Another edition of League Two's Top Performers, presented by Soccer Syndicate, is here! These are ten players identified by the scouts at Soccer Syndicate and league staff at USL as some of the best players so far this season!

Teddy Baker – Salem City FC – LW

Baker is a tall winger that is probably one of the best one-on-one players in League Two. He has one mission when the ball gets to his feet – destroy whatever is in front of him. He likes to shoot, beat defenders, and take goalkeepers by surprise with a powerful near-post finish. There are still pieces to be added to his game, but his talent is intriguing.

Jonathan Mennell – Asheville City SC – GK

Asheville City are one of the most stout defenses in League Two, and a lot of that is down to Mennell. The Xavier man is getting more athletic every day, isn’t afraid to claim balls in a crowd, and has USL Championship experience at age 20. He’s an immense presence for the Blues.

Marques Muir – SC United Bantams – CB

Muir isn’t the tallest central defender you’ll ever see, but he’s strong, fast, and smart. He can make critical, game-changing decisions at the halfway line and backed up in his own box. He can stop attackers one-on-one or in the mixer. He talks constantly, and is everything the Bantams want out of their leader in the back line.

Marley Edwards – Ventura County Fusion – RW

Edwards has been a mainstay in Ventura County Fusion’s squad for years, scoring the winning goal in the 2022 League Two Final against Long Island Rough Riders. His strongest ability is his pace, and his ability to keep control of the ball during a full sprint, which allows him to truly run as fast as he can with the ball at his feet, something not every quick player has. He also has the ability to slow play down and pick a pass or place a ball, and has made good on Ventura County’s continued production of talented forwards.

Logan Erb – AHFC Royals – GK

Erb has been a League Two pillar for several years as well, and is doing his best work now with AHFC Royals. He has long arms and isn’t afraid to challenge off of his line, while knowing when to stay back and stop shots between the sticks. He prefers to distribute with his hands, which he’s extremely good at.

Luke Persenico – Peoria City – RW

One of the stories of the season, Persenico’s goalscoring has carried Peoria to the top of the Heartland Division and likely into a playoff bid. Still work to do, but this group is led by his goals, and they’re perfectly happy with that as he’s so good at scoring them.

Jack Roman – Cleveland Force SC – RW/CAM

A long time player for Cleveland Force SC in their youth ranks, Roman is comfortable beyond his years in attack. He can score goals, as one of the youngest players in the league to consistently appear on the scoresheet, and can contribute both in the middle and out wide. His shooting ability has been a major plus for the Force this season.

Ben Salter – North Carolina FC U-23 – CB

Only just turned 18 years old, Ben Salter has helped to anchor one of the better defenses in the Eastern Conference despite routinely coming up against attackers more experienced than him. Unsurprising for a player in North Carolina FC’s system, but he is fast approaching a life of professional soccer with his tools in defense.

Simon Vaca-Lorenzi – Davis Legacy – ST

Davis Legacy have been average in front of goal, with 16 goals in nine matches. Vaca-Lorenzi has been anything but. Of his club’s 16 goals, he has eight, and is deep in the Golden Boot race while trying to simultaneously keep Legacy alive in the playoff race. It’s going to go down to the wire in the Nor Cal Division, and Vaca-Lorenzi may yet play spoiler to several hopeful clubs.

Andrew Darakdjian – AFC Ann Arbor – LW

Another of the league’s youngest contributors, the 18-year-old has poured in seven extremely valuable goals for Ann Arbor. Coming off a season in which he played only 270 minutes for Oakland University, Darakdjian has taken a major leap at a great time – Ann Arbor are eight points back from Midwest United with three games in hand, and they’ll need his nose for goal as the end of the season approaches.