There have been a ton of signings in the USL this offseason. Blockbusters, youngsters, veterans, transfers, free agents, surprise unveilings it has all been happening. What about the signings that don’t get the fanfare? We’ll take a look at a handful of signings that feel bigger than the headlines they captured.

Jake LaCava - Charleston Battery

LaCava is a wonderful talent, the fact he started and has subsequently spent time in and around MLS reserve teams is evidence of that. He was even making the bench for Inter Miami in the first half of last year, even if he never made an MLS appearance for them. When he came to Tampa Bay last year he was a shot in the arm for the team almost immediately scoring two and assisting another in his first three matches. From there, while he was certainly impactful across Tampa Bay’s remaining games, he only contributed one more goal and didn’t contribute to any goals in the final 10 matches including the shock home playoff defeat to Birmingham Legion.

Part of the situation in TB is that LaCava was utilized in a variety of roles across their attack. Utilized primarily as a left winger, he also was deployed on the right and a couple of times as a striker, particularly later in matches. This movement meant that while he has averaged about two shots on target per match across his career, he averaged less than a shot and a half per 90 last year. While he became a fairly consistent starter toward the end of the year, he went in and out of the starting XI earlier on. In TB’s system, with JJ Williams and Cal Jennings up top, LaCava’s possession was also happening in naturally wider areas, limiting his chances in front of goal.

In signing for Charleston, LaCava is joining a team that has gotten the most out of its attacking depth. He will certainly feel good about the impact of the likes of Nick Markanich who has been deployed in similar areas. A lot remains to be seen with Charleston in terms of signing a pure goalscorer up top (and maybe Augi Williams returns) but the link up with Markanich, Arturo Rodriguez and Tristan Trager feels like it could be just the thing that could get LaCava the two things he needs most, consistent involvement in matches and consistent touches in the width of the penalty area. You also have to like what Pirmann has been able to do to enhance forwards of Jake’s style at Charleston. Look for Jake to make his mark at last year’s USL Championship Finalists.

Blake Bodily - Tampa Bay Rowdies

Speaking of Tampa Bay Rowdies, they have done some business this offseason. They have made waves with the signing of the likes of Manuel Arteaga and now the overly protracted announcement of Pacifique Niyongabire had given the USL-sphere more to meme about. But one signing that will have for my money the biggest impact on TB is Blake Bodily.

Bodily was not in either the First or Second Team of USL Championship’s All-League team and here is an argument as to why that was hogwash. Bodily’s 2023 stat line was identical to Jack Gurr of Sac Republic, the runner up in Defender of the Year voting and a First Team All-League selection. This was a significant injustice. Bodily was a menace from LB for San Diego Loyal, assisting nine goals and scoring five more. Playing in a system that allowed him freedom to get forward, he took full advantage and completed nearly five crosses per 90. Combine this with a defensive player who won nearly 60% of his duels and ⅔ of his sliding tackles and you have a player that should have been at the top of anyone’s shopping list this offseason. It is no surprise that TB went and got him.

In terms of fit, this has to be one of the best signings of the offseason for my money. Bodily’s quality of service from the wings, ability to advance the ball both in the pass and on the dribble and his ability to win back possession make this a slam dunk for Tampa as they look to reload under new manager Robbie Neilson. When you picture crosses being served into the box for the likes of Jennings and Arteaga to latch onto, or him and Connor Antley linking play with midfielders like Leo Fernandes and Charlie Dennis you can start to see the vision for TB and it is looking pretty dangerous.

Florian Valot - Loudoun United

Loudoun United are entering their second full season out from underneath DC United but this offseason they feel like they are building something that will vastly improve on the 25 points they gathered in 2023. Florian Valot joins a veteran cohort that is joining the exciting young squad that just feels like it is on the verge of behaving seriously in the USL Eastern Conference. Drew Skundrich and Tommy McCabe added some veteran nous in central midfield and defense but Valot feels like the connective tissue that Loudoun’s exciting attacking trident of Kalil El Medkhar, Tommy Williamson and Zach Ryan need to really elevate to the next level.

