With a month gone in the 2025 USL Championship season, things are looking very interesting at the top of each set of conference standings.
There are, of course, your usual suspects. Louisville City is the last undefeated team standing, San Antonio’s going through a good bounce-back to regain its prior position as a Western contender, and no-one would have thought Detroit City, New Mexico or Pittsburgh was out of place after their progress last year.
But there are also some very pleasant surprises in both sets of standings. In the case of clubs like Monterey Bay FC and Loudoun United, however, there are contrasts in their underlying numbers as to whether they might have real staying power.
Let’s start with Monterey Bay, which sitting in second place in the West has some of the best analytics in the league. MBFC ranks second in the Championship with a 3.35 Expected Goals Against mark in five games and is fifth in the league with a 6.45 Expected Goals mark. The only other team sitting in the top five in both? That’s Louisville City. Pretty good company to keep.
How about current Eastern Conference leader Loudoun United FC? Well, there the picture isn’t quite as rosy. Loudoun is, in fact, under water in its Expected Goal Differential, ranking 21st in the league with a 6.39 Expected Goals Against mark and sitting on 5.31 Expected Goals, which while above average may not be enough to cover up the cracks consistently.
It’s still early in the season, and there are many more games to be played and much more data to be collected, but it bears watching closely in the next few weeks as to which teams are the real deal, and which might be fools’ gold.
Here are this week’s rankings.
Rank |
Team |
Change |
Summary |
|
1 | ![]() |
Louisville City FC (3-0-2) Week 6: --- |
![]() Last Week: 1 |
There may have been an element of good fortune about Amadou Dia’s equalizer, but despite their lack of overall sharpness LouCity probably deserved a point to remain undefeated. |
2 | ![]() |
Charleston Battery (2-2-0) Week 6: vs. PIT |
![]() Last Week: 7 |
Seeing MD Myers back on the field and the scoresheet is a major lift for the Battery, now to see if he and Cal Jennings can make an effective tandem. |
3 | ![]() |
Monterey Bay FC (3-1-1) Week 6: vs. COS |
![]() Last Week: 3 |
Monterey Bay could have felt sorry for itself after its Open Cup elimination on Tuesday night. Instead, it came East and earned a valuable point on the road with a good defensive display. |
4 | ![]() |
San Antonio FC (4-1-0) Week 6: vs. MIA |
![]() Last Week: 2 |
Vibrant crowd, national spotlight, we were surprised it took San Antonio until the second half to get going properly, and that played a role in its first setback of the season. |
5 | ![]() |
Loudoun United FC (4-1-0) Week 6: @ TBR |
![]() Last Week: 11 |
It’s a bit of a cliché but finding ways to win when you’re not at your best is a very good quality to have. Loudoun wasn’t at its best against Hartford but still earned its fourth win in five. |
6 | ![]() |
New Mexico United (3-1-0) Week 6: vs. NC |
![]() Last Week: 4 |
After Saturday’s postponement, New Mexico gets one of this week’s intriguing interconference matchups as North Carolina FC comes to visit Isotopes Park. |
7 | ![]() |
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (1-1-2) Week 6: @ MB |
![]() Last Week: 5 |
The weather in Colorado Springs looked more suited for snowboarding than soccer this weekend, resulting in Saturday’s postponement. Back at it for a key trip to Monterey Bay on Saturday. |
8 | ![]() |
North Carolina FC (2-1-2) Week 6: @ NM |
![]() Last Week: 6 |
North Carolina didn’t find a third consecutive win, but its comeback against Indy was a positive. Last year, that rally and late equalizer almost certainly doesn’t happen. |
9 | ![]() |
FC Tulsa (3-1-0) Week 6: vs. OAK |
![]() Last Week: 8 |
