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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 18

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 07/10/23, 3:00PM EDT

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Toros move into Top 10 behind longest undefeated streak in five years

Last season, you could make an argument that Rio Grande Valley FC was a side that didn’t always get what it deserved.

Through bad breaks – especially defensively, where the side massively underperformed its Expected Goals Against – the Toros might have finished higher in the Western Conference standings and maybe earned a home game to start the playoffs.

This season, that’s not been the case. RGV FC has basically been what its numbers have said it is, a team that in particular was struggling for consistency in front of goal.

Well, don’t look now, but things are changing down in South Texas. A six-game undefeated streak – the club’s longest since a 2-0-4 run between June 23 to July 28 in 2018 – has pushed the side back into playoff contention with the Toros playing some of their best soccer of the season.

“I think we were very good, when we passed the half we created options, we moved the ball,” said Toros Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera after Sunday night’s 2-0 win against Orange County SC. “We were looking for the goals and we were able to score two goals. We were dangerous, and I like it.”

Since Cabrera’s return to the helm at the start of, RGV FC has typically made a run in the second half of the regular season to earn a place in playoffs. This season, as fierce as the competition looks, it’s going to be a tall order to replicate.

With the Toros now only two points out, however, don’t be surprised if they sneak up the standings again.

Here’s how the rest of 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

8 COS 5 MEM, MB

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary
1 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(10-4-4)
Week 19: @ BHM
Last Week:
1		 Cal Jennings is starting to deliver in the way we expected he would for Tampa Bay. Six goals in three games, and the third hat trick of his career gave Neill Collins a perfect sendoff.
2 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(8-2-8)
Week 19: @ LOU, v. DET
Last Week:
2		 The Hounds continue to be the stingiest team in the Championship when it comes to opposition chances. The side’s 11.66xGA mark is almost six goals better than its nearest rival in that category.
3 Sacramento Republic FC
(9-2-7)
Week 19: v. MEM
Last Week:
3		 For the first time in a long time, Sacramento wouldn’t be the No. 1 seed in the postseason. The next couple of weeks are going to be important.
4 San Antonio FC
(8-3-7)
Week 19: @ ELP		 1
Last Week:
5		 Tani Oluwaseyi’s strike rate of a goal every 72.2 minutes is otherworldly, and if Jorge Hernandez is now up to speed this is going to be a very difficult team to stop going forward, especially if you turn possession over the way Memphis did.
5 El Paso Locomotive FC
(9-4-4)
Week 19: v. SA, v. RGV		 1
Last Week:
4		 El Paso Locomotive FC – Locomotive FC did everything but score against Monterey Bay on Saturday night. They’ll be hoping that wasn’t a portent for Wednesday’s crucial home clash with San Antonio.
6 Charleston Battery
(9-5-4)
Week 19: @ IND, @ MIA 		1
Last Week:
7		 The Battery had a bye week before road trips to Indy and Miami in the next six days. Hopefully they’re fully charged to take on teams that both desperately needs victories of their own.
7 Louisville City FC
(8-4-5)
Week 19: v. PIT		 1
Last Week:
8		 It’s good to see Cameron Lancaster back on the scoresheet again finally, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Top four now, though, and still within touching distance of the top.
8 Phoenix Rising FC
(6-5-7)
Week 19: --		 2
Last Week:
6		 You can make a good argument that Phoenix deserved something out of its trip to Miami, but we all know that isn’t how it works. I’m not sure a bye week is necessarily what they’d want here, either, but here we are.
9 Rio Grande Valley FC
(5-5-8)
Week 19: @ ELP 		4
Last Week:
13		 The Toros have their first six-game undefeated streak since the 2018 season after Sunday’s victory against Orange County, and they’ve won three of the last four. Second half surge coming? We’ve seen it before.
