League One Updater Power Rankings: June 2026
With the World Cup dominating the soccer conversation this month, it's easy to overlook what's happening a a few levels below the spotlight.
As USL League One approaches its midway point, the race at the top is beginning to take shape. Charlotte is surging, Omaha is wobbling for the first time all season, and a crowded group of challengers is fighting to stay within striking distance. Here's how all 17 clubs stack up heading into the second half of June.
1) Charlotte Independence
Last Ranking: 4th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 5-0-0 (W-D-L)
There is no team hotter than the Jacks right now. Charlotte has not lost a regular season match since April 18 and enters June on a seven-match winning streak. They've also built a significant goal differential during that run, scoring 22 times while conceding just eight. If the Players' Shield race remains tight into October, those extra goals could prove valuable.
Midfielder Luis Álvarez has been the catalyst. Since returning on loan from Tampa Bay Rowdies, he's emerged as the league's leading MVP candidate, topping regular season play with nine goals while adding four assists.
The Jacks aren't relying on one player, though. Striker Souaibou Marou has delivered five goals, while seven other players have scored at least twice. The creativity is spread throughout the squad as well, with Christopher Jaime, Prince Saydee, Jon Bakero and Marou all contributing multiple assists.
The only thing missing from Charlotte's résumé is a trophy. Since joining USL League One in 2022, coach Mike Jeffries' teams have never finished lower than fourth, yet they have fallen short in both the Players' Shield and playoff races. Four years in, this may be their best opportunity yet to change that.
2) AV Alta FC
Last Ranking: 10th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 4-1-0
Fans in the Antelope Valley are feeling something they haven't felt in a while: optimism. After going nearly 10 months without a regular season win, AV Alta came alive in May and hasn't looked back.
The goals are flowing, the defense has tightened up, and midfielder Adam Aoumaich is enjoying a breakout campaign. A fixture on the left side of midfield, he leads the club with five goals in 11 matches. His emergence has coincided with Jerry Desdunes' move into a more central role, where he has contributed four goals and a team-high three assists.
The real test comes next. Five of AV Alta's next six matches are away from home, offering a chance to prove this resurgence is more than a brief run of form. If they can maintain their momentum through that stretch, they'll be difficult to ignore in the playoff race.
3) One Knoxville
Last Ranking: 2nd ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-1-0
One Knoxville bounced back from its loss to Omaha by largely taking care of business against lower-ranked opponents. A 2-2 draw at Corpus Christi was a missed opportunity, but it also marked the beginning of a resurgence for the south Texas club. Back at home, Knoxville had little trouble dispatching Greenville and the Cosmos.
The departure of loanee Braudílio Rodrigues hasn't disrupted the attack. Recalled by Lexington after scoring against Corpus Christi and the Cosmos, his goals have simply been absorbed elsewhere. Babacar Diene and Denis Krioutchenkov continue to provide a reliable threat, while Mikkel Gøling finally opened his account for the season. Krioutchenkov remains firmly in the Golden Boot conversation despite Luis Álvarez creating some separation at the top of the scoring chart.
The schedule gets considerably tougher from here. Knoxville's next stretch includes Spokane, Boise, Fort Wayne and AV Alta, all of whom are in stronger form than the teams they have faced recently. If the defending champs navigate that run successfully, they'll strengthen their case as the team to beat in USL League One.
4) Union Omaha
Last Ranking: 1st ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-0-2
Back-to-back losses without a goal scored isn't the form Omaha expected, but it's not time to panic either. Thanks to the points accumulated earlier in the season, the Owls still end the weekend atop the table, two points clear despite Charlotte's recent surge.
One of those defeats came against the Jacks themselves, offering a clear snapshot of which team has the momentum right now. Even so, Omaha has earned the benefit of the doubt. Few clubs can match the talent on this roster or the consistency it has shown for most of the season. Upcoming matches against Boise, AV Alta and Westchester should provide a quick answer as to whether this is a brief stumble or the beginning of a more concerning trend.
5) Fort Wayne FC
Last Ranking: 6th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-3-0
The good news for Fort Wayne is that it remains unbeaten since our last rankings. That run hasn't been enough to leapfrog FC Naples or Boise in the standings, but it has the expansion side firmly in the playoff conversation, sitting eighth and within striking distance of both clubs.
