Happy Monday USL fans! We had an action-packed week with all clubs in action except Charlotte. Some clubs played twice. Here’s a review:

• Chattanooga 2-0 Forward Madison
• Hailstorm 2-0 Richmond Kickers
• Greenville 1-1 Union Omaha
• Tormenta 1-1 Lexington
• Forward Madison 3-0 NCFC
• Hailstorm 0-0 One Knox
• Fuego 1-2 Richmond Kickers

Here’s how we have the league stacking up moving into week 14:

1) Charlotte Independence

Last week: 1
Record: 6-2-4 (2nd)
Matches since last ranking: WIN vs. Union Omaha, 3-0
Next league Match: at Knoxville, 6/17

With NCFC taking a loss and Hailstorm settling for a draw, the league belongs to The Jacks for another week. They’ll be well-rested and should be healthy when they roll into Knoxville on Saturday.

2) Hailstorm FC

Last week: 3
Record: 4-1-4 (4th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW vs One Knox, 0-0
Next league match: at Tormenta, 6/17

Hailstorm collected another point with a 0-0 draw against One Knox SC. Golden Boot leader Trevor Amann had his penalty kick attempt saved by Sean Lewis, and other quality shots went just wide. It would have been nice to convert two matches in one week against expansion sides into wins and move up the table, but it’s still better than losses. With over a quarter of its season complete, Hailstorm comes in at or near the top in almost every measurable category except the strength of schedule, something that will become more difficult in the back half of the season.

They’ll travel to South Georgia on Saturday, the site of a decisive 3-0 victory back in April.

3) North Carolina FC

Last week: 2
Record: 7-4-1 (1st)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Forward Madison, 3-0
Next league match: vs. Lexington, 6/18

There is something about Forward Madison that NCFC cannot seem to crack this season, as they took yet another shutout loss against the Mingos. Held to an uncharacteristically low nine shots with four on target, NCFC could not break Bernd Schippman or the Madison defense.

Despite the loss, NCFC remains at the top of the table thanks to goals scored, but only by one. They’ll host an improved Lexington side on Sunday and will be fighting to maintain that precarious position at the top.

4) Richmond Kickers

Last week: 4
Record: 5-3-5 (3rd)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Hailstorm, 2-0; WIN at Fuego, 2-1
Next match: vs. Forward Madison, 6/17

Richmond returned from its western road trip with three of six possible points. They started with a loss in Northern Colorado, going down early and never recovering, with a paltry six shots on goal. Three days later, they went down early again at Fuego, but Emiliano Terzaghi returned to form just in time, scoring two unanswered goals on a penalty and a right-place-right-time shot from the center of the box to seal the win.

An inconsistent, but potentially explosive Forward Madison comes to town on Saturday for a rivalry matchup that should live up to the hype. Or will we see a low-scoring defensive battle? You never know with these two clubs.

5) Forward Madison

Last week: 5
Record: 4-3-4 (5th)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Chattanooga, 2-0; WIN vs NCFC, 3-0
Next match: at Richmond, 6/17

After an embarrassing loss at home to last-place Fuego, the Mingos traveled to the new last-place club Chattanooga and took yet another loss. To make matters worse, they’d be facing top-of-the-table NCFC at home only three days later. But not so fast: there’s something about NCFC that Madison has figured out, and they walked away from that one with an exciting 3-0 shutout of their own.

The roster had a bit of a shakeup, as Mauro Cichero and Christian Chaney started on the bench. While this was said to be injury and fatigue based rather than due to performance, it gave others an opportunity to shine. Goals came from Stephen Payne, Wolfgang Prentice, and Jake Crull, all of whom had their first on the year. Francis Jno-Baptiste got his first start and provided an assist.

They’ll head to Richmond on Saturday, but the question now becomes: which Forward Madison will show up? The one that took ugly losses to bad teams, or the one that dominates one of the best teams?

6) One Knoxville SC

Last week: 6
Record: 4-4-4 (6th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at Hailstorm, 0-0
Next match: vs. Charlotte Independence, 6/17

On the plus side, One Knox visited a top-six team and walked away with a point. It was yet another affair where shots were at a premium, with a total of just four. But goalkeeper Sean Lewis ensured the draw with a save on a Trevor Amann penalty kick.

