As the season draws to a close, more and more games become significant and points dropped more and more costly. That was the case across the league this past week. Both conferences are fairly tight, the West especially so. The last 4 weeks are going to be fun. Good news for the Legion: they move up 9 spots in the rankings. Bad news for the Legion: the only team that did better was The Miami FC, who they are chasing for the playoff line.
| Rank | Team | Previous | Change | Record | Last 5 | Forge Factor | Note | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington SC | 3 | 2 | 12-10-4 |   |
23.878 | Lexington scored 45 seconds in and gave up the lead at the 5-minute mark. They win 3-2 over Monterey Bay but made it harder than it needed to be. 13 goals scored in the last 3 games. | v. El Paso |
| 2 | El Paso Locomotive | 1 | 1 | 14-7-5 |  |
21.956 | El Paso and Tulsa traded goals in the first 17 minutes. Then both defenses woke up and little else happened. The 8-game win streak is done. | @ Lexington |
| 3 | Sacramento Republic | 6 | 3 | 10-5-10 | |
17.598 | The Republic looked in control all game as they comprehensively beat New Mexico 3-2 on the road. They move up into a home playoff spot. | v. Las Vegas, @ Tulsa |
| 4 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 2 | 2 | 11-9-6 | |
16.693 | Colorado Springs and Detroit combined for just 2 shots on target in a lackluster 0-0 affair that did neither team any good. They slip out of the home playoff spots. | v. Oakland |
| 5 | The Miami FC | 18 | 13 | 7-10-9 | |
16.518 | Miami took advantage of a gimpy Indy team to win 2-0 but were not truly commanding. They close in on a playoff spot but have only 4 games remaining. | v. JAX, @ Tampa Bay |
| 6 | Oakland Roots | 9 | 3 | 8-9-9 | |
15.786 | The Roots were not quite as dominant as the 3-0 score indicates, but it was close. A key 6-pointer for them and Phoenix ends with the teams knotted up just under the playoff line. | @ Colorado Springs |
| 7 | Charleston Battery | 7 | 0 | 14-8-4 | |
14.737 | It took the Battery 77 minutes to get the breakthrough despite dominating Rhode Island. They win 2-0 and solidify their hold on 2nd in the East. | Bye |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 5 | 3 | 15-4-7 | |
12.503 | After scoring 4 on the Legion, the Rowdies had just 4 shots on San Antonio and none on target.GK Jahmali Waite preserved the 0-0 draw and they secure a home playoff spot. | v. Miami |
| 9 | Las Vegas Lights | 10 | 1 | 8-11-6 | |
11.657 | Las Vegas Lights were on a bye this week. | @ Sacramento, v. San Antonio |
| 10 | Louisville City | 15 | 5 | 10-9-7 | |
10.782 | Lou City had a man advantage most of the second half but could not capitalize in the 2-2 draw with Hartford. They gave up 2 PKs in the process. | @ Hartford* |
| 11 | San Antonio FC | 16 | 5 | 9-6-11 | |
10.735 | San Antonio were by far the better team in the 0-0 draw with Tampa Bay and were denied a win only by solid goalkeeping. They remain stuck in 8th. | @ Las Vegas |
| 12 | Detroit City | 8 | 4 | 11-6-8 | |
10.696 | Detroit’s 0-0 draw with the Switchbacks was easily the dreariest game of the week. They stay 3rd and drop 4 points back of Charleston. | @ Brooklyn, v. Birmingham |
| 13 | Birmingham Legion | 22 | 9 | 4-10-11 | |
10.055 | For the second time in 3 games Birmingham scored 4 goals, earning its best win of 2026, 4-0 over Brooklyn. The 7-game winless streak is over. | @ Detroit |
| 14 | Hartford Athletic | 4 | 10 | 8-5-13 | |
9.714 | Hartford were down a man for over 40 minutes but still played Louisville even in the 2-2 draw with 3 PKs. They do it all again this Sunday. | v. Louisville* |
| 15 | New Mexico United | 14 | 1 | 12-6-7 | |
8.755 | New Mexico found a way to have 72% possession but cede control of the game. They lose 2-3 to Sacramento at home. The run of poor form continues at exactly the wrong time. | @ Tulsa, v. Phoenix |
| 16 | Rhode Island FC | 13 | 3 | 9-10-5 | |
8.171 | Rhode Island’s 0-2 loss to the Battery was bad enough. Koke Vegas’ insane foul for a red card was worse with a critical game against Indy coming up. | v. Indy, @ Brooklyn |
| 17 | Indy Eleven | 11 | 6 | 9-10-6 | |
8.050 | Indy lost 2 starting strikers to injuries in warmups. That doomed them to the 0-2 loss to Miami. They hold on to 7th ikn the East but are very vulnerable. | @ Rhode Island, @ Loudoun |
| 18 | FC Tulsa | 17 | 1 | 10-7-8 | |
7.618 | Tulsa were slightly the better side in the 1-1 draw with El Paso and came very close to a late winner. 7th in the West but a home playoff game is well within reach. | v. New Mexico, v. Sacramento |
| 19 | Loudoun United | 24 | 5 | 4-10-11 | |
7.316 | Loudoun’s 4-1 win over JAX was not as convincing as the score suggests. Like the Legion, their best result of 2026 and a 7-game winless streak over. | v. Indy |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 19 | 1 | 11-11-5 | |
7.115 | The Riverhounds were somewhat disorganized in Orange County but held on until a defensive mistake late sealed the 0-1 loss. Form has dropped at precisely the wrong time. | Bye |
| 21 | Monterey Bay FC | 21 | 0 | 4-16-6 | |
5.734 | The 2-3 loss to Lexington probably should not have been as close as it ended up. The winless streak extends to 12 games. | @ Orange County |
| 22 | Phoenix Rising | 12 | 10 | 8-9-9 | |
5.247 | The Rising had maybe 2 good looks on goal but that would not have helped in the 0-3 loss to Oakland. All 3 Western teams still chasing the playoffs are tied on 33 points now. | @ New Mexico |
| 23 | Sporting JAX | 20 | 3 | 3-17-6 | |
0.898 | JAX lost to Loudoun 1-4 but could have made it much closer by converting several good early chances. Poor defending in the second half doomed them. | @ Miami |
| 24 | Orange County | 25 | 1 | 10-7-9 | |
0.633 | Yaniv Bazini’s 90th-minute game-winner ended a 299-minute scoreless run. The ebat Pittsburgh 1-0 but really did not deserve it. Just 3 goals in the last 5 games does not look good. | v. Monterey Bay |
| 25 | Brooklyn FC | 23 | 2 | 5-14-6 | |
-4.956 | Brooklyn were utterly dominated in the 0-4 loss in Birmingham. Just 2 points from elimination now with an unfavorable schedule ahead. | v. Detroit, v. Rhode Island |
* USL Cup Final