10 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(9-9-1)
Week 19: v. SD		 8
Last Week:
18		 The Switchbacks were superb against Monterey Bay on Tuesday night, a much more convincing display. Friday night’s contest with San Diego should be a must-see.
11 Orange County SC
(6-9-4)
Week 19: @ LDN		 1
Last Week:
10		 A bump in the road for OCSC in South Texas. They’ll need to avoid a similar display in Virginia this week to undo all the good work they’ve done recently.
12 New Mexico United
(7-7-4)
Week 19: --		 4
Last Week:
16		 In the end, New Mexico felt good value for its victory on Saturday night. Even with its late letdown in Las Vegas, that’s a four-point week and a team that’s back above the playoff line and playing well.
13 Birmingham Legion FC
(7-8-2)
Week 19: v. TBR		 1
Last Week:
12		 Enzo Martinez continues to be the straw that stirs the drink for Legion FC, but they’re going to be kicking themselves for allowing that late equalizer against Lights FC.
14 Memphis 901 FC
(8-4-4)
Week 19: @ OAK, @ SAC		 5
Last Week:
9		 “They’re obviously very low,” is probably the sentence of the weekend from Memphis Head Coach Stephen Glass after his side’s loss to San Antonio FC. Ten goals shipped in two games isn’t pretty.
15 San Diego Loyal SC
(7-5-6)
Week 19: @ COS		 2
Last Week:
17		 A solid road victory against a hapless Hartford Athletic, and we loved the way Tumi Moshobane found the passing lanes to set up Evan Conway. Big game now against Colorado Springs.
16 Monterey Bay F.C.
(7-6-6)
Week 19: v. OAK		 5
Last Week:
11		 Conceding within two minutes at the start of the first half might be considered unfortunate. Conceding within a minute at the start of the second half of the same game? That’s just carelessness.
17 FC Tulsa
(4-7-7)
Week 19: v. MIA, v. HFD		 2
Last Week:
19		 We’re not sure how many games you’re going to be able to win consistently the way Tulsa earned its three points at Indy, but at the end of the season they don’t care about style points, just that you won
18 Oakland Roots SC
(6-6-5)
Week 19: v. MEM, @ MB 		4
Last Week:
14		 Oakland had its chances, but it was always going to be a big ask to turn over the Rowdies on Neill Collins’ big night. Five games without a win overall is a concern, though.
19 Indy Eleven
(5-7-5)
Week 19: v. CHS		 4
Last Week:
15		 It wasn’t for a lack of chances, but Indy’s scored nine open play goals in 17 games now, second-fewest in the league. That’s really concerning.
20 Miami FC
(3-8-7)
Week 19: @ TUL, v. CHS		 4
Last Week:
24		 The streak is over, and Miami is back in the win column. Now, can they find a way to string some results together? The playoff places are only three points above them.
21 Las Vegas Lights FC
(1-9-8)
Week 19: @ OAK, @ SAC 		1
Last Week:
22		 Lights FC’s lack of wins is what some will point to, but the effort to score two second-half stoppage time equalizers in the past week shows there’s no lack of will in this side.
22 Loudoun United FC
(6-13-1)
Week 19: @ DET, v. OC
 1
Last Week:
21		 One up, and one down for Loudoun this week. United was buoyed by Tommy Williamson’s winner against Hartford, but it’s lost a league-leading 13 games now after its trip to Louisville.
23 Detroit City FC
(4-10-4)
Week 19: v LDN, @ PIT		 3
Last Week:
20		 Three losses in a row and held scoreless in three of the past four games. The attacking problems are back again for Le Rouge.
24 Hartford Athletic
(2-12-4)
Week 19: @ TUL		 1
Last Week:
23		 Hartford is now on its longest losing streak of the season, and Saturday’s game wasn’t particularly close. It doesn’t feel like there’s a way back from here this season.

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Tag(s): Power Rankings  San Antonio FC  CO Spring Switchbacks  Orange County SC  Phoenix Rising FC  Rio Grande Valley FC  Sacramento Republic FC  FC Tulsa  Charleston Battery  Louisville City FC  New York Red Bulls II  Pittsburgh Riverhounds  Tampa Bay Rowdies  Las Vegas Lights FC  Birmingham Legion FC  Indy Eleven  Memphis 901 FC  El Paso Locomotive FC  New Mexico United  Loudoun United FC  Hartford Athletic  San Diego Loyal SC  Miami FC  Oakland Roots SC  Detroit City FC  Monterey Bay F.C. 

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