Welcome to the next installment of the players you need to know at every club in the USL Championship as we continue the countdown to the start of the 2025 season on Saturday, March 8.

Today it’s the turn of the midfielders, which feature some high-level talent that made its presence known in the past campaign, others who made intriguing offseason moves, and some notable veterans who are still delivering at a high level for their respective clubs.

Our picks for the Western Conference are below, for our picks in the Eastern Conference, click here.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – Marco Micaletto

After making almost 120 appearances in USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro in his career, Marco Micaletto stepped into the USL Championship for the first time at New Mexico United in 2024 and produced a solid campaign that helped United reach the top of the Western Conference.

As he arrives at Championship title-winner Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC this offseason, however, he’s going to have some big shoes to fill as a prospective replacement for Jamaican international Speedy Williams – departed to Lexington SC – in the double-pivot that’s been Colorado Springs’ bread and butter over the past four years. Serving as more of a deep-lying playmaker in New Mexico with Houssou Landry alongside him, Micaletto completed almost half as many passes as Williams in the regular season and playoffs and sat below the 50 percent mark in duels won.

The hope for Colorado Springs is Micaletto’s first year in the league provided a platform to build on, and there’s a familiarity with the coaching staff that should result in a smooth transition with Micaletto having played for Sporting Director Stephen Hogan at Reading United AC in USL League Two before joining the professional ranks. If he levels up, the 29-year-old should be a good contributor to the Switchbacks’ title defense.

El Paso Locomotive FC – Frank Daroma

One of the notable changes in style that came about when Wilmer Cabrera took the helm at El Paso Locomotive FC last May was the club’s intent in holding a greater share of possession each game. Before Cabrera’s arrival, Locomotive averaged 50.6 percent possession per game, a number that ticked up to 53.4 percent after his appointment to put the side in the top quarter of the league overall in that span.

The arrival of Frank Daroma to the midfield contingent, then, shouldn’t come as a surprise. The diminutive Sierra Leone native previously served as a stylish midfield operator across two seasons with Las Vegas Lights FC while the team’s technical side was being run by Los Angeles FC, posting a 89.8 percent passing accuracy rate and 40 chances created in 64 appearances.

That accuracy rate went up over the past two seasons at Tacoma Defiance as the 23-year-old looked to break through in the Seattle Sounders organization, but so did his ball-winning success, upping his numbers in tackle success particularly from his time with the Lights. As the player who tends to make the pass before the pass, Daroma could have a quietly important influence in the way Locomotive goes about its business this year.

FC Tulsa – Edwin Laszo

If you’ve not seen Edwin Laszo’s jackhammer of a free kick against San Antonio FC last season yet – and, goodness me, where have you been if not? – it was almost a perfect embodiment of the sort of game the 25-year-old Colombian brought to Tulsa in his first season with the club.

The high energy Laszo delivered when he was on the field was impressive. He averaged 9.6 duels won, 8.5 recoveries and 2.5 tackles won per 90 minutes defensively, whirring around the center of midfield and his presence made an impact. When Laszo was on the field, Tulsa averaged more goals per game, fewer goals conceded, and 1.29 points-per-game compared to 0.85 when he didn’t appear. There’s more to it than one player, but a Tulsa featuring Laszo at his best could have snuck into the playoffs last year.

A reason it didn’t make it was Laszo wasn’t always available. He logged only 51.5 percent of the side’s regular season minutes as injury hampered him late in the year when Tulsa’s playoff push came up short. If he can stay healthier and continue to bring the two-way energy he provided in 2024, Laszo could have a major impact on Tulsa’s campaign.

Las Vegas Lights FC – Valentin Noël

There were numerous key pieces to Las Vegas Lights’ 31-point year-on-year turnaround a season ago, but Valentin Noël was one of the most important, serving as a creative centerpiece for the side who also regularly showed his knack for finding the net.