Tulsa had its breakout attacking performance against Forward Madison in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, now it needs to take care of business at home to a struggling Oakland side. |
10 | ![]() |
Sacramento Republic FC (1-1-2) Week 6: @ OC |
![]() Last Week: 9 |
There’s a certain feeling of trust the process for Sacramento right now. The underlying numbers are good, and results should come soon. They’d just prefer that to start now. |
11 | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (2-1-1) Week 6: @ CHS |
![]() Last Week: 10 |
The Hounds had the week off before one of this weekend’s headline games on the road against the Charleston Battery. This Old Guard Shield matchup will be worth tuning in for. |
12 | ![]() |
El Paso Locomotive FC (2-1-2) Week 6: @ BHM |
![]() Last Week: 17 |
That was a great week for El Paso Locomotive, picking up a convincing win in the Open Cup and continuing to roll in league play. The set piece quality continues to shine. |
13 | ![]() |
Detroit City FC (2-1-2) Week 6: @ PHX |
![]() Last Week: 12 |
Le Rouge had the better of the game against Monterey Bay but lacked a serious threat on goal. Lots of half-chances, but they needed to test Nico Campuzano more. |
14 | ![]() |
Indy Eleven (1-1-2) Week 6: @ HFD |
![]() Last Week: 14 |
Indy’s habit of letting leads get away is not a positive trend early this season. They’ve already dropped seven points from winning positions, the most in the league. |
15 | ![]() |
Rhode Island FC (1-2-1) Week 6: --- | ![]() Last Week: 16 |
That was more like the RIFC we’ve been waiting for this season. In fairness, we’re going to need to see that sort of performance against someone other than Oakland. |
16 | ![]() |
Las Vegas Lights FC (2-1-1) Week 6: @ LEX |
![]() Last Week: 19 |
If Las Vegas is going to be a counterattacking team, Nighte Pickering couldn’t have done better to audition for being the No. 9 with more frequency than Saturday’s finish. |
17 | ![]() |
Phoenix Rising FC (1-2-2) Week 6: vs. DET |
![]() Last Week: 21 |
Rising wasn’t mistake-free – Emil Cuello’s positioning on the penalty kick wasn’t good, allowing Jake LaCava to spring free – but it was far better than previously. Big win for the side. |
18 | ![]() |
Lexington SC (1-2-2) Week 6: vs. LV |
![]() Last Week: 13 |
That was a rough week for Lexington, out of the Open Cup and knocked off on the road in El Paso. Time to see what this side’s made of back at home to Las Vegas. |
19 | ![]() |
Orange County SC (1-2-1) Week 6: vs. SAC |
![]() Last Week: 15 |
Ethan Zubak’s header off the crossbar would have changed the course of the game, but there wasn’t enough inventiveness for OCSC to break down the Lights’ back line overall. |
20 | ![]() |
Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-3-0) Week 6: vs. LDN |
![]() Last Week: 18 |
This is starting to give us flashbacks to the start of 2023, when the Rowdies won only once in their first eight games. Getting home will be good, but Loudoun’s no pushover. |
21 | ![]() |
Birmingham Legion FC (0-2-2) Week 6: vs. ELP |
![]() Last Week: 20 |
Legion had the week off and now needs to show it’s figured out some things at home to El Paso. At least they’ve been good at defensive set pieces so far. |
22 | ![]() |
Miami FC (0-4-0) Week 6: @ SA |
![]() Last Week: 22 |
Miami got the win it had to have in the Open Cup against Inter Miami CF II. Now it really needs that Cup form to translate to the league. |
23 | ![]() |
Oakland Roots SC (0-4-1) Week 6: @ TUL |
![]() Last Week: 23 |
Things do not look at all good in Oakland. It’s one thing to concede goals, but you’ve got to make an effort to try and catch up on a breakaway chance. |
24 | ![]() |
Hartford Athletic (0-4-0) Week 6: vs. IND |
![]() Last Week: 24 |
No wins, no points, three red cards in four games. This is not the progression from 2024 we were expecting to see. |
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