NEWS & NOTES

WHICH PLAYER WILL SCORE THE FIRST GOAL OF THE 2025 SEASON?
The 2025 USL Championship season kicks off on Saturday night, and unlike in prior seasons where there has been the potential outlier of an afternoon kickoff to give select club’s players a head start, we will have a more competitive battle for which individual will score the opening goal of the Championship season.

Last year that honor went to Las Vegas Lights FC’s Valentin Noël, whose 22nd-minute goal opened the scoring in a 2-1 loss to Memphis 901 FC. Over the league’s history, two clubs have gone on to win the USL Championship title after scoring the first goal of the campaign – Orlando City SC in 2013 and San Antonio FC in 2022.

USL Championship – First Goal of the Regular Season
2011 – Stanley Nyazamba, Richmond Kickers
2012 – Mike Seth, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
2013 – George Davis IV, Orange County SC
2014 – Jose Cuevas, Charleston Battery
2015 – Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC II
2016 – Fabian Herbers, Bethlehem Steel FC
2017 – Florian Valot, New York Red Bulls II
2018 – Pablo Aguilar, Rio Grande Valley FC
2019 – Alec Diaz, Tacoma Defiance
2020 – Chris Hegardt, Tacoma Defiance
2021 – Paolo DelPiccolo, Louisville City FC
2022 – Kimarni Smith, San Antonio FC
2023 – Tommy Williamson, Loudoun United FC
2024 – Valentin Noël, Las Vegas Lights FC

HOW IMPORTANT IS AN OPENING GAME VICTORY?

Twenty-two of the USL Championship’s clubs will be in action on the opening weekend of the season – defending Eastern Conference title-holder Rhode Island FC and Indy Eleven making their debuts in Week 2 of the campaign – and each will be aiming to get out to a winning start. But how essential is winning its opening game to a club’s success throughout the season?

Historically, it’s been better than not to get off on the right foot. Twenty-eight of the 40 teams to win their opening game of the season between 2021 and 2024 advanced to the postseason, a rate of 70 percent. By comparison, only 19 of 41 teams that lost their opening game of the season advanced to the playoffs, a rate of 46.3 percent, while 15 of 25 teams advanced after drawing their opening game of the season, a rate of 60 percent.

If we’re going solely by the 2024 season, however, things looked very different. Of the nine clubs that won their opening game of the 2024 season, only five (56%) advanced to the postseason – Detroit City, Louisville City, Memphis 901 FC, New Mexico United, Oakland Roots SC.

Meanwhile, five of the six teams that lost their opening game of the season (83%) advanced to the postseason – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Indy Eleven, Las Vegas Lights FC, Phoenix Rising FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

That left six of the nine clubs that played to a draw in their opening game of the season (67%) to fill the remaining slots in the postseason – Charleston Battery, North Carolina FC, Orange County SC, Rhode Island FC, Sacramento Republic FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies.

2024 Opening Game Results in the USL Championship
Wins: Birmingham Legion, Detroit City FC*, Hartford Athletic, Louisville City FC*, Memphis 901 FC*, Miami FC, New Mexico United*, Oakland Roots SC*, FC Tulsa

Draws: Charleston Battery*, North Carolina FC*, Loudoun United, San Antonio FC, Monterey Bay FC, Orange County SC*, Sacramento Republic FC*, Rhode Island FC*, Tampa Bay Rowdies*

Losses: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC*, El Paso Locomotive FC, Indy Eleven*, Las Vegas Lights FC*, Phoenix Rising FC*, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC*

* - 2024 USL Championship Playoffs Clubs

ENZO MARTINEZ ENTERS YEAR IN SIGHT OF GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECORD

Birmingham Legion FC’s Enzo Martinez ended the 2024 regular season by reaching a significant milestone, becoming only the seventh player in the USL Championship era to record 75 regular season goals. The 34-year-old is now the only player in league history to have recorded at least 75 goals and 50 assists in his career.

Martinez’s 126 overall goal contributions have now put him within range of surpassing 2017 Championship Golden Boot winner and all-time regular season goalscoring leader Dane Kelly for the most in league history.

Most Goal Contributions in the USL Championship’s Regular Season
1. Dane Kelly – 132 (106 goals, 26 assists)
2. Enzo Martinez (BHM) – 126 (75 goals, 51 assists)*
3. Solomon Asante – 110 (52 goals, 58 assists)
T-4. Neco Brett – 107 (81 goals, 26 assists)
T-4. Jorge Herrera – 107 (72 goals, 35 assists)
6. Aodhan Quinn (IND) – 104 (54 goals, 50 assists)*
T-7. Hadji Barry – 103 (79 goals, 24 assists)
T-7. Corey Hertzog – 103 (74 goals, 29 assists)
9. Alex Dixon (MB) – 98 (64 goals, 34 assists)*
10. Sebastian Guenzatti (DET) – 97 (75 goals, 22 assists)*

* - Active Player

TRACKING THE USL CHAMPIONSHIP’S LEADERS IN THE 2020s

The 2025 USL Championship season sees the league enter the second half of the 2020s, over which time numerous standout performers have made their mark on the league across its six major categories. Here are the league leaders in those groups since January 1, 2020.

