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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 2

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 03/17/25, 5:00PM EDT

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San Antonio is getting back to basics, and it’s got the side off to a perfect start

There’s an element of getting back to basics in what San Antonio FC’s is doing under new Head Coach Carlos Llamosa.

Two games into the former United States Men’s National Team player’s first stint as a Head Coach and it’s paying off impressively.

SAFC has put together consecutive shutout victories to open the season to sit on top of the early-season Western Conference standings, producing enough attacking presence in Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to deliver what ended up being a comfortable win.

But where the side is thriving more is at the defensive end. The shutouts are one thing, but the side has only allowed one shot on target and 1.02 Expected Goals against over its first two outings.

It’s a sign of a team that’s in tune with each other when it comes to the defensive work they’re putting in.

“I think we’re extremely organized,” said midfielder Luke Haakenson after Saturday’s win. “I think we’re very compact front to back, and I think you have 11 guys that are committed to doing a lot of work, so I don’t think it’s any one guy out there.

“I think if you look top to bottom, it’s a lot of guys who are committed to defending and putting in a shift, and you know, most of the time defense wins games, and you saw that tonight.”

When San Antonio won it all in 2022, it’s defensive solidity was central to that success. While the side didn’t end the season with the best defensive record in the league – that was the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who had a 29.54 Expected Goals Against mark in the regular season – San Antonio still came in allowing fewer than one Expected Goal per game.

It’s still very early, but San Antonio is looking well on the way back to contention after last year’s forgettable campaign.

On The Move

5 DET, TUL 6 TBR

Rank

 

