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USL Power Rankings – Week 29

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 10/01/18, 5:50PM EDT

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Reno, Portland show down for bid at fourth place in West in midweek clash

FC Cincinnati’s quest to rewrite the USL record book continued unabated over the past week to keep it on top of the USLSoccer.com Power Rankings, while the duel for first place in the Western Conference continued to be nip and tuck with both No. 2 Phoenix Rising FC and No. 3 Orange County SC taking victories in the past week that continued their winning streaks.

A little further down the rankings, however, are this week’s No. 8 Portland Timbers 2 and No. 9 Reno 1868 FC, who square off on Wednesday night at Providence Park with not only playoff position on the line but also potentially the chance to claim a home contest to open the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs after the downturn of No. 14 Real Monarchs SLC in the past month.

It’s a game that offers plenty of interest with the two teams entering level on points but with Portland ahead in fifth place in the Western Conference standings thanks to its 16 wins this season, more than a five-fold increase from its last-place finish a season ago. While T2 is coming off a defeat this past Saturday against Sacramento Republic FC, the side can close out its home slate by potentially jumping past the Monarchs, who are also in action at home to OKC Energy FC on Wednesday night.

Reno, on the other hand, has the momentum of a four-game undefeated streak that saw it put together two impressive performances in the past week to down Rio Grande Valley FC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC. With three games to go, 1868 FC would be certain of claiming a home postseason contest if it wins out regardless of what happens to the Monarchs, and after taking a 1-0 win thanks to a late goal by Danny Musovski when the teams met at Greater Nevada Field, the window of opportunity is wide open for Head Coach Ian Russell’s side.

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 | (23-3-6)
Week 29: W, 4-1 @RIC, W, 3-0 IND
Week 30: @PGH
Last Week: 1		 FCC has one more record in its sights over its final two games as it looks to set a new mark for consecutive games undefeated (Richmond Kickers, 22 games, 2013), and while it would need six goals to tie and seven to overtake the mark it could also set a new record for goals in a single-season (Reno 1868 FC, 75 goals, 2017) as well.
2 Phoenix Rising FC
59 pts | (19-7-5)
Week 29: W, 2-0 STL
Week 30: RNO
Last Week: 2		 Three consecutive victories and a 50th regular-season goal for Chris Cortez made for a memorable Saturday night for Rising FC, which is still on the inside track for top spot in the West as it prepares to host Reno 1868 FC this weekend.
3 Orange County SC
56 pts | (19-7-6)
Week 29: W, 5-3 @LV
Week 30: SEA
Last Week: T-3		 Orange County notched its second consecutive five-goal outing in its victory against Las Vegas Lights FC last Wednesday night, and while it will want to tighten its defense it certainly has plenty of momentum in its duel with Phoenix thanks to a four-game winning streak.
4 Louisville City FC
50 pts | (16-6-9)
Week 29: W, 4-1 @ATL
Week 30: @TOR		 1
Last Week: 5		 Three consecutive victories moved Louisville onto the inside track when it comes to second place in the Eastern Conference, and there certainly should be revenge on the mind in Friday night’s visit to Toronto FC II.
5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
49 pts | (15-4-12)
Week 29: W, 2-0 @PEN, T, 2-2 @CLT
Week 30: CIN		 2
Last Week: T-3		 The Hounds will host their first playoff game in club history at Highmark Stadium after a four-point road trip in the past week, and on Saturday night will have a chance to win what would be a major confidence-booster with FC Cincinnati the visitor to the banks of the Monongahela.
6 Sacramento Republic FC
46 pts | (16-7-8)
Week 29: W, 1-0 POR
Week 30: SPR. @LA
Last Week: 6		 Republic FC took its fourth win in the past five games by defeating the Portland Timbers 2, and while Head Coach Simon Elliott wasn’t overwhelmed by the display his side could potentially clinch at least one home playoff game this week as it faces the Swope Park Rangers and LA Galaxy II.
7 Charleston Battery
38 pts | (13-5-14)
Week 29: W, 2-0 NC, L, 1-2 TOR
Week 30: @ATL
Last Week: 7		 The Battery’s late heroics earned a major midweek win against North Carolina FC but the loss to Toronto FC II that followed was a puzzling one. Getting victory on Sunday evening in Atlanta would make sure of a top-four finish and home playoff game.
8 Portland Timbers 2
37 pts | (16-12-4)
Week 29: L, 0-1 @SAC
Week 30: RNO
Last Week: 8		 Sure, T2 lost in Sacramento, but it put in a credible performance that should bolster the side’s confidence ahead of massive home finale on Wednesday night against Reno 1868 FC that has a potential top-four finish on the line.
9 Reno 1868 FC
32 pts | (14-7-10)
Week 29: W, 4-0 RGV, W, 2-0 TUL
Week 30: @POR, @PHX		 6
Last Week: 15		 Reno was almost perfect on its four-game home stand to take 10 points out of 12. Now a challenging end to the regular season starts in Portland on Wednesday night with a shot at fourth place in sight with a victory.
10 Indy Eleven
25 pts | (13-10-9)
Week 29: W, 2-0 TBR, L, 0-3 @CIN
Week 30: BST		 2
Last Week: 12		 Indy got the win it needed in its pursuit of a playoff place against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and while the final score in Saturday’s loss at FC Cincinnati didn’t look good there were certainly positives the side could take moving into another big game with Bethlehem Steel FC.
11 Saint Louis FC
23 pts | (13-9-10)
Week 29: L, 0-2 @PHX
Week 30: --		 2
Last Week: 9		 Saint Louis battled hard but couldn’t hold on to claim a point against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday night. Now it gets a week to watch what San Antonio FC does before closing out the season with home games against Tulsa Roughnecks FC and OKC Energy FC.
12 Swope Park Rangers
22 pts | (14-10-8)
Week 29: --
Week 30: @SAC		 2
Last Week: T-10		 The Rangers had a decent bye week, and now will get to take its first shot at clinching a playoff berth when it visits Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday night in a playoff rematch from a season ago.
13 Bethlehem Steel FC
15 pts | (13-12-7)
Week 29: T, 0-0 @OTT
Week 30: @IND
Last Week: 13		 Steel FC rode its luck a little to emerge with a draw against Ottawa Fury FC, and it will need to be better against Indy Eleven on Saturday. Take a win, though, and Bethlehem moves into fifth place with one game to go.
14 Real Monarchs SLC
12 pts | (17-12-3)
Week 29: L, 0-2 COS
Week 30: OKC		 4
Last Week: T-10		 Things seemed to be clicking better for the Monarchs on Saturday, but it still didn’t end in a positive result as Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC took a 2-0 victory at Zions Bank Stadium to continue Real’s struggles.
15 North Carolina FC
8 pts | (12-11-8)
Week 29: L, 0-2 @CHS, W, 3-2 RIC
Week 30: NY		 1
Last Week: 14		 North Carolina was down after its midweek loss to the Charleston Battery but ended up doing enough to put itself in the top eight on Saturday night by defeating the Richmond Kickers. Saturday’s game with the New York Red Bulls II now looms large.
16 New York Red Bulls II
3 pts | (10-8-13)
Week 29: T, 1-1 @NSH
Week 30: @NC
Last Week: NR		 The Red Bulls II are still in with a chance thanks to a gutsy performance down to 10 men, but the club’s fourth missed penalty kick of the season made for a missed opportunity to take a two-goal lead on the road in Nashville, where a win would have been huge.

Dropped from rankings: Tampa Bay Rowdies (16)

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