League One Power Rankings: August 2026
It's hard to believe we're already down to the final three months of the season. As the playoff race starts to take shape, it's becoming much clearer who's trending in the right direction and who's running out of time.
Union Omaha still sits atop the table, while One Knoxville has finally hit a few bumps in the road. At the other end, Naples, Richmond, and the New York Cosmos are still searching for answers.
But one club has been on an absolute tear since our last rankings, making this month's choice for the top spot an easy one.
1) Forward Madison
Last Ranking: 7th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 6-1-0 (W-D-L)
On June 15, we said the Mingos were one of the toughest teams to figure out. Since then, they've made things much easier. Forward Madison is unbeaten in its last eight regular season matches, scoring 24 goals while conceding just six. They also lead the league in goal differential at +19, Ryan Carmichael is firmly in the Golden Boot race, and J.T. Harms has recorded five clean sheets.
We still can't get over this turnaround. One year after fielding the league's worst attack, Madison now boasts one of its most dangerous offenses while pairing it with the best defense in League One. At this point, there's no reason to be shy about it: the Mingos look every bit like a league title contender.
2) Union Omaha
Last Ranking: 4th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-1-1
"But wait," we can hear Omaha fans saying as they point to the table, "what about us?"
Fair point. Despite a minor stumble at Boise, the Owls have held onto first place in the table since our last rankings. Business as usual for a team that just handed Fort Wayne its first-ever home loss and then went on the road and comfortably handled the always-lively atmosphere in Portland.
Like Madison, the foundation is solid. The squad is deep, the results keep coming, and the gap between goals scored (31) and goals conceded (21) continues to grow. We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but did anyone else notice Omaha and Madison are scheduled to meet on the final day of the regular season on October 24?
3) Charlotte Independence
Last Ranking: 1st 📉
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-1-2
It's hard to find many positives in a 4-2 home loss to Chattanooga, Charlotte's only regular season defeat at American Legion Memorial Stadium this year. Following it with a 3-0 loss at Spokane didn't help either. But to the Jacks' credit, they responded exactly how contenders should, cruising past a struggling Richmond side before earning an impressive home win over a much stronger One Knoxville squad.
The return of Luis Álvarez has only strengthened his MVP case, and it's also reignited Souaibou Marou, who has scored four goals in his last four starts. The duo is currently tied with Westchester's Conor McGlynn atop the Golden Boot race, while helping Charlotte lead the league with 42 goals scored, eight more than the next closest team.
4) Spokane Velocity
Last Ranking: 6th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 4-0-3
Spokane entered our last rankings in the middle of a tailspin, losing three straight, including two rare home defeats and a rough trip to Fort Wayne. Head coach Leigh Veidman later told The USL Show that the travel alone was enough to derail any team. After multiple flight delays and a cancellation, Spokane ended up taking a bus from Chicago to Fort Wayne, arriving in the wee-hours of match day.
Since then, the Velocity have looked like themselves again. They haven't lost a regular season match since, opening the run with a 2-0 win in Richmond before returning to their home fortress with victories over Charlotte and Fort Wayne. Just like that, Spokane is back up to fifth in the table and sits only one point shy of a home playoff spot.
5) Corpus Christi FC
Last Ranking: 12th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-3-1
James Talbot is a machine. Honestly, that could be the entire blurb.
But beyond the goalkeeper's standout performances, Corpus Christi has developed a knack for grinding out results. They haven't always collected all three points, with three scoreless draws mixed in, but they also haven't been giving opponents much to celebrate, conceding just four goals across their last seven matches.
If head coach Éamon Zayed can unlock a few more attacking performances like the 4-1 win over Sarasota on June 20, don't be surprised if Corpus Christi is sitting firmly in the playoff conversation by the time these rankings return.