Next up, they’ll face Charlotte Independence, a club with a stingy defense, stellar goalkeeping, and resurgent offense. It’s been said before, but shots and shot accuracy need to be improved if this club wants to remain in the race.

7) Tormenta FC

Last week: 7
Record: 4-5-3 (7th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW vs. Lexington, 1-1
Next match: vs. Hailstorm, 6/17

Tormenta took another draw, this time while hosting Lexington. With the exception of a Kazaiah Sterling penalty conversion, Amahl Knight was a brick wall, saving nine Tormenta shots. If not for Knight, this could have easily been a Tormenta blowout.

A tough Hailstorm side comes to town on Saturday with a defense that may not allow so many opportunities.

8) Greenville Triumph

Last week: 8
Record (3-5-4, 8th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW vs. Union Omaha, 1-1
Next match: at Fuego, 6/17

Another week, another 1-1 draw, leaving Greenville mired in the bottom half of the table for another week. While the defense seems to be improving, it may have come at the expense of that offense that was so explosive between mid-April and the end of May.

They’ll travel to Fuego on Saturday, a club that shouldn’t be taken for granted, as Madison learned last week. Greenville desperately needs the win to jump back into contention.

9) Union Omaha

Last week: 9
Record: 2-3-6 (9th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at Greenville, 1-1
Next Match: vs. One Knox, 6/21

The Owls took another draw, but it would have been nice to bounce back from the Charlotte loss with a win if just to separate itself from Greenville. Omaha leads the league with six draws as we approach the one-third mark of the season, something becoming frustrating after leading all of 2022 with 13. While a point is a point, it’s still a lot of additional points to leave on the table.

They’ll have this week off to try to figure things out before hosting Knoxville on Wednesday, June 21st.

10) Lexington SC

Last week: 10
Record: 2-5-4 (12th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at Tormenta, 1-1
Next match: vs. Chattanooga, 6/14

Don’t look now, but Ates Diouf appears to be on a roll, scoring his third in two matches after leading the team in shots with no goals to show for the efforts. Amahl Knight put up another keeper-of-the-week performance with nine saves on ten shots, and the only goal was an unstoppable Kazaiah Sterling penalty kick. But with that many shots, you do have to question the defense a bit. Still, even with being last in the table, Lexington has been performing slightly better than its counterparts below in the power rankings.

Speaking of which, Lexington has a quick turnaround, hosting Chattanooga on Wednesday. Can Lexington pull away, or will Chattanooga make a statement of its own? A win would move Lexington out of the bottom of the table.

11) Red Wolves SC

Last week: 12
Record: 3-6-2 (10th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN vs. Madison, 2-0
Next match: at Lexington, 6/14

Chattanooga finally broke its winless streak in glorious form, shutting out Madison at home. It was a Madison side desperate for a bounce back after losing to Fuego, but the Red Wolves found a way to kick them while they were down. Taking a page from all of those teams that dominated the Wolves in the first half this season, they did some dominating of their own. Ropapa Mensah and Chevone Marsh scored in quick succession as the first half wound down, for the squad’s first and second first half goals of the season. From there it was a matter of playing out the second half against a Madison side capable of explosive offense. The Chattanooga defense and goalkeeper Carlos Avilez were up to the task.

They’ll have a chance to separate from the bottom three in the table on Wednesday at Lexington, where a win would move them to 8th place and within striking distance of the top six.

12) Fuego FC

Last week: 11
Record: 3-7-1 (11th)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS vs. Richmond, 2-1
Next match: vs. Greenville, 6/17

Yes, Fuego leads the league in losses at seven after dropping a close one against a pretty solid Richmond side. But the signs of improvement remain. José Carrea-García finally found the back of the net late in the first half, and the squad placed seven shots on target out of 15 total shots. Keep that pressure going, and there might be a way out of this.

They’ll host Greenville on Saturday. Applying similar pressure may pay dividends there, against a much weaker defense than Richmond’s.