Happy Tuesday USL fans! We hope everyone had a nice Juneteenth weekend, full of relaxation, reflection, and/or fun, whichever way you chose to celebrate.

Week 14’s highlight was the Henny Derby rivalry match between the Richmond Kickers and Forward Madison. Read more about the background of the rivalry here. Beyond that, we saw one big upset, and one match abandoned due to lightning storms (Tormenta vs. Hailstorm). Here’s a rundown of the action:

• Lexington 2-0 Chattanooga
• Richmond 0-1 Madison
• One Knox 2-0 Charlotte
• Fuego 0-1 Greenville
• NCFC 2-2 Lexington
• Tormenta A-A Hailstorm

Here’s how we have the league stacking up moving into week 15:

1) North Carolina FC

Last week: 3
Record: 7-4-2 (1st)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW vs. Lexington, 2-2
Next league match: vs. Charlotte, 6/30

NCFC retains their place at the top of the table thanks to a draw against a resurgent Lexington side and a Charlotte loss. While it would have been nice to get the home win, NCFC once again showed its ability to come from behind after going down 1-0. Louis Perez and Garrett McLaughlin scored two in four minutes to bring the squad into the lead. However, Tate Robertson sealed the draw for Lexington with a beautiful free-kick goal.

They’ll have the week off and could be looking at dropping to second in the table with Charlotte in action and only a point behind. NCFC will then host Charlotte for what should be an epic battle on Friday, June 30th.

2) Charlotte Independence

Last week: 1
Record: 6-3-4 (2nd)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Knoxville, 2-0
Next league Match: at Chattanooga, 6/24

The Jacks went into Knoxville and struggled with quality shots, something we normally see from Knoxville. To make matters worse, Frank Ross converted two conceded fouls into goals, one from outside the box and another from the penalty area. Austin Pack was no match for either. Charlotte remains second in the table, only thanks to Richmond’s loss and Hailstorm’s match abandonment.

They’ll visit a struggling Chattanooga side on Saturday.

3) Hailstorm FC

Last week: 2
Record: 5-1-4 (4th)
Matches since last ranking: ABANDONED at Tormenta
Next league match: vs. Fuego, 6/24

Soccer in the south struck again, and the match at Tormenta was abandoned after halftime storms showed no signs of relenting. Perhaps it will work out in Hailstorm’s favor, as they were down 1-0, a result that will be wiped as the rematch will require the full 90 minutes.

They’ll host Fuego on Saturday. Let’s hope for some favorable weather on the range. After that, the schedule will toughen, with five of seven matches in July coming against clubs in the top six of the table. That’s when we’ll get to find out once and for all if this squad is the real deal.

4) Forward Madison

Last week: 5
Record: 5-3-4 (5th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN at Richmond, 1-0
Next match: vs. Lexington, 6/22

Who even remembers when the Mingos took back-to-back losses to Fuego and Chattanooga? Because now we can talk about solid back-to-back wins against NCFC and Richmond. The Henny Derby match at City Stadium saw a battle between two of the best goalkeepers in the league right now, Bernd Schipmann and Akira Fitzgerald, and two of the better defenses in the league. All of this resulted in a tight 1-0 victory for Madison thanks to a late goal from former Kicker Stephen Payne, his second in as many matches.

Madison heads home to host a Lexington side on Thursday. Their visitors, while 9th in the table, are unbeaten in their last five and will be looking to continue that streak.

5) One Knoxville SC

Last week: 6
Record: 5-4-4 (6th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN vs. Charlotte, 2-0
Next match: at Omaha, 6/21

Four points after two matches against top-six clubs is enough to bump One Knox up the power rankings. We’re still not sold on the offense as a whole, as both goals came from Frank Ross free kicks, one a penalty. But a clean sheet against Charlotte is impressive nonetheless.

One Knox travels to Omaha on Wednesday, where they’ll face a struggling, but well-rested squad. A win would move them into second place, while a draw would be good enough for fourth. That’s how tight second through sixth place is right now.

Then a huge test at Richmond looms on the horizon for Saturday.

