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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 8

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 08/17/20, 1:20PM EDT

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Two-win week flips Orange County back into first place in this week’s rankings

TAMPA, Fla. – Flip them back, flip them forth. I simply can’t make up my mind between the undefeated Orange County SC and Tampa Bay Rowdies as to who should be the No. 1 in the Championship Power Rankings. Thankfully, the Rowdies gave me an out this week with a draw against Miami, so Orange County it is again after their two wins moved them into the playoff positions.

Still, whatever the projections might say right now, it does feel like we’ve got quite a few teams that could make a run when the playoffs arrive? Phoenix Rising FC and Indy Eleven are both excellent as well, and I can easily see San Antonio FC and Birmingham Legion FC sliding in as dark horse contenders. Add in New Mexico United and Sacramento Republic FC, and we’ve got a party.

We’re scheduled to reach Game 140 on Sunday night – which is the official midway point of this reconfigured schedule – so there’s still a lot to play out along the way.

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
(3-0-2)
Week 9: @LA
1
Last Week:
2
Two wins out of two and a move into the playoff places in Group B? Orange County proved its worth over the past week as a title contender.
2 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(5-0-3)
Week 9: ATL
1
Last Week:
1
The Rowdies reached the midway point of the season undefeated and almost grabbed victory against Miami. Still in very strong position.
3 Phoenix Rising FC
(5-1-1)
Week 9: @LA, @LV

Last Week:
3
Junior Flemmings is a man on fire right now, and the heat at Casino Arizona Field is proving too hot to handle for any visitor to handle.
4 Indy Eleven
(6-2-1)
Week 9: --
1
Last Week:
5
Evan Newton’s penalty save was great, but his defense barely gave Pittsburgh a sniff of goal after that to earn his 50th regular season shutout. Strong stuff.
5 San Antonio FC
(4-0-3)
Week 9: OKC, TUL
1
Last Week:
4
SAFC pulled a point out of the fire against Austin on Saturday night to wrap up a two-draw week. Still undefeated atop Group D, though.
6 Birmingham Legion FC
(5-1-2)
Week 9: MEM
2
Last Week:
8
From the late-game dramatics in Charlotte to a revenge victory in North Carolina, this was a very good week for Legion FC’s first-place ambition in Group G.
7 Sacramento Republic FC
(4-1-3)
Week 9: POR
2
Last Week:
9
Two wins out of two, including a second victory this season against rival Reno 1868 FC, and Cameron Iwasa’s 50th regular-season goal? Great week to be a Quail.
8 New Mexico United
(4-2-1)
Week 9: @SLC, @SLC
2
Last Week:
10
Solid way to rebound on the road with a victory against the Switchbacks. Combine that with El Paso’s road victory against the Monarchs and United is looking in very good shape indeed.
9 Hartford Athletic
(5-1-0)
Week 9: @PHI, LDN
2
Last Week:
11
The weekend couldn’t have gone any better for the Athletic as they regained their lead in Group F and boosted their playoff odds even further by defeating the Red Bulls II.
10 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(4-3-0)
Week 9: @LDN, STL
4
Last Week:
6
The Hounds missed their big opportunity against Indy, and then simply couldn’t create anything in the final half-hour. Disappointing given the size of the opportunity that presented itself.
11 Reno 1868 FC
(5-2-0)
Week 9: @SD
4
Last Week:
7
Seeding is going to be really important in Group A, which means two losses in two games against Sacramento so far this season is not what 1868 FC was looking for.
12 FC Tulsa
(2-0-3)
Week 9: ATX, @SA
2
Last Week:
14
FC Tulsa came through its biggest test so far looking solid on Wednesday against San Antonio. Now let’s see how they fare in Austin with Bold FC needing victory to close the gap to second in Group D.
13 Saint Louis FC
(4-3-1)
Week 9: @PIT
3
Last Week:
16
Getting the attack firing again was huge for STLFC against Sporting Kansas City II, especially since Louisville City FC is starting to look like its on the up again.
14 El Paso Locomotive FC
(3-2-2)
Week 9: @COS
3
Last Week:
17
It won’t completely erase the feeling of disappointment from last season’s playoffs, but Locomotive FC are looking far more likely to be part of this year’s postseason than the defending title-holders now after Saturday’s win.
15 San Diego Loyal SC
(3-3-2)
Week 9: RNO
3
Last Week:
12
This week was a litmus test for SD Loyal, and unfortunately it didn’t go well. There’s still a good team here, though, and we’ll see what they’ve learned against another serious contender in Reno on Saturday.
16 North Carolina FC
(2-2-1)
Week 9: CHS
3
Last Week:
13
No bones about it, that was a tough defeat to Birmingham, and it’s going to make the meetings with the Independence that much more important down the line.
17 Charleston Battery
(3-2-2)
Week 9: @NC
4
Last Week:
21
If the Battery make the playoffs again this season, Saturday’s three-goal comeback is going to be one of the key games, and the two goals in 93 seconds one of the key moments of the season.
18 Louisville City FC
(3-3-1)
Week 9: SKC
1
Last Week:
19
OK, so Loudoun United FC wasn’t maybe as tough a test as LouCity will get in its own group. However, it was three points the side had to have and keeps it in touch with Saint Louis.
19 Austin Bold FC
(2-2-1)
Week 9: @TUL, @RGV
1
Last Week:
20
Austin was so close to getting its revenge on San Antonio on Saturday night. It’s going to have to shake that late equalizer off quickly, though, because Tulsa’s up next and there’s ground to be made up.
20 Charlotte Independence
(2-1-3)
Week 9: @MIA
3
Last Week:
23
Between the Battery and the Independence, it was a night for home comebacks in the Carolinas. Even better news for Charlotte than Luke Haakenson’s winner, though, was that NCFC didn’t get the memo.
21 LA Galaxy II
(3-1-0)
Week 9: PHX, OC
1
Last Week:
22
We’re going to get a real idea of how serious a playoff contender Los Dos are when they make their scheduled return against Phoenix on Wednesday and follow that with a game against Orange County on Saturday.
22 Sporting KC II
(2-4-1)
Week 9: @LOU, OKC
7
Last Week:
15
That’s a tough road defeat in a tough group for SKC II at Saint Louis. It’s going to be interesting to see how they respond on the road in Louisville on Wednesday night.
23 Real Monarchs SLC
(1-3-1)
Week 9: NM, NM
5
Last Week:
18
It’s not make-or-break time now for the Monarchs. It’s find a way to get a chance at defending your title time. Even with two games in hand, seven points is a lot of ground to make up in 11 games.
24 Tacoma Defiance
(2-4-1)
Week 9: @LV