Brought to Las Vegas by former Lights Head Coach Dennis Sanchez after their success together at Austin FC II, the 25-year-old recorded 10 goals and seven assists across the regular season and playoffs. That ranked him tied for seventh in goal contributions in the Championship, and only Rhode Island FC’s JJ Williams also recorded double-digit goals alongside at least seven assists in the campaign.

While Sanchez has moved on this offseason, Noël remains at Cashman Field, set to be a key contributor as the Lights look to build on their first postseason trip. If he takes another step forward, a first All-League selection should be within reach.

Lexington SC – Speedy Williams

There are few players who’ve won in the way Speedy Williams has in the USL Championship. He enters the current season with the fourth-most individual wins as a player in the league, sitting with a 145-69-55 record across the regular season and playoffs across 269 appearances, while this past year he became the first player to win four USL Championship titles as part of the heart of Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s midfield.

For a club like Lexington SC, which despite its best efforts over the past two seasons hasn’t reached the playoffs, a player with Williams’ resume and leadership can prove invaluable. It also helps the 32-year-old Jamaican international was also one of the best defensive midfielders in the Championship a season ago, posting a +4.69 Goals Added mark last year per American Soccer Analysis.

As varied a group of talent as Lexington has added this offseason for its entry to the USL Championship, Williams is the sort of player that can help pull it all together. He figures to be a key player as Lexington looks to make a splash in its first year in the league.

Monterey Bay FC – Ethan Bryant

As he arrives at Monterey Bay FC this season, 23-year-old Ethan Bryant will be entering his eighth professional campaign. No, you’re not misreading that.

From his breakthrough as a prodigious young talent out of the San Antonio FC Academy in 2018 – when he recorded one goal and three assists in 10 league appearances – to finding another level with the Richmond Kickers in earning the League One Young Player of the Year award in 2022 to the past two seasons in the Sporting Kansas City organization which saw him make a pair of First Team appearances in the U.S. Open Cup, Bryant’s journey has been a fascinating one.

This past season he logged two goals and five assists for Sporting Kansas City II, and while he was unable to make the full-time breakthrough to the First Team his creativity on the ball could make him an essential part of Monterey Bay’s rebuild under Head Coach Jordan Stewart. After making his last Championship appearance in 2020, Bryant should be ready to make a strong return.

New Mexico United – Zico Bailey

After his arrival midway through the 2023 campaign, there weren’t many players more consistently present for New Mexico United as it surged to the top of the Western Conference than Zico Bailey last season. The central midfielder ranked sixth on the team with 2,231 minutes of action and started each of the side’s postseason outings.

The challenge when it came to Bailey’s play is there didn’t feel as much substance as there might have been in terms of the 24-year-old’s impact on games. He notched only one assist in league play – and averaged less than a chance created per 90 minutes – while having his duel success rate sit below 50 percent. There were moments – most notably his two-goal game against Real Salt Lake in the U.S. Open Cup  – but more often than not Bailey felt like a cog, but not one of United’s big wheels.

After putting in some good performances for the Philippines as it reached the Semifinals of the 2024 ASEAN Championship – and with both Houssou Landry and Marco Micaletto departed from United this offseason – there’s a need for Bailey to assert himself in the center of the midfield as the side looks to push on this year.

Oakland Roots SC – Panos Armenakas

Say one thing for Panos Armenakas, he’s never been one to lack for self-confidence. That may have been at its peak in the Championship when he played a key role in Phoenix Rising’s run to the league title in 2023, posting four goals and six assists across the regular season and playoffs while providing deft creativity from his attacking midfielder role.

That didn’t materialize in the same way a season ago, either as part of Rising title defense or after his mid-season transfer to Memphis 901 FC, where he logged one goal and one assist but saw only 343 minutes of action in 12 appearances overall. The former Australia U-23 international now gets a fresh start at Oakland Roots SC where the lineup rebuild could put him in a position to become one of the league’s influential playmakers.

