As training camps start ramping up across the USL Championship, roster building is still in progress around the league. From familiar faces moving to new clubs, another collection of intriguing prospects arriving in the league for the first time and some former standouts making their way back from overseas, there have been some notable transactions that could shape the direction of the new season.

Here are 11 transactions that have occurred since the middle of January which we think could prove difference-makers as the start of the season draws closer.

11. Sporting Club Jacksonville signs goalkeeper Jake McGuire

In terms of Sporting Club Jacksonville’s goalkeeper room, Jake McGuire is there as a reliable veteran. He joins Christian Olivares – on loan from St. Louis City SC – who serves as a player with rising potential, and Esteban Casas, who’s more of a project as he enters the pro ranks.

In terms of reliability, McGuire’s a very good option. Last season at North Carolina FC he was solid if not spectacular. He posted a save percentage of 69.2 percent on 46 saves and was basically even with a +0.67 goals prevented mark. NCFC went and got Oliver Semmle on loan from the Philadelphia Union, but he basically posted the same numbers, only with a slightly lower save percentage (66.7%).

At 31 years old, McGuire is still in his prime as a goalkeeper and ranks in the Top 15 in league history with 318 saves and 34 shutouts in 113 regular season games. Olivares might get the early call in Jacksonville, but McGuire could easily be the man that provides a steady hand at the back for the first-year side.

10. Louisville City FC acquires forward Tola Showunmi

Needing to fill the gap vacated by the transfer of Phillip Goodrum to Lexington SC, Louisville City went with something familiar. The return of Tola Showunmi to the club after a year-and-half at Crawley Town in England is an intriguing move, with the 6-foot-3 striker having shown glimpses of what he’s capable of on both sides of the Atlantic in his young career.

Showunmi saw limited action at both Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and for LouCity in his first stint with the club, but was still productive. He logged six goals and three assists in league play over 1,244 minutes – an average of a goal contribution every 138.2 minutes – and then did similarly for Crawley with seven goals and two assists in 1,423 minutes – an average of a goal contribution every 158.1 minutes.

The question for Showunmi is going to be whether he can sustain that level of production with increased opportunities, but it seems like a good opportunity for a player coming into his prime at a club where there should be plenty of chances at hand.

9. Birmingham Legion FC signs midfielder Seth Antwi

One of the key problem areas for Birmingham Legion last season was how easily at times opponents could get into good attacking spaces. Legion tied for the most goals allowed inside the penalty area in the regular season with 45, while the 37 goals the side allowed from open play accounted for 74 percent of the 50 it allowed in 30 regular season games. There’s going to be plenty of work to do overall to shore up those numbers, but Seth Antwi’s addition as a specialist defensive midfielder could certainly help matters.

The 26-year-old joined Legion from St. Louis CITY2, where over the past two seasons he won more than 200 duels and made 84 interceptions and 214 recoveries. Antwi’s distribution was solid as well, and while he may not be a regular contributor to the side in the attacking third he could be the sort of facilitator that serves as a safety net to allow his teammates to be more adventurous in the opposing half.

8. Orange County SC signs forward Jamir Johnson

When the Philadelphia Union transferred veteran center back Jakob Glesnes to the LA Galaxy in December, as part of the transaction the Galaxy also acquired the Homegrown Priority rights to Union Academy forward, Jamir Johnson. One month later, and Johnson is headed to Southern California to enter the professional ranks, but instead of the Galaxy, the 17-year-old signed with Orange County SC in the latest swoop for a top young prospect made by the USL Championship club.

As you’d expect, Johnson’s stock is on the rise after his play with the United States U-17s last year, where he featured in the FIFA U-17 World Cup alongside current teammate Pedro Guimaraes. In 171 minutes of action in MLS NEXT Pro, Johnson notched two goals and one assist for Union II last season. As Orange County’s pipeline continues to send players to higher levels, Johnson is going to be someone to watch closely this year.

7. Las Vegas Lights FC signs defender Blake Pope

It’s been almost five years since Blake Pope made his USL Championship debut for the Charlotte Independence as a USL Academy signing, but now the 22-year-old is returning to the league after building a solid resume in MLS NEXT Pro, most recently with Portland Timbers 2. The left back is coming off a season for T2 in which his two-way performance continued to be on display with two goals, two assists, 51 interceptions and 107 duels won at a 60.8 percent success rate as he arrives in Las Vegas.

Pope’s ability to get into the attack was a known commodity early on in his career, with three assists in 10 games for Charlotte before he entered the pro ranks at North Texas SC. Over the past three seasons he’s been a solid contributor for Portland and now looks to be in contention to fill the left back vacancy in the Lights’ lineup left by similarly attack-minded Gennaro Nigro. This feels like a good deal for Las Vegas, who get a player with more than 100 professional appearances under his belt before he turns 23 and the potential for growth in the year to come.

6. Loudoun United FC signs defender Sal Mazzaferro

Based on American Soccer Analysis’ Goals Added metric, there hasn’t been a better center back over the past three seasons in MLS NEXT Pro than Sal Mazzaferro. Part of Austin FC II’s MLSNP Cup-winning side in 2023, the Canadian has logged a +15.26 rating over 7,582 minutes, spending the past season in Atlanta United’s organization.

