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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 28

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 09/16/19, 5:45PM EDT

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Saint Louis makes push into the top ten after earning fourth straight victory

The 2019 USL Championship Power Rankings are compiled each week by staff writers John Arlia and Nicholas Murray. Check back every Monday during the regular season to see who’s hot, and who’s not, as the biggest season in the league’s history progresses.

Atlanta United 2 Austin Bold FC Birmingham Legion FC Bethlehem Steel FC Charleston Battery Charlotte Independence Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC El Paso Locomotive FC Fresno FC
Hartford Athletic Indy Eleven LA Galaxy II Louisville City FC Las Vegas Lights FC Loudoun United FC Memphis 901 FC Nashville SC North Carolina FC
New Mexico United New York Red Bulls II Orange County SC OKC Energy FC Ottawa Fury FC Phoenix Rising FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Portland Timbers 2 Rio Grande Valley FC
Reno 1868 FC San Antonio FC Real Monarchs SLC Saint Louis FC Sacramento Republic FC Swope Park Rangers Tacoma Defiance Tampa Bay Rowdies Tulsa Roughnecks FC

Biggest Movers

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary

1 Phoenix Rising FC
(22-2-5)
Week 28: W, 1-0 @LV, W, 4-1 LA
Week 29: @FRS

Last Week: 1
Just think, Rising FC failed to record back-to-back victories over its first nine games. Now, it has ripped off 20 wins in a row and is on the verge of setting every single-season record there is. Oh, and it has clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
2 Orange County SC
(11-8-9)
Week 28: W, 2-0 ELP
Week 29: @TUL
3
Last Week: 5
Orange County’s late-season renaissance continued as Michael Seaton and Darwin Jones provided the scoring once again in their side’s fifth straight victory.
3 Indy Eleven
(17-5-5)
Week 28: W, 2-0 OTT, W, 2-1 BST
Week 29: @BHM
3
Last Week: 6
The Eleven are officially back in the USL Championship Playoffs for the second straight year after a comeback victory over Steel FC saw them keep their perfect home record alive.
4 New York Red Bulls II
(17-6-5)
Week 28: W, 2-0 CLT
Week 29: @STL, @LOU
3
Last Week: 7
The Red Bulls II also clinched their place in the postseason this past week with a home win over Charlotte that saw New York hold onto top spot in the East for the moment.
5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(14-4-9)
Week 28: W, 1-0 CHS
Week 29: @NSH
3
Last Week: 8
The Hounds haven’t conceded a goal over their four-game unbeaten run and are knocking on the door to fourth place ahead of a weekend clash with Nashville.
6 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(15-5-8)
Week 28: T, 1-1 ATL
Week 29: @OTT, BST
2
Last Week: 4
The Rowdies’ draw with ATL UTD 2 is uninspiring, but they’ll get two chances this week to make amends against Ottawa Fury FC and Bethlehem Steel FC to give their top-four hopes a significant boost.
7 Fresno FC
(14-5-8)
Week 28: L, 1-3 @LV
Week 29: RGV, PHX
5
Last Week: 2
The Foxes fell in Vegas, as many teams have, but also dropped from second to third after 1868 FC’s six-point week. Fresno still has two games in hand on Reno, but Phoenix comes to town this weekend.
8 Saint Louis FC
(10-9-8)
Week 28: W, 2-0 @BHM
Week 29: NY, @MEM
5
Last Week: 13
Three straight shutouts and four consecutive wins have Saint Louis looking like the team no one wanted to play in the early months of the season.
9 Louisville City FC
(13-7-8)
Week 28: W, 1-0 @HFD
Week 29: NY

Last Week: 9
Louisville continues to be unconvincing in front of goal – and was actually outshot on its trip to Hartford – but the two-time defending champs continue to find ways to win.
10 Nashville SC
(15-7-6)
Week 28: --
Week 29: BHM, PIT