Team

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Summary
1 Louisville City FC
(1-0-1)
Week 3: vs. LDN
Last Week:
1		 LouCity peppered Legion’s net with six shots on target but conceded on another set piece goal to come away with a point. After conceding 16 times from set pieces last year – tied for fourth-most – that’s an area they need to tighten up.
2 Sacramento Republic FC
(1-0-0)
Week 3: vs. COS 		1
Last Week:
3		 Republic FC will be aiming to keep pace with the West’s frontrunners when it returns to action in one of Week 3’s marquee games at home to Colorado Springs.
3 Charleston Battery
(1-1-0)
Week 3: --- 		1
Last Week:
4		 Juan David Torres completed more passes to Cal Jennings (7) than any other teammate in Saturday’s win against Rhode Island. That’s a very promising sign for a talented attacking tandem.
4 Detroit City FC
(2-0-0)
Week 3: vs. BHM		 5
Last Week:
9		 Only one team managed to come back and win against the Switchbacks at Weidner Field a season ago after conceding the opening goal. Nice feather in the cap of Le Rouge and Danny Dichio here.
5 New Mexico United
(1-1-0)
Week 3: vs. ELP		 1
Last Week:
6		 New Mexico pulled a win out of the fire after letting a two-goal lead slip away against Las Vegas. We liked the purpose the side showed after the halftime break, but it needs to be a little more incisive when it gets to the attacking third.
6 Indy Eleven
(1-0-0)
Week 3: @ LEX		 1
Last Week:
7		 Indy took its foot off the gas a little bit in the second half in Miami having done enough to pick up victory with three first-half goals. We’re intrigued by this weekend’s visit to Lexington.
7 Rhode Island FC
(0-1-0)
Week 3: @ PHX		 5
Last Week:
2		 That wasn’t the start to RIFC’s Eastern Conference title-defense they were hoping for. A step slow at times and unable to contain Cal Jennings, who could have had a hat trick if not for a pair of big denials.
8 Orange County SC
(1-0-1)
Week 3: vs. MB
Last Week:
8		 Hard to deny Orange County deserved something out of its clash with Lexington SC, and thankfully for the hosts Mouhamadou War came through just in time. Good start, overall.
9 San Antonio FC
(2-0-0)
Week 3: @ OAK		 1
Last Week:
10		 This is starting to look like the San Antonio we remember. Two wins, two shutouts, nice and tidy overall with Jorge Hernandez pulling the strings. Good stuff.
10 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(0-1-1)
Week 3: @ SAC		 5
Last Week:
5		 The Switchbacks seemed to lose their shape and structure when Charlie Adams stepped off the field after a stellar opening hour. The quicker they can get him to 90 minutes fit, the better.
11 Loudoun United FC
(2-0-0)
Week 3: @ LOU 		4
Last Week:
15		 Loudoun United only earned four points from losing positions on the road in the entire 2024 regular season. It’s already picked up six this year after a second comeback win against North Carolina FC.
12 FC Tulsa
(2-0-0)
Week 3: vs. NC 		5
Last Week:
17		 It’s not the prettiest stuff so far from Tulsa, but it’s certainly effective. The club’s 0.89 Expected Goals Against mark through two games says everything about the defensive commitment the players are putting in.
13 Lexington SC
(1-0-1)
Week 3: vs. IND 		1
Last Week:
12		 Lexington almost held on for what would have been a big victory, but ended up succumbing in Orange County. A point on the road will do ahead of a big week with Open Cup and league games at home.
14 North Carolina FC
(0-1-1)
Week 3: @ TUL 		1
Last Week:
13		 Rodrigo da Costa looked on his game in his first start of the season. The loss at home to Loudoun is a downer, but that was a big positive to take away for NCFC.
15 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(0-1-1)
Week 3: vs. HFD		 4
Last Week:
11		 The Hounds looked strangely out of sync all over the field in their loss to San Antonio. That should get fixed, but not the sort of thing you associate with a Bob Lilley side.
16 El Paso Locomotive FC
(0-0-2)
Week 3: @ NM		 2
Last Week:
18		 There was so much to like about how El Paso was playing for the opening hour against Phoenix and then they let it all slip away. Amando Moreno having three goals in two games is a silver lining, at least.
17 Phoenix Rising FC
(0-1-1)
Week 3: vs. RI		 2
Last Week:
19		 Everyone’s rightly raving over Mohamed Traore’s wonder-strike but Hope Avayevu’s two-assist performance was delightful. We’re looking forward to seeing more of that.
18 Las Vegas Lights FC
(1-1-0)
Week 3: --- 		2
Last Week:
16		 The Lights came all the way back to give themselves a chance at a result but couldn’t hold on against New Mexico. We need to see Valentin Noël further up the field more consistently.
19 Birmingham Legion FC
(0-1-1)
Week 3: @ DET 		1
Last Week:
20		 Much better from Legion in terms of energy against Louisville City and ended up deserving a point. It’s going to need to be a little bit sharper in attack in open play for this team to blossom fully.
20 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(0-2-0)
Week 3: @ MIA		 6
Last Week:
14		 Two games in, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are below average in shots on target and Expected Goals. That’s not what we were expecting, honestly.
21 Monterey Bay FC
(1-1-0)
Week 3: @ OC 		2
Last Week:
23		 We finally got to see the potential Monterey Bay has in its second-half rally against Oakland Roots. Positive momentum to build on.
22 Hartford Athletic
(0-1-0)
Week 3: @ PIT		 1
Last Week:
21		 Hartford will try to exorcise last year’s Open Cup demons at home on Tuesday night before an important trip to Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Side needs to be less predictable than the opener.
23 Oakland Roots SC
(0-2-0)
Week 3: vs. SA		 1
Last Week:
22		 There’s experience back there, but we’re seeing the same defensive deficiencies that cost Oakland a season ago over the opening two games. That’s got to get better as it enters the Coliseum this Saturday night.
24 Miami FC
(0-2-0)
Week 3: vs. TBR
Last Week:
24		 Miami looked better in the second half against Indy Eleven, but by that point the game was arguably already done and dusted. Big pressure game against the similarly winless Rowdies on Saturday.

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Tag(s): Power Rankings  San Antonio FC  CO Spring Switchbacks  Orange County SC  Phoenix Rising FC  Sacramento Republic FC  FC Tulsa  Charleston Battery  Louisville City FC  Pittsburgh Riverhounds  Tampa Bay Rowdies  Las Vegas Lights FC  Birmingham Legion FC  North Carolina FC  Indy Eleven  El Paso Locomotive FC  New Mexico United  Loudoun United FC  Hartford Athletic  Miami FC  Oakland Roots SC  Detroit City FC  Monterey Bay FC  Rhode Island FC  Lexington SC 

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