Every week this season, I’ll be diving into USL League One to break down the biggest stories of the round and touch on the headlines for every team that was in action. Week 1 might’ve featured just four matches, but we got the debut of three new expansion teams, a lesson in attacking patterns from a member of last year’s freshman class, and the arrival of a rookie star for the defending champs.
What am I taking away from opening weekend? For the first time in 2026, let’s dig in.
Athletic Club Boise’s debut
When Athletic Club Boise inked Blake Bodily to a three-year deal as their first-ever signing, it was an unmistakable statement of intent. Bodily brought Idaho ties, Championship quality, and a built-in understanding of Nate Miller’s predilections. In practice on Saturday night, Bodily – and fellow wingback Nick Moon, another player that’s probably above this level – set the tone for Boise’s wonderfully composed USL debut.
Boise ran an expected 3-4-3 shape away to the Sarasota Paradise in a 1-0 victory, resembling a more pressureful version of Miller’s San Diego Loyal.
By the time the 90 minutes were up, Boise had made seven recoveries in the final third; last year, an average of 4.4 ended up leading League One. In build, short passing was the order of the day. Rookie goalkeeper Joseph Andema posted a shockingly high 86% expected completion rate, while the defense in front of him advanced play by just 12.6 yards per pass in the defensive third. In League One terms, that’s low low; Richmond, for instance, finished Week 1 with an average of 35.9 yards by the same measure.
