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 Eastern Conference here.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – Is Alan McCann Ready to Run it Back?

One of the more, “well, didn’t see that coming,” moves of the offseason was the Switchbacks parting ways with both Sporting Director Stephen Hogan and Head Coach James Chambers a year removed from the club’s USL Championship title campaign. That was narrowly followed by the appointment of the third member of the staff that led the 2024 campaign – Technical Director Alan McCann – as the new Head Coach.

That’s at least a portion of continuity, and there’s plenty of that in the squad as well. Veterans Mat Mahoney and Duke Lacroix will lead the back line again as part of a group that will include 10 players who logged at least 1,000 minutes in the USL-C in 2025. While there are changes, we’re looking forward to seeing the impact Frank Daroma can have alongside the returning Speedy Williams in midfield, while Colin Shutler arrives as the presumptive No. 1 between the sticks. After last year’s inconsistency in a title defense, McCann will aim to pull it all together for a good bounce back.

El Paso Locomotive FC – Can Junior Gonzalez Avoid History Repeating?

At the end of Rio Grande Valley FC’s first season – in which the Toros finished second in the West and had a record of 14-7-9, 51pts – Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera was promoted within the organization to become Houston Dynamo FC’s new manager. He was replaced by Junior Gonzalez, who the following season led the Toros to a record of 9-15-8, 35pts and 11th place in the West.

Now, after Cabrera and El Paso Locomotive FC parted ways despite the club’s top-four finish in the 2025 season, Gonzalez has been tapped as his replacement again. The position will be the 48-year-old’s first as a Head Coach at an independent club – after his year at RGVFC, Gonzalez also led the LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship and LAFC 2 in MLS NEXT Pro – but the fact he has yet to lead a side to a positive Expected Goal Differential in any season could raise some eyebrows to the move. Locomotive has added some good pieces, including forward Rubio Rubin and midfielder Carl Sainté this week. Expectations will be high, and the pressure’s going to be on Gonzalez to produce.

Las Vegas Lights FC – What Does Devin Rensing’s Reset Look Like?

By the numbers, the first 11 games of Devin Rensing’s tenure at Las Vegas Lights was nothing to write home about. The side took only one victory after his appointment on August 4 and posted a -8.78 Expected Goal Differential, allowing 17.98 Expected Goals Against. It will have been frustrating, no doubt, but at the same time understandable for a club that seemed in flux throughout the year after the appointment of Antonio Nocerino the prior offseason began the chain of events that saw Las Vegas finish last in the West.

This offseason has given a chance for Rensing and Sporting Director Gianleonardo Neglia to reset and give the manager a squad that aligns with his vision for the future. There are some piece that look good on paper coming in – forward Manuel Arteaga, defender Ben Ofeimu and goalkeeper Jared Mazzola among them – to go with the returning talent that can now be pieced together. Rensing has been part of two strong club staffs with Charleston Battery Head Coach Ben Pirmann at this level, now he’s got to put his imprint on the Lights.

Lexington SC – Can The Incoming Talent Rise Together?

There’s no club that’s made the splashes this offseason that Lexington SC has in the USL Championship. The Boys in Green shelled out six-figure transfer fees for Phillip Goodrum and Aaron Molloy – who combined for a +15.2 Goals Added mark and were both Top 20 in the league among outfield players in 2025 – as well as adding a former USL Championship Defender of the Year (Arturo Ordóñez) and veteran two-way midfielder (Luis Felipe Fernandes).

The side already also had its hotshot young winger Michael Adedokun – who led the team with a +5.53 G+ rating last season – and others returning, giving newly-appointed Head Coach Masaki Hemmi, who led the club’s Gainbridge Super League side to an undefeated first half of the season, a potential juggernaut at his disposal. The question now is how quickly this squad can form a coherent unit and become a contender in the Western Conference. There’s going to be no bigger potential for boom or bust this season.

Monterey Bay FC – What’s the Big-Picture Direction?

For a club that has yet to reach the postseason after four seasons, there is an understandable sense of urgency for Monterey Bay FC to break that duck and provide its fans with a tangible measure of progress in 2026. At the same time, over the past season this club remained below average at both ends of the field, sitting in the lower half of the league in goals, goals conceded and both corresponding Expected Goals categories.

The appointment of Oliver Wyss as its new Chairman and Chief Soccer Officer is a significant one given his experience at Orange County SC and for the past two years at the league office, but it’s going to need a full-on culture change to get Monterey Bay headed in the direction it wants to go. The moves the club makes leading into the new season will set a tone in that regard – adding League One standouts Stuart Ritchie and Lalo Blancas is certainly intriguing in that regard – but results might not be the biggest indicator of progress at Cardinale Stadium, as important as those may be.

New Mexico United – Can You Build on Last Year’s Momentum?

After the calendar turned to September this past year, New Mexico went 8-2-3 across the regular season and playoffs and scored 23 times. It stood as the most wins and goals of any club in that span, and while United’s bid for its first silverware was foiled by a tremendous FC Tulsa display in the Western Conference Final, the run showed how Head Coach Dennis Sanchez’s ideas were delivering the results the side was looking for after its outstanding 2024 campaign under predecessor Eric Quill.

