There’s one team left standing with a perfect record, and another four are undefeated, after four weeks of the 2022 USL Championship season. Here’s a look around the past weekend, and some key takeaways from what the teams delivered.

1. PHOENIX DOMINATES, ENDS SAN ANTONIO’S PERFECT START

Last week, we noted that San Antonio FC’s early season success had lived on fine margins, wondering about the sustainability of the club’s perfect start. On Saturday night, we got an illustration of what happens when those margins get removed. Phoenix outthought and outplayed SAFC comprehensively in a 2-0 victory at Toyota Field that was a welcome return to form for the visitors as they claimed their first away win at San Antonio in club history. Nothing about this contest was particularly close – Phoenix held a 2.04-0.17 advantage in Expected Goals and a 21-5 advantage in total shots – and won individual battles all over the field. As San Antonio heads west to face Orange County SC in a Western Conference Final rematch next weekend, there should be plenty of food for thought for Head Coach Alen Marcina and his squad.

2. SWITCHBACKS SHOW CLASS, RESILIANCE IN MIAMI

San Antonio’s defeat means there is now just one perfect team remaining in the Championship this season after Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC took a 2-1 win against Miami FC at Riccardo Silva Stadium on Saturday night to move to four wins out of four to start its campaign. The performance wasn’t the cleanest by the visitors – after a great start punctuated by Hadji Barry’s first goal of the season, they had to hold on late to secure victory as Miami roared back and showed signs of what it might be capable of more consistently moving forward – but Colorado Springs emerged intact for a second consecutive road victory against solid Eastern Conference opposition. The big question that could come from this game is whether Malik Johnson and Michee Ngalina can be solid enough defensively to make up a right-sided tandem consistently, but there’s a lot to like from what the Switchbacks have shown us so far in terms of their explosiveness and balance overall.

3. TREJO CONTINUES TO LIGHT IT UP

This preseason, we noted in Las Vegas Lights FC’s guide that if Danny Trejo – who notched four goals on a 6.14xG mark over 16 games last season – could find a sharper edge to his game this year it could pay off in a big way for the side. Well, guess what? Trejo’s pair of goals on Friday night not only moved him into sole possession of the league’s scoring lead, but also saw him surpass his goal total from last year with his fourth and fifth goals of the campaign. The Mexican forward who shares his name with the actor of Machete fame cut up the Battery defense impressively again, and while there might still be concerns with Las Vegas’ back line the fact that Trejo and Cal Jennings are there to lead the attack makes this side very entertaining, and competitive. Last season, Jennings led the league in Goals Added at +11.24. This season that’s Trejo’s current position at +2.59, we’ll see if that continues.

4. KELLY’S IMPACT ILLUSTRATED FOR HOUNDS

In attacking terms, things were pretty balanced as the hour-mark arrived in a scoreless clash between Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Loudoun United FC. The Hounds held a narrow edge in shots with seven to Loudoun’s six, but the visitors had the edge in shots on target three-to-two. Then, the Hounds introduced the USL Championship’s all-time leading scorer Dane Kelly, and the game tilted. The Jamaican marksman notched his first goal of the night five minutes after his introduction, and then headed home a second off a corner kick by Kenardo Forbes nine minutes later. With Kelly on the field, Pittsburgh found another gear, not only recording the final nine shots of the game after his introduction but producing all of them inside the penalty area. That’s a sign of the impact someone with Kelly’s record can have, and a big reason why the Hounds are still undefeated and sitting in second place in the East one month into the season.

5. COCHRAN SHINES FOR ROWDIES ON ROAD

Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins put it succinctly.

“This is why you want a good goalkeeper in net,” said Collins. “You know, CJ [Cochran] hasn’t had to face many shots this year, but from time to time through the season you’re going to have nights like tonight where you’re going to have to rely on [the goalkeeper] to make saves for you and CJ did that tonight.”

The Rowdies’ trip to Oakland could easily have resulted in their first defeat of the season as Roots SC had the better chances throughout the night, but CJ Cochran’s performance preserved a 0-0 draw at Laney Stadium. Cochran’s quality of close-range stops earned him a -1.57 G-xG mark – the best of any goalkeeper in the past week – as he more than doubled his save total for the campaign with four stops on the night. After joining the Rowdies on loan from OKC Energy FC this season to replace the departed Evan Louro, the Georgia native proved his value to the side when first seriously called upon.

