It’s too early to obsess over the table, but the USL Championship’s Eastern and Western Conferences cut an interesting contrast already. Four clubs out East are sitting on at least 15 points and feel like comfortable favorites to eventually nab home-field advantage come October. Meanwhile, the West is a rock fight in which seven different teams are within two wins of first place.
This weekend’s action had the effect of making everything look tighter. Two of the East’s top four sides dropped points, while the West continued to be defined by its parity. With that in mind, which clubs and players stood out amidst it all? Let’s dig in.
1. Charleston Battery
Trending: No change
Result: 4-2 win v. Hartford
Leland Archer and Graham Smith are in the all-USL conversation in central defense every single year. There's hardly a better pairing in the Championship. With both out this weekend, Ben Pirmann had to get creative, meaning that midfielder Aaron Mollpy – a perennial MVP candidate because of his multi-level creation – had to pick up the pieces.
You understood why Molloy isn’t a defender by trade just minutes in, when the Irishman got beat at the far post off a corner kick after misreading a bounce. It was the sort of play a natural center back would’ve contested with far more confidence, and it put Charleston in an early hole.
