League One Power Rankings

League One Power Rankings - Week 18

By Jacob Lebowitz - jacob.lebowitz@uslsoccer.com, 07/19/23, 1:30PM EDT

No movement at the top of the Power Rankings following Week 18 action

The Hailstorm remain at the top after an impressive, six-point Week 18, while Forward Madison FC and North Carolina FC battled to a draw to retain their respective positions behind Northern Colorado in the Power Rankings.

Is Tormenta FC starting to turn things around? Can Greenville stay hot? Tell us why your club should rank higher and keep the conversation going on Twitter at @USLLeagueOne.

Biggest Movers

1 CLT, CV, RIC, TRM

2 KNX

Rank	Team	Change	Summary
1	Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (9-1-5) Week 19: v. RIC	Last Week: 1	Things are looking great on the field in Windsor, Colorado. The Hailstorm will ride their 12-match unbeaten streak into Week 19 and look to continue to improve on their league-best goal differential (+16). Northern Colorado has three points and two matches in hand over a second place Forward Madison squad as they look to ride out the season on top of the table.
2	Forward Madison FC (8-4-5) Week 19: --	Last Week: 2	After jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead in their last regular season match against North Carolina, a Sam Brotherton red card helped NCFC fight its way back to force a draw. Currently on a 5-1-1 roll, the ‘Mingos will look to try to keep up with the Hailstorm as the postseason approaches.
3	North Carolina FC (8-4-4) Week 19: --	Last Week: 3	A rough stretch over the last four games has seen North Carolina FC draw 2-2 in a trio of matches, allowing Forward Madison to slip past NCFC in the standings. On a positive note, forward Oalex Anderson is heating up at the right time, scoring five goals in his last three matches to insert himself into a three-way tie for second in the Golden Boot race with nine goals total. A big Week 20 match against a first-place Northern Colorado side should prove to be crucial for the Tarheel State contender.
4	Greenville Triumph SC (7-5-4) Week 19: @ CLT, @ TRM	Last Week: 4	Four consecutive wins and a seven-match unbeaten streak has lifted Greenville from below the playoff line into fifth place. The defense has quietly picked up for the Triumph SC as the squad has allowed a league-best one goal over their last four matches. A test against Charlotte in Week 19 could prove to be decisive for the South Carolina squad.
5	Richmond Kickers (6-5-7) Week 19: @ NCO	1 Last Week: 6	The Roos fought back from their worst loss of the season with a valiant 2-2 draw against a strong Charlotte side. With the middle of the table tight from 4th-9th place, blowing a late 2-1 lead could end up hurting Richmond dearly. Emiliano Terzaghi will need to keep scoring if the Kickers want to get back above the playoff line.
6	Union Omaha (6-4-7) Week 19: @ KNX (1-2), @ LEX	1 Last Week: 5	After a five-match unbeaten run was killed by the Hailstorm in Week 18, Omaha will have a pair of road matches against the 2023 expansion sides in Week 19. Noe Meza will need to assert his dominance away from home to help the Owls continue to move up the table.
7	Charlotte Independence (7-5-6) Week 19: v. GVL, CV	1 Last Week: 8	Even though the Jacks earned a hard-fought point on the road against Richmond, Charlotte has struggled recently, picking up four points in their last six matches. With the most games played in the league, the Independence have no room for error. A critical midweek match against Greenville awaits, while the Jacks will need to collect points in their second match of the week against Fuego FC as well.
8	South Georgia Tormenta FC (6-7-3) Week 19: v. GVL	1 Last Week: 9	A pair of dominant performances against Lexington and Chattanooga, saw Tormenta score nine goals, with Nembhard, Sterling, and Akale all contributing two goals. Can the reigning champs string together a few more results to get into playoff position? A couple of key matches against Greenville and Madison are on deck for South Georgia!
9	One Knoxville SC (5-7-7) Week 19: v. OMA (1-2), v. CHA	2 Last Week: 7	Things are getting rough in Knoxville… One Knox’s five-match winless streak is the longest in its two-year history spanning both USL League One and USL League Two. With starting goalkeeper Sean Lewis currently battling injury, Coach Mark McKeever will need to rely on more production from his defense if the squad hopes to jump back into playoff position.
10	Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (3-10-4) Week 19: @ KNX	Last Week: 10	According to American Soccer Analysis, Chattanooga has faced the toughest collection of opponents thus far. Despite a difficult schedule to navigate, the Red Wolves have had some impressive rallies in recent weeks and maintain the most points won from losing positions (9) in the league.
11	Central Valley Fuego FC (4-11-1) Week 19: @ CLT	1 Last Week: 12	Dropping five matches in a row is never a good sign, but Fuego FC did just get their first win under interim head coach Adam Smith. Even after going down a man in the 35th minute, Maximus Ekk and Jordan Chavez provided a spark that ultimately helped Central Valley prevail against Lexington. Time is running out on Fuego’s season… they’ll need to turn things around in a major way if they want to make a push for the playoffs.
12	Lexington SC (3-9-5) Week 19: v. OMA	1 Last Week: 11	Four straight losses and only one victory in their last ten have forced Lexington to fall down the Power Rankings. With a difficult stretch of matches coming up, LSC will need to take advantage of their next two contests at home.