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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 6

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 08/03/20, 2:00PM EDT

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Orange County moves into first, but now has to go out and prove it

TAMPA, Fla. – It’s the old Power Rankings conundrum: What do you do with the No. 2 team when it doesn’t play and the No. 1 team suffers a loss? If they were the second-best team currently a week ago, are they not the best team now?

That’s the logic for this week’s rankings, where Orange County SC takes top spot after Indy Eleven’s loss on Saturday night, but now OCSC has got to prove it over the next few weeks and make up ground in the actual standings from its games in hand.

As always, feel free to come and yell at me on Twitter if you’d like (@NJEMurray).

Atlanta United 2 Austin Bold FC Birmingham Legion FC Charleston Battery Charlotte Independence Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC El Paso Locomotive FC
Hartford Athletic Indy Eleven LA Galaxy II Las Vegas Lights FC Loudoun United FC Louisville City FC Memphis 901 FC
The Miami FC New Mexico United New York Red Bulls II North Carolina FC OKC Energy FC Orange County SC Philadelphia Union II
Phoenix Rising FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Portland Timbers 2 Real Monarchs SLC Reno 1868 FC Rio Grande Valley FC Sacramento Republic FC
Saint Louis FC San Antonio FC San Diego Loyal SC Sporting KC II Tacoma Defiance Tampa Bay Rowdies FC Tulsa

Biggest Movers

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary

1 Orange County SC
(1-0-2)
Week 7: LA
1
Last Week:
2
With OCSC undefeated and holding a win against Phoenix, it’s got a good – but limited – resume. The next six games, which include two games each against San Diego and LA, are going to be crucial.
2 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(3-0-2)
Week 7: @MIA
1
Last Week:
3
Getting Malik Johnson back on the field lifted the Rowdies in their victory against Charleston and should have future opponents nervous.
3 Phoenix Rising FC
(3-1-1)
Week 7: NM
1
Last Week:
4
Junior Flemmings looks like he’s found another level this season, not only in quantity of goals but in quality as well. What a brilliant finish that was against El Paso.
4 Indy Eleven
(5-2-0)
Week 7: @LOU
3
Last Week:
1
Indy looked good against Hartford in midweek, but two defeats in three games means they’ve got to drop in the rankings for now.
5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(3-2-0)
Week 7: NY
2
Last Week:
7
Congratulations to the King, Kenardo Forbes. Thirty-eight assists for his career in the Championship’s regular season feels like only the start to what he’s going to so this season.
6 San Antonio FC
(3-0-1)
Week 7: @OKC
2
Last Week:
8
SAFC isn’t just undefeated, it’s put together a five-point lead on the rest of Group D with a quarter of the season played.
7 New Mexico United
(3-1-1)
Week 7: @PHX
2
Last Week:
9
We’re going to get a full test of United’s road warrior abilities in Phoenix on Saturday, but what Head Coach Troy Lesesne’s side has accomplished so far has been very impressive.
8 Reno 1868 FC
(3-1-0)
Week 7: TAC
5
Last Week:
13
It’s become almost a ritual at this point. Light’s FC social talks a big game, then Reno flushes Vegas’ aspirations of taking its first win down the drain, along with its emojis.
9 Sacramento Republic FC
(1-1-3)
Week 7: @POR
1
Last Week:
10
Earning a point on the road against what looks like a solid San Diego side isn’t a bad result, but it’s keeping the pressure on with Tacoma still only a point behind.
10 Birmingham Legion FC
(2-1-1)
Week 7: CLT, ATL
5
Last Week:
5
Legion FC’s first loss of the season wasn’t a big blow to its playoff chances, but it’s going to need to respond well with two home games this week.
11 Hartford Athletic
(4-1-0)
Week 7: @PHI
1
Last Week:
12
The Athletic were a little hard-done by in the final score against Indy and responded strongly with a 4-1 win of their own against Loudoun on Sunday night.
12 San Diego Loyal SC
(3-1-2)
Week 7: @LV
3
Last Week:
15
SD Loyal continues to look like a playoff contender as an expansion side after its draw against Sacramento on Saturday night.
13 Saint Louis FC
(3-2-0)
Week 7: SKC, TUL
7
Last Week:
6
STLFC came up on the short end of a 1-0 result in Memphis, which was disappointing given the opening to improve its position defeats suffered by Indy and Louisville offered it.
14 North Carolina FC
(1-1-1)
Week 7: @MEM
3
Last Week:
17
NCFC took full advantage of its man-advantage against Birmingham to pick up its first win and will be looking for another good display in Memphis on Saturday.
15 Sporting KC II
(2-3-0)
Week 7: @STL
12
Last Week:
27
The breakthrough SKC II had been threatening in patches previously arrived in a big way this week with victories against Louisville and Indy. It goes for the trifecta against Saint Louis on Wednesday night.
16 El Paso Locomotive FC
(1-2-2)
Week 7: COS
2
Last Week:
14
El Paso had more shots, more possession and more pressure on its hosts Phoenix on Saturday night, but too much of it came after Rising FC had staked itself to a two-goal lead at halftime.
17 Real Monarchs SLC
(1-2-1)
Week 7: --
4
Last Week:
21
Scoring a stoppage-time winner against the Switchbacks had to feel good for the Monarchs, who are right back in the middle of the playoff race again thanks to El Paso’s struggles.
18 Louisville City FC
(2-3-0)
Week 7: IND
7
Last Week:
11
The defending Eastern Conference title-holders are in all sorts of strife after their midweek loss to SKC II. Maybe the first LIPAFC of 2020 is what’s needed to pull the team out of its funk?
19 New York Red Bulls II
(2-2-0)
Week 7: @PHI, @PIT