With Atlanta, the 24-year-old’s play saw him appear in both Major League Soccer and Leagues Cup during the campaign. A full-time deal wasn’t forthcoming, however, and that brought Mazzaferro to the rebuild at Loudoun United where he could slot in alongside Jacob Erlandson in the center of the club’s back line. With what he’s shown so far in his professional career, it could make a very good addition for new Head Coach Anthony Limbrick.

5. Monterey Bay FC signs midfielder Nick Ross

As it stands, Nick Ross will be very much a veteran presence in Monterey Bay FC’s locker room when the season kicks off. The 34-year-old Scottish midfielder is seven years the senior of defender Luka Malasevic, who at present is the only 1998-birth year player in Head Coach Jordan Stewart’s lineup. What we might infer from that is Ross is going to be one of the key tone-setters in the locker room for a side that’s looking to reach the postseason for the first time as it enters its fifth season.

As players go, Ross certainly fits that bill. In seven seasons in the Championship he’s been a solid producer, helping El Paso Locomotive FC get off the ground in its first three seasons and more recently serving as a key cog in Sacramento Republic FC’s squad. Over the past four years, Ross ranks fourth in appearances for Republic FC with 103 and fifth in minutes with 7,616 in the regular season, while he’s notched 13 goals and 16 assists overall in the league. For a side that’s going to have its fair share of young talent, having Ross to lean on at key moments will be very beneficial.

4. New Mexico United signs Jake LaCava

At the end of the 2022 season, the sky seemed to be the limit for Jake LaCava. At that point, the New York Red Bulls product was coming off a successful campaign on loan with the Tampa Bay Rowdies that had seen him earn nomination for USL Championship Young Player of the Year, adding to his burgeoning reputation as an attacker to watch. Over LaCava’s first three seasons in the league across the Rowdies and Red Bulls II, he had logged 23 goals on 23.99 Expected Goals and 12 assists on 9.03 Expected Assists.

In the four years since, it’s not panned out the way anyone would have hoped. LaCava had three goals in his return to Tampa Bay in 2023, but since then he’s logged only two goals in 2,148 minutes in stints with the Charleston Battery and San Antonio FC. At 25 years old, there’s still plenty of time for LaCava to find his footing again, and in New Mexico he could have plenty of opportunity on either side of its three-man attacking midfield. If he catches fire as he did on his entry to the pro ranks, it would be a big plus for United’s attack.

3. Charleston Battery signs midfielder Laurent Kissiedou

If there are two things that stand out about Ben Pirmann’s five seasons as a Head Coach in the USL Championship, the first is his record – since the start of 2021, he’s gone 95-42-38 between his time at Memphis 901 FC and the Charleston Battery – and the second is the respect he’s garnered from players. So, it should be no surprise that when Pirmann has come calling for former charges to join him – like former 901 FC standout Laurent Kissiedou – they’ve been receptive.

“Ben Pirmann knows me well, both as a player and as a person, and I have a great deal of respect for his vision and leadership,” said Kissiedou in his introductory press release last week. “I believe our previous experience together will help us hit the ground running.”

Beyond their prior working relationship, Kissiedou can bring plenty to the Battery’s midfield contingent. Over three seasons in Memphis he logged 16 goals and 13 assists, or a goal contribution every 209.6 minutes. From a central midfielder, that’s pretty good going. While the 27-year-old might not be a full 90-minute player in the way Chris Allan has been for the Battery, he should be a very valuable piece as the club looks to maintain its challenge for silverware.

2. FC Tulsa signs attacking midfielder Bruno Lapa

As a player who has achieved two notable “peak” seasons – both of which earned him USL Championship All-League honors – there might be no more intriguing addition to defending Western Conference title-holders FC Tulsa this offseason than Bruno Lapa. The Brazilian playmaker arrives in the Oil Capital of the World with a great overall resume, having notched 32 goals and 19 assists and a goal contribution every 162 minutes in the regular season. As such, it’s a move that should strengthen the Scissortails’ attack.

At first glance, Lapa seems pegged for the right-sided attacking role vacated by Alex Dalou in his move to Detroit City earlier this offseason. That should bring him into action with both standout striker Taylor Calheira and creative midfielder Jamie Webber consistently, and given their respective output in the 2025 campaign the combination of that trio interacting could cause opposing defenses headaches. We’re looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

1. Hartford Athletic signs forward Augustine Williams

Augustine Williams saw his streak of three consecutive seasons with double-digit goals in the USL Championship come to an end last year as he ended the campaign with nine tallies for title-winners Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Looked at another way, though, the work and effort Williams put in to help the Hounds achieve success on both sides of the ball made the campaign one of the 28-year-old’s most complete on record. He recorded career highs in duels won (178) and aerial duels won (83) while winning possession 22 times in the attacking third, his highest mark since he was suiting up for Portland Timbers 2 in 2017.

That all-around game combined with Hartford Athletic’s creativity in the final third could make for an ideal fit for the Sierra Leone international, whose calling card has always been as a reliable finisher year-in and year-out. Williams enters 2026 as the USL-C’s active leader with 85 regular season goals. For a team that somewhat underachieved in front of net in Brendan Burke’s first two seasons – scoring 87 goals on 90.65 Expected Goals, the latter number in the top five in the league since the start of 2024 – the presence of a consistent finisher could take Hartford to another level.