6) One Knoxville
Last Ranking: 3rd 📉
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-0-3
It's not time to panic just yet, but three straight losses are hardly the way you want to enter August with the playoff race heating up. Things had been looking promising after road wins at Spokane and Boise, followed by a gritty home victory over Fort Wayne. Then came losses to AV Alta, Chattanooga, and Charlotte.
The good news is there's still plenty of time to get things back on track over the final three months. The bad news is this recent stretch has looked very unlike the disciplined, consistent Knoxville side we've come to expect.
7) Chattanooga Red Wolves
Last Ranking: 9th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 5-0-2
Slowly but surely, last year's runners-up are starting to look like themselves again. Yes, there was an ugly 5-2 loss at Madison and a frustrating 2-1 defeat at Corpus Christi, but wins over Naples, Westchester, AV Alta, Charlotte, and Knoxville are a pretty impressive way to head into the season's final three months.
The Red Wolves are now tied for third in goals scored, and are in the mix with contenders Madison, Knoxville and Omaha when it comes to goals conceded. Meanwhile, Omar Hernandez is quietly building a strong MVP case with seven goals and five assists. Chaos may still be Chattanooga's brand, but if head coach Scott MacKenzie can maintain this bit of consistency, another title run isn't out of the question.
8) AC Boise
Last Ranking: 10th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 4-1-2
It really looked like Boise had turned a corner. Wins over Omaha, Westchester, Portland, and the Cosmos, with only a respectable 2-1 loss against Knoxville mixed in, had the expansion side looking like a legitimate threat.
Then came a loss at struggling Greenville, followed by one of the more frustrating nights of the season. Boise fired 28 shots against Corpus Christi in front of a packed home crowd and somehow came away empty-handed. Those results raise a few questions about whether this run is sustainable, but the club still posted a winning record since our last rankings. That's a step in the right direction.
9) Fort Wayne FC
Last Rank: 5th 📉
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-1-3
Speaking of coming back down to earth, Fort Wayne hasn't quite built on the momentum it had in June. A draw at Madison and shutout wins over Richmond, Spokane, and Greenville had the expansion side looking ready to climb the table. Then came losses to Knoxville and Omaha, followed by a trip to Spokane where the Velocity returned the favor for that lopsided defeat in Indiana.
Even so, we're not ready to write off Fort Wayne. This squad still looks stronger than the teams below it in these rankings, and a return to form would put it right back in the playoff mix. The race for those final postseason spots is shaping up to be one of the best stories of the season, with Fort Wayne, AV Alta, Chattanooga, and perhaps even a surging Corpus Christi all in the hunt.
10) AV Alta FC
Last Ranking: 2nd 📉
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-3-3
Maybe we were a little too high on AV Alta last time around. Since that impressive unbeaten run, the second-year side has come back down to earth a bit. The good: road wins at Greenville and Knoxville. The bad: getting shut out by Corpus Christi, Westchester, and Chattanooga. The ugly: being the team that snapped Richmond's 10-match winless streak.
Even so, AV Alta still occupies seventh place and remains in good position to chase the club's first playoff appearance after narrowly missing out last season. With MVP candidates Jerry Desdunes and Adam Aoumaich leading the attack, this is still a team nobody will want to face down the stretch.
11) Greenville Triumph
Last Rank: 15th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-2-3
Greenville isn't out of the woods yet. The club still sits 10 points outside the playoff line, but for the first time in a while, there's at least a reason for optimism.
Azaad Liadi has scored in each of the club's last two matches, bringing his season total to five. That's still below the level many expected, but it's a step toward the form Greenville has been waiting for. Then there's Muba Nour, who celebrated his newly earned full-season contract by scoring a brace against Portland. Not a bad way to say thanks.
The playoffs remain a long shot, and Greenville is in real danger of missing out for a second straight year. But they may have just enough momentum to make the race a little more interesting over the final few months.
12) Portland Hearts of Pine
Last Rank: 14th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-1-3
Like Greenville, Portland has shown flashes. But also like Greenville, the Hearts just can't seem to string those flashes together.
