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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 14

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 06/09/25, 5:00PM EDT

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The Western Conference has developed a great divide after a weekend that saw the top six achieve separation

The theme for this past weekend in the Western Conference was separation.

Not at the very top, where New Mexico United was thwarted in its bid to build a lead in first place.

In the rest of the top six, however, there were four winners, while the bottom six saw none of its sides claim all three points. That’s opened up a six-point gap between sixth-placed Monterey Bay FC on 19 points and seventh-placed Orange County SC on 13 as some teams approach the midway point of the regular season campaign.

For all those teams in the top six, a postseason berth looks within range. Monterey Bay – which is seeking its first trip to the Playoffs – is at a pace that would have easily put it above the line last season, while Tulsa could earn its best finish in club history sitting two points off New Mexico United with 11 games gone.

So, for the teams in the lower half, whose most likely to bridge the gap?

The obvious answer is Sacramento Republic FC, which is currently in eighth place but has a couple of games in hand and the underlying numbers to make a case for its place as a contender.  

For others, though, it’s time to start making a move before the standings pressure begins to rise over the second half of the campaign.

Here are this week’s rankings.

Biggest Movers

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary

1 North Carolina FC
(6-3-2)
Week 15: @ RI
2
Last Week:
3
North Carolina keeps winning, just. Shout-out to 18-year-old Finn Sundstrom on his first assist in the pro ranks on Pedro Dolabella’s late winner in Hartford.
2 Phoenix Rising FC
(5-3-4)
Week 15: @ TUL
6
Last Week:
8
Phoenix is rolling along nicely with its first four-game winning streak since 2022. This Saturday’s visit to FC Tulsa should be an intriguing contest.
3 Loudoun United FC
(7-3-1)
Week 15: vs. DET
1
Last Week:
2
Loudoun earned a result at home to the Battery to end their perfect run at Segra Field, but they’re still looking for a first win against Charleston since 2019.
4 Louisville City FC
(7-0-4)
Week 15: @ RI

Last Week:
4
LouCity came out of the gates so quickly, it looked like Tampa Bay was going to be in for a long night. It ended up being a solid win as the defense held late on.
5 Charleston Battery
(8-2-1)
Week 15: @ HFD

Last Week:
5
The Battery had the better of the first half against Loudoun but couldn’t convert enough of their chances. Once the game evened out after the break, the opportunity got away.
6 New Mexico United
(7-3-1)
Week 15: @ LEX
1
Last Week:
6
Ousman Jabang’s shot off the post came so close to lifting United to victory. They’re undefeated in the last five league games and top of the standings, but the pack is still close behind.
7 FC Tulsa
(6-3-2)
Week 15: vs. PHX
4
Last Week:
11
Tulsa’s strategy – go fast early and then gum up the works defensively – worked exactly as intended. It didn’t make for much of a spectacle, but you don’t always win that way.
8 Miami FC
(4-5-1)
Week 15: @ TBR
1
Last Week:
9
One-third of the way through its season, Miami has surpassed its win and points total from the entire 2024 regular season. Saturday’s visit to Tampa Bay should be fun.
9 Sacramento Republic FC
(3-3-4)
Week 15: vs. SA
8
Last Week:
1
Republic FC was slow out of the blocks and unable to recover. That’s a real downer considering the way the side had looked of late.
10 El Paso Locomotive FC
(5-2-5)
Week 15: vs. OC
3
Last Week:
7
Locomotive needed to be more clinical with the chances they created in Oakland. At the same time, they’re undefeated in six league games for the first time in two years.
11 Indy Eleven
(2-3-5)
Week 15: vs. PIT
1
Last Week:
12
Take a bow, Hunter Sulte. Indy’s ultra-defensive outing in Birmingham wasn’t completely watertight, but their goalkeeper came through with some great stops to earn a first league shutout this season.
12 Monterey Bay FC
(5-4-4)
Week 15: @ LV
1
Last Week:
13
Monterey Bay carried its boost from the USL Jagermeister Cup into the league and was good value for its victory against Lexington SC. Opportunity to continue to build in Las Vegas this weekend.
13 San Antonio FC
(6-4-2)
Week 15: @ SAC
1
Last Week:
14
While the Lights are struggling at the moment, that might have been the best attacking display we’ve seen from San Antonio this season. Really good work to get back in the win column in league play.
14 Birmingham Legion FC
(2-5-4)
Week 15: @ LOU
4
Last Week:
10
Conceding first isn’t as disastrous for Legion as it can be for other teams – the side has earned nine points when going behind this season – but that they’ve conceded first 10 times in 11 games this season is a worry.
15 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(2-4-6)
Week 15: vs. OAK
2
Last Week:
17
Grinding out points on the road is fine, but at some point, the wins need to start coming. Consecutive games against Oakland and Lexington offer a big chance for the defending champions.
16 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(4-5-2)
Week 15: @ IND
4
Last Week:
20
What a couple of days for Robbie Mertz. As importantly for the Hounds, that’s the first time they’ve recorded multiple goals in the league since March. Now they have to push on.
17 Rhode Island FC
(3-5-3)
Week 15: vs. NC
2
Last Week:
15
All the pieces felt like they were there for RIFC to earn something on Saturday night, only for Bill Hamid to deliver a goalkeeping masterpiece for Miami. Important week ahead with two top-four opponents.
18 Detroit City FC
(4-3-5)
Week 15: @ LDN
2
Last Week:
16
There’s an irony to DCFC setting an all-time low for shots (1) and Expected Goals (0.02xG) at Pittsburgh this weekend. When they recorded their previous lows, it was in the 2023 playoff game they won at Highmark Stadium.
19 Hartford Athletic
(1-6-3)
Week 15: vs. CHS
1
Last Week:
18
A step back from Athletic in the attacking half this week, and it ended up being punished. Back to the drawing board again.
20 Orange County SC
(4-6-1)
Week 15: @ ELP
1
Last Week:
19
OCSC’s lost four of its last five in all competitions after defeat in Phoenix. We still think there’s a good team here, and at least they’re still above the playoff line.
21 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(1-8-2)
Week 15: vs. MIA

Last Week:
21
The Rowdies’ struggles continue. That’s eight consecutive games without a win in league play, the longest streak the side has endured since joining the Championship in 2017.
22 Oakland Roots SC
(3-7-2)
Week 15: @ COS
1
Last Week:
23
Roots needed to be better with their finishing, but the halftime adjustments new HC Benny Feilhaber made worked well. Early days, but something positive to build on.
23 Las Vegas Lights FC
(3-6-3)
Week 15: vs. MB
1
Last Week:
22
The Lights are winless in five in league play, losing their last four, and have scored once in that span. That’s put them last in the league with a -11 goal differential.
24 Lexington SC
(1-6-5)
Week 15: vs. NM

Last Week:
24
Lexington has dropped 13 points from winning positions this season. That’s now the most in the league, with the side going 1-3-1 when it scores the opening goal.

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