It’s officially the new year, and while this has been a busy offseason in the USL Championship there is still a lot to be figured out before the new season kicks off on Friday, March 6 when Lexington SC hosts Louisville City FC in a ripsnorter of an opening game.

As much as has been laid out on the table so far, there are still plenty of questions out there that will be addressed in the weeks ahead. We’ve picked out one for every Western Conference squad – you can find our questions for every team in the Western Conference here.

Birmingham Legion FC – What Does This Rebuild Look Like?

There might not have been a more surprising departure this offseason than that of Enzo Martinez at Birmingham Legion FC. The veteran midfielder had become Legion’s all-time leader in goal contributions, recording 34 goals and 23 assists in four seasons, but as part of Head Coach Mark Briggs’ overhaul of the roster both he and Jake Rufe – who also ranked in the top three in minutes played for the club this past season – departed the club.

After a two-season slide that saw Legion finish last in the Eastern Conference this past campaign, the only way is up from here. Briggs certainly has the pedigree to set Birmingham on the correct course as one of only five Head Coaches to have earned more than 100 victories in the USL Championship era. The question is going to be how quickly can he manifest the changes and improvement the fans at Protective Stadium are expecting as the new season begins.

Brooklyn FC – Brian and Marlon, What’s Your Plan?

In terms of a brain trust, there’s a heck of a lot to be said about Brooklyn FC having National Soccer Hall of Fame member and more recent U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team General Manager Brian McBride and well-regarded manager Marlon Vargas leading the way into the club’s first season in the USL Championship. What we’ve heard from Vargas in particular in interviews with John Morrissey for USLTactics.com and Hudson River Blue’s Tyrese Alleyne-Davis is exactly what you’d expect, and raises plenty of hopes this side can be competitive.

What we’ve yet to see is a signing. Since the large expansion class of 2019 that saw clubs like El Paso Locomotive FC and New Mexico United hit the ground running, there’s been a steeper slope to success for first-year clubs that was recently bucked by Rhode Island FC. With the Men’s side’s first two hires, we have high hopes for Brooklyn, but still plenty of unanswered questions.

Charleston Battery – How Do You Reshape Your Attack?

Look, we don’t want to raise the alarm too loudly here, but the front line for the Charleston Battery is starting to look pretty thin as the calendar turns to January 1. As of now four of the club’s top six players in American Soccer Analysis’ Goals Added metric are out the door – MD Myers (+7.08, Tampa Bay Rowdies), Aaron Molloy (+6.38, Lexington SC), Arturo Rodriguez (+5.17, Sacramento Republic FC), Rubio Rubin (+3.89, El Paso Locomotive FC) – while Cal Jennings is a free agent and there are reports Juan David Torres may be on the way out as well.

Now, we want to take a breath here. Yes, Battery fans, you already have the capability to field a team next season. There’s also been an intriguing attacking addition with Wilmer Cabrera Jr. making his way from El Paso this offseason. The departures could also open the opportunity for Douglas Martinez Jr. to slot into his more natural attacking position instead of at full back, while a full season of Jeremy Kelly in the lineup is a natural progression. We’ve learned not to doubt the ability of President Lee Cohen and Head Coach Ben Pirmann to pull some rabbits out of the hat, too, but they’ve got their work cut out for them here.

Detroit City FC – Can Your Attack Take Flight?

In its four seasons in the USL Championship, Detroit City hasn’t really been known for a high-flying attack. Its best regular season in front of goal came in 2024 when it averaged 1.35 goals-per-game on an Expected Goals mark of 1.13 per 90 minutes – not exactly breathtaking. At the same time, last year proved even more of a grind as injury to Ben Morris and a lack of secondary scoring and chance creation behind Darren Smith’s 10 tallies saw Le Rouge average only 0.93 Expected Goals per 90 minutes.

For Detroit to get into contention for a strong finish, that number needs to go up this year. The return of club talisman Maxi Rodriguez after his season at Rhode Island should help things, and we’re hoping Morris is fully fit to go along with the permanent arrival of Ates Diouf after his loan from Lexington SC. With a few more attacking weapons at his disposal, it’s going to be up to Head Coach Danny Dichio to make it sing and bring Keyworth Stadium to life.

Hartford Athletic – Who’s Your Next Breakout Star?

When Hartford Athletic transferred forward Mamadou Dieng to Minnesota United FC in August, Head Coach Brendan Burke spoke to how the move was part of the long-game for Athletic. Yes, the 2025 USL Young Player of the Year finalist departed, but it was a proof of concept for the club that Hartford is a place where you can further your career, potentially creating a virtuous cycle that can also help the club achieve on-field success.

Coming off the first silverware in club history last season with its victory in USL Cup, there will be plenty of eyes on Hartford’s next step this year and whether it can become a consistent contender in the Eastern Conference. For us, though, we’re looking forward to seeing whether a player like 21-year-old Adewale Obalola can become the club’s next breakout star.

Indy Eleven – How Big a Difference Can Eric Dick Make?

By the numbers, Indy Eleven was an average defensive team in the USL Championship in 2025. The Boys in Blue’s Expected Goals Against mark of 37.3xGA ranked 10th in the league, and was narrowly below the overall league average of 37.74xGA per Opta. The big problem – one that ensured Indy ended the season outside the playoff positions – was the club ended the season tied for the most goals conceded in the league, allowing 52 in 30 regular season games.

That made the signing of 2025 USL Championship Final MVP Eric Dick one of the biggest potential upgrades of the offseason for any club. A former standout at Butler University in the Circle City, the veteran goalkeeper is coming off two outstanding seasons at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in which he recorded a -8.96 Goals Prevented mark alongside 25 shutouts and a 75.4 save percentage in the regular season. That doesn’t include his postseason heroics this past November, but Dick’s consistency is why he’s here. If he maintains those numbers, it should give Indy a major boost in the defensive third.