In its tenure in the Championship, Oakland has had some fascinating creative players like Lindo Mfeka, but only four players have registered at least five assists in a campaign since 2020 after Memo Diaz’s seven-helper campaign last year. Armenakas could easily add his name to that list, and if he does so it should spell success at the Coliseum.

Orange County SC – Chris Hegardt

There was an element of Orange County making the longer play with Chris Hegardt when it acquired the attacking midfielder on loan from Stabaek midway through last season. With the California native having seen limited action for the Norwegian club previously in 2024, the loan offered a chance for the 23-year-old to return to the West Coast and look at a potential opportunity that could benefit both sides.

It proved a decent fit. Hegardt recorded one goal and two assists in 16 appearances for OCSC as it made a late run into the postseason before advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals. That saw him sign a permanent deal with Orange County in January to take the next step in his career.

While Hegardt’s goal contribution numbers might not have jumped off the screen, the number that did stand out was his 27 chances created in 1,099 minutes of action. That’s an average of 2.21 per 90 minutes, all of which came from open play. With the attacking options OCSC possesses going into the new season, Hegardt will have a chance to make a positive impact for a side that’s looking to build on last year’s momentum.

Phoenix Rising FC – Charlie Dennis

On one hand, it was likely unfair to expect Charlie Dennis to deliver another double-digit goal season after the remarkable campaign he put together for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2023. The combination of likely regression and injury hit the attacking midfielder hard in 2024, ending up with Dennis’ transfer to Phoenix Rising midway through the year, where he registered two goals and one assist in 16 appearances.

It would be a mistake to think Dennis won’t rebound as he enters his first full season with Rising. The English attacking midfielder still put up creditable underlying numbers over the campaign as a whole – his +4.47 Goals Added mark per American Soccer Analysis wasn’t far away from his 2022 campaign at Oakland Roots SC, which vaulted him into the Rowdies’ squad via an offseason transfer.

For a Rising side that is looking for more consistency and creativity this season, Dennis offers a great option. His delivery on set pieces is solid and his work-rate in Tampa Bay in 2023 saw him win possession in the attacking third 27 times as well as win 26 tackles at a 72.2 percent success rate. If he bounces back, it should be a major plus.

Sacramento Republic FC – Rodrigo Lopez

It’s too easy an answer for the absence of one player to determine the outcome of a team’s season, but the year-ending injury suffered by Rodrigo Lopez with Sacramento Republic FC undefeated in its opening nine games in league play and battling in the U.S. Open Cup seemed to cast a pall over the rest of the campaign Republic FC wasn’t able to shake off.

The numbers? With Lopez in the lineup, Sacramento earned 2.11 points per game. Without him it averaged only 1.2 and lost more games (11) than it won (8) over the remainder of the regular season. Who’s to say what sort of impact the veteran midfielder might have delivered over the final two-thirds of the campaign – at 36 years old, Lopez would surely have needed rest and rotation – but it speaks volumes the club’s first and greatest club legend can still bring it as consistently as he can.

As Lopez returns this season from a torn ACL, all eyes will be on him again to see what he can provide under new Head Coach Neill Collins.

San Antonio FC – Jorge Hernández

Want to know something wild? While Jorge Hernández claimed the Championship’s Golden Playmaker award in 2023, last season he might have been even better creatively as he narrowly missed out on back-to-back awards.

Since the Championship partnered with Opta in 2017, only three players have recorded a better Expected Assists mark in a single regular season than Hernández’s 9.89xA mark in the 2024 campaign – Josh Suggs’ 10.1xA mark for Colorado Springs in 2018 tops the list, for perspective. The 24-year-old has now notched 19 assists over the past two seasons, moving close to the Championship’s Top 15 all-time in the process while earning consecutive All-League First Team selections.

After San Antonio missed the playoffs a season ago, getting Hernández back under contract was one of the club’s priorities this offseason, and they accomplished that with a multi-year agreement with the Mexico native. If he puts together another season like the last two, however, San Antonio could fly right back up the Western standings.