Last Week:
24
You do wonder what might have happened if the Defiance had put away its chance at a second goal early in the second half at Sacramento. Back-to-back losses to your two main playoff rivals is not going to cut it, though.
25 OKC Energy FC
(1-3-3)
Week 9: @SA, @SKC
3
Last Week:
28
There was a spark at least for Energy FC, but a scoreless draw with Rio Grande Valley FC at home isn’t the result of a playoff contender.
26 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(1-4-1)
Week 9: ELP
1
Last Week:
25
Three defeats in a row and four out of five since the season resumed has left Colorado Springs in a tough hole to dig out of as it hosts El Paso on Saturday.
27 Memphis 901 FC
(1-4-2)
Week 9: @BHM
1
Last Week:
26
Memphis could have been the one in second place in Group G at the end of Saturday night. Then it blew a two-goal lead to Charlotte and found itself on the bottom of the standings with a visit to Birmingham next.
28 Philadelphia Union II
(1-4-1)
Week 9: HFD, @NY
2
Last Week:
30
The Union II were so happy with their first win of the season they got a week off to celebrate it. Back to work on Wednesday against Hartford.
29 Atlanta United 2
(1-6-2)
Week 9: @MIA, @TBR

Last Week:
29
Once again, Atlanta did a lot right, but its inexperience showed through in letting a two-goal lead slide against the Battery. That’s the difference between a playoff place and going home at the end of the regular season, right there.
30 Loudoun United FC
(1-3-1)
Week 9: PIT, @HFD
3
Last Week:
33
Loudoun did take inspiration from the Union II and bagged its first victory of 2020 against the Red Bulls II. That it followed up with a loss in Louisville is neither here nor there.
31 The Miami FC
(0-3-1)
Week 9: ATL, CLT

Last Week:
31
Hey, a point on the road against Tampa Bay is something to build off here, and realistically Miami’s playoff chances are going to be defined by their games with Atlanta and Charleston anyway.
32 Las Vegas Lights FC
(0-3-1)
Week 9: TAC, PHX

Last Week:
32
The attacking fireworks have fizzled for Las Vegas in back-to-back scoreless outings. Hopefully Blake Frischknecht can help turn that around.
33 New York Red Bulls II
(2-6-0)
Week 9: PHI
6
Last Week:
27
The Red Bulls II’s four-game losing streak has been marred by poor goalkeeping, and it’s going to cost them their streak of five consecutive playoff appearances.
34 Rio Grande Valley FC
(0-5-3)
Week 9: ATX

Last Week:
34
Another point is nice, but the Toros still can’t find the breakthrough in the win column.
35 Portland Timbers 2
(0-6-0)
Week 9: @SAC

Last Week:
35
Saturday’s visit to Reno threatened to get out of hand early in the second half, at least T2 fought back and made the final score somewhat credible.

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