The Football Forge Power Rankings: Week 24A less chaotic week in the Forge Rankings
OK, we’re late again with the rankings since Week 25 has already started (with a couple of interesting results). Real life getting in the way again. Even so, here they are.
| Rank | Team | Previous | Change | Record | Forge Factor | Notes |
| 1 | Louisville City | 2 | +1 | 17-3-4 | 6.480 | Lou City got a break from the ref and then another break from the Review Panel. The PK for the Detroit game’s only goal was very iffy and the rescission of Wesley Charpie’s red card for DOGSO was ridiculous. Charpie, you may remember, got away with injuring Jake Rufe. |
| 2 | Memphis 901 | 3 | +1 | 16-6-3 | 5.541 | Area Code’s 2-0 win in New Mexico ended with them very tired and it showed against the Legion as they got pelted 2-4. Still, with a slightly tougher pair of opponents, they jump the Three Sparks in the rankings. |
| 3 | Birmingham Legion | 1 | -2 | 14-7-5 | 5.484 | The Legion played a terrible home game against Detroit City but then took Memphis 901 to the woodshed for their first ever win in Tennessee to prevent further slippage in the rankings. |
| 4 | San Diego Loyal | 5 | +1 | 16-6-4 | 4.537 | The Loyal bounced back from the defeat in Birmingham with a 3-1 victory in El Paso. The win edges them closer to San Antonio, but it;s still a steep climb to tyhe top of the West. |
| 5 | Detroit City | 15 | +10 | 10-6-9 | 4.136 | City get a thoroughly deserved jump in the rankings. The defeat of the Legion was solid, and the 0-1 loss to Louisville City was a close-run thing. Especially given that Lou City’s PK call was extremely soft. |
| 6 | San Antonio | 11 | +5 | 18-4-3 | 4.114 | San Antonio needed an equalizer deep into second half stoppage time for the 2-2 finish against Rio Grande in a subpar performance. With the big loss to San Diego 4 games away, they get a frankly undeserved boost in the rankings. |
| 7 | FC Tulsa | 4 | -3 | 9-12-4 | 4.114 | A 90th minute goal and a few good saves by Austin Wormell were enough to get the win over Indy, but they blew a ton of good chances. Tulsa are still 8 points adrift of the playoffs and on the outside looking in. |
| 8 | Loudoun United | 14 | +6 | 6-15-3 | 4.078 | Loudoun’s 3-1 win over Atlanta probably doesn’t serve a big hike in the rankings, especially since they had 2 PKs and missed one of them. Still, they have 2 wins in their last 3 games and have looked OK since being hammered by the Legion. |
| 9 | Phoenix Rising | 10 | +1 | 8-11-5 | 3.769 | Phoenix Rising were on a bye this week. |
| 10 | The Miami FC | 7 | -3 | 11-8-7 | 3.731 | Two games had goals called off for offsides by players who didn’t play the ball this week. Both calls were correct and both games ended up 2-0. Weird. Still, Miami got the easyish win over Hartford but drops as a big win over New Mexico falls out of the algorithm. |
| 11 | Orange County | 12 | +1 | 6-10-9 | 3.421 | Orange County’s 1-1 draw with Las Vegas featured goals by Milan Iloski and Cal Jennings. How predictable is that? Otherwise it was a rather uninteresting affair with only 1 additional shot on goal. OC, though, look to be in decent form. |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | -6 | 14-5-6 | 3.156 | The Rowdies tried hard but couldn’t penetrate Jeff Caldwell’s goal, eventually losing 0-12 in Colorado Springs. 2 straight losses (to good teams, granted) and they sink lower in the rankings. |
| 13 | Rio Grande Valley Toros | 17 | +4 | 7-11-6 | 2.982 | RGV were the better team and even took a 2-0 lead against San Antonio, but couldn’t hold on as their hopes of a signature win were ruined 6 minutes into stoppage time. |
| 14 | New Mexico United | 24 | +10 | 11-6-9 | 2.973 | A double-game home stand with offsetting 2-0 scorelines against Memphis and Monterey Bay. The goals against the Union came off an incredible free kick by Chris Wehan and a fast follow-up by Preston Etaka literally before the smoke cleared. |
| 15 | Las Vegas Lights | 22 | +7 | 10-9-7 | 2.778 | The 1-1 draw in OC was rather dull and then the Lights gave up a silly early PK to Sacramento before getting 2 first half goals to win the game despite being heavily outpossessed by the visitors. |
| 16 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 25 | +9 | 14-9-3 | 2.734 | Another schizophrenic double-game week. The Switchbacks got embarrassed 0-3 by Sacramento, then beat Tampa Bay 1-0. A good week for Jeff Caldwell: he stopped a SacRep PK and had a 4-save game for the clean sheet against the Rowdies. |
| 17 | Charleston Battery | 19 | +2 | 4-16-5 | 2.720 | The Battery traveled to the cavernous emptiness of Carson, CA and took the early lead but couldn’t hang on, ending in a 1-1 draw with LA. They are now 6 points from playoff elimination. |
| 18 | Sacramento Republic | 13 | -5 | 11-7-7 | 2.671 | SacRep shellacked Colorado Springs 3-0 in midweek before losing 1-2 in Las Vegas in a mix of games not much different than what the Legion had. Big decision though: do they rest anyone in the next two league games before that Open Cup final on September 7th? |
| 19 | Monterey Bay Union | 8 | -11 | 9-13-2 | 2.524 | Monterey were comprehensively beaten 0-2 by New Mexico and it could have been worse if not for an unusual (but correct) offside call against Chris Wehan who didn’t touch the ball. |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 9 | -11 | 13-7-5 | 2.485 | The Riverhounds’ 2-2 draw with New York was every bit as even as the score suggests. 3-1-1 in their last 5 games, but the wins (over Tulsa, Hartford and Indy) weren’t all that convincing. Have they peaked? |
| 21 | Hartford Athletic | 16 | -5 | 5-15-5 | 1.701 | The Athletic had 6 shots on goal but couldn’t prevent Conor Sparrow getting another clean sheet as they lost 0-2 at home to Miami. Tab Ramos’ arrival next week probably won’t do anything to save this season but there’s always next year… |
| 22 | Oakland Roots | 21 | -1 | 6-7-12 | 1.492 | Oakland Roots were on a bye this week. |
| 23 | New York Red Bulls II | 23 | 0 | 3-18-4 | 1.442 | The Baby Bulls served notice to the Legion that they had better not take anything for granted by playing Pittsburgh to a 2-2 draw at home, earning a reprieve from playoff elimination. |
| 24 | El Paso Locomotive | 18 | -6 | 9-11-7 | 1.218 | Locomotive games frequently turn into shootouts; this was no exception. 37 shots with 11 on target. El Paso loses to San Diego 1-3, though the consolation was an amazing olimpico by Dylan Mares. |
| 25 | LA Galaxy II | 20 | -5 | 9-11-6 | 0.587 | Los Dos went down at home but pummeled the Battery with 23 shots and 11 on frame, eventually getting the late equalizer on a long-range free kick. Just 3 points from the last 5 games and LA look to be slipping. |
| 26 | Indy Eleven | 26 | 0 | 6-14-4 | -0.240 | Indy’s misery season continues with a late goal for the 0-1 loss in Tulsa. 4 straight losses now. They are 0-9-2 since their last win, all the way back on June 8th. |
| 27 | Atlanta United 2 | 27 | 0 | 4-19-4 | -1.344 | Twonited earned the dubious honor of being the first team eliminated from playoff contention with the 1-3 loss in Loudoun. They are now in a race with the Baby Bulls for the wooden spoon. |
