Most Valuable defenders by Market Value in USL Championship 2026

The most valuable defenders in USL Championship in 2026, ranked on Field Insider.

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

At a glance

C. Smith of Phoenix Rising is the standout for raw talent across defenders in USL Championship, with a Field Insider Rating of 34.3, and K. Adams has been the form player this season, grading 27.8, and T. Maples leads the scoring with 3 goals.

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. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, S. Anderson of Hartford Athletic is the most valuable name in this group at 7.5.

Tampa Bay Rowdies · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

S. Anderson+19.3SsN

Hartford Athletic · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by highest valueCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	S. Anderson Full-back	Hartford Athletic	24	7.5	23551.4%	3315.9%
2	S. Suber Centre-back	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	25	7.1	27	32
3	O. Damm Full-back	FC Tulsa	23	7	20	32
4	F. Nodarse Centre-back	Rhode Island	25	6.9	22	30
5	G. Nigro Full-back	Tampa Bay Rowdies	26	6.3	24	31
6	A. Cissoko Centre-back	FC Tulsa	26	6.3	2020200%	2818.5%
7	J. Lindsey Centre-back	Orange County SC	26	6.2	16222.4%	2723.2%
8	K. Yao Centre-back	Rhode Island	26	6.2	18	3014.5%
9	T. Maples Centre-back	Colorado Springs	27	6.1	15	27
10	L. Biasi Full-back	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	27	6	23	27
11	F. Kleemann Centre-back	Sacramento Republic	27	5.8	227066.7%	2626.4%
12	H. St Clair Full-back	FC Tulsa	27	5.7	165266.7%	2549.4%
13	Guillaume Vacter Centre-back	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	26	5.7	16	27
14	Maliek Howell Centre-back	New Mexico United	27	5.2	16	26
15	R. Hope-Gund Centre-back	Detroit City	27	5.2	14	27
16	Garrison Tubbs Centre-back	Orange County SC	24	4.6	660%	373.3%
17	H. Diop Centre-back	Birmingham Legion	24	4.5	32800%	375.4%
18	K. Burks Centre-back	Lexington	27	4.4	14151.9%	2916.7%
19	N. Dossantos Centre-back	Charleston Battery	27	4.4	14	27
20	C. Smith Full-back	Phoenix Rising	22	4.3	113400%	345.8%
21	J. Akpunonu Centre-back	Charleston Battery	24	4.3	13	3311.6%
22	S. Smart Centre-back	Las Vegas Lights	22	4.2	14	33
23	W. Eisner Centre-back	FC Tulsa	23	4.2	1	34
24	W. Eisner Centre-back	FC Tulsa	23	4.1	1	34
25	S. Mazzaferro Centre-back	Loudoun United	25	4	1	34
26	R. Ydrach Centre-back	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	25	4	12	29
27	E. Bartlow Centre-back	Tampa Bay Rowdies	26	4	747.8%	337.1%
28	K. Tingey Centre-back	Oakland Roots	26	3.9	10	32
29	N. Gordon Centre-back	Monterey Bay	24	3.8	561.8%	3050%
30	Grayson Doody Centre-back	Orange County SC	24	3.8	5	30
31	X. Zengue Full-back	Lexington	25	3.8	4	30
32	D. Pierre Full-back	FC Tulsa	25	3.8	10	30
33	B. Ofeimu Centre-back	Las Vegas Lights	26	3.7	6	29
34	Joel Garcia Centre-back	Monterey Bay	24	3.7	2	29
35	J. Bravo Full-back	Oakland Roots	26	3.7	13	29
36	H. Yamazaki Full-back	Detroit City	25	3.7	5	30
37	A. Miles Full-back	Orange County SC	22	3.7	3	32
38	N. Sessock Centre-back	Las Vegas Lights	26	3.6	0	29
39	K. Hughes Centre-back	Birmingham Legion	26	3.6	191.9%	304.8%
40	I. Foster Centre-back	Colorado Springs	23	3.6	5	2922.4%
41	J. Greene Centre-back	Lexington	23	3.6	4	29
42	L. Blackstock Full-back	Charleston Battery	26	3.6	10	28
43	E. Samadia Centre-back	Hartford Athletic	25	3.6	5	27
44	P. Boye Centre-back	Phoenix Rising	22	3.6	4	30
45	T. Presthus Centre-back	Hartford Athletic	23	3.6	3	28
46	Álvaro Quezada Centre-back	El Paso Locomotive	27	3.5	11	24
47	B. Rendón Centre-back	Indy Eleven	26	3.5	9	27
48	C. Gloster Centre-back	New Mexico United	26	3.5	836.7%	2735.3%
49	M. Real Full-back	Hartford Athletic	27	3.4	1128.9%	2436.5%
50	N. Jones Centre-back	Las Vegas Lights	25	3.4	4	26