In less than three weeks, the 2025 USL Championship season will have kicked off. Preseason camps are fully in swing, and most clubs’ offseason roster builds have run their course.
Now that a (mostly) complete picture of the league has come into focus, who did the best job of improving over the winter? I’m grading each team’s offseason to find out.
Charleston: A
Yes, Nick Markanich is gone, but the Charleston Battery are a significantly deeper – and likely more talented – team in 2025 than they ever were in 2024. Start with Markanich’s old haunt in the attacking midfield. Winger Johnny Klein is fresh off a four-goal, seven-assist season in MLS Next Pro. Douglas Martinez has a 16-goal season on his resume and can play on the right or as a striker. With Juan David Torres, Emilio Ycaza, and Arturo Rodriguez back, Ben Pirmann has infinite possibilities to work with.
