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USL League One Power Rankings – Week 8

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 04/28/25, 5:00PM EDT

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One Knoxville made it a home opener to remember, continuing to build on a strong start to the season

Four clubs from USL League One got the better of their opponents in the USL Championship in the opening round of the USL Jägermeister Cup over the weekend.

If you look at the math of their history in the U.S. Open Cup, that falls about where you’d expect – League One teams have had a 36.4 percent advancement rate when facing Championship clubs – but there was one performance in particular where the numbers stood out most of all.

While the Charlotte Independence, FC Naples, and Spokane Velocity FC each took regulation wins against their opponents, the most dominant display came from One Knoxville SC, which let a point slip away due to crucial errors early and late against FC Tulsa but otherwise had a tremendous all-around display that was rewarded with a shootout win.

Across both leagues, One Knox put up the second-highest Expected Goals mark of the weekend at 3.15xG and held Tulsa to just a 0.76xG mark, a differential of 2.39xGD. Only New Mexico United was more dominant in its outing against Union Omaha across the 18 games played.

It further illustrated how well Knoxville is playing under new Head Coach Ian Fuller, whose side remains undefeated in league play while putting up similar splits against its League One foes. In four games, One Knox has already built a +5.31 Expected Goal Differential – only Spokane Velocity has a higher mark at 5.56xGD having played twice more.

For the sellout crowd that set a record for the highest attendance at a USL League One club-hosted contest on Saturday night, it should make for a formula that keeps them coming back game after game and puts One Knox in position to challenge for silverware later this year.

Here’s where things stand this week.

Biggest Movers

4 TRM 3 WES, MAD

Rank

 

Team

Change

Summary
1 One Knoxville SC
(3-0-1)
Week 9: @ POR
Last Week: 1		 One Knox put up the second-highest Expected Goals mark of any team in the opening round of USL Jägermeister Cup play. That was impressive against a good FC Tulsa side.
2 FC Naples
(4-1-2)
Week 9: @ AV		 1
Last Week: 3		 Naples outplaying one of the best teams in the Championship for a half was another feather in the cap for Matt Poland and his squad. Big platform to build on over the remaining group stage.
3 Spokane Velocity FC
(3-1-2)
Week 9: vs. WES		 1
Last Week: 2		 Velocity’s first half was strong and enough to take victory against Oakland Roots for a first win against a Championship side in club history. This continues to look like a solid outfit.
4 Charlotte Independence
(2-1-2)
Week 9: @ TXO		 3
Last Week: 7		 The Independence learned their lesson from their Open Cup defeat against North Carolina and now have a real chance to advance to the Jägermeister Cup knockout stage.
5 AV ALTA FC
(2-3-0)
Week 9: vs: NAP
Last Week: 5		 Alta had a tough time in Sacramento, but Emmanuel Alaribe at least continued to look bright in the attacking third.
6 Richmond Kickers
(3-3-1)
Week 9: vs: GVL
Last Week: 6		 Take a bow, Nils Seufert. Heck of a strike in Louisville, even if it didn’t change the direction of the game in the manner it might have.
7 Westchester SC
(1-1-2)
Week 9: @ SPK		 3
Last Week: 4		 There were some nice moments for Westchester against Rhode Island, but the hosts paid for being caught in possession in their own half too regularly in the first half.
8 South Georgia Tormenta FC
(2-3-1)
Week 9: ---		 4
Last Week: 12		 Tormenta took a good home win against Greenville to set it up for the challenges from Championship opposition ahead. It’s a fine spot to build from.
9 Union Omaha
(1-2-0)
Week 9: @ MAD		 1
Last Week: 8		 Omaha’s trip to New Mexico could have gotten completely out of hand if not for Rashid Nuhu, who was outstanding in his 10-save performance.
10 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
(1-1-3)
Week 9: ---		 1
Last Week: 9		 The Red Wolves hadn’t given up as many shots or shots on target as they did in Birmingham in a League One game so far this season.
11 Portland Hearts of Pine
(0-1-2)
Week 9: vs. KNX		 2
Last Week: 13		 Good effort to try and chase the game in Hartford from Hearts of Pine, they should take some positives away ahead of their big day at home this weekend.
12 Greenville Triumph SC
(2-3-1)
Week 9: @ RIC		 2
Last Week: 10		 Greenville’s slide continued on the road against Tormenta, and now they’ve got a tough outing in Richmond this Friday night to try and rebound.
13 Texoma FC
(0-4-1)
Week 9: vs. CLT		 1
Last Week: 14		 A point for Texoma against El Paso Locomotive FC, and you could make a case they deserved to take more from the game. Shame to fall in the shootout, honestly.
14 Forward Madison FC
(1-1-2)
Week 9: vs. OMA 		3
Last Week: 11		 That really unraveled quickly for Madison in the second half against Indy. Four games without a win in all competitions, and they haven’t led for a second in all four games.

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Tag(s): Spotlight  Union Omaha  Power Rankings  Chatt Red Wolves SC  Forward Madison FC  Greenville Triumph SC  Richmond Kickers  So. Georgia Tormenta FC  Charlotte Independence  One Knoxville SC  Spokane Velocity FC  Portland Hearts of Pine  AV ALTA FC  FC Naples  Texoma FC  Westchester SC 

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