Since the Legion game was an outlier this week, being the only Championship game not in the USL Cup, and would not be factored into the rankings for two weeks, we decided to wait for the result to run this week’s rankings. Which didn’t turn out so well for the Three Sparks. I can’t remember when a draw with Louisville City had that impact on anybody, but there you go. Anyway, here are the Forge Power Rankings for Week 13 (all scheduled games are the USL Cup):
| Rank | Team | Previous | Change | Record | Last 5 | Forge Factor | Note | Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2 | +1 | 8-0-3 | WTWWW | 25.436 | It took 76 minutes to get the first goal but the Rowdies’ 2-0 win in Louisville was utterly dominant. A long way from the unbeaten streak record (22 games), but they have not even played from behind yet. | @ JAX |
| 2 | FC Tulsa | 1 | -1 | 4-2-4 | TWWWT | 19.277 | Tulsa’s 0-0 draw in Las Vegas was a fairly even contest overall if lacking in excitement. 5 games unbeaten now and challenging for the West lead with a game in hand, | v. San Antonio |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 4 | +1 | 5-4-1 | LWLWW | 17.591 | The Riverhounds were utterly dominant in the 2-0 win over Miami. Several decent results lately have put them back in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference. | @ Charleston |
| 4 | Indy Eleven | 9 | +5 | 5-2-3 | TLWWW | 16.371 | Indy should get Charmin as a sponsor given how much they absorb. They allow Rhode Island 20 shots and 6 on target but still get the 1-0 win. Even with Tampa Bay for longest win streak. | v. Madison |
| 5 | Phoenix Rising | 3 | -2 | 4-3-4 | WWTLW | 14.977 | The Rising racked up 21 shots and 8 on target in open play. That’s a recipe for success but they needed 2 PKs to score. They beat Sacramento to stay comfortably in the West hunt. | @ New Mexico |
| 6 | Lexington SC | 19 | +13 | 3-5-3 | TLWLW | 14.732 | A great weekend for Lexington. The ladies win the Super league 3-1 over the Carolina Ascent and the men whip El Paso 4-1, although they did not have to work very hard to do so. | @ Detroit |
| 7 | New Mexico United | 7 | 0 | 4-4-2 | TWLWT | 14.595 | New Mexico and Hartford entered the week almost identical in performance. The rather tedious 0-0 result kept them that way. United were perhaps the slightly better side. | v. Phoenix |
| 8 | Rhode Island FC | 5 | -3 | 3-4-3 | WLTWL | 13.278 | It’s hard to have 20 shots but never really threaten. Rhody managed that and lost 0-1 in Indy. The up-and-down season continues. | v. Westchester |
| 9 | Charleston Battery | 21 | +12 | 5-4-1 | TLWLW | 11.959 | Charleston could be the most erratic team in the Championship. The Battery recovers from a 0-1 loss in New Mexico to score twice in the first 15 minutes and ride that lead to a win over Detroit. | v. Pittsburgh |
| 10 | San Antonio FC | 6 | -4 | 5-1-6 | WTTWT | 11.702 | Granted, 2 goals were PKs, but going down 0-3 to JAX in the first half is not good. Getting all 3 back in 9 minutes in the second half is good, but ultimately blowing a lead for a 4-4 draw is not good. | @ Tulsa |
| 11 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 17 | +6 | 3-3-4 | WTTLW | 11.420 | Khori Bennett got a sneaky goal 5 minutes in and that’s all the Switchbacks needed for the 1-0 win in Oakland. This team is better than their record suggests. | v. El Paso |
| 12 | Orange County | 11 | -1 | 5-2-4 | WTLTW | 11.315 | Orange County were on a bye this week. | @ AV Alta |
| 13 | Monterey Bay FC | 20 | +7 | 2-7-2 | LLLWW | 10.674 | 6 goals in 2 games is quite the way to end the winless season. They thoroughly dismantle Loudoun 4-1. Still bottom of the West by a wide margin but the recovery has started. | @ Sacramento |
| 14 | Las Vegas Lights | 16 | +2 | 3-5-3 | LWLWT | 10.321 | The Lights had 63% possession against Tulsa but couldn’t convert. The 0-0 draw was an equitable ending in a well-fought game. | v. Oakland |
| 15 | Oakland Roots | 10 | -5 | 4-3-4 | WTWLL | 8.979 | 6 shots, none on target. That’s no way to impress your home fans. But it seems outlier for a team that has had few problems scoring. The 0-1 loss to Colorado Springs was the second straight though. | @ Las Vegas |
| 16 | Hartford Athletic | 18 | +2 | 3-2-5 | LTWLT | 7.436 | The most significant event in the 0-0 draw with New Mexico was the late red card to Benerly Makangila. He will miss the Tampa Bay game, which is not good. | @ New York |
| 17 | Detroit City | 15 | -2 | 5-4-2 | WLWTL | 7.104 | Detroit gave up two early goals and never really got into the game at all. They lose 0-2 in Charleston and drop to 3rd in the East. | v. Lexington |
| 18 | Sacramento Republic | 12 | -6 | 3-3-4 | TTWLL | 7.061 | Poor Danny Vitiello. He makes 7 big saves but his defense gives up 2 bad PKs to ruin a clean sheet. The 0-2 loss to Phoenix drops SacRep to unfamiliar territory below the playoff line, | v. Monterey Bay |
| 19 | The Miami FC | 13 | -6 | 4-4-4 | WTLWL | 6.988 | Miami followed a big win over Louisville with a toothless performance in Pittsburgh. Only 5 shots with 1 on target and they drop a 0-2 result. 16 points but almost everyone has games in hand on them. | Bye |
| 20 | Birmingham Legion | 14 | -6 | 2-3-4 | TWTLT | 6.658 | The Legion controlled most of the game with Louisville. An early lead was nullified by a poor defensive error and the team could not find the net a second time. | v. Corpus Christi |
| 21 | Loudoun United | 8 | -13 | 1-3-6 | TTWTL | 5.946 | Loudoun get pummeled by Monterey Bay 1-4 and find themselves passed in the win column. This team looks to have taken a few steps backward. | v. Richmond |
| 23 | Sporting JAX | 25 | +2 | 0-8-3 | LLLTT | 3.173 | How many teams can score 6 goals in a week and get just 2 points? JAX blow a 3-goal lead in San Antonio and have to come from behind to get the 4-4 draw and come from 2 down to get the 2-2 draw against Brooklyn. Closer to a win though. | v. Tampa Bay |
| 22 | Louisville City | 23 | +1 | 5-5-1 | LLLLT | 3.676 | The 0-2 loss to Tampa Bay was predictable but also historic. Lou City has its first-ever 4-game losing streak. They ended that with the 1-1 draw in Birmingham, but just barely. | Bye |
| 24 | El Paso Locomotive | 22 | -2 | 4-4-2 | LLTLL | 0.798 | An own goal and 2 red cards are no way to win a game. The Locomotive go down 1-4 to Lexington. After a hot start they are winless in the last 5 and have allowed 15 goals in that stretch. | @ Colorado Springs |
| 25 | Brooklyn FC | 24 | -1 | 2-7-2 | TLLLT | -2.333 | Brooklyn outshot JAX 18-6 and 9-2 on target but couldn’t make a 2-goal lead hold up in a rain-shortened 2-2 draw. Still winless on the road. | v. Portland |