6. MORTON LIVES UP TO BILLING FOR LOUCITY

Another high-profile acquisition last offseason in goal also put up a big performance on Saturday night with Louisville City FC’s Kyle Morton producing a five-save shutout as the Eastern Conference leaders battled out a draw with Birmingham Legion FC despite being down to 10 men for 50 minutes of the contest. As with Cochran in Tampa Bay, the two-time finalist for the Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year award hadn’t been too busy in his side’s opening four games, but then doubled his save total for the season as the visitors held off Legion FC to remain undefeated this campaign. LouCity’s only weakness last season might have been its goalkeeping. With Morton now present – and currently sitting on a cumulative -1.84 G-xG mark so far this campaign – that has certainly been addressed.

7. SD LOYAL GETTING ENERGY FROM AMANG

It may only be five games into the season, but San Diego Loyal SC’s decision to trade for Thomas Amang in a preseason deal with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is paying off handsomely so far. The Cameroonian forward notched his second goal of the campaign on Sunday afternoon, one that proved crucial as the hosts held on for a 3-2 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC at Torero Stadium, and the energy and skill the 24-year-old has brought overall has been a welcome addition to Head Coach Landon Donovan’s side. SD Loyal saw something similar a campaign ago from Tumi Moshobane – who has continued to look bright this year as well – and that dynamism is a big reason why San Diego’s success rate in front of goal has already ticked up from last year with a league-high 10 goals in five games. 

8. LOPEZ, REPUBLIC FC PULL OUT VICTORY

At certain points, it doesn’t matter how you get the result, just that you do. For Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday in its first contest against new NorCal arrival Monterey Bay F.C., a pair of penalty kicks proved the difference in a 2-1 win that kept the side perfect on home turf this season but left the team looking for more.

“It's always great to win no matter how,” said Republic FC captain Rodrigo Lopez, who converted the first of the two spot kicks. “We're definitely happy we got three points. But I could tell in the guys' faces that we knew we could do better.”

Lopez’s influence since his return to Sacramento this season has been notable. He currently leads the team with 10 chances created, while going the full 90 minutes in all four of the club’s outings. With the talent around him, Sacramento is taking shape in the manner the club’s offseason recruitment was designed to accomplish.

9. WILLIAMS PROVIDES POWER, POTENTIAL PIVOT FOR TULSA

FC Tulsa’s JJ Williams has the build of a prototypical, traditional No. 9. At 6-foot-4, his strength and speed can make him a handful for opposing defenses. That was on show Saturday night as he provided the central role in Tulsa’s 3-2 victory against the New York Red Bulls II, ending the game with a pair of goals and eight shots while also drawing a foul that resulted in an early red card for the visitors. If the 24-year-old can pull off that role consistently at his new club, it could open a range of new opportunities for Tulsa in the attacking third, with a potential supporting three of Dario Suarez, Rodrigo da Costa and Joaquin Rivas in Head Coach Michael Nsien’s 4-2-3-1 formation having the potential to give opponents plenty of headaches. Now in third place in the Eastern Conference – and still perfect on home turf – Tulsa could be on track for the step forward they were threatening to make a season ago.

10. DETROIT, MEMPHIS SHOW QUALITIES IN DRAW

Before his Memphis 901 FC side squared off with former club Detroit City FC on Saturday afternoon at Keyworth Stadium, Memphis Head Coach Ben Pirmann said he thought the matchup was one between two good, but not great, teams. By the time the 90 minutes came to an end with the sides locked in a 1-1 draw, that assessment seemed accurate as both teams showed moments of real quality on the way to earning a point apiece. For both teams, that final piece to the puzzle right now sits in the final third of the field, particularly for DCFC, which delivered another strong second-half performance to rally from a goal down at the break but couldn’t quite find the second finish to earn victory.

“I think today, you can’t put it all down to luck, but there is an element of luck to it when the ball is played into the penalty area and a lot of balls didn’t drop for us,” said DCFC Head Coach Trevor James. “It was one of those games where on another day you’ll go up and score two or three goals and today the ball was in the air and it didn’t seem to drop to us, it dropped to one of their guys to clear.”

DCFC’s three goals this campaign have come on an Expected Goals mark of 5.47xG, which should bode well for more success if the team can keep creating the chances it has.