Loudoun United FC – How Are You Going to Fill in the Gaps?

If there’s reason for concern about the Charleston Battery’s roster build, we might not be talking enough about how much work Loudoun United must do ahead of the new season kicking off. Of the 11 players who led the side in appearances in the USL Championship season in 2025, only two – defender Kwame Awuah and 2025 USL-C Young Player of the Year Abdellatif Aboukoura – are currently slated to be back with the side in the new campaign. Three of those, meanwhile, have joined former Head Coach Ryan Martin at Oakland Roots SC, with Florian Valot, Keegan Tingey and Tommy McCabe all heading west.

What’s more, we’re still waiting to find out who Loudoun’s new Head Coach is going to be, the lone current vacancy in the league on January 1. After last year’s success, there is a lot of work to be done for club President Karl Sherman at the team to try and replicate last year’s breakthrough campaign.

Louisville City FC – Who’s Your New No. 9?

One of the crucial elements for Louisville City’s success year-on-year has been its succession planning. When a key player has moved on – or been sold overseas – there has been a clear understudy waiting in the wings, or at least the plan as to who the next target will be. What this week’s transfer of Phillip Goodrum to Lexington SC in a deal that could become the biggest in league history means, however, is there is a gap at the top of LouCity’s formation right now that needs to be filled.

Goodrum was the only LouCity player to record double-digit goals a season ago in the league as his 13 tallies more than doubled next-closest teammates Ray Serrano and Jansen Wilson on six. There are still some very good options available as free agents – can you imagine Cal Jennings at the top of this lineup? Woof. – and Louisville is a place that is very attractive for most players, but the decision as to who becomes the No. 9 is a big one for Louisville to address as it looks for more silverware.

Miami FC – Can You Maintain Positive Momentum?

In Gaston Maddoni’s first season at Miami FC, the side almost tripled both its points (30) and wins (8) total from the 2024 season. That the side still didn’t come very close to reaching the USL Championship Playoffs speaks to the depths the side was having to retrieve itself from at the end of the prior campaign, but there were enough positive strides made that gave the side a level of respectability after the addition of Sports Performance Hub’s Darío Sala and Juan Sebastián Verón to the club’s executive leadership.

Now it’s going to be up to Maddoni and his squad to continue that momentum and show it can be a playoff contender again. There are big plans coming for the club – not least its new 15,000-capacity venue at Sports Performance Hub’s development in Homestead, Fla. – but it’s been too long for a club like Miami to be sitting in the wrong half of the standings.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – Where Will Rob Vincent Lead This Now?

If there’s anything the past seven seasons have done at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is they’ve changed the perception of what the Hounds can be. After being a hit-and-miss squad over the first two decades of their history – and much more miss than hit – the Hounds had won the third-most regular season games in the league under Head Coach Bob Lilley since the start of the 2018 season prior to his exit shortly before the postseason.

Rob Vincent took the reins and finally delivered where Lilley couldn’t in the postseason, earning Pittsburgh its first league title in club history in thrilling fashion last November. Now appointed Head Coach on a full-time basis, it’s going to be fascinating to see the tweaks that Vincent employed during the club’s late-season and playoff run expanded on as Pittsburgh defends its crown. The defensive foundation has been in place for a while, now it’s time to take things to the next level elsewhere.

Rhode Island FC – First Home Playoff Game Incoming?

What Rhode Island FC has accomplished in the USL Championship Playoffs is remarkable. The side completed its second campaign with a 5-2-0 record in the postseason, reaching the Eastern Conference Final on both occasions before falling this past season to eventual title-winner Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

It speaks to the character of the squad Head Coach Khano Smith has built to find a way through consistently when the season is on the line. For the club, though, the next progression must be to earn the chance to host one of those games at its magnificent new Centreville Bank Stadium. RIFC has more draws (23) than either wins (22) or losses (19) in its regular season ledger at present. It needs to put all the pieces together to become more than just a one-month wonder.

Sporting Club Jacksonville – Who’s the Men’s Ashlyn Puerta?

There have been few bigger stories in the opening half of the Gainbridge Super League’s 2025/26 season than the success of Sporting Club Jacksonville, and in particular the prolific finishing of United States youth international Ashlyn Puerta. The former Florida State star is on course to obliterate the league’s single-season scoring record with 11 goals in 13 appearances as the side prepares for the second half of the campaign.

As Sporting JAX takes to the field for the first time in the USL Championship there are going to be some experienced heads as part of the lineup. What we’re curious to see, though, is whether the club’s brain trust has identified a similar young talent that can become a similar sensation. It’s a high bar to clear, certainly, but it would also put Sporting on the map quickly in American soccer circles.

Tampa Bay Rowdies – How High Will the Bounce-Back Be?

Think about this for a moment – when the Tampa Bay Rowdies take the field for the first time in 2026, there are going to be at minimum nine new faces in the starting lineup from the final side that suited up against Detroit City FC on October 25. That’s the level of the overhaul the Rowdies’ roster has undergone this season, with only defender Laurence Wyke and Alex Méndez still part of the roster as the calendar turns to January.

In their place are some big names, including an overhaul of the front line that has seen Tampa Bay bring aboard free agents MD Myers, Russell Cicerone, Evan Conway and acquire Karsen Henderlong from FC Naples in League One. Head Coach Dominic Casciato has also leant into his Union Omaha past, adding midfielders Pedro Dolabella and Max Schneider, while Leland Archer has arrived on the back line and Jahmali Waite in goal. It seems inevitable the Rowdies will bounce back this year, the only question is how far they can rebound up the standings.