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USL Championship Power Rankings – End of Regular Season

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 10/05/20, 4:00PM EDT

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16 teams remain. Who’s got the momentum going into the Championship Playoffs?

TAMPA, Fla. – Finding a way to peak at the right time has always felt important when it comes to a playoff. If you’re on a roll going into the postseason, there’s a good chance it will continue when your four wins from lifting the trophy.

Last year, Real Monarchs SLC was on a five-game undefeated run and had won six of its last eight games going into the playoffs. The year before, Louisville City FC reeled off six consecutive victories to end the 2018 regular season, while in 2016 the New York Red Bulls II won nine of their last 10 regular season games on the way to the title.

It’s not always a foolproof model. LouCity just about righted the ship with two wins to end the regular season in 2017 but had only won once in the prior five games (1-1-3) before running through the playoffs.

But, overall, if you’re running well now, you’re in with a real shot. For teams like El Paso Locomotive FC – currently on an 11-game undefeated streak – and Reno 1868 FC – which sees its run currently at 10 games – there should be confidence that good things are waiting around the corner.

There are 15 games to go in the season. Win four of them, and the title is yours.

Birmingham Legion FC Charleston Battery Charlotte Independence El Paso Locomotive FC
Hartford Athletic LA Galaxy II Louisville City FC New Mexico United
Phoenix Rising FC Pittsburg Rising FC Reno 1868 FC Sacramento Republic FC
Saint Louis FC San Antonio FC Tampa Bay Rowdies FC Tulsa

Biggest Movers

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary

1 Louisville City FC
(11-3-2)
Conference Quarterfinals: PIT

Last Week:
1
LouCity is on a six-game winning streak entering the postseason. You know when that happened before? The 2018 season. Look out.
2 El Paso Locomotive FC
(9-2-5)
Conference Quarterfinals: TUL

Last Week:
2
Locomotive FC is undefeated in 11 games going into the playoffs and has posted five consecutive shutouts to end the season. After reaching the Western Final last year, they’re going to be a tough out.
3 Reno 1868 FC
(11-2-3)
Conference Quarterfinals: LA

Last Week:
3
The good news first, 1868 FC has homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. The bad news, Reno is 0-2 all-time at home in the postseason. Getting a win against the Galaxy II on Saturday is going to be big.
4 Phoenix Rising FC
(11-3-2)
Conference Quarterfinals: SAC
2
Last Week:
6
On paper, Phoenix has been the favorite for the title much of the season. The past weekend saw it shift up to the second-best record in the league behind Reno, and Santi Moar is looking like he’s rounding into form.
5 Charleston Battery
(9-3-3)
Conference Quarterfinals: @CLT
1
Last Week:
4
Charleston’s performance in Miami was about as uncharacteristic as it gets for the season it’s had. The Battery rebounded well against Tampa Bay, though, and could be viewed as a narrow road favorite against the Independence.
6 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(11-4-1)
Conference Quarterfinals: @LOU
1
Last Week:
7
You could make a very good case that the team that wins between Louisville City FC and the Hounds on Saturday night is going to be the favorite to win the conference title. What a matchup for a Conference Quarterfinal.
7 New Mexico United
(8-4-3)
Conference Quarterfinals: @SA
6
Last Week:
13
In some ways, New Mexico might be thankful it doesn’t have to head to South Texas in midweek before opening the postseason. A full 10 days of rest ahead of its visit to San Antonio is a perfect chance to recharge the batteries.
8 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(10-3-3)
Conference Quarterfinals: BHM
3
Last Week:
5
The Rowdies missed out on the chance to clinch homefield advantage in the Eastern Conference with its loss to the Battery on Saturday night, and could face Charleston again if it gets past Birmingham Legion FC in the Conference Quarterfinals.
9 San Antonio FC
(10-3-3)
Conference Quarterfinals: NM
1
Last Week:
8
Back-to-back defeats for the first time all season isn’t the ideal way to enter the playoffs. SAFC has all the tools to make a run at the title, but it needs to regain its momentum or else New Mexico will be ready to bring those hopes to a sudden end.
10 Hartford Athletic
(11-3-2)
Conference Quarterfinals: STL
1
Last Week:
11
Look, there might have been an element of good fortune to Wednesday’s win against the Union II, but the Athletic are on a three-game winning streak to end the regular season and are undefeated in six games overall.
11 FC Tulsa
(6-2-7)
Conference Quarterfinals: @ELP
3
Last Week:
14
Tulsa has looked like a side on the verge of a breakout at times this season, and over the past two weeks it finally arrived. Will it be enough to send the club to a first postseason victory against Locomotive FC? As good as El Paso has been, it could be interesting.
12 Sacramento Republic FC
(8-2-6)
Conference Quarterfinals: @PHX
2
Last Week:
10
Sacramento looked outstanding in the opening half-hour against the Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday night. It’s probably going to have to set that kind of tempo early against Phoenix when it kicks off the playoffs on Saturday.
13 Charlotte Independence
(8-4-4)
Conference Quarterfinals: CHS
1
Last Week:
12
The Independence have been a great story this season and have difference-makers in attack that can make them dangerous. But they’ve only beaten the Battery twice in 16 regular-season meetings going into their postseason matchup.
14 Saint Louis FC
(7-5-4)
Conference Quarterfinals: @HFD
6
Last Week:
20
Well, how about that? Saint Louis not only gets to grab the Team of Destiny tag going into the playoffs after its win against Indy Eleven, but also gets what looks to be a potentially winnable game on the road against Hartford Athletic.
15 LA Galaxy II
(8-6-2)
Conference Quarterfinals: @RNO
1
Last Week:
16
The Galaxy II might be the biggest underdog going into the Conference Quarterfinals against Reno 1868 FC, but they’ve got a standout goalkeeper in Abraham Romero and an in-form striker in Augustine Williams and sometimes that’s all you need.
16 Birmingham Legion FC
(7-5-4)
Conference Quarterfinals: @TBR
1
Last Week:
15
Birmingham’s momentum hit a wall in the final stretch with only one win in its last six games. That’s not a disqualifier for playoff success, but it certainly isn’t looking as likely as it was midway through the campaign.

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