Despite two teams having double-game weeks, there were only 11 games in the USL Championship this week. Even so, the 20 teams in action managed to combine for 47 goals, an average of 4.27 per game. That is of course ludicrously high. Take out the notoriously low-scoring Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ 2 games and that average increases to 4.78. 5 games had 5 or more goals. Here’s how that goalfest impacted the Power Rankings:
| Rank | Team | Change | Previous | Record | Forge Factor | Note | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento Republic | 3 | +2 | 7-4-6 | 22.759 | Sacramento and San Antonio each had 3 shots on target. SacRep converted all of theirs for the 3-1 win. #2 and #3 in the West flip positions. The team’s 4-0-1 recent record is tied for the best (with Charleston). | v. Monterey Bay |
| 2 | Louisville City | 2 | 0 | 12-1-5 | 22.425 | Lou City’s 4-1 win over North Carolina was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests. The teams were even in shots on target and 1 Louisville goal was a bit dubious. They avenge their only loss of the year. | v. Charleston |
| 3 | Charleston Battery | 1 | -2 | 13-3-2 | 22.053 | Charleston Battery were on a bye this week. | @ Louisville |
| 4 | FC Tulsa | 6 | +2 | 9-3-5 | 17.690 | Tulsa and Loudoun racked up 35 shots total and 16 on target. The eventual 3-2 scoreline is thus hardly a surprise. Tulsa got the win with a last-gasp stoppage time goal and hold position at the top of the West. | @ Monterey Bay, v. New Mexico |
| 5 | Orange County | 7 | +2 | 7-7-2 | 17.567 | Orange County ran riot over Phoenix Rising 4-1 in midweek and they could have scored a couple more. Ethan Zubak welcomed his new baby with a goal and an assist, celebrating in the predictable fashion. OC climbs a spot to 7th in the very crowded West. | @ Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Oakland Roots | 4 | -2 | 6-9-2 | 17.476 | Oakland Roots were on a bye this week. | v. Colorado Springs |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | +2 | 5-10-2 | 17.097 | The Rowdies beat Indy Eleven 3-1 for the second time in just over a month. They looked in control all game. 3 wins in the last 4 league games and they are suddenly back in playoff contention. | @ North Carolina |
| 8 | Hartford Athletic | 11 | +3 | 4-8-4 | 15.331 | Hartford absolutely shocked New Mexico with the 4-0 win and looked vastly superior in the process. But that did not prevent them from staying bottom of the Eastern standings, albeit by just 1 point. They are also 3 points out of the playoffs with games in hand. | v. Miami, @ Birmingham |
| 9 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 14 | +5 | 5-6-6 | 14.862 | The Switchbacks had little difficulty dispatching Lexington, winning 3-1 and edging closer to the playoff spots in the West. They are beginning to look more like the defending champions but still have a long way to go. | @ Oakland |
| 10 | San Antonio | 8 | -2 | 8-6-3 | 12.484 | In the toughest game of the week San Antonio fell 1-3 to Sacramento in a fairly close contest with relatively few attacking fireworks. They drop to 3rd in the West and are a tad wobbly of late. | @ Las Vegas |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 10 | -1 | 7-6-5 | 12.393 | Pittsburgh needed the very last kick to rescue a 1-1 draw against Miami in a game they should have lost. They rebounded at the weekend, beating Rhode Island 2-0 in a much more dominant performance. They remain 5th in the East. | v. Orange County |
| 12 | Birmingham Legion | 12 | 0 | 4-8-7 | 11.754 | The Legion went down 2 goals, then up 1, only to finish 3-3 at the last gasp. The rebound was good but the Three Sparks should never have been in that position. 2 key points wasted, but they are back in the playoff spots. | v. Hartford |
| 13 | El Paso Locomotive | 19 | +6 | 7-5-5 | 10.539 | The Locomotive shook off 2 consecutive losses, stomping on Las Vegas 6-0. And it wasn’t that close. They jump into 4th in the West and suddenly have a +5 GD. | @ Miami |
| 14 | Lexington SC | 5 | -9 | 4-7-7 | 8.662 | Lexington’s rough introduction to the Championship continues. The 1-3 loss in Colorado Springs keeps them mired in 11th in the West. Still, they are only 3 points out of the playoff spots. | v. Phoenix |
| 15 | North Carolina FC | 13 | -2 | 8-7-2 | 7.945 | North Carolina went down 1-4 in Louisville but they have Damian Las to blame for the scoring gap. They did not give up even late. Still in the home playoffs but they are allowing a lot of goals. | v. Tampa Bay |
| 16 | The Miami FC | 18 | +2 | 5-8-4 | 5.319 | Miami will be kicking themselves for giving up the tying goal as the game ended to finish 1-1 in Pittsburgh. They had been the better side for most of the contest. They drop out of the playoff spots on tiebreakers. | @ Hartford, v. El Paso |
| 17 | Indy Eleven | 15 | -2 | 5-7-5 | 5.234 | Indy have given up 7 goals in their last 2 league games. Defensively they are very porous and their attack has gone cold. Slipping down the standings and they have become extremely vulnerable. | @ Detroit |
| 18 | Phoenix Rising | 17 | -1 | 6-6-6 | 5.147 | The Rising were totally embarrassed in Orange County in midweek, losing 1-4. They looked like they would get the better of Birmingham early but blew a 2-goal lead and ended the game coming from behind for a 3-3 draw. | @ Lexington |
| 19 | Loudoun United | 21 | +2 | 8-7-3 | 4.201 | Loudoun were probably slightly the better team on the night but ended up late 2-3 losers in Tulsa. They remain 3rd in the East but have several teams breathing down their necks in the tightening race. 0-4-2 in the last 6 games. | @ Rhode Island |
| 20 | Detroit City | 23 | +3 | 5-6-6 | 3.467 | Detroit City were on a bye this week. | @ Rhode Island, v. Indy |
| 21 | Monterey Bay FC | 22 | +1 | 6-8-4 | 3.348 | Monterey Bay FC were on a bye this week. | v. Tulsa, @ Sacramento |
| 22 | New Mexico United | 16 | -6 | 8-7-1 | 1.377 | New Mexico’s 0-4 humiliation in Hartford was by far their worst outing of the season. They were completely manhandled by what they likely thought a much weaker team. They drop to 5th in the Western standings. | @ Tulsa |
| 23 | Rhode Island FC | 20 | -3 | 4-9-5 | 1.287 | Rhody’s scoring problems continue. The 0-2 loss in Pittsburgh prevented them from making up any distance ahead of Tampa Bay and Hartford. Worse, JJ Williams got a red card. A tough double-game week coming up to boot. | v. Detroit, v. Loudoun |
| 24 | Las Vegas Lights | 24 | 0 | 5-10-3 | -7.091 | Las Vegas lost 0-6 in El Paso and were absolutely horrific. They have allowed 16 goals in 4 straight losses and the -21 GD is 13 worse than anyone else. Incoming head coach Devin Rensing has his work cut out for him. | v. San Antonio |
