With just under two months to go until the season starts, 23 players from the 2023 USL Championship season have signed on USL League One sides.
A few weeks ago, we profiled the first 13 players to make the jump from USL Championship to USL League One. And like that list, this one also includes a few familiar names.
We’ll say it again, a move from the higher level does not automatically guarantee success. However, many of these players bring important experience and training to their new squads, and we’ve saw a number of players finding success in USL League One in 2023 after making the move.
Which one of these players stands to make the biggest impact on their new side in 2024?
Here’s a quick profile on each of the latest batch of announced inbound transfers from USL Championship.
Jorge Corrales (LB)
FC Tulsa ➡️ Lexington SC
Lexington further locks down its defense by bringing on Jorge Corrales. The 32 year old Cuban national team player brings a wealth of USL Championship and MLS experience, spending the last three seasons with FC Tulsa. The last two seasons saw limited minutes due to injuries, but with the youthful Anthony Patti and Kimball Jackson ready to step in, the depth is there.
READ MORE: Player Profile – Jorge Corrales (Crane Kicks Lex)
Johnny Fenwick (CB)
Sacramento Republic ➡️ Northern Colorado Hailstorm
Hailstorm had a Rob Cornwall sized hole to fill at centerback, and Johnny Fenwick was looking for minutes after falling back on the Sacramento depth chart. Sounds like a match made in Northern Colorado. Fenwick brings five years of Championship experience, and will join a back line alongside Brecc Evan, David Garcia, Lucky Opara and Bruno Rendón.
Collin Fernandez (MF)
FC Tulsa ➡️ Spokane Velocity
The central midfielder is another with plenty of USL Championship experiences, bringing 145 appearances, along with a stint in MLS NextPro with Kansas City II in 2022. There, he served as captain, and provided a goal and four assists on the season. Upon upgrading to Tulsa in 2023, he made regular appearances, with 17 starts. He’ll be 27 when the season starts, heading into his prime, and could very well become the bridge to Spokane’s future buildouts.
Marcelo Lage (CB)
Las Vegas Lights ➡️ Spokane Velocity
Another potential buildout piece, Lage will be 24 when the season starts. He spent his first professional season with a rather bad Las Vegas Lights side, but was one of the bright spots on the squad, scoring four goals as a regular center back. He’s also quite good in the air, with a towering 6’5″ presence, ranking high in aerial duels won with Las Vegas.
Cameron Lancaster (FW)
Louisville City ➡️ Lexington SC
Not content with retaining Ates Diouf (16 goals in 2023), and poaching Azaad Liadi (10 goals, 13 assists) from MLS NextPro side Huntsville City, Lexington decided to go a step further and bring in Cameron Lancaster, a striker who has 80 goals in 166 USL Championship appearances, including two seasons with 20 or more. He’s now 31 years old, and his last two seasons have seen a bit of injury slow his production, but when he’s healthy, he still has it. The biggest question now becomes how does coach Darren Powell manage this abundance of offensive weaponry?
READ MORE: Player Profile – Cam Lancaster (Crane Kicks Lex)
Wolfgang Prentice (MF)
Oakland Roots ➡️ Forward Madison
Another year, another loan from Oakland Roots to Forward Madison, listed as season long with rights to retain. Last season, the 23-year-old midfielder spent nine matches with Madison, scoring once, before being recalled back to Oakland for the remainder of the season. He’d make 13 appearances there, providing two assists. As to where he’ll fit in with an increasingly crowded Madison midfield, he’ll likely support or augment Nazeem Bartman on the left side. We’ll see if Oakland lets him stay longer than nine matches – apparently there is a financial incentive this year in Madison’s favor, according to remarks from coach Matt Glaeser this week.
READ MORE: Wolfgang Returns (Talkin’ Flock)
Hugh Roberts (CB)
Monterey Bay ➡️ Charlotte Independence
Another player with tons of experience at the USL Championship level, Hugh Roberts returns to Charlotte Independence after playing for the side when it was part of that level. He departed for Monterey Bay when Charlotte moved to USL League One, and served as its main captain for the last two seasons, leading his side in clearances, blocks, interceptions, and aerial duels won. He’ll boost a defense that already includes Charlotte captain Clay Dimick, Nick Spielman, Shalom Dutey and Denzel Akyeampong. He’ll also be reunited with Dimick, Dutey, Joel Johnson, Tresor Mbuyu, Gabirel Obertan and Austin Pack, all of whom remain from Charlotte’s 2021 season.
Ricky Ruiz (FW)
RGV FC Toros ➡️ Chattanooga Red Wolves
The 27-year-old midfielder returns to USL League One after two seasons with USL Championship side RGV FC Toros, where he scored 5 goals and contributed 7 assists. He’ll likely fill in a spot on the left side, providing yet another potent offensive weapon looking to score or feed chances to Ropapa Mensah, Jonathan Filipe, Chevone Marsh and whoever else finds their way into the box. Ruiz spent the shortened 2020 season and 2021 with Chattanooga, providing 4 goals and 9 assists in the latter campaign.
Ferrety Sousa (RB)
Sacramento Republic ➡️ Forward Madison
The 33-year-old brings experience to an already strong back line for Forward Madison. Before spending the last two seasons in Sacramento, Ferrety captained Union Omaha during its 2021 championship season. He’ll likely serve as a wing back depth option on the right side behind Stephen Payne and Derek Gebhard.
READ MORE: Ferrety Sousa joins Forward Madison (Talkin’ Flock)
Sebastián Velásquez (MF)
Indy Eleven ➡️ Greenville Triumph
The Colombian midfielder will be 33 when the season starts, but had a bit of a career renaissance with Indy Eleven during the second half of 2023 after missing much of 2022 and the first half of 2023 with injuries. With Indy, he made 12 starts in 16 appearances, scoring 2 and providing 1 assist. It’s also a bit of a homecoming to upstate South Carolina, as he started his journey at Spartanburg Methodist College before spending three seasons in the MLS. As long as he remains healthy, he should fill in nicely alongside Lyam MacKinnon or behind Leo Castro.
We’re expecting a few more inbound transfers as the season gets closer and USL Championship rosters become largely complete. Last year, 22 players made the jump from USL Championship to USL League One. We’ll profile the next batch as they are announced! Stay tuned.