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USL Power Rankings - Week 13

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 06/11/18, 5:45PM EDT

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All even at the top with dual No. 1’s ahead of massive week of action

After a victory last Monday night for Real Monarchs SLC and a draw this past Saturday for Louisville City FC, we’ve got a split decision on who takes top spot in the USLSoccer.com Power Rankings this week with the two teams sitting side-by-side, level on points going into one of the biggest weeks of the season.

The Monarchs hold a decisive advantage in the standings after their 2-0 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC, with their 31 points to lead the Western Conference putting the side five points clear of its nearest challenger for the USL Regular Season Championship. With a visit to the Midwest this week that sees the its take on both the Swope Park Rangers and Saint Louis FC this week, Real is in for a solid road test as it looks to at least maintain its lead.

Louisville is second in the Eastern Conference after its 0-0 draw with Bethlehem Steel FC but is still in position to claim first place with two games in hand on FC Cincinnati, which sits No. 3 in the rankings after its road victory against North Carolina FC. Even with victories in both of those contests, though, Louisville would still sit two points back of the Monarchs in the race for top spot across the two conferences.

The four-person USLSoccer.com voting panel tabulates 16 points for first-place team votes, 15 points to the second-place team and so forth to one point for 16th place. The accrued points among the group determines the final ranking.

Rank

 

Team/Record

Change

Summary
T-1 Louisville City FC
62 pts | (7-2-2)
Week 13: T, 0-0 @BST
Week 14: PEN
Last Week: 1		 Louisville’s Open Cup victory against the New England Revolution provided a high-point for the past week but getting a point in Bethlehem despite being not at their best will be OK for the defending USL Cup champion.
T-1 Real Monarchs SLC
62 pts | (10-2-1)
Week 13: W, 2-0 @RGV
Week 14: @SPR, @STL		 1
Last Week: 2		 The Monarchs have claimed all three points in six of their last seven games ahead of their trip to Missouri that will see them face a pair of strong playoff contenders.
3 FC Cincinnati
55 pts | (8-3-2)
Week 13: W, 2-0 @NC
Week 14: BST, RIC
Last Week: 3		 Cincinnati rebounded well from a disappointing night in the Open Cup to take a three-point lead in the Eastern Conference. Wednesday night’s game with Bethlehem is now setting up as an interesting one.
4 Sacramento Republic FC
51 pts | (7-3-4)
Week 13: T, 0-0 PHX
Week 14: @FRS, @SA
Last Week: 4		 A scoreless draw with Phoenix Rising FC wasn’t exactly what most were expecting on Saturday night, and now Republic FC faces a trick week that includes visits to Fresno and San Antonio.
5 Portland Timbers 2
48 pts | (8-4-2)
Week 13: W, 1-0 @RGV
Week 12: OKC, COS
Last Week: 5		 Portland leads the league in shutouts after its 1-0 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC, a solid bounce-back display that saw T2 bounce up to second in the standings.
6 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
44 pts | (5-1-6)
Week 13: --
Week 14: NY
Last Week: 6		 No action in the past week for the Hounds, but there should be plenty of anticipation for Saturday’s game with the New York Red Bulls II at Highmark Stadium.
7 Phoenix Rising FC
42 pts | (7-3-4)
Week 13: T, 0-0 @SAC
Week 14: LV, TUL		 1
Last Week: 8		 A point on the road in Sacramento meant both sides lost ground on the Monarchs, but Phoenix should be feeling good about visits from Las Vegas Lights FC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC this week.
8 Nashville SC
34 pts | (5-2-5)
Week 13: T, 1-1 @TBR
Week 14: NC		 3
Last Week: 11		 A late equalizer for the Tampa Bay Rowdies spoiled NSC goalkeeper Matt Pickens’ return to Al Lang Stadium, but Nashville is still nicely poised in the Eastern Conference.
9 Orange County SC
31 pts | (7-4-2)
Week 13: W, 1-0 @LA
Week 14: RNO		 1
Last Week: 10		 Sometimes you need a break to get what will end up an important victory at the end of the season. A game-winner with eight minutes to go on your first shot on target for the game certainly counts as that.
10 New York Red Bulls II
24 pts | (5-3-5)
Week 13: W, 4-2 CLT
Week 14: @PGH		 3
Last Week: 13		 New York’s attack continues to impress when it fires into top gear, and with a league-leading 19 second-half goals this season the pressure continues to make most opponents crack.
11 Reno 1868 FC
23 pts | (5-3-6)
Week 13: T, 1-1 FRS
Week 14: @OC		 1
Last Week: 12		 Undefeated in 10 games, Reno recorded 10 shots on goal in its 1-1 draw against Fresno FC to only to come away with a point as Foxes goalkeeper Kyle Reynish stole the show.
12 Charlotte Independence
20 pts | (6-4-2)
Week 13: L, 2-4 @NY
Week 14: @ATL, CHS		 3
Last Week: 9		 The Independence’s strong recent run came to an abrupt halt against the Red Bulls II, and a test against regional rival the Charleston Battery awaits this weekend.
13 Swope Park Rangers
16 pts | (6-3-4)
Week 13: W, 1-0 @COS
Week 14: SLC, @FRS		 1
Last Week: 14		 The Rangers’ pendulum swung back to the positive side this week in a good road victory against Colorado Springs, and their visit from the Monarchs should be a must-see on Wednesday.
14 Charleston Battery
15 pts | (5-3-5)
Week 13: L, 0-2 @RIC
Week 14: @CLT		 7
Last Week: 14		 With the Battery’s recent run of draws, a nine-game undefeated streak can quickly flip to a four-game winless streak. Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Independence is a big one.
15 Bethlehem Steel FC
7 pts | (5-5-3)
Week 13: T, 0-0 LOU
Week 14: CIN
Last Week: 15		 Bethlehem stayed in the playoff positions thanks to their draw with Louisville and considering some of the chances they carved out might be hopeful of a result in Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
16 Saint Louis FC
5 pts | (5-4-5)
Week 13: W, 3-0 @TUL
Week 14: SLC
Last Week: NR		 Two victories in a row get Saint Louis some love but a much bigger test arrives on Saturday when conference-leader Real Monarchs SLC heads to town.

Also receiving votes: Ottawa Fury FC 4, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1

Dropped from rankings: San Antonio FC (16)

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