For New Mexico, the bar is now as high as it has been going into a season. The club has lost some notable pieces – including star winger Mukwelle Akale – but has also added with League One’s goal contributions leader in 2025 with Niall Reid-Stephen coming over via transfer from South Georgia Tormenta FC. Having put his imprint on the squad, Sanchez will be expected to carry United to even greater heights and finally secure that first piece of silverware along the way.

Oakland Roots SC – How Quickly Can You Find your Footing?

It’s been all change at Oakland Roots SC on the technical side this offseason. Sporting Director Jordan Ferrell departed the club, which reorganized with the appointment of Head Coach Ryan Martin from Loudoun United, the return of Dustin Cleaver to the club as General Manager and promotion of Nana Attakora to Director of Soccer. Martin has already been busy, bringing forward Florian Valot, midfielder Tommy McCabe and defender Keegan Tingey with him from Loudoun after their strong performance over the past two years.

For Roots, the past year at the Oakland Coliseum felt like a missed opportunity as the side couldn’t put together consistent performances despite Peter Wilson’s late-season heater earning him the Golden Boot. The Liberian forward’s return and other new arrivals such as defender David Garcia give Martin a squad he can try and pull together quickly to be competitive. How rapidly that happens will dictate whether Oakland can make its postseason return this season.

Orange County SC – Can Ousmane Sylla Break Through?

Over the course of the 2025 season, Ethan Zubak helped carry Orange County’s attack as the only player to reach double-digit goals in the regular season campaign as fellow offseason signing Lyam MacKinnon was hampered by injuries in his step up from USL League One. For the 2021 title-winners to make the next step this season, MacKinnon will be expected to make an impact, but there should also be expectations for Ousmane Sylla to help deliver.

The 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy winner at Clemson, Sylla helped the Tigers win their second national title after recording 13 goals and 10 assists as a senior. He was used primarily as a substitute in his first season at OCSC, and logged two goals and three assists in 1,136 minutes. Finding a way to step up his minutes and production would be a major boost for Head Coach Danny Stone’s squad.

Phoenix Rising FC – Can You Turn Draws into Wins?

There was no team in the 2025 regular season that played to more draws than Phoenix Rising, which ended all square 13 times in 30 games in Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah’s first year at the helm. Seven of those instances saw the club come back from a deficit to earn a result, but if Rising is going to get where it wants in 2026 – back to contention for silverware – it’s going to need to turn more of those results into victories to challenge for a higher finish in the West.

If there’s a club to take some inspiration from, let’s present FC Tulsa. In 2024, the Scissortails tied for the Western Conference-lead with 11 drawn games, which ultimately kept the side out of the postseason. With a higher platform to build from, if Phoenix can make its decisive moments count more often in 2026 it could easily be pushing the defending conference title-holders at the end of the season.

Sacramento Republic FC – If the Chance Arrives, Will You Close the Deal?

On one hand, Sacramento Republic FC’s first season under Head Coach Neill Collins was successful. The side finished second in the Western Conference, reached the USL Cup Final and was a clear cut above most of its competition throughout the season, ending with a +11.55 Expected Goal Differential, good for fourth in the league.

What the season didn’t end with was the silverware that everyone had been hoping for. The side’s narrow defeat to Hartford Athletic on home soil in the USL Cup Final was probably the biggest disappointment of the campaign, followed closely by the penalty shootout elimination by Orange County SC to open the postseason. The margins can be terribly fine in knockout soccer, but Sacramento’s going to have to find a way to make it happen to gain the prizes they’re seeking.

San Antonio FC – Will Santiago Patiño Be Back to His Best?

Based purely on strike rate, Santiago Patiño holds the mark for the most prolific season in San Antonio FC’s history. In 2022, he bagged 11 goals across the USL Championship regular season and playoffs while averaging a goal every 99.3 minutes as his postseason performances and 2022 Championship Final MVP award earned him the honorific of Playoff Patiño.

So, when the Colombian arrived this past August to try and boost SAFC’s attack for a second time, there was expectation. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old didn’t come up with the goods, scoring only twice in 281 minutes of action. For a side that was carried by Jorge Hernandez’s production in 2025, San Antonio is going to need much more from its starting center forward to take the next step this season.

FC Tulsa – Can You Go One Win Further?

What FC Tulsa did to reach the USL Championship Final in 2025 isn’t that uncommon anymore. Both Orange County SC (2021) and Phoenix Rising FC (2023) missed the postseason the season prior to winning it all in the past five years, making memorable runs through the postseason to get there against more fancied opposition. We’ve also seen bigger year-on-year turnarounds by clubs – see Las Vegas Lights FC in 2024 as it took a top-four finish in the West.

In going from outside the postseason to top of the conference in a single year, though, the Scissortails were a different sort of success story, one based on strong principles and a ruthless efficiency in delivering results when it mattered. That carried the side from preseason curiosity to the brink of a league title. Things change, and form fluctuates, but we get the sense Tulsa is built to contend not only this season, but consistently with the squad and front office team it has assembled. A return trip to the USL Championship Final – and a different outcome – could easily be within reach in November.