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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 1

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 03/13/23, 4:30PM EDT

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Monterey Bay, Charleston jump into Top 10, Loudoun United is your biggest riser of the week

At every point of the season, winning matters.

If there’s anything I’ve learned following soccer over the years, it’s that it’s always better to have the points now than be trying to make them up late in the year.

But these are Power Rankings, not standings. So at least here at the start of the season, we’re going the college football route a little bit.

Sure, you won. But how did you win. Can I give you bonus “style points” for the manner of your play.

Good news, Monterey Bay F.C. and the Charleston Battery – you qualify.

Sorry, Phoenix Rising FC and Miami FC – we’re going to need a bit more out of you.

Here’s how this week’s rankings look.

Birmingham Legion FC Charleston Battery Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Detroit City FC El Paso Locomotive FC Hartford Athletic Indy Eleven Las Vegas Lights FC
Loudoun United FC Louisville City FC Memphis 901 FC The Miami FC Monterey Bay F.C. New Mexico United Oakland Roots SC Orange County SC
Phoenix Rising FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Rio Grande Valley FC Sacramento Republic FC San Antonio FC San Diego Loyal SC Tampa Bay Rowdies FC Tulsa

Biggest Movers

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary

1 San Antonio FC
(1-0-0)
Week 2: @ LDN

Last Week:
1
It’s hard to imagine a juxtaposition so great between two highlight-reel goals – one an immaculate piece of skill, the other a complete fluke. Well done, Lamar Batista.
2 Louisville City FC
(1-0-0)
Week 2: @ MB

Last Week:
2
Brian Ownby becoming LouCity’s all-time assists leader while setting up goals for Niall McCabe and Cam Lancaster? Three great veterans getting it done.
3 Sacramento Republic FC
(1-0-0)
Week 2: v. CHS

Last Week:
3
Russell Cicerone showed exactly why Sacramento was so keen to bring him aboard, and it went far beyond his first goal for the club. Good winning start.
4 San Diego Loyal SC
(1-0-0)
Week 2: v. PHX
2
Last Week:
6
A quality finish by your teenage talent, a sellout crowd including your suspended standout midfielder, and three points to start the season. There’s room to grow for SD Loyal, but you’ll take that.
5 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(0-0-1)
Week 2: @ OC
1
Last Week:
4
The Rowdies should feel like they should have had three points in the bag. Lewis Hilton going off early will be something to monitor, too.
6 Monterey Bay F.C.
(1-0-0)
Week 2: v. LOU
7
Last Week:
13
It felt like Alex Dixon was a shrewd offseason pickup for Monterey Bay. There was absolutely no chance we saw the first hat trick in club history coming in his debut, though. Tremendous.
7 Birmingham Legion FC
(0-0-1)
Week 2: v. TUL
2
Last Week:
5
Nothing gets built in a day, but no shots on target for the collected talents of Juan Agudelo, Tyler Pasher, Neco Brett and Prosper Kasim was a bit of a dud for Legion FC.
8 Indy Eleven
(0-0-1)
Week 2: ---
2
Last Week:
10
With Aodhan Quinn’s stoppage-time equalizer, Indy has now secured as many points after trailing during a game away from home this season as it did in the entire 2022 campaign.
9 Charleston Battery
(0-0-1)
Week 2: @ SAC
7
Last Week:
16
You don’t move up the regular standings on style points, obviously. But here, in our completely subjective landscape, Saturday was a worthy performance from the Battery.
10 New Mexico United
(0-0-0)
Week 2: @ MIA
1
Last Week:
11
If nothing else, New Mexico’s visit to Miami on Saturday should give us a seriously dope kit matchup. Should be a good game, too.
11 Miami FC
(0-0-1)
Week 2: v. NM
4
Last Week:
7
Miami out-possessed, out-shot and out-dueled its visitors in FC Tulsa. But it still couldn’t find a way to get all three points at home.
12 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(0-0-1)
Week 2: @ MEM
3
Last Week:
15
The Hounds grew into the game against Birmingham and deserved their equalizer. Another solid campaign feels like it should be on the cards.
13 Loudoun United FC
(1-0-0)
Week 2: v. SA
11
Last Week:
24
Easily the result of the weekend for Head Coach Ryan Martin’s squad. Fun fact? Saturday’s starting lineup (23.4 years old) was younger than the one that opened the 2022 season (25 years old).
14 Phoenix Rising FC
(0-0-1)
Week 2: @ SD
6
Last Week:
8
Rising FC registered the fewest shots of any team in action in the Championship on opening weekend. They’re going to have to take the handbrake off a little against San Diego.
15 FC Tulsa
(0-0-1)
Week 2: @ BHM
6
Last Week:
21
Good point on the road to start the Blair Gavin era, especially responding so quickly to Miami’s piledriver of a finish. Let’s see where this goes on Friday in Birmingham.
16 Rio Grande Valley FC
(0-0-1)
Week 2: v. OAK
4
Last Week:
12
The Toros got a peach of a goal from Ricky Ruiz, and that triggered a much better second half, they’re probably not going to get away with turning possession over as often as they did against Las Vegas.
17 Orange County SC
(0-1-0)
Week 2: v. TBR
3
Last Week:
14
Ryan Doghman’s shot that rattled the crossbar with four minutes to go as the potential equalizer was a heartbreaker for OCSC. There’s better to come, but Tampa Bay coming in next is no small task.
18 Memphis 901 FC
(0-1-0)
Week 2: v. PIT
9
Last Week:
9
Lots of promise in Memphis’ second-half performance, but as Head Coach Stephen Glass said, “The other team started better than us and we paid the price for it.” Down the rankings you go.
19 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(0-0-0)
Week 2: @ELP, v. HFD
1
Last Week:
18
The Switchbacks won their first game against El Paso in club history when they last visited Southwest University Park last season. Let’s see how this new group gets on this Wednesday.
20 Oakland Roots SC
(0-1-0)
Week 2: @ RGV
1
Last Week:
19
Oakland created chances against San Antonio’s back line, but as we all know by now it’s hard to concede first to the defending title holders and get something out of the contest.
21 Detroit City FC
(0-1-0)
Week 2: @ELP
1
Last Week:
20
Plenty of good endeavor from the visitors, who lost 1-0 on the road to a Western Conference foe to start last season. Next week’s visit to El Paso should be interesting.
22 El Paso Locomotive FC
(0-1-0)
Week 2: v. COS, v. DET

Last Week:
22
It wasn’t a poor performance by El Paso against Sacramento, but after they went behind the hosts were unable to break down a strong Republic FC defense.
23 Las Vegas Lights FC
(0-0-1)
Week 2: ---

Last Week:
23
Las Vegas went direct a lot against Rio Grande Valley FC, but couldn’t connect consistently. The set pieces deliveries by Andrew Carleton and Tyler Bagley were much more dangerous.
24 Hartford Athletic
(0-1-0)
Week 2: @ COS
7
Last Week:
17
Conceding four goals in a first half happens, but none of the teams it happened to last season made the playoffs. Prince Saydee and Andre Lewis delivered some brights spots, at least.

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