Last Week: 10
Nashville had the weekend off to prepare for a challenging two-game homestand, starting with a visit from Birmingham on Tuesday night. With five of its final six games at First Tennessee Park, NSC’s top-four fate is in its own hands.
11 Birmingham Legion FC
(10-11-6)
Week 28: L, 0-2 STL
Week 29: @NSH, IND
8
Last Week: 3
Legion FC saw its nine-game unbeaten run come to an end at home against playoff rival Saint Louis, which certainly wasn’t ideal. Charleston’s one-point week helped, though.
12 Sacramento Republic FC
(13-11-4)
Week 28: W, 2-1 @AUS, W, 2-1 RGV
Week 29: @OKC
2
Last Week: 14
Thomas Enevoldsen has scored five goals and recorded two assists in six games since joining Republic FC in August. Talk about an instant impact.
13 Real Monarchs SLC
(11-9-7)
Week 28: W, 5-1 POR
Week 29: @TAC, @RGV
4
Last Week: 17
Douglas Martinez’s four-goal barrage on Sunday against Portland wasn’t the only one last week, but it was crucial to end the Monarchs’ slide and boost their top-four hopes.
14 LA Galaxy II
(10-9-9)
Week 28: L, 1-4 @PHX
Week 29: SA
2
Last Week: 12
The Galaxy II didn’t have a lot of success on their trip to Phoenix, but then again, who has?
15 New Mexico United
(10-8-10)
Week 28: W, 3-1 COS
Week 29: RNO
5
Last Week: 20
Devon Sandoval’s finding the goals at the right time for New Mexico. The Albuquerque native now has five over his past two games.
16 San Antonio FC
(10-11-7)
Week 28: W, 3-1 OKC
Week 29: @LA
3
Last Week: 19
San Antonio is as inconsistent as anyone in this wild Western Conference, but a first home win in club history over Energy FC will go a long way toward a postseason appearance.
17 Reno 1868 FC
(15-9-5)
Week 28: W, 5-0 TAC, W, 2-1 @AUS
Week 29: @NM
6
Last Week: 23
After his four-goal outing against Tacoma on Tuesday, Danny Musovski got back on the scoresheet in Reno’s impressive away win over Austin to give him seven tallies in his last three games. Yes, you’re reading that right.
18 Austin Bold FC
(11-11-7)
Week 28: L, 1-2 SAC, L, 1-2 RNO
Week 29: LV
7
Last Week: 11
Bold FC’s home-field dominance didn’t hold up over a disappointing two-game week. Austin will hope the third time’s the charm against Las Vegas before finishing with four games on the road.
19 Las Vegas Lights FC
(9-12-8)
Week 28: L, 0-1 PHX, W, 3-1 FRS
Week 29: @AUS
6
Last Week: 25
Las Vegas gave Phoenix a fight at Cashman Field in midweek before recording an impressive home win over Fresno. Now, the challenge to accrue points on the road resurfaces.
20 El Paso Locomotive FC
(9-9-9)
Week 28: L, 0-2 @OC
Week 29: COS
5
Last Week: 15
Locomotive FC fell to its ninth defeat of the season, which fits right in with its nine draws and nine victories. El Paso will need to be more than average to make the postseason.
21 Charleston Battery
(8-8-11)
Week 28: T, 0-0 @SPR, L, 0-1 @PIT
Week 29: @ATL, NC
3
Last Week: 18
The Battery’s draw against last-place Swope Park and subsequent loss in Pittsburgh won’t give the side a lot of confidence heading into another important two-game week.
22 North Carolina FC
(13-8-8)
Week 28: L, 0-1 @SPR
Week 29: @CHS
6
Last Week: 16
North Carolina has lost four straight games and looks likely to fall into the play-in round, but it does play up to its opponent so maybe it’ll snap out of it on its trip to Charleston.
23 Memphis 901 FC
(7-13-7)
Week 28: W, 2-1 @LDN
Week 29: STL
5
Last Week: 28
Three wins in a row is likely too little too late for Memphis, but it’s been a nice little run by 901 FC to score eight goals over that stretch and climb to 12th place in the East.
24 OKC Energy FC
(9-10-10)
Week 28: L, 1-3 @SA
Week 29: SAC
3
Last Week: 21
Energy FC picked a poor time to suffer its first loss at Toyota Field and now finds itself below the playoff line despite having played more games than the teams it’s chasing.
25 Ottawa Fury FC
(10-8-9)
Week 28: L, 0-2 @IND
Week 29: TBR, HFD
3
Last Week: 22
Four straight losses have Fury FC looking over its shoulder at the chasing pack, but a two-game homestand offers the chance for a bit of a respite, even if the first visitor is Tampa Bay.
26 Portland Timbers 2
(9-11-8)
Week 28: L, 1-5 @SLC
Week 29: TAC
2
Last Week: 24
Portland’s run of four losses in five games couldn’t have come at a worse time as it has slipped all the way to 13th place. Friday’s home date with Tacoma is a must-win.
27 Hartford Athletic
(6-19-4)
Week 28: L, 0-1 LOU
Week 29: @OTT
1
Last Week: 26
The Athletic outshot Louisville on Saturday at Dillon Stadium, but couldn’t find a way through. The performance shows the progress Hartford has made, though.
28 Loudoun United FC
(6-14-6)
Week 28: L, 1-2 MEM
Week 29: @BST
1
Last Week: 27
After suffering back-to-back losses to its expansion rivals over the past two weeks, Loudoun will try to get back on track when it visits a more-established Steel FC side.
29 Tulsa Roughnecks FC
(6-13-9)
Week 28: --
Week 29: OC