LOUISVILLE CITY’S CURRENTLY UNTOUCHABLE HOME RECORD

Following the expansion of the USL Jägermeister Cup for its second edition in 2025 – incorporating clubs from the USL Championship alongside those from USL League One – the Championship’s regular season campaign will be played over 30 games in the coming season. That will mark the fewest games in a full Championship season since 2016.

It will also make one of the league’s most recent records unassailable for the time being. Louisville City FC’s record of 16 home victories will be out of reach with each club scheduled to play 15 regular season home games this year. Additionally, it could put pressure on a streak that extends back to the 2018 campaign, over which span at least one team has recorded 13 home wins in the regular season in every full campaign.

Clubs that have recorded at least 13 home wins in a USL Championship regular season
2024 – Louisville City FC (16), Charleston Battery (13)
2023 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (13)
2022 – Louisville City FC (13)
2021 – Tampa Bay Rowdies (13), El Paso Locomotive FC (13)
2019 – Indy Eleven (13), Phoenix Rising FC (13)
2018 – Real Monarchs SLC (13)
2014 – Orlando City SC (13)

Quick Hits

- Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Lewis Hilton became the 12th player to record 250 regular season appearances in the USL Championship with his final appearance of the 2024 campaign against Indy Eleven.

- San Antonio FC’s Mitchell Taintor could become the 12th player to record 20,000 regular season minutes when his side hosts Monterey Bay FC on Saturday night. Taintor enters the game on 19,942 minutes played in the league.

- New Charleston Battery signing Cal Jennings recorded 118 shots in the 2024 campaign for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, marking the fourth-highest shot total in a USL Championship regular season all-time.

- Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s James Chambers became the fourth former USL Championship player to lead his side to a league title as a Head Coach with the Switchbacks’ victory in the 2024 Final. He joined James O’Connor (Louisville City FC, 2017), Richard Chaplow (2021, Orange County SC) and Juan Guerra (Phoenix Rising FC, 2023).

- Six USL Championship Head Coaches enter the 2025 season having previously competed in the league – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s James Chambers, Louisville City FC’s Danny Cruz, Monterey Bay FC’s Jordan Stewart, Phoenix Rising FC’s Pa-Modou Kah, Sacramento Republic FC’s Neill Collins, and FC Tulsa’s Luke Spencer.

Upcoming Player Milestones

Appearances
Approaching 200 regular-season appearances
Marcus Epps (LEX) – 198
Luiz Fernando (NM) – 196

Approaching 150 regular season appearances
Nick Ross (SAC) – 149
Juan Tejada (COS) – 149
Tabort Etaka Preston (BHM) – 148  

Approaching 100 regular-season appearances
Manny Perez (LOU) – 98
Blake Bodily (TBR) – 98
Greg Hurst (NM) – 97
Jake McGuire (NC) – 96  

Minutes
Approaching 20,000 regular season minutes
Mitchell Taintor (SA) – 19,942
Alex Tambakis (NM) – 19,787
Kai Greene (OAK) – 19,683

Approaching 15,000 regular season minutes
Marcus Epps (LEX) – 14,885
Sebastian Guenzatti (DET) – 14,882
Mark Segbers (CHS) – 14,709

Approaching 10,000 regular season minutes
James Murphy (IND) – 9,674
Sam Gleadle (LOU) – 9,643
Romario Williams (IND) – 9,642
Ben Ofeimu (IND) – 9,632
Justin Dhillon (COS) – 9,617

Goals
Approaching 80 regular season goals
Augustine Williams (PIT) – 76

Approaching 50 regular season goals
Phillip Goodrum (LOU) – 48
Manuel Arteaga (TBR) – 47

Approaching 40 regular season goals
Brian Ownby (LOU) – 39
Rodrigo Lopez (SAC) – 38
Ronaldo Damus (BHM) – 38
Dariusz Formella (PHX) – 37
Justin Portillo (SAC) – 37
Tyler Pasher (BHM) – 37

Assists
Approaching 50 regular season assists
Rodrigo Lopez (SAC) – 46
Brian Ownby (LOU) – 46

Approaching 30 regular season assists
Niall McCabe (LOU) – 29
Cam Lindley (IND) – 28
Florian Valot (LDN) – 28
Robbie Mertz (PIT) – 27  

Saves
Approaching 300 regular season saves
Christian Herrera (COS) – 285

Approaching 250 regular season saves
Hugo Fauroux (LDN) – 232

Shutouts
Approaching 50 regular season shutouts
Matt Van Oekel (BHM) – 48

Approaching 30 regular season shutouts
Logan Ketterer (LEX) – 29

Discipline Report – Week 1

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Championship’s discipline report for Week 1 of the 2025 USL Championship season:

Birmingham Legion FC’s Enzo Martinez was suspended for one game following his red card for two cautionable offenses in his side’s contest against Oakland Roots SC on October 26, 2024. Martinez will be unavailable for selection in Birmingham’s contest against Loudoun United FC on Saturday night.

Hartford Athletic Head Coach Brendan Burke was suspended for two games following his red card for use of an unauthorized piece of electronic/communication equipment to dissent a referee’s decision against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on October 23, 2024. Burke will complete his suspension in Hartford’s contest against Lexington SC on Saturday night.