San Antonio FC

PG – Jorge Hernández – 5-7, 150 – It couldn’t be anyone else, right? Hernández has been the ultimate playmaker in the USL Championship over the past two seasons, recording 19 assists, and he’s shown in the past he can fill up the scoresheet when needed with 24 goals, including 11 from outside the penalty area – what you might consider to be the 3-point arc.

SG – Jake LaCava – 6-0, 175 – LaCava is your prototypical modern shooting guard. He doesn’t always set up his own shot, but his speed and nose for goal make him a threat to cut to the basket and finish at the rim against bigger defenders with 28 goals and 15 assists in the league all-time. Add in his defensive credentials – he’s won possession 71 times in the attacking third over his career – and you’ve got a solid two-way player.

SF – Mohamed Omar – 6-3, 175 – Mohamed Omar isn’t going to bring a ton of scoring to this lineup, but he’s going to make up for it with his ability to space the floor and provide a defensive presence inside and out. The Somalian international has averaged 2.57 tackles won per 90 minutes with SAFC at a success rate of 78.6 percent, and also wins aerial duels at a 58.3 percent clip, making him an ideal glass-cleaner at both ends of the floor.

PF – Mitchell Taintor – 6-1, 170 – The former Championship Defender of the Year might be slightly undersized, but the heart he shows on the pitch makes us imagine him as a latter-day Charles Barkley. There’s the defensive quality – a career 67.8 tackle success rate and 63.4 aerial duels success rate – but he can also fill up the hoop with 16 goals and 11 assists in his illustrious career. Close your eyes, you can see him and Hernández operating a pick-and-roll like Luka Dončić and LeBron James, can’t you?

C – Alex Crognale – 6-5, 205 – In any era of basketball, you’ve needed someone that can protect the rim. With 131 blocks and 68.1 percent aerial duels success rate for his in the Championship, Alex Crognale fits that bill nicely. On top of that, he can also be a threat at the rim on the other end, with 15 goals across his career. You want to venture into a lane being patrolled by him and Taintor? I don’t think you do.

6th – Juan Agudelo – 6-1, 185 – The former United States international feels made-to-measure to being the first man off the bench for this lineup. Need scoring? Agudelo can provide that with 20 goals and 15 assists since he arrived in the Championship. Need solid defensive work? As a forward, he’s still recorded 40 tackles at a 62.5 percent success rate and 34 interceptions. But there are also intangibles Agudelo brings to the arena. Since the start of 2022, he ranks 10th in the league with a +21.55 Goals Added mark per American Soccer Analysis, a top grade by any measure.

Phoenix Rising FC

PG – Hope Avayevu – 5-6, 140 – The young Ghanaian has only made four appearances for Rising so far, but he’s already made a big impression with his on-ball quality notching one goal, two assists and six chances created. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. In MLS NEXT Pro, Avayevu recorded 11 goals and 17 assists, averaging a goal contribution every 128.6 minutes. Little wonder Rising manager Pa-Modou Kah made sure they were reunited this season after their time together at North Texas SC.

SG – Charlie Dennis – 6-3, 180 – Shooters’ shoot, right? Charlie Dennis isn’t the high-volume shooter that some players in the Championship are like former teammate Cal Jennings, but he’s averaged 2.02 shots per 90 minutes to log 18 goals and with his size and finishing ability he makes a great fit for Rising’s shooting guard. Don’t sleep on his creativity off the dribble, either. The English forward has logged only seven assists in his career in the Championship but has been woefully unlucky, having notched 170 chances created and an Expected Assists mark of 17.67xA in his career.

SF – Remi Cabral – 6-2, 170 – Let’s be real for a minute – you’re probably going to need to give Remi Cabral some help on the defensive end in this lineup, but we think we’ve got that covered. What the French forward offers in scoring makes up for that, with nine goals in just over 1,500 minutes since he joined Rising prior to the 2024 season. Cabral is coming into his own as a finisher, and his ability to combine with Avayevu on the perimeter should work nicely. Also, don’t underestimate his creativity. While Cabral has only three assists in his Championship career, he’s averaged 1.2 chances created per 90 in addition to his scoring.

PF – Pape Mar Boye – 6-3, 180 – The 21-year-old center back has everything you’d want in a great power forward. He’s agile, can make defensive plays close to the rim – see his 39 interceptions and 18 blocks since joining Rising at the start of the 2024 season – and has popped up to show off his scoring touch as well despite playing as a center back. Boye might be viewed more as a defensive stopper in this lineup, but don’t underestimate how big he could be on the offensive end.

C – Noble Okello – 6-5, 195 – If you needed evidence of the impact Okello could have as a rim protector and finisher, you just need to look at how he dunked over El Paso’s defense for his first goal of the season on March 16. With a 6-foot-5 frame, the Canadian international can be dominant defensively – he’s already won seven tackles at an 87.6 percent success rate this season – filling up the lane to make life difficult for opponents off the dribble.

6th – Damian Rivera – 5-10, 184 – The 22-year-old has been filling a starting slot for Rising this season, but you only need to look at the numbers Rivera delivered off the bench for the Tampa Bay Rowdies last season to see why he’s the ideal 6th Man for this lineup. Rivera put up five goals and two assists as a substitute last season, only one goal shy of the most in a single season by a sub in Championship history. Now he leads Rising with a +1.26 Goals Added mark through four games. Did someone say instant offense?