With a 10-game undefeated streak overall, and three consecutive victories that moved it into the lead in the race for the 2018 USL Regular Season Championship, FC Cincinnati is also sitting at the top of the USLSoccer.com Power Rankings this week after two of the top three teams last Monday fell over the past weekend of action.
Cincinnati has outscored its opponents 21-7 since it last suffered defeat on May 26 to Louisville City FC, and with a bye this week as it faces an international exhibition with La Liga’s RCD Espanyol on Saturday night the club will surpass two months without a defeat in league play before it plays host to Nashville SC in a fascinating contest on August 4.
The other side with a current double-digit undefeated streak – Reno 1868 FC – also moves up into the top two after its week off, with the defeats of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Real Monarchs SLC seeing both take a small fall down the rankings. The Charleston Battery continue their shift up the standings after defeating the Hounds, too, with the two sides now side-by-side at the No. 3 slot overall.
As for this weekend’s game at the top of the Western Conference, the first-place Monarchs and second-place Phoenix Rising FC round out the top six in the Power Rankings ahead of one of the biggest games of the regular season.
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 |
|
1 | FC Cincinnati 64 pts | (13-3-5) Week 19: W, 2-0 CLT, W, 2-1 NY Week 20: -- |
1 Last Week: 2 |
With nine goals and a league-leading 10 assists, Emmanuel Ledesma has played a direct role in almost half of FC Cincinnati’s regular-season goals this season as the side started to click from set pieces. | |
2 | Reno 1868 FC 56 pts | (10-3-7) Week 19: -- Week 20: STL |
2 Last Week: 4 |
Defeats for Riverhounds SC and the Monarchs mean Reno moves up without having to kick a ball. It’ll put its 16-game undefeated streak on the line this Saturday against Saint Louis FC. | |
T-3 | Charleston Battery 52 pts | (9-3-8) Week 19: W, 1-0 @PGH Week 20: RIC |
5 Last Week: 8 |
Ataulla Guerra’s 11th goal earned the Battery a third consecutive victory and kept the Trinidad & Tobago international tied for the lead in the race for the USL Golden Boot. | |
T-3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 52 pts | (9-2-7) Week 19: L, 0-1 CHS Week 20: @NC |
2 Last Week: 1 |
The Hounds were pleased with the performance despite the result against the Battery, which should lead to a solid bounce-back display against North Carolina FC. | |
5 | Phoenix Rising FC 50 pts | (11-4-5) Week 19: W, 1-0 SEA Week 20: @SLC |
Last Week: 5 |
It wasn’t the club’s best performance, for sure, but picking up a 1-0 win to move within three points of Real Monarch SLC got everything set up for Saturday’s showdown. | |
6 | Real Monarchs SLC 47 pts | (13-5-2) Week 19: L, 2-4 @SA Week 20: PHX |
3 Last Week: 3 |
Getting back on home turf – where they are 8-0-1 this season – is going to be very welcome for the Monarchs after Saturday’s defeat in San Antonio continued recent road struggles. | |
7 | Louisville City FC 39 pts | (9-4-5) Week 19: W, 4-1 CLT Week 20: @OTT |
Last Week: 7 |
Louisville got back to what makes it a formidable foe on Saturday night as it ran up four goals in its victory against Charlotte to keep itself in the race for the top two in the East. | |
T-8 | Orange County SC 32 pts | (11-6-4) Week 19: W, 4-0 @SPR, T, 2-2 @STL Week 20: -- |
2 Last Week: 10 |
Orange County kept its positive momentum going with victory against the Swope Park Rangers, which currently stands as the club’s most impressive of the season? | |
T-8 | Sacramento Republic FC 32 pts | (10-5-7) Week 19: T, 1-1 OKC Week 20: -- |
2 Last Week: 6 |
Republic FC Head Coach Simon Elliott was not happy after his side’s second-half display against OKC Energy FC, but the side is undefeated in four games as it goes into a bye week. | |
10 | New York Red Bulls II 28 pts | (8-6-7) Week 19: W, 2-1 BST, L, 1-2 @CIN Week 20: @TBR |
4 Last Week: 14 |
New York was a crossbar away from a four-point week against Cincinnati on Saturday, and still makes a shift up the rankings after its midweek victory against Bethlehem Steel FC. | |
11 | Fresno FC 26 pts | (7-7-7) Week 19: -- Week 20: @OKC, @TUL |
Last Week: T-11 |
The Foxes stand pat after their bye week, and while they’d have preferred to see Colorado Springs miss out on victory they’re still on a three-game winning streak ahead of Wednesday’s crucial contest with OKC Energy FC. | |
12 | Ottawa Fury FC 14 pts | (8-8-3) Week 19: W, 2-0 NSH Week 20: LOU |
Last Week: NR |
Ottawa Fury FC parlayed its dramatic late victory against Nashville SC not only into a place in the Eastern Conference’s top eight, but also a nice move up as the side has won three of its last four outings. | |
13 | Swope Park Rangers 13 pts | (9-7-5) Week 19: L, 0-4 OC, T, 0-0 RGV Week 20: -- |
Last Week: 13 |
Swope Park’s winless streak is at four games after another two tough outings this week that saw the Rangers only claim a point against Rio Grande Valley FC thanks to goalkeeper Christian Herrera’s heroics. | |
T-14 | Indy Eleven 12 pts | (8-7-4) Week 19: L, 1-3 @TBR Week 20: @BST |
3 Last Week: T-11 |
Indy has fallen in three of its last four outings, and now faces a trick visit to Bethlehem Steel FC on Thursday needing a pick-me-up against a side it fell to on home turf earlier this season. | |
T-14 | Nashville SC 12 pts | (7-5-6) Week 19: L, 0-2 @OTT Week 20: ATL, @TOR |
5 Last Week: 9 |
The margins between victory and defeat were never clearer for Nashville, which went from having a chance to take a late lead to conceding a late game-winner against Ottawa to remain precariously placed in the East’s standings. | |
16 | OKC Energy FC 10 pts | (6-10-4) Week 19: T, 1-1 @SAC Week 20: FRS, SA |
1 Last Week: 15 |
Seven games undefeated sounds good on the face of it, but Energy FC needs to start turning draws into wins if it’s to make up ground in the playoff race. Visits from Fresno and San Antonio this week loom large. |
Dropped from rankings: Charlotte Independence (16)
Also receiving votes: San Antonio FC 3, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 1, Rio Grande Valley FC 1
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