Last Week: 29
The Roughnecks are unbeaten in their past four games and could provide a road test for Orange County this weekend when it visits ONEOK Field.
30 Bethlehem Steel FC
(7-14-6)
Week 28: L, 1-2 @IND
Week 29: LDN, @TBR

Last Week: 30
Steel FC is still showing signs of fight as it battled hard in Indy, but it’s likely too late for Bethlehem as fivethirtyeight.com gives it just a 2 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
31 Atlanta United 2
(6-16-6)
Week 28: T, 1-1 @TBR
Week 29: CHS
2
Last Week: 33
Atlanta seems to be relishing the role of spoiler as it followed up its victory over Ottawa with a draw against the Rowdies. Those should be warning signs for the Battery ahead of Wednesday’s visit.
32 Charlotte Independence
(5-13-11)
Week 28: L, 0-2 @NY
Week 29: SPR
1
Last Week: 31
The Independence’s nine-game winless run stretches back to July 13 and means a second consecutive season without a place in the playoffs is almost assured.
33 Rio Grande Valley FC
(7-14-7)
Week 28: L, 1-2 @SAC
Week 29: @FRS, SLC
1
Last Week: 32
Rio Grande Valley will get two more chances to impact the playoff race this week after letting an early lead slip away on Sunday against Sacramento.
34 Swope Park Rangers
(4-16-7)
Week 28: T, 0-0 CHS, W, 1-0 NC
Week 29: @CLT
2
Last Week: 36
A four-point week from the Rangers was a pleasant surprise to everyone outside of the Carolinas, but the Rangers are still rooted to the bottom of the table.
35 Tacoma Defiance
(5-17-5)
Week 28: L, 0-5 @RNO
Week 29: SLC, @POR
1
Last Week: 34
Tacoma’s goal differential away from home reached an unfortunate -39 after shipping five more goals to 1868 FC on its trip to Greater Nevada Field.
36 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(6-18-5)
Week 28: L, 1-3 @NM
Week 29: @ELP
1
Last Week: 35
The Switchbacks hit the post twice in quick succession against New Mexico, another cut of bad finishing luck to go with their league-low shot conversion rate of 8.64 percent.

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