Players with the Best Potential in USL Championship 2026

The highest-potential players in USL Championship in 2026, ranked on Field Insider.

Best goalkeepers in USL Championship Best defenders in USL Championship Best midfielders in USL Championship Best attackers in USL Championship Most in-form players in USL Championship Top-scoring players in USL Championship

At a glance

S. Ngoma of Birmingham Legion is the standout for raw talent across players in USL Championship, with a Field Insider Rating of 41, and C. Jennings has been the form player this season, grading 36.1.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: S. Anderson has improved his Season rating most, up +19.3 on last season, while A. Larsson's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +3.1 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, J. Torres of Charleston Battery is the most valuable name in this group at 8.1.

Monterey Bay · 23/24→25/26

Most improved

S. Anderson+19.3SsN

Hartford Athletic · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	S. Ngoma Centre-forward	Birmingham Legion	21	587.5%	411.7%
2	N. Scardina Central midfielder	Rhode Island	25	8	4014.7%
3	J. Torres Attacking midfielder	Charleston Battery	25	31	36
4	A. Watts Defensive midfielder	Loudoun United	26	1842.9%	363.2%
5	H. Avayevu Attacking midfielder	Phoenix Rising	23	25	35
6	R. Serrano Centre-forward	Louisville City	24	24	35
7	Abdellatif Aboukoura Attacking midfielder	Loudoun United	21	33	35
8	M. Myers Centre-forward	Charleston Battery	25	29	34
9	Kieran Sargeant Full-back	Lexington	23	14±0%	342.4%
10	C. Smith Full-back	Phoenix Rising	22	113400%	345.8%
11	H. Landry Defensive midfielder	Charleston Battery	25	27	34
12	Finn Sundstrom Full-back	North Carolina	19	14	34
13	B. Willey Central midfielder	Sacramento Republic	19	13	34
14	I. Paul Centre-forward	Monterey Bay	24	20	336.7%
15	T. Calheira Centre-forward	FC Tulsa	24	24±0%	334.9%
16	N. Benalcazar Central midfielder	Orange County SC	25	227133.3%	332.7%
17	E. Bartlow Centre-back	Tampa Bay Rowdies	26	747.8%	337.1%
18	S. Anderson Full-back	Hartford Athletic	24	23551.4%	3315.9%
19	J. Akpunonu Centre-back	Charleston Battery	24	13	3311.6%
20	S. Smart Centre-back	Las Vegas Lights	22	14	33
21	C. Hegardt Attacking midfielder	Orange County SC	24	12	3215.7%
22	K. Tingey Centre-back	Oakland Roots	26	10	32
23	B. Diallo Defensive midfielder	FC Tulsa	23	17	32
24	O. Damm Full-back	FC Tulsa	23	20	32
25	A. Sanchez Central midfielder	Rhode Island	24	14	32
26	Nick Firmino Central midfielder	Lexington	25	214000%	326.5%
27	J. Hernández Attacking midfielder	San Antonio	25	242937.5%	3232.3%
28	M. Vargas Central midfielder	New Mexico United	25	17	328.4%
29	S. Suber Centre-back	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	25	27	32
30	T. Davila Attacking midfielder	Louisville City	26	21	32
31	F. Daroma Central midfielder	El Paso Locomotive	25	21	32
32	Jansen Wilson Centre-forward	Louisville City	25	15	32
33	W. Leggett Centre-forward	Charleston Battery	25	10	31
34	M. Lyons Full-back	Monterey Bay	23	4	31
35	G. Nigro Full-back	Tampa Bay Rowdies	26	24	31
36	R. Avila Centre-forward	El Paso Locomotive	25	15	3114.4%
37	Ramiz Hamouda Centre-back	Birmingham Legion	18	5	31
38	W. Cabrera Centre-forward	El Paso Locomotive	26	32	31
39	A. Dalou Centre-forward	FC Tulsa	26	10	30
40	F. Nodarse Centre-back	Rhode Island	25	22	30
41	Evan Davila Central midfielder	Louisville City	24	4	30
42	R. Bidois Centre-forward	Loudoun United	24	11	30
43	J. LaCava Centre-forward	New Mexico United	25	8	30
44	N. Gordon Centre-back	Monterey Bay	24	561.8%	3050%
45	R. Damus Centre-forward	Birmingham Legion	26	3024.2%	3013.4%
46	B. Mines Attacking midfielder	Las Vegas Lights	26	1169.2%	3028.9%
47	P. Barnes Central midfielder	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	25	10	30
48	A. Rocha Central midfielder	Colorado Springs	25	7	30
49	D. Pierre Full-back	FC Tulsa	25	10	30
50	K. Yao Centre-back	Rhode Island	25	18	3014.5%