Last Week:
19
The Red Bulls II can make it three wins in a row against Philadelphia on Wednesday night which would put them squarely in the middle of the playoff race with Hartford and Pittsburgh.
20 FC Tulsa
(1-0-2)
Week 7: @STL
6
Last Week:
26
Tulsa had to work late into the night for its first win of the season, but it’s now sitting in very good position in Group D with games in hand on two of the three teams below it.
21 Charleston Battery
(2-2-0)
Week 7: @ATL, @CLT
5
Last Week:
16
There were moments in the second half against Tampa Bay where the Battery went close to turning the game in their favor. The goal didn’t arrive, but Charleston is still in solid shape.
22 LA Galaxy II
(3-1-0)
Week 7: @OC
4
Last Week:
18
Los Dos had to sit and watch this week, but the way the results elsewhere turned out were good for their playoff chances overall.
23 Austin Bold FC
(1-2-0)
Week 7: RGV
3
Last Week:
20
Austin’s fightback against San Antonio before falling late was a good sign for the squad, but it’s going to need to start picking up results again starting this Saturday against RGVFC.
24 Charlotte Independence
(1-0-1)
Week 7: @BHM, CHS

Last Week:
24
The Independence aren’t in the playoff positions for now, but they’ve got a big chance to make a move on Wednesday when they visit Group G leader Birmingham Legion FC.
25 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(1-2-1)
Week 7: @ELP
3
Last Week:
22
The late defeat to the Monarchs kept the Switchbacks winless since the season resumption. They’re still right in the middle of the playoff race, but a win’s going to need to arrive fast.
26 Memphis 901 FC
(1-2-2)
Week 7: NC
6
Last Week:
32
The breakthrough Memphis has been waiting for has arrived, and against a solid opponent as well. Let’s see if we get a repeat performance against North Carolina FC.
27 Tacoma Defiance
(1-2-1)
Week 7: @POR, @RNO
1
Last Week:
28
The Defiance go into Monday night’s clash with Portland with a chance to jump back past Sacramento into the playoff places and build a three-team race that’s developing in Group A.
28 OKC Energy FC
(1-2-2)
Week 7: SA
3
Last Week:
25
Nothing went right for OKC on Saturday, both in their loss to New Mexico United and elsewhere with FC Tulsa taking victory. Pressure’s on to respond at home to San Antonio on Saturday.
29 Atlanta United 2
(1-3-1)
Week 7: CHS, @BHM
4
Last Week:
33
It’s a shame we won’t get to see Jackson Conway in Atlanta’s next outing because of his foolish second yellow card against Miami. Kid’s got talent, and he’ll learn from it.
30 The Miami FC
(0-2-0)
Week 7: TBR
7
Last Week:
23
Two games, eight goals conceded. That’s not nearly close to good enough, especially with Tampa Bay up next.
31 Las Vegas Lights FC
(0-2-1)
Week 7: SD
2
Last Week:
29
Las Vegas is now 0-for-6 against Reno all-time after its loss on Saturday night.
32 Loudoun United FC
(0-2-1)
Week 7: --
2
Last Week:
30
For a second consecutive trip to Dillon Stadium, Loudoun surrendered an early lead and never recovered against Hartford.
33 Rio Grande Valley FC
(0-4-2)
Week 7: @ATX
2
Last Week:
31
The momentum seemed to be on the Toros’ side when it equalized against Tulsa on Saturday night / Sunday morning. Then they gave it away with a penalty kick, which meant another loss.
34 Portland Timbers 2
(0-3-0)
Week 7: TAC, SAC

Last Week:
34
T2 struggled again in its defeat to Reno on Wednesday night, and might be facing a must-win against Tacoma on Monday if it’s going to find a way into the playoff picture.
35 Philadelphia Union II
(0-4-1)
Week 7: NY, HFD

Last Week:
35
Pittsburgh’s Kenardo Forbes and Steevan Dos Santos are probably showing up in the nightmares of the Union II’s back line at this point.

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