Never accuse USL League One of being dull. Week 2’s seven-game slate featured four goals in the 85th minute or later, all of which had a meaningful impact on results. Along the way, nine clubs made their 2026 debut – including two expansion teams playing their first-ever USL match.
What stood out amidst it all? Let’s dig in.
Making up for Messer
In Moneyball, when Billy Beane’s Oakland A’s need to replace star slugger Jason Giambi, their strategy is to “replace him in the aggregate.” Portland finds themselves in a similar position entering 2026 after selling left back Nathan Messer to the USL Championship’s Charleston Battery late in the preseason.
Now, Hearts are trying to find a way to recreate Messer’s excellence – at the left back spot and beyond.
Portland traveled to Hinchcliffe Stadium and downed the New York Cosmos by a 3-1 margin, deploying a lineup with eight returning starters. Still, it was the new faces – namely Zion Scarlett at left back and Matteo Kidd in the 4-2-3-1’s pivot – that proved especially influential. Scarlett, 21, had a previous stint in League One as a member of the Greenville Triumph, where he mainly operated as a pace-first forward. Kidd, 28, spent his last two seasons with St. Louis City 2 in MLS Next Pro; in 2024, he was managed by Bobby Murphy before his move to Maine.
Kidd mainly played on the left wing last year in Next Pro, but Murphy usually preferred him as a No. 8/No. 10 type. That deployment recurred on Saturday, and Kidd often set the table for slick combination play between narrow winger Ollie Wright and an overlapping Scarlett.
You get two flavors of that pattern here, with Kidd pushing ahead alongside Scarlett (red) and the attacking midfield (white). In the first case, New York’s 4-4-2 sinks deep, and there isn’t pressure on Kidd. Because the opposing right mid has slid inside against Wright, Scarlett can receive with momentum up the sideline amidst a 3-2-4-1ish attacking formation.
In the second case, the environment is more crowded, but the idea is the same. This time, Kidd dribbles to take a defender out, and he’ll quickly touch-pass the ball into Wright’s feet. From there, Wright can turn and take on a man one-on-one or connect with Scarlett.
