It was a week of chaos, led by a Forward Madison side intent on making a statement against Greenville so everyone can forget its US Open Cup loss ever happened. At the same time, Lexington SC was finalizing its first victory, over defending champions Tomenta FC.
But while both clubs get a bump in the rankings, the league belongs to the state of North Carolina right now, with NCFC taking down Union Omaha. Here’s how we’re ranking USL League One going into week six.
1) Charlotte Independence
Last ranking: 1
Record: 2-0-2 (1st)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at NCFC
Next League Match: vs Union Omaha, March 19th
The Jacks had the weekend off, but are still the team to beat in USL League One right now. They’ll face a Union Omaha side at home on Wednesday, playing its fourth match in 14 days. We’ll see if Charlotte has kept its foot on the gas during the break in play.
2) North Carolina FC
Last week: 4
Record: 2-1-1 (2nd)
Matches since last ranking: WIN at Union Omaha
Next match: vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, April 21st
Can NCFC catch a break from playing in rainy conditions? But it hasn’t seemed to bother them since dropping their opening match so long ago in week one. Since then, they’ve gone 2-1-0, this time defeating Union Omaha on the road in a match that started with hail and turned to rain. Rafa Mentzingen struck early on a penalty conversion, while Louis Perez ended the half with a shot deflected off the Omaha defense to get by Rashid Nuhu. Giving up a second half goal to Joe Gallardo wasn’t enough for the Owls, and NCFC held on. We knew this squad would eventually fall into place given the level of talent acquired in the off-season.
3) Hailstorm FC
Last week: 3
Record: 1-0-2 (T-4th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at Richmond
Next league match: at Union Omaha, April 29th
The Hailstorm FC road show continues without conceding a goal. Keeper Edward Delgado tied a league record with his third straight clean sheet, and Hailstorm escaped Richmond with a point. Forward Brandon Rosas made his league debut, and while Richmond’s defense held him without a shot, he doesn’t seem like one to be held down for long, especially with Arthur Rogers looking to connect. They’ll have this weekend off before facing Colorado Rapids in US Open Cup action, and then they’ll travel to Union Omaha just after. The early season road warriors have a deep bench and so far haven’t seemed phased by the travel.
READ MORE: Richmond Plays Hailstorm FC to a 0-0 Draw on Pups at the Pitch Night
4) Richmond Kickers
Last week: 5
Record: 1-1-2 (6th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW vs. Hailstorm FC
Next match: at Tormenta FC, April 29th
The good news for Richmond is they held a strong Hailstorm FC offense to zero goals and played an evenly matched-game. While the defense appears sound, at what point does it become worrisome that the team that led the league in goals in 2022 only has two in four matches? There’s still time to figure this out, and for now, they’re grinding right along.
WATCH/LISTEN: Drawing Inside the Lines: 0-0 with NoCo (RiverCity93)
READ MORE: Photos & Game Summary: Kickers Weather the Hailstorm, Settle for a Draw (RVAHub)
5) Union Omaha
Last ranking: 2
Record: 1-1-1 (7th)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS vs. NCFC
Next Match: at Charlotte Independence, 4/19
The Owls played NCFC in an almost statistically even match but caught a bad break in the starting minutes when Oalex Anderson drew a penalty area foul from Marco Milanese, resulting in a conversion by Rafa Mentzingen. A Louis Perez goal late in the half was all NCFC needed, and a Joe Gallardo goal for the Owls in the second half just wasn’t enough. They’ll have little time to regroup, as they travel to face top-ranked Charlotte on Wednesday, their fourth match in two weeks.
READ MORE: Owl Score Late, Lose to NCFC (Who Gives a Hoot)
6) Forward Madison
Last week: 7
Record: 1-0-2 (T-4th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN vs. Greenville Triumph
Next match: vs. Charlotte Independence, April 29th
After an embarrassing home loss to amateur side Chicago House AC in US Open Cup action last week, The Mingos needed to make a statement. And they surely did, with a resounding 4-1 victory over a hapless Greenville Triumph side. It was everything the players and home fans needed to restore some confidence, complete with goal-of-the-week-worthy action.
Now they’ll have a weekend off to try to keep this fire burning before hosting top-ranked Charlotte Independence. That’s when we’ll get to see if this squad is for real, or if there is still work to be done.
The bad news that tosses some water on this fire? They’ll be without Jayden Onen, who assisted on two of this week’s goals before taking a straight red card for something said to the match official.
WATCH/LISTEN: NDZ’s Sunday Séance (New Dogman Zine)
7) Red Wolves SC
Last week: 8
Record: 1-1-1 (T-8th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN vs. One Knoxville SC
Next match: at NCFC, April 21st
Chattanooga had the weekend off to prepare for a trip to face NCFC on Friday. The squad finally scored some goals last weekend, landing two against One Knoxville SC. We’ll see if they can figure out how to break through an even stronger NCFC defense.
8) Tormenta FC
Last week: 6
Record: 2-3-0 (3rd)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Lexington
Next match: at One Knox SC, April 21st
Another week, another rollercoaster of emotions for Tormenta FC, who went into Lexington and became the first club to lose to the expansion side. TJ Bush got the start in coach Ian Cameron’s tandem goalkeeping setup and gave up a goal we know he wishes he could take back. Caught in the top front of the box trying to charge an attempt by Owen Green resulted in Green heading the ball over Bush’s head for a bounce into the open net. So far this is a club that only experiences sold wins and bad losses, nothing in between. They’ll try to regroup against One Knox SC this Friday. Which Tormenta shows up to that one?
9) Lexington SC
Last week: 11
Record: 1-2-1 (10th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN vs. Tormenta FC
Next match: vs. Greenville Triumph, April 22nd
Since dropping its first two matches as a club, Lexington SC has shown incremental improvement. First by drawing Forward Madison last weekend, and then defeating the defending champions Tormenta FC this weekend. They host a struggling Greenville Triumph side this coming Saturday, but even in the depths of Greenville’s struggles, they can’t be taken lightly. But a win would certainly let the league know that Lexington is on the upswing.
10) One Knoxville SC
Last week: 9
Record: 1-1-1 (T-7th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW vs Fuego FC, 1-1
Next match: vs Tormenta FC, 4/21
One Knox remains a bit of a mystery. After dispatching fellow expansion side Lexington SC in week one, they lost an opportunity to keep the momentum going against Union Omaha as that match was postponed due to weather delays. A close loss to a newly resurgent Chattanooga and a draw with Fuego leaves this club ready to prove itself against an inconsistent Tormenta side this Friday. Which Tormenta will One Knox get? That’s likely going to make the difference.
11) Fuego FC
Last week: 10
Record: 1-1-1 (11th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at One Knox SC, 1-1
Next match: at Greenville Triumph, April 19th
Fuego FC is another mystery squad, with a win over a Chattanooga side that hadn’t yet found its way, a loss at Omaha, and a draw at One Knox SC. Like One Knox, the pieces seem to be there but haven’t quite fit together yet. And while we hate to keep pounding on Greenville, it seems that’s the team to play when you need a confidence boost. Fuego FC will head there on Wednesday to give it a try.
12) Greenville Triumph
Last week: 12
Record (0-3-0, 12th)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Forward Madison
Next match: vs. Fuego FC, April 19th
Another week, another painful Greenville loss. On a positive note, they finally scored a goal. But giving up four goals to a team that was coming off an embarrassing US Open Cup loss can’t feel good. The squad is definitely not at 100%, forcing several players who obviously need rest to remain on the roster. It’s not the first time Greenville has struggled early only to turn things around and head back to the top half of the table. But it’s going to take a little bit to dig out of this hole.