6) Richmond Kickers

Last week: 4
Record: 5-4-5 (3rd)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS vs. Madison, 1-0
Next match: vs. One Knox, 6/24

In a defensive battle, Richmond could not muster a point, giving up a late goal to their former defensive standout Stephen Payne. And while the club remains in 3rd place, it’s becoming a bit worrisome that they’re only on pace to score 34 goals this season, after 54 in 2022. Perhaps an explosion of goals from reigning golden boot winner Emiliano Terzaghi is just around the corner, especially as the schedule eases up a bit after having the toughest first third of the season in the league.

The Roos will host One Knox on Saturday, a squad that is coming off a win against Charlotte… something that Richmond has not been able to do this season. Richmond will have the advantage of rest, as Knoxville travels to Omaha in the meantime.

7) Tormenta FC

Last week: 7
Record: 4-5-3 (7th)
Matches since last ranking: ABANDONED vs. Hailstorm
Next match: at Omaha, 6/24

Tough luck for Tormenta, as a 1-0 halftime lead was wiped away when the match was abandoned due to storms. The rematch will require the full 90 minutes, and the Pedro Fonseca goal will not go in the books.

They’ll regroup before traveling to Omaha on Saturday. They’ll face an Owls side that has been struggling and will be coming off a midweek match.

8) Greenville Triumph

Last week: 8
Record (4-5-4, 7th)
Matches since last ranking: WIN at Fugeo, 1-0
Next match: vs. Chattanooga, 6/21

Greenville finally found that elusive win, something that escaped them over the last five matches. It may have been a pretty goal from Jacob Labovitz in stoppage time, but it really shouldn’t have taken that long to land the single shot on target the entire match. On the other hand, the defense continues to show improvement, holding Fuego to only one shot on target as well.

It’s a quick turnaround, as Greenville hosts Chattanooga on Wednesday. Perhaps they’ll find that sweet balance between their previously explosive offense and a solid defense.

9) Lexington SC

Last week: 10
Record: 3-5-5 (9th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at NCFC, 2-2
Next match: at Madison, 6/22

Lexington is unbeaten in its last five, after taking a mid-week win over Chattanooga and a draw at top-of-the-table NCFC on Sunday. Lexington struck first on a Will Baynham header from Nico Brown, but fell victim to NCFC’s explosively talented offense early in the second half to go down 2-1. However, a beauty of a Tate Robertson set piece equalized it, and Lexington walked away from week 14 with four of six possible points. They also move ahead of Union Omaha in the standings, good enough for 9th place.

A huge test looms this week as the squad travels to Madison. The clubs drew 0-0 earlier this season, and both would like to keep the momentum going.

10) Union Omaha

Last week: 9
Record: 2-3-6 (10th)
Matches since last ranking: DRAW at Greenville, 1-1
Next Match: vs. One Knox, 6/21

The Owls had the week off, and hopefully have been working on getting things together. They’re walking away from far too many matches with a draw and sit in 10th place, despite only three losses in 11 matches. They’ll host Knoxville on Wednesday, and Tormenta on Saturday, and desperately need all of those points.

11) Red Wolves SC

Last week: 12
Record: 3-7-2 (11th)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS at Lexington, 2-0
Next match:

There were no corners turned after what now appears to be a fluke win at Madison, as Chattanooga’s offense barely even showed up to Lexington on Wednesday. Held to three shots, with none on target, the shutout loss propelled Lexington up the table, while the Red Wolves remain stuck in the bottom two.

After having the weekend off, they’ll head to Greenville on Wednesday. We know this squad has the talent, but something needs to change in order to better utilize it.

12) Fuego FC

Last week: 12
Record: 3-8-1 (21th)
Matches since last ranking: LOSS vs. Greenville, 1-0
Next match: at Hailstorm, 6/24

It’s one step forward, two steps back for Fuego FC as they took a second consecutive loss at home. While Greenville’s defense is much improved, Fuego’s offensive woes continued, with just one shot on target.

Things don’t get easier in week 15, as they travel to Northern Colorado on Saturday.