A blowout loss at Westchester was followed by a convincing home win over Richmond and a road victory at struggling Naples. Then came losses at Boise and at home to Omaha, plus a painful collapse from 3-1 up against Greenville that ended in a draw. It's been a season of one step forward, one or two steps back.
The good news is Portland is still only seven points out of a playoff spot. The bad news is they'll probably need a late-season surge similar to last year's to get there, and so far this group hasn't shown it has that run in it.
13) Westchester SC
Last Rank: 13th ↔️
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-2-4
Westchester has safely climbed out of Wooden Spoon territory, but it still hasn't done enough to convince us it's a playoff contender. This season is unquestionably an improvement over last year's struggles, yet "better than before" isn't the standard fans were hoping for.
The problem is consistency. Wins over Portland and the Cosmos help, but if you can't regularly take points off the teams above you, it's tough to climb the table. Conor McGlynn has done his part, but Westchester needs more goals from the supporting cast, and a defense that can stop leaking chances.
The next few weeks will go a long way toward deciding whether this season stays interesting or whether attention starts shifting to 2027.
14) Sarasota Paradise
Last Rank: 8th 📉
Form Since Last Ranking: 0-2-1
Another expansion side that came back to earth, Sarasota has scored just one goal in three regular season matches since our last rankings. Yes, the club picked up a pair of wins over Portland in friendlies, giving head coach Mika Elovaara a chance to experiment and take a look at potential late-season additions. But friendlies don't count here.
Like Greenville, Sarasota sits 10 points outside the playoff line, so any new arrivals will need to make an immediate impact. The biggest issue is obvious. Only one team has scored fewer goals this season, and until that changes, it's hard to see the Paradise making a serious run at the postseason.
15) Richmond Kickers
Last Rank: 16th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-1-5
To say it's been ugly in Richmond this season would be putting it mildly. But the 3-2 win over AV Alta finally snapped a 10-match winless streak and gave the Kickers something they haven't had in a while: a little momentum.
There wasn't an immediate new-coach bounce after Darren Sawatzky's departure and Brian Ownby's promotion, but Ownby has already started reshaping the squad. Richmond added striker Zahir Vazquez and wingback Harold Hanson, and upgraded midfielder Matt Bolduc to a full contract, while the return of Ali Sasankhah from injury gave the attack a much-needed lift. For now, it's also enough to keep the Kickers out of last place.
Wednesday's visit from the Cosmos could end up defining the rest of the season. A win would give Richmond something to build on. A loss would make it difficult to believe this turnaround is real, especially with Omaha, Madison, Fort Wayne, and Portland all waiting over the next few weeks.
16) NY Cosmos
Last Rank: 17th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-1-4
Everyone beats Naples, including the Cosmos. Unfortunately for the Cosmos, just about everyone else has been beating them too. That pretty much sums up the last seven weeks.
Looking for a spark, the club turned to the veteran free agent market, signing winger Chevone Marsh, defender Michael Chilaka, and midfielder Ozzie Ramos. Marsh made an immediate impact by scoring the winner against Naples in his debut, but only weeks later, he's out for allegedly violating team rules.
With just 11 points entering the final third of the campaign, the team needs to overcome the drama and start a turnaround now if they want to drag one of American soccer's most recognizable brands out of the basement.
17) FC Naples
Last Rank: 11th 📉
Form Since Last Ranking: 0-0-4
It is absolutely time to panic in Naples, with the second-year side in free fall.
The slide became serious enough that Matt Poland was relieved of his duties as head coach, but there hasn't been an immediate turnaround under Zak Gordon. Even a trip to face the last-place Cosmos failed to produce a much-needed result, leaving Naples on track to miss out on the playoffs by a mile, just a season after hosting in the first round.
Those promising early-season performances now feel like a distant memory. With a large portion of the roster set to reach the end of their contracts after the season, it's becoming increasingly likely that Naples heads into 2027 with a dramatically different look.
