down.
That sensibility defined an away win in New Mexico. There, Tampa Bay started in a 4-2-3-1 and used Mattheus as a tight-marking No. 10 against the opposing single pivot. If the Rowdies could trap in the wide areas and stay tight via Mattheus, it was a recipe to create turnovers – including the fifth minute giveaway that let Tampa Bay go up 1-0.
John Morrissey
Notably, the Rowdies used Sebastian Cruz as a defensive mid to cover space behind the front of the press. Cruz has mostly played as a winger this year but has become a recent revelation as a No. 6; in Albuquerque, his understanding of when to support ball-side traps and when to recover to the weak side to deny switches was unbelievably strong. The former League One star also picked spots to drop deep into more of a resting back four in possession as the Rowdies saw out their win.
After going on the road at midweek, Tampa Bay kept up that excellence with Phoenix visiting Al Lang Stadium over the weekend. A set piece goal put the Rowdies up within the opening two minutes, and the margin was three by halftime. Along the way, their 4-2-2-2ish shape expanded and contracted like an accordion, absolutely denying Phoenix the ability to work through the midfield. Cruz didn’t feature in the pivot, but Pedro Dolabella and Lewis Hilton combined to recreate his all-encompassing coverage.
What more is there to say? Tampa Bay is the best team in the USL, especially with other high-profile clubs faltering in Week 12. The Rowdies only seem to be getting better, and that’s a scary proposition for everyone else.
2. San Antonio FC
Trending: +7
Result: 2-1 win v. Sacramento
If the USL had a Rookie of the Year award, Lucio Berron would’ve garnered consideration last season. Coming out of Creighton, the midfielder ranked in the 95th percentile for duel wins and the 94th for defensive actions. Saturday’s match against Sacramento marked the 24-year-old’s first league start since the 2025 playoffs after an extended injury absence, and it was a day to remember for SAFC.
