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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 4

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 03/31/25, 5:00PM EDT

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San Antonio shows its mettle in comeback against Lexington to remain perfect

The first two weeks of the season for San Antonio FC were relatively uncomplicated. Solid home wins against opposition that has proven itself capable over the ensuing weeks, steadiness personified.

Week 3 saw the side stare down a hostile environment and come away with another three points in Oakland, producing enough quality in the final third to deliver a result.

This past Saturday in Lexington, though, was the first real test new Head Coach Carlos Llamosa’s side received. Good news for SAFC fans, the side came through in impressive fashion, coming back from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory in Kentucky with three goals that showed off the confidence this side has in its bag right now.

“We beat a good team tonight. They played well,” said Llamosa. “In the first half, they connected through the middle. They hurt us a lot and got possession through the middle. The first ten minutes, being 2-0 down, I’m very happy with the response of my team. The guys have showed character, personality, and it’s not easy to be down early in the game and then win 3-2 after 90 minutes, so I can’t ask for more from my guys.”

Everyone will rightly be raving about Jimmy Medranda’s thunderbolt – which landed at No. 2 on Morning Footy’s Weekend Top 10 on Monday on CBS Sports Golazo Network – but there was also the cheekiness of Jorge Hernández’s Panenka penalty kick and the astute first touch and finish by Jake LaCava to provide the winner late on.

The execution on all three moments was outstanding, giving SAFC its first victory after trailing by two goals since June 9, 2019 against Reno 1868 FC.

As the side prepares for its closeup on the CBS Television Network this Sunday, it seems ready to shine.

Here are the rest of this week’s rankings.

On The Move

7 TUL 7 RI

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary
1 Louisville City FC
(3-0-1)
Week 5: @ SAC
Last Week:
1		 LouCity has reeled off 11 consecutive home wins in the regular season, only two off equaling the USL Championship record, and while Phillip Goodrum hasn’t scored yet, he’s proving a serious pest for opponents.
2 San Antonio FC
(4-0-0)
Week 5: vs. PHX
Last Week:
2		 San Antonio’s response after going two goals down inside 20 minutes was outstanding, and how about the Panenka from Jorge Hernández? That’s the sign of a player full of confidence.
3 Monterey Bay FC
(3-1-0)
Week 5: @ DET 		4
Last Week:
7		 Monterey Bay continues to rise after pressing home its advantage as Phoenix dropped to nine players in the second half. The hosts continue to look like the real deal.
4 New Mexico United
(3-1-0)
Week 5: @ COS		 1
Last Week:
5		 We’ve been critical at times of Alex Tambakis, but that was a stellar performance to bail his side out in Miami. United avoided the trap, just, after coming out of a big rivalry win.
5 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(1-1-2)
Week 5: vs. NM		 5
Last Week:
10		 The Switchbacks finally get their first win, even though they maybe were a bit fortunate Indy didn’t have their shooting boots with them at the Mike.
6 North Carolina FC
(2-1-1)
Week 5: @ IND 		6
Last Week:
12		 Finally, NCFC has a victory against the Charleston Battery. Academy signing Jayson Quintanilla had yet to turn two years old the last time that happened.
7 Charleston Battery
(1-2-0)
Week 5: vs. TBR 		3
Last Week:
4		 The Battery had more than two-thirds of the ball but couldn’t find a way through North Carolina’s defense in the second half. Something to work on ahead of an important game against Tampa Bay.
8 FC Tulsa
(3-1-0)
Week 5: --- 		7
Last Week:
15		 The Sacramento hex is over, but Tulsa’s also won three of its first four games and is looking solid defensively. Good for Taylor Calheira to get off the mark in league play, too.
9 Sacramento Republic FC
(1-1-1)
Week 5: vs. LOU 		6
Last Week:
3		 Republic FC didn’t take advantage of its first-half opportunities and ended up paying the price. They’ve accumulated the most Expected Goals in the league so far, though, so we’re not too worried.
10 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(2-1-1)
Week 5: ---		 4
Last Week:
14		 The duo of Danny Griffin and Robbie Mertz could eventually both end up surpassing Kenardo Forbes’ mark of 218 Championship appearances for the Hounds. Club cornerstones.
11 Loudoun United FC
(3-1-0)
Week 5: vs. HFD 		5
Last Week:
16		 Loudoun United didn’t create a lot of attacking chances against Rhode Island, but Abdellatif Aboukoura shone again. He’s making tremendous progress.
12 Detroit City FC
(2-1-1)
Week 5: vs. MB		 6
Last Week:
6		 Le Rouge can’t find a way to win at Lynn Family Stadium, that’s now five visits and five defeats. If they’re going to challenge in the postseason, that may need to change.
13 Lexington SC
(1-1-2)
Week 5: @ ELP 		2
Last Week:
11		 Lexington was flying at home to San Antonio, but after conceding twice they lost their way a little in the second half. One shot on target on nine shots isn’t the ratio you’re looking for.
14 Indy Eleven
(1-1-1)
Week 5: vs. NC		 6
Last Week:
8		 The Boys in Blue probably deserved something from their home opener against the Switchbacks, but missed opportunities ended up costing them. Still positives to take from the outing.
15 Orange County SC
(1-1-1)
Week 5: @ LV 		2
Last Week:
13		 OCSC had the weekend off and should have regrouped before Saturday’s visit to Las Vegas Lights. Good chance to put in a bounce-back display.
16 Rhode Island FC
(0-2-1)
Week 5: @ OAK		 7
Last Week:
9		 It’s not been too pretty for RIFC to start the new season. Then again, that was the case this time last year, and it worked out alright in the end. This weekend’s trip to Oakland should be interesting.
17 El Paso Locomotive FC
(1-1-2)
Week 5: vs. LEX		 4
Last Week:
21		 We would have loved to see this approach from Locomotive in New Mexico during Week 3, given the positive nature of the performance paid off with a first league win of 2025.
18 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(1-2-0)
Week 5: @ CHS		 2
Last Week:
20		 The Rowdies get a big test after their bye week, heading to face the Charleston Battery and former striker Cal Jennings. Who’s going to try and contain him?
19 Las Vegas Lights FC
(1-1-1)
Week 5: vs. OC
Last Week:
19		 The Lights have taken the second-fewest shots (24) and the third-lowest Expected Goals mark (2.63xG) in the league through three games. Not exactly lighting it up.
20 Birmingham Legion FC
(0-2-2)
Week 5: --- 		2
Last Week:
18		 Legion is still winless after being stifled in Pittsburgh, recording only two shots on target and nine touches in the opposing penalty area. A step backward.
21 Phoenix Rising FC
(0-2-2)
Week 5: @ SA		 4
Last Week:
17		 Rising’s got an injury crisis in its back line – resulting in Darnell King stepping back onto the field in Monterey Bay. That plus two red cards is not good news heading to San Antonio.
22 Miami FC
(0-4-0)
Week 5: ---		 2
Last Week:
24		 Miami might have lost again, but this was a very promising performance that was only denied a reward by a remarkable goalkeeping performance. Feels like they’re closer to finding the right course.
23 Oakland Roots SC
(0-3-1)
Week 5: vs. RI
Last Week:
23		 Oakland Roots finally looked solid enough defensively, but there’s still a long way to go at the other end of the field to deliver a winning product.
24 Hartford Athletic
(0-3-0)
Week 5: @ LDN		 2
Last Week:
22		 We never thought we’d see the day when a side led by Brendan Burke was this unentertaining. Athletic haven’t had this few shots in a game (2) since 2022.

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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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