'The league is changing' - USL clubs are spending more on transfers, ushering in a new era of competition in American soccer

Very few places in global soccer are uncharted territories for player movement. Yet USL exists right on the edge. This is a place for innovation, growth and opportunity. Wages are getting better. Contracts - which used to last just 12 months - are getting consistently longer. The announcement of a Division One league, set to start in 2028, has only reaffirmed that. 

Yet how, exactly, players are signed - and where they come from - still varies wildly. These days, clubs cast wide nets. Some teams have academies, or second teams and draw from them heavily. But the college system is still a fruitful breeding ground for talent identification. Scouting networks - sometimes stretching far abroad - are picking up better players by the month. 

USL is getting better, and a burgeoning transfer market is vital for its continued growth. 

“The league is changing right now in terms of the type of talent that we're going to be able to recruit,”  FC Tulsa sporting director Caleb Sewell told GOAL. “I think, especially with the World Cup, a lot of people already want to come to America in general. But when they start to see the facilities and they see what's going on, I think what people are finding out is USL, in itself, is of a very good standard.”

Jamie Webber is a South African international who spent eight fruitful years playing in the top flight of the South African premiership. As a youngster, he was considered one of the most promising talents in his country. 

Now, he plays for FC Tulsa. At €1 million, he is also the highest valued footballer to ever feature in the league. That might seem outlandish, beyond the scope of what USL can do - and the best transfer practices of the league. But General Manager Caleb Sewell considers Webber a game-changing signing. 

“He's got a lot of things that we were looking for, and it made a lot of sense for us on just a budgetary standpoint, team dynamic, and what we're trying to do,” Sewell said. 

But how it happened is far more intriguing. Tulsa doesn’t have a scouting department in a traditional sense. The deal was brokered, almost entirely, by Sewell.

“Anyone in the USL who tells you they have this robust scouting department is telling fibs. It doesn't exist,” Sewell said. “What you'll have is a sporting director. You've got your head coach, where you sit down, you kind of say, ‘What are we looking for? What's the profile?’” 

So, for Webber, Sewell mined his own personal network. He knew agents worldwide. He had contacts in the South African league. He conducted background phone calls, corroborated with people who knew the player, had worked with him, and could speak to his quality. 

“Most of our time, really, is to make sure that what we're seeing is validated by more than one person, and that on a character front, we're asking those questions to really make sure we get positive feedback from people we trust,” Sewell said. “In the case of Jamie, it couldn't have been any more true. He is a lovely bloke. He is a top-notch guy.” 

Eventually, he was sold. A conversation with ownership tied up the finances. Webber was announced in May.

Oakland Roots were struggling. The USL club made headlines at the start of the season when they announced they would be playing in the Oakland Coliseum. Here was a young, trendy, outwardly Californian club taking over a venue that had been abandoned by a number of big-name professional franchises. 

It seemed like a new dawn. MLB’s Athletics and the NFL’s Raiders had left Oakland. The Roots were going to carry the torch next. But they started the season poorly, and parted with head coach Gavin Glinton. They believed the roster needed strengthening. 

The Roots are an interesting case study. Project 510, their USL League Two-based reserve team, routinely send talent to the professional side. It’s a rare thing in USL, but does lead to sustainable growth. 

“We have a real commitment to our second team. We're huge in the community… I don't think that's a secret. I do think teams do that too, but it's just that our commitment to it is a bit different than in our teams,” director of player personnel Nana Attakora said. 

The flip side, of course, is that going heavy on the kids can leave the team light on true leaders. So, they went about changing things. Attakora had watched midfielder Danny Trejo for 3 years. Every winter window, they tried to sign him, but were either outbid or unable to agree on terms. They came close six months ago, but Birmingham Legion were willing to pay slightly more. 

But when he became available last month, Attakora jumped. The outlay for Trejo was significant. He is on a long-term contract, and, in Attakora’s estimation, one of the best compensated players in the league. Of course, after being repeatedly outbid in the past, Attakora needed certain guarantees from ownership this time. That wasn’t a problem. 

“Basically, I went to our ownership group,” Attakora said, “and I'm like, ‘Listen, the results on the field aren't there yet. We're playing good football, but the results aren't there yet, but Danny is both - on the field and off the field - the player we need. On the field, he's a perfect fit, literally the one position we're going after in the summer window.’” 

The owners greenlit the deal. Finally, the Roots got their man.

For USL owners and sporting directors, so much about transfer business is not only what the fit of the player is - but also what it means writ large. 

There are some traditional big spenders who can offer better wages, longer contracts, and, sometimes, more attractive facilities. Phoenix, Birmingham and Tampa Bay, for example, have no problem splashing the cash. 

For smaller clubs executing big deals, sending a message is key. 

“Signing a player with a profile of Danny helps with our recruitment going forward, because players and agents are going to see… we really mean business going forward. And as I start to build for 2026 I needed that player, that catalyst to show the league that we are serious about winning on the field,” Attakora said. 

The same goes for Lexington and Adedokun. It is common knowledge around the league that Adedokun is an MLS-caliber talent who will, in all likelihood, be playing for an MLS club within a year or two. But Lexington, who joined the USL Championship this year, believe the world that simply showing they’re willing to invest - and accept that they can move players on for a profit - will pay dividends going forward. 

“If you're a team that has been difficult to deal with previously or wouldn't move a player, I don't think a deal gets done. But we're always a players-first club. We want to bring guys in and allow them to move on,” Doerr said.

Of course, there is a smaller margin for error here. When budgets are dwarfed by MLS clubs, and the league is young, clubs have to make sure that they hit on their signings. That can be immensely difficult - especially for sides that rely mostly on laptops and conversations to get their transfer business done. 

But it does also leave room for creativity. There is no singular place to look for the right players. So everyone looks everywhere. The Roots, historically, have relied on the college market - especially for goalkeepers. 

“America produces some of the best goalies in the world. So domestic goalies are something that we're big on,” Attakora said. 

Doerr has worked for multiple USL clubs, and built something of a reputation as a dealmaker who will allow fringe MLS talents to effectively “play down” for a year, before moving on - ensuring a tidy profit along the way. It’s what he plans on doing with Adedokun. 

“The goal is to, you know, shop [Adedokun] to MLS in the off season, which there's already some interest, or over or over to Europe,” Doerr said. 

Sewell at Tulsa is another archetype. He has global experience, and his links span around the world. Webber was evidence of fine use of his African links. But he has connections in the Premier League, and other top European setups. He had a friend at Benfica, and in a trip to their second team’s training facilities, realized the European giants knew everything about USL. 

That might lead to a deal someday. 

“He could tell you about players within the league. What that did, for me, was show that they are not opposed to looking at leagues that may be under-recruited for talent,” Sewell said.

The future remains uncertain. USL is still volatile and expanding. Three new clubs are joining the Championship next year. As of yet, there are few indications as to which teams will join the forthcoming Division One league. Promotion and relegation - the rule that American soccer has always pushed away - will only further disrupt the order of things. 

But those involved in the decision-making processes are optimistic. And their transfer business suggests as such. Contracts are getting longer. Wages are getting higher. Investment is coming, both domestically and abroad. 

And for the players who want to move within the league - or use USL as an ideal stepping stone - the transfer market only offers more opportunities. 

“It’s definitely a league that can springboard people to where they want to go,” Sewell said. “You just have to go in and do the business.”