The Football Forge Power Rankings: Week 18This is a very even league
Lots of scoring again and some very good games this past week.
| Rank | Team | Previous | Change | Record | Forge Factor | Note |
| 1 | Rhode Island FC | 1 | 0 | 3-4-10 | 22.11 | Rhode Island trailed by 2, then by 1, and got the final equalizer 4 minutes into second-half stoppage time in a crazy 3-3 game with Indy. 13 goals in the last 4 games and Miami is coming up Saturday. |
| 2 | New Mexico United | 9 | 7 | 11-4-1 | 19.45 | New Mexico didn’t need an own goal to beat Orange County but it helped in the 2-0 win. They are now 7-0-0 at home. A bye this week. |
| 3 | Oakland Roots | 5 | 2 | 9-8-2 | 18.89 | The Roots didn’t seem troubled at all by Lou City’s vaunted attack as they worked to a 1-0 win, their 7th in 10 games. This squad is for real. They go to Pittsburgh Saturday. |
| 4 | Detroit City | 2 | -2 | 8-4-3 | 17.92 | Detroit got a short-handed go-ahead goal but conceded deep into stoppage time in the 1-1 draw with Tampa Bay. The mixed results continue. Memphis Saturday. |
| 5 | Las Vegas Lights | 11 | 6 | 6-7-6 | 17.65 | After Christian Pinzon’s 10th-minute goal the Lights had just 1 shot on target but were able to fend off Sacramento handily for the 1-0 win. No losses in the last 7 games and El Paso is next Friday. |
| 6 | Loudoun United | 7 | 1 | 7-6-4 | 16.52 | Loudoun’s 3-0 pasting of Hartford wasn’t that close. 5-0-2 over the last 7. They are looking very dangerous. A big test in Indy Saturday. |
| 7 | Charleston Battery | 14 | 7 | 10-2-6 | 15.91 | The Battery didn’t have everything go their way in the 2-0 win over the Legion, but it was close. The East race just closer. To Hartford Friday. |
| 8 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 12 | 4 | 8-6-3 | 13.30 | It took 93 minutes but the Switchbacks finally broke through to beat FC Tulsa 1-0. Right after Tulsa’s head coach was ejected. To the Magic City this weekend. |
| 9 | Birmingham Legion | 4 | -5 | 7-7-3 | 12.21 | Iffy PK calls aside, the Legion needs to beef up its attack. The Battery outshot them 23-9 on the way to the 2-0 win. Colorado Springs at home Saturday. |
| 10 | Indy Eleven | 6 | -4 | 9-5-3 | 12.09 | Indy led twice but couldn’t quite hold on in the 3-3 thriller in Rhode Island. Still in reach of the top two in the East though but a tough game against Loudoun looms Saturday. |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10 | -1 | 8-4-5 | 11.83 | The Rowdies bombarded Detroit with 21 shots and 5 on target but even with a man advantage had to come back late to draw 1-1. They host Orange County Saturday. |
| 12 | Memphis 901 | 3 | -9 | 7-7-4 | 11.15 | Area Code FC couldn’t get anything going as they were pummeled 1-4 in Orange County. Their first loss in over a month. To Detroit Saturday. |
| 13 | Monterey Bay Union | 19 | 6 | 7-8-4 | 10.98 | Monterey Bay had 1 shot on target in the 91st minute and it was a gift from Pittsburgh. That’s all they needed though for the win. They host Tulsa Saturday. |
| 14 | Louisville City | 8 | -6 | 12-4-2 | 10.29 | Lou City couldn’t get much going in Oakland, going down 0-1 to a very solid defense. 3 losses in the last 5 games now. They get a bye to lick their wounds. |
| 15 | Orange County | 18 | 3 | 7-8-3 | 10.22 | Just 6 shots and 1 on goal (other than the own goal, that is) is not enough to beat New Mexico. They went down 0-2. But then they took out their frustrations on Memphis, winning 4-1. To Tampa Saturday. |
| 16 | North Carolina FC | 16 | 0 | 5-6-6 | 9.17 | Evan Conway scored twice in just 75 seconds as North Carolina cruised to a 4-1 win over Miami. There are defensive issues though. A bye this week. |
| 17 | FC Tulsa | 15 | -2 | 4-6-5 | 8.65 | Head Coach Mario Sanchez got ejected for foul language, then Colorado Springs scored to end the match. Coincidence? Probably. No coach in Monterey Bay this Saturday though. |
| 18 | Sacramento Republic | 13 | -5 | 7-3-7 | 8.12 | SacRep gave up an early goal and never quite got back into the game, going down 0-1 in Las Vegas. The erratic results continue. They get North Carolina late Saturday. |
| 19 | San Antonio | 24 | 5 | 5-8-5 | 3.54 | San Antonio and Phoenix played a really close game but Juan Agudelo’s brace was the deciding factor in the 2-1 win. They end the 5-game losing streak. A bye this week. |
| 20 | Hartford Athletic | 17 | -3 | 5-10-1 | 2.87 | Hartford’s strong start is a distant memory. They were manhandled by Loudoun 0-3 this week and have 1 win in the last 6 games. They host Charleston Friday. |
| 21 | Phoenix Rising | 20 | -1 | 5-7-6 | 2.10 | Phoenix gave a very dumb penalty in an otherwise well-played game to go down 1-2 in San Antonio. They are still above San Antonio but both are below the playoff line. A bye this week. |
| 22 | El Paso Locomotive | 22 | 0 | 3-11-3 | 1.95 | El Paso Locomotive were on a bye. They welcome the Las Vegas Lights Friday. |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 21 | -2 | 3-9-6 | 1.75 | 574 minutes. That’s how long the Riverhounds have gone since they last scored in the Championship. They tested Monterey Bay’s Carlos Herrera a couple of times this week, but not hard enough. They play Oakland Saturday. |
| 24 | The Miami FC | 23 | -1 | 2-14-2 | -2.37 | Miami took the lead on a horrendous defensive error but got waxed 1-4 by North Carolina. They have won just twice and not since April 27th. Rhode Island Saturday. |
