The Football Forge Power Rankings: Week 23A less chaotic week in the Forge Rankings
Some big games this week, most went as expected. One, though, made all the difference.
| Rank | Team | Previous | Change | Record | Forge Factor | Notes |
| 1 | Birmingham Legion | 1 | 0 | 13-6-5 | 6.68 | The Legion took down another California team and ended a 5-game win streak with a massive team effort to retain the top spot in the Power Rankings. They also have the longest win streak now at 4, with Detroit and Memphis up this week. |
| 2 | Louisville City | 9 | 7 | 16-3-4 | 6.44 | The record crowd of 14,673 had to wait 62 minutes for their team to score on a terrible Rowdies defensive error but that’s all it took and the East leaders open up some space. |
| 3 | Memphis 901 | 11 | 8 | 15-5-3 | 5.87 | Area Code FC had just 5 shots in the game and 2 on target, but that and 2 great saves by Trey Muse was all they needed in a key 2-0 win over Pittsburgh to stay in spitting distance of Louisville. Two tough opponents this week though in New Mexico and Birmingham. |
| 4 | FC Tulsa | 12 | 8 | 8-12-4 | 5.46 | Tulsa beat Miami in Florida 2-1 and were the better side overall in the game which saw pretty much all the action in the first half. 2 wins over playoff teams in the last 3, but they are still 8 points adrift and have played 1 more game than Detroit. |
| 5 | San Diego Loyal | 2 | -3 | 15-6-4 | 5.17 | The Loyal edged a resilient Monterey team in midweek before coming up against the Three Sparks and getting completely shut down. The loss slips them 7 points and 1 game behind San Antonio for the West lead. |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 | -3 | 14-4-6 | 4.98 | No shots on a goal and a huge howler at the back ended the 13-game unbeaten streak in a titanic tussle in Louisville. Worse, the Rowdies dropped behind Memphis in the standings. |
| 7 | The Miami FC | 5 | -2 | 10-8-7 | 4.63 | Miami led Tulsa for all of 155 seconds before giving up 2 first half goals to lose 1-2 and then beat 10-man Atlanta 2-0 in relatively unconvincing fashion. Barely holding on to 6th in the East by 1 point but Detroit has 2 games in hand. |
| 8 | Monterey Bay Union | 7 | -1 | 9-12-2 | 4.34 | The Union fell 0-1to Sand Diego thanks to an unlucky handball PK Wednesday and then rode its defensive style Saturday to beat SacRep 1-0. 4 wins in the last 5 games and they are edging closer to the playoffs. |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 4 | -5 | 13-7-4 | 4.07 | The Hounds heavily outpossessed and outshot Memphis but went down 0-2 at home in a key game that saw them end a 3-game win streak and drop out of the home playoff slots. |
| 10 | Phoenix Rising | 8 | -2 | 8-11-5 | 3.77 | JJ Williams scored again, but that didn’t stop the Rising from falling to Orange County 1-2. If they drop points this week against El Paso, expect a big fall in the rankings. |
| 11 | San Antonio | 14 | 3 | 18-4-2 | 3.22 | In a 2-game home stand, San Antonio edged Loudoun 2-1 and then dominated Las Vegas 2-0, including a golazo by Nicky Hernandez. That and San Diego’s mixed week puts the Texans back 7 points clear at the top of the West with a game in hand. |
| 12 | Orange County | 10 | -2 | 6-10-8 | 3.20 | Two words: Milan Iloski. He adds a brace to his season total, taking it to 18. The OC are showing some life and could make things with a win this week against Las Vegas, but the playoff chances are still weak (5% at fivethirtyeight.com). |
| 13 | Sacramento Republic | 6 | -7 | 10-6-7 | 2.92 | Sacramento had one good chance on goal which was stopped by a great Antony Siaha save, which doomed them to a 0-1 loss in Monterey. 2 poor results the last 2 weeks and they drop in the rankings. |
| 14 | Loudoun United | 23 | 9 | 5-15-3 | 2.67 | Loudoun were generally outmatched in San Antonio, losing 1-2 but were denied a last gasp equalizer to an offside call. A 9-place jump in the rankings though? Math is weird. |
| 15 | Detroit City | 15 | 0 | 9-5-9 | 2.44 | Two great saves were not unusual for Nate Steinwascher, but the bungled pass was and it led to Oakland’s only goal that stood up until a late equalizer by Francis Atuahene. Next up a difficult trip to Birmingham before hosting Louisville. |
| 16 | Hartford Athletic | 17 | 1 | 5-14-5 | 2.32 | After two tough losses against playoff teams, Athletic took down Indy Eleven 2-1 and it could have been a little more lopsided too. Hartford are not a bad team, but their playoff chances are looking dim. |
| 17 | Rio Grande Valley Toros | 22 | 5 | 7-11-5 | 2.03 | Rio Grande Valley Toros were on a bye this week. Nevertheless, with poor results elsewhere, they get a boost in the rankings. |
| 18 | El Paso Locomotive | 18 | 0 | 9-10-7 | 1.95 | In easily the craziest game of the week, El Paso went down 3 goals to Colorado Springs in the first 9 minutes, then scored 4 unanswered in the second half, only to see the lead snatched away at the last moment in a highly contentious manner for a 4-4 draw. |
| 19 | Charleston Battery | 20 | 1 | 4-16-4 | 1.85 | The Battery got a rare win over the Baby Bulls 3-1. Augustine Williams scored for the 4th consecutive game (his 13th goal overall), a beacon of light in Charleston’s miserable season. |
| 20 | LA Galaxy II | 25 | 5 | 9-11-5 | 1.80 | Los Dos tied New Mexico 2-2 despite going down 0-2. They dominated for much of the game and can credit an own goal for not getting the win. |
| 21 | Oakland Roots | 13 | -8 | 6-7-12 | 1.47 | The Roots capitalized on a defensive error but couldn’t hold on to the lead, drawing 1-1 in Detroit. 2 points from the last 9 and they plummet in the rankings. |
| 22 | Las Vegas Lights | 19 | -3 | 9-9-6 | 1.31 | The Lights looked rather inept and tired against San Antonio. Not a good state of affairs against the conference leader, and they lost 0-2. Clinging to the last playoff spot in a very crowded Western Conference. |
| 23 | New York Red Bulls II | 24 | 1 | 3-18-3 | 0.95 | The Baby Bulls went down a man and a goal against Atlanta last Tuesday before coming back to win 2-1, then went down a man again against Charleston on Friday already down 2 goals, eventually losing 1-3 despite a second time playing better with the disadvantage. |
| 24 | New Mexico United | 21 | -3 | 10-5-9 | 0.61 | Former Legion keeper Ford Parker allowed 2 goals but made a key late double save to preserve the 2-2 scoreline in LA. Only 5 points from the last 15 but they still hold a home playoff spot. Barely. |
| 25 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 27 | 2 | 13-8-3 | 0.60 | Should the ref have stopped play before Aaron Wheeler’s last minute equalizer? Yes, but El Paso should have kept playing rather than objecting. Amazingly, without a win in their last 5 games, both teams remain in playoff position. |
| 26 | Indy Eleven | 16 | -10 | 6-13-4 | 0.18 | June 4th is fading into the distant past. That’s the last time Indy won a game. This week it was Hartford beating them 2-1 and the Indy goal was a softish PK. |
| 27 | Atlanta United 2 | 26 | -1 | 4-18-4 | -1.91 | Twonited blew a man advantage in New York, losing 1-2 and then played a man down themselves in Miami, losing 0-2. Getting outscored 10-1 over their last 3 games dooms them to the cellar. |
