Some interesting results in the USL Championship this week led to one conference getting wider at the top and the other getting tighter. And both remain tight elsewhere. An exciting run-in to the playoffs is emerging. Here are the Forge Power Rankings for this week.
| Rank | Team | Previous | Change | Record | Last 5 | Forge Factor | Note | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford Athletic | 2 | +1 | 7-8-5 | WWWTW | 23.555 | Hartford needed just 5 minutes to take the lead in the El Clamico. They never looked back, beating Rhode Island 3-0. They share the best record in the last 5 games with Tulsa. | @ North Carolina |
| 2 | Louisville City | 1 | -1 | 14-1-6 | TWWWT | 23.491 | Lou City wasted a chance to maintain their Eastern lead at 3 points. Plenty of chances but they finish 0-0 woth New Mexico and the lead is just 1 point. | @ Indy |
| 3 | FC Tulsa | 4 | +1 | 12-3-6 | WWWTW | 20.261 | Tulsa played up a man for 70+ minutes but were not dominant at all. They beat Orange County 1-0 to stretch the conference lead to 11 points. | @ Colorado Springs |
| 4 | Charleston Battery | 6 | +2 | 15-4-2 | WWLWW | 18.448 | Charleston kept the pressure on Louisville in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 win over Loudoun. It’s a massive Player’s Shield race. | @ Rhode Island |
| 5 | Lexington SC | 8 | +3 | 7-7-7 | TLWWW | 17.656 | Lexington’s early difficulties season are clearly over. They had little trouble beating Oakland 2-1 and are now 5th in the West with the league’s longest winning streak. | @ Las Vegas |
| 6 | Sacramento Republic | 3 | -3 | 8-5-6 | WTWWL | 16.435 | Sacramento had a chance to create some space in 2nd and edge closer to Tulsa. They can’t do it, losing 0-1 to El Paso and the West gets a bit tighter. | @ New Mexico |
| 7 | Orange County | 5 | -2 | 8-8-3 | WWTWL | 15.726 | Orange County gave up a goal just 4 minutes after Stephen Kelly was sent off but had the better chances after that. They were very unlucky to lose 0-1 to Tulsa. | v. Birmingham |
| 8 | Detroit City | 14 | +6 | 7-7-7 | TLWTW | 13.771 | Detroit handled Tampa Bay easily, winning 2-0. They look to have ended the slide with 3 decent results on the trot. A big test next though. | v. San Antonio |
| 9 | El Paso Locomotive | 12 | +3 | 8-5-7 | LWTTW | 13.700 | El Paso outplayed Sacramento, winning 1-0 and drew even with them on points. They stay 3rd in the West and continue a good string of results. | @ Phoenix |
| 10 | North Carolina FC | 13 | +3 | 10-7-3 | WLWTW | 13.235 | North Carolina moved up into 3rd in the East with a mostly comfortable 2-1 win over Las Vegas. This week’s game should be interesting. | v. Hartford |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 11 | 0 | 7-7-7 | TWTLT | 9.912 | The Riverhounds played to a familiar low-scoring 1-1 draw with Birmingham but needed some luck and a defensive error to do it. | @ Tampa Bay |
| 12 | Oakland Roots | 10 | -2 | 6-11-2 | WLWLL | 9.607 | Oakland scored in the 5th minute but had just 1 shot after that to go down 1-2 in Lexington. 1 win on the last 5 games and they look umlikely to recover. | v. Monterey Bay |
| 13 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 7 | -6 | 6-8-6 | WWWLL | 8.318 | The Switchbacks had little response to Phoenix and were hammered 1-4. The playoffs are beginning to get out of reach. | v. Tulsa |
| 14 | Monterey Bay FC | 16 | +2 | 6-10-6 | LLLTT | 7.627 | Monterey Bay can consider themselves unfortunate not to have won in the 0-0 draw with San Antonio. A dominant display but still winless in 6 games. | @ Oakland |
| 15 | Phoenix Rising | 21 | +6 | 7-7-7 | LTLTW | 7.416 | The Rising scored 3 in the first 26 minutes as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Colorado Springs. That’s their best result of the season. | v. El Paso |
| 16 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | -7 | 5-12-3 | WWLTL | 6.938 | The Rowdies had virtually no response to Detroit, going down 0-2. The improvement has stalled and they remain in the Eastern cellar. | v. Pittsburgh |
| 17 | Loudoun United | 15 | -2 | 9-8-4 | LLTWL | 6.510 | Loudoun were down 4 goals before they found any kind of response. They also blew a PK and finished 1-4 losers in Charleston. And now there are Ryan Martin dismissal rumors. | v. Miami |
| 18 | Rhode Island FC | 17 | -1 | 5-10-6 | TLWTL | 5.369 | Rhode Island couldn’t follow up their midweek Jäger Cup win and got whipped 0-3 by Hartford. Another weak showing and a real challenge coming up. | v. Charleston |
| 19 | Birmingham Legion | 19 | 0 | 4-9-8 | WLTLT | 5.348 | The Legion put up a much improved performance but couldn’t quite maintain the lead, drawing 1-1 with Pittsburgh. A tough 2-game Western road trip coming up | @ Orange County |
| 20 | San Antonio | 18 | -2 | 8-7-5 | WLTLT | 4.750 | San Antonio managed just 5 shots and none on goal in a toothless outing in Ontery Bay. They also got a red card but escaped with a 0-0 draw. | @ Detroit |
| 21 | The Miami FC | 20 | -1 | 5-11-5 | TLTLL | 4.038 | Miami played the Eleven close but came away with a 2-3 loss. They are winless in the last 9. Not a threat to anyone at this point. | @ Loudoun |
| 22 | Indy Eleven | 22 | 0 | 6-9-5 | LLLLW | 3.449 | Indy breaks the 4-game losing streak but they struggled to do it, going down early before rallying to beat Miami 3-2. They hang on to the last playoff spot but it is likely temporary. | v. Louisville |
| 23 | New Mexico United | 24 | +1 | 8-8-3 | LLLTT | 3.098 | Normally, being outshot 20-5 by Louisville is a recipe for disaster but New Mexico came away with a 0-0 draw. Winless in 6 games now. | v. Sacramento |
| 24 | Las Vegas Lights | 23 | -1 | 5-11-5 | LLTTL | 1.886 | The Lights have just 2 points from the last 7 games. The 1-2 loss in North Carolina was about as close as the score suggests but a major turnaround is needed. | v. Lexington |
