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USL Championship Power Rankings – Week 26

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 09/01/25, 5:00PM EDT

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Switchbacks’ victory against Tulsa is a start, but Chambers is correct to avoid overenthusiasm

When a club makes the sort of run Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC did a season ago, coming good at just the right time to emerge from the pack in the USL Championship Western Conference to get all the way to the title, it’s easy to assign some bigger importance to a win when the side is in need of a similar run to just make the playoffs a year later.

Colorado Springs’ 2-0 victory to end current Western Conference leader FC Tulsa’s 14-game undefeated streak in league play felt big in the moment, getting the Switchbacks to the verge of the top eight.

Switchbacks Head Coach James Chambers wants everyone to calm down.

“Look, it’s one win,” said Chambers on Saturday night. “Let’s just relax a little bit.”

The thing is, he’s correct.

As defending title-holders, the Switchbacks haven’t really kicked on from a season ago. It seemed to benefit from having new arrival Kyle Vassell in the lineup on Saturday, and it put on a good defensive showing against a Scissortails attack that’s been great at times this season.

But overall, Colorado Springs hasn’t been among the sharpest teams in the league when it comes to the final third. Its shooting accuracy rate sits last at 40.6 percent, while it sits below average in expected Goals (23.78xG) and Shot Conversion Rate (15.4%).

For someone as experienced as a player and coach as Chambers, there’s still an awful lot of work to do.

The silver lining for the Switchbacks is the West looks almost as muddled as it did last year – just look at the #USLAfterDark action we got on Saturday – so the chance is there for the defending title-holders to make a move over the final two months.

It’s going to be one step at a time to get there, though. This season’s already seen enough setbacks.

Here are this week’s rankings.

Biggest Movers

6 COS 9 PIT

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary
1 Louisville City FC
(15-1-6)
Week 27: @ RI
Last Week:
1		 He might not be the most heralded member of the squad, but Aiden McFadden keeps finding ways to make a difference in big games with big moments. Invaluable part of this team.
2 Hartford Athletic
(8-8-5)
Week 27: vs. IND; @ MIA		 2
Last Week:
4		 Hartford hadn’t rallied to take victory in a league game since last October before Saturday’s comeback in North Carolina. Statement for this side as it continues to rise.
3 Sacramento Republic FC
(9-5-7)
Week 27: @ TBR		 2
Last Week:
5		 Very strong performance by Republic FC. Efficient in the final third and barely gave up anything defensively. The gap to Tulsa’s still broad, but not completely out of reach.
4 FC Tulsa
(12-4-6)
Week 27: vs. BHM		 2
Last Week:
2		 The Scissortails failed to record a shot on target in Colorado Springs and seemed to be second-best in the second half to lose for the first time in the league since May.
5 Charleston Battery
(15-5-2)
Week 27: vs. IND		 2
Last Week:
3		 The Battery weren’t too discouraged with how they played in Rhode Island, but it’s an untimely defeat with LouCity earning all three points to increase the margin at the top of the standings.
6 El Paso Locomotive FC
(8-5-8)
Week 27: vs. LDN		 3
Last Week:
9		 Locomotive got a little payback on Phoenix after letting a three-goal lead go against Rising early this season. They’re undefeated in their six games across all competitions.
7 Loudoun United FC
(10-8-4)
Week 27: @ ELP		 5
Last Week:
12		 United looked like a chance-creating machine against Miami even with Abdellatif Aboukoura sitting out. Important win for the club’s confidence as it hits the home stretch.
8 North Carolina FC
(10-8-3)
Week 27: @ LEX		 2
Last Week:
6		 After Saturday’s setback, North Carolina has lost games in which it held a lead three times at home this season. First Horizon Stadium isn’t the fortress it could be.
9 Orange County SC
(8-8-4)
Week 27: @ DET		 1
Last Week:
10		 Orange County’s ability to come back on four different occasions to level against Birmingham and earn a point is a real credit. That they had to come back on four separate occasions is another matter.
10 Lexington SC
(7-8-7)
Week 27: vs. NC		 3
Last Week:
7		 Cruel moment for Brooks Thompson in Lexington’s net against Las Vegas, and his teammates couldn’t quite do enough to pick up the slack. The margin for error in the playoff race remains slim.
11 Detroit City FC
(7-7-8)
Week 27: vs. OC
Last Week:
11		 Kobe Hernandez-Foster has a goal and two assists in Le Rouge’s past three games after Saturday’s superb free kick. Two wins, two draws in the last four is positive.
12 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
(7-8-6)
Week 27: vs. MB		 6
Last Week:
18		 Head Coach James Chambers downplayed his side's win against FC Tulsa, but they're now in control over their path to the postseason after this weekend’s results.
13 Phoenix Rising FC
(7-7-8)
Week 27: vs. LV
Last Week:
13		 Patrick Rakovsky’s not going to enjoy the video session on those last two goals for El Paso. Phoenix would have been in third if it held on, instead they remain under real pressure.
14 Oakland Roots SC
(7-11-3)
Week 27: vs. PIT		 2
Last Week:
16		 You think that finish was satisfying for Morey Doner against his former club? The celebration told you everything you needed to know, and lifted Roots’ playoff hopes.
15 San Antonio FC
(8-7-6)
Week 27: vs. NM		 1
Last Week:
14		 SAFC is in the top four in the Western Conference and also winless in its last five league games. That says a lot about how the West’s going.
16 Tampa Bay Rowdies
(6-12-3)
Week 27: vs. SAC		 3
Last Week:
19		 The Rowdies didn’t get into the penalty area often against Pittsburgh, but made it count when they did. There might still be hope of the postseason here.
17 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
(7-8-7)
Week 27: @ OAK		 9
Last Week:
8		 The Hounds weren’t at the races in the second half against Tampa Bay. They’re still in decent shape, but four games without a win is starting to be a concern.
18 Rhode Island FC
(6-10-6)
Week 27: vs. LOU		 2
Last Week:
20		 JJ Williams’ first league goal since April couldn’t have come at a more timely moment. Back above the line, but still in need of momentum.
19 Indy Eleven
(6-10-5)
Week 27: @ HFD; @ CHS		 2
Last Week:
17		 The Boys in Blue got an ideal start and once again, it got away from them. That’s 26 goals conceded in the second half, and 10 in the first 15 minutes after the halftime break, both league highs.
20 Birmingham Legion FC
(4-9-9)
Week 27: @ TUL		 2
Last Week:
22		 As Legion Head Coach Mark Briggs pointed out, if you score four goals away from home, you should win. Birmingham didn’t, more costly points dropped.
21 New Mexico United
(8-9-3)
Week 27: @ SA		 6
Last Week:
15		 We told you a couple of weeks ago it wasn’t going to get easier for New Mexico, and it hasn’t. This is its first seven-game winless streak in the league since 2021.
22 Las Vegas Lights FC
(6-11-5)
Week 27: @ PHX		 1
Last Week:
23		 The Lights won a game in which they didn’t officially record a shot on target. Congrats on that first win, Head Coach Devin Rensing!
23 Monterey Bay FC
(6-11-6)
Week 27: @ COS		 2
Last Week:
21		 Monterey Bay’s finishing let it down in Oakland. The club’s 13.1 percent shot conversion rate is what’s likely going to end up keeping it out of the playoffs.
24 Miami FC
(5-12-5)
Week 27: vs. HFD
Last Week:
24		 Francisco Bonfiglio’s the USL-C Golden Boot leader for a team that hasn’t won since June 18. That’s 12 games without a win in all competitions.

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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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