The USL Championship’s regular season is composed of 408 matches, lasting from early March to the end of October. After this weekend, there are just 26 more games to play in the two weeks to come. There’s playoff race excitement to focus on, but the Golden Boot race is all but sewn up. Nick Markanich hit the 20-goal mark way back on August 10th, and he might be the only player to clear that hurdle.
If you’re looking for a statistical category to follow, the assist race is a barnburner. Rhode Island’s Noah Fuson leads the USL with nine assists, and he’s liable to play anywhere from wing back to striker; Jorge Hernandez (San Antonio) and Jack Gurr (Sacramento) are one assist behind him, and their teams need to jockey hard for position in the Western table.
Who lit up the stat sheet in Week 32, and what were the consequences in the table after a jam-packed week? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville (No change)
Result: 2-1 win v. Tampa Bay
After clinching the Players' Shield last week, you wouldn't have blamed LouCity for resting on their laurels and rolling out a second-choice lineup this weekend. Frankly, Louisville's "B" team would probably make the playoffs in the East with room to spare. Instead, though, Danny Cruz put out his strongest squad as rival Tampa Bay came to town on Saturday.
As such, Louisville didn't miss a beat. Wilson Harris, this team's leading goalscorer, stood out for his defensive role in a slightly adjusted 3-4-1-2 press. As the wingers pushed high, Harris would sit deeper in the central areas, using his shadow to deny access to Lewis Hilton. If Tampa Bay broke lines, Harris wouldn’t chase Hilton downfield, but his provision of a first-wave roadblock still proved useful.
Louisville largely felt like they were playing with their food. Breaks beyond the Tampa Bay wing backs were constant, and the final ball was the only thing missing. The Rowdies did find a few opportunities to break, but LouCity more than matched them when Jansen Wilson and Sam Gleadle (one chance created, two shots between them in 43 total minutes) refreshed the forward line. Wilson’s movement was especially critical, and it earned the corner kick that Arturo Ordonez would blast home for the win.
It wasn’t a rout, but you can imagine an alternate universe where Louisville beat Tampa Bay by two or three goals on Saturday night. That’s the thing about this team: even when the scoreline looks close, LouCity’s dominant qualities shine through.
2. Las Vegas (+1)
Result: 3-0 win at Birmingham
Las Vegas is a terrific soccer team because of star players like Valentin Noel and Khori Bennett, but they’re a contender because of their system. Dennis Sanchez has built a style that’s replicable even when Noel is out of the lineup, and the well-drilled Lights showed off that quality in Birmingham this Sunday.
The Lights’ setup is familiar by now. They press in a 4-4-2 but allow one of their strikers to drop off and link play in possession. That supporting forward was Coleman Gannon in Alabama, and he was usually joined by a higher-stepping JC Ngando to form a 4-1-4-1 shape that took the Legion to task.
Gannon’s defensive support was key, denying good angles into the Legion's best central creators. That effort allowed Las Vegas to dominate possession, and they made a habit of jetting runners up the right side to combine with Ngando in the channel and generate chances. Both Vaughn Covil (right winger) and Shawn Smart (right back) had a field day combining with the star No. 8 and forcing Birmingham to overextend toward the sidelines.
Though the hosts tested the Lights in the second half, loanee goalkeeper George Marks was up to the task on his debut in net. Marks ended up tipping two attempts off his crossbar, barely keeping Las Vegas on top until they could seal the deal with a second goal. The win lifted Las Vegas up to sole possession of the #2 seed in the West, a shocking climb for a team that won three times during all of 2023.