Valot was one of the myriad casualties of a disjointed and underwhelming season in Miami in 2023. While only involved in five goals in 2023, we are talking about a player that is one year removed from a five goal, eight assist return in Miami. A lack of consistency in position played a part here, with him interchangeably used across the front and across the midfield, even being deployed as a wing back occasionally. The result was that his shot volume dropped significantly as did his shot quality. What did pick up was his passing, as he completed more passes per 90 and a higher percentage of total passes than in any season in his career.

This transition of Valot from the last pass or the finisher to a guy who was much more involved in the build-up play is exactly what Loudoun needs. A savvy veteran as the most advanced of a midfield three who can make really solid decisions and provide quality to break opponents’ lines. Valot as the one feeding El Medkhar, Williamson and Ryan, with a more experienced and reliable spine in the team could unlock Valot in a way we haven’t seen yet.

Noe Meza - Memphis 901

Having a broader soccer ecosystem is a pretty cool thing. This year, as a result of USL’s broader system there are a lot of talents that you will get a chance to watch make the leap from USL League 1 to the Championship. Chief amongst them, in my humble opinion, is Noe Meza. Meza makes the leap from Union Omaha fresh off a season where he absolutely shone. His 12 goals made the headlines but this is a player who feels capable of recreating the form at a Championship level despite not grabbing the eyes that Trevor Amann has in going to Sacramento.

Meza plays primarily off the left and his ability to come in off that wing and give himself chances in central areas makes me think he will be quite dangerous for Memphis this year. He generated about three shots per 90 but in those three shots was generating about .37 Expected Goals and even outperformed that number a bit, scoring at a clip of .44 per game. Fashioning these chances while having to go central from wide areas suggests that Meza is smart about his positioning and finds the pockets of space between lines where he can cause havoc. He is also great with both feet, and can score with his head. He improvises well and he scored his share of bangers last season. Treat yourself to some of his goals, seriously.

Asking Meza to come into a new league and replicate big numbers like he put up last year while playing on the wing would be unrealistic, but if he can improve on Laurent Kissiedou’s five goals that could be the start of a very fruitful stay in Memphis. Don’t get me wrong, he has his work cut out getting into a team that has Bruno Lapa, Luiz Fernando and has added Marlon and Kyle Murphy but Noe could really add something to this Memphis team and I think he’ll break out.

Bolu Akinyode - El Paso Locomotive

Listen, you can call me a homer, you can point to other signings, you can even call out the fact that I’ve included two former Miami FC players on this list. What you cannot deny is that El Paso have gone out and upgraded this offseason. Rather than talk about the total attacking overhaul or going and getting a top class goalkeeper, I wanted to focus on Akinyode. Having primarily played in central midfield for Miami, by all accounts he is going to be primarily deployed in Locomotive’s backline and he is just the sort of player I would want to see them sign. As a guy who can eat up a lot of ground with his big strides, makes loads of smart decisions on when to commit to tackles and has bags of quality particularly when he’s picking out a long pass, you realize the profile just fits.

Locomotive went on a journey last year. Starting slow, going on a tear and then just absolutely having the wheels fall off in the last third, Locomotive could use some stability. Heck, they even lost their ever-present center back right before they faced off against Akinyode and Miami last year. Going and getting a player like Akinyode goes beyond the tackles, interceptions and passes he will make game to game, he improves the team.

A veteran like Akinyode marshaling a defense that includes Noah Dollenmeyer and Elijah Martin starts to feel very solid. Add in that he will be a proactive defender who steps in to cover the space behind Eric Calvillo and Liam Rose who will see the most time in that central midfield pairing, and some of the cracks (or at times gaping chasms) that showed last year start to feel like they are getting sealed up. This solidity in the back three that I’d project we will see from El Paso also frees up the attacking qualities in Petar Petrovic and Miles Lyons who will likely get the bulk of the time at wing back. Connect all that to a front three of Amando Moreno, Justin Dhillon and Joaquin Rivas…? Baby, you got a stew going!

- Phil Baki