The rookie duo of Taig Healy and Lilian Ricol continues to exceed expectations. Healy is up to six goals on the season, while Ricol has five, putting both in the Golden Boot race. Their pace and finishing ability have driven the attack, but the defense may be even more impressive. Fort Wayne is tied with One Knoxville for the fewest goals conceded, with veteran goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann playing a major role as he sits tied for second in the league in clean sheets.
The next week will be a good test of the club's staying power. Fort Wayne travels to Madison before another road match against Richmond. Madison presents the tougher challenge on paper, but six points from the trip would go a long way toward pushing the expansion side further up the table.
6) Spokane Velocity
Last Ranking: 3rd ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-0-2
Despite struggles away from home, Spokane remains fourth in the table. The problem is that Omaha and Charlotte have begun to create some separation, while several clubs below are gaining ground. If they want to remain in the Players' Shield conversation, it will need to start finding results outside the Inland Northwest.
Fortunately, the schedule offers an opportunity to steady the ship. Knoxville, Westchester and Madison all visit Spokane over the next three matches. None will be easy, but extending that home winning streak would help offset the points dropped on the road and keep them firmly in the upper tier of the standings.
7) Forward Madison
Last Ranking: 8th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-0-2
Madison remains one of the league's toughest teams to figure out. The Mingos followed a loss to red-hot Charlotte with a win over the struggling Cosmos, then fell in Greenville's inaugural match at GE Vernova Stadium before responding with a convincing home victory over a slumping Boise side. The results continue to swing from week to week, but Madison keeps finding ways to stay in the playoff conversation.
That unpredictability makes the next month difficult to forecast. Fort Wayne, the Cosmos and Richmond all visit Breese Stevens Field, with a road trip to Spokane mixed in. On paper, it's a stretch where Madison could make a move up the table—or leave us with even more questions.
The biggest difference from last season is the attack. After finishing last in USL League One in goals scored in 2025, Madison is now tied for seventh with 17 goals. More importantly, the production is spread throughout the roster, with 10 different players finding the back of the net. If that balance continues, a return to the postseason looks increasingly realistic.
8) Sarasota Paradise
Last Ranking: 14th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 3-0-3
Like Madison, Sarasota has shown flashes of progress while struggling to find consistency. After losing six of its first nine matches, the expansion side has settled into a more competitive rhythm, winning three and losing three over its last six.
The highlight of that stretch came over the weekend in a 2-0 victory against Union Omaha. USL League One's all-time leading scorer, Emiliano Terzaghi, made an immediate impact after arriving from Portland, finding the net in his club debut. At the other end, backup goalkeeper Rockson Amedeka delivered one of the performances of the week, making five saves to shut down one of the league's most dangerous attacks.
The question now is whether Sarasota can build on that momentum. Upcoming matches against Corpus Christi, Richmond and Greenville present a favorable opportunity to do just that. If coach Mika Ellovara's side has truly turned a corner, this is the stretch where it should start showing up in the standings.
9) Chattanooga Red Wolves
Last Ranking: 12th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-0-2
The Red Wolves remain one of several teams stuck in the middle of the pack as the season approaches its midpoint. Losses to Omaha and Charlotte were balanced out by wins over Richmond and Portland, leaving Chattanooga in a familiar position: competitive, but still searching for a run that could separate it from the crowd. With Naples, Westchester and Corpus Christi next on the schedule, the club has an opportunity to gain some ground.
There are encouraging signs beneath the surface. A 5-0 victory over Richmond provided a significant boost to the goal differential, while the attack is becoming more balanced. Pedro Hernandez has scored in each of his last two appearances after a quiet start to the season, and both Matt Bentley and Omar Hernandez sit on four goals, putting them on pace to challenge their previous career bests. If those contributions continue to spread across the roster, Chattanooga could become a difficult team to handle in the second half of the year.
10) AC Boise
Last Ranking: 5th ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-1-3
The last time we checked in on Boise, it looked like the expansion side was beginning to find its footing after an uneven start. A month later, that progress is much harder to find. The club has managed just one win in its last five matches and suffered disappointing losses to Fort Wayne, Sarasota and Madison.
What's frustrating for Boise is that the talent remains obvious. The roster still has the pieces to compete near the top of the table, but the momentum has shifted in the wrong direction. Worse yet, the teams responsible for several of those losses are now threatening to pass Boise in the standings.
The schedule won't offer much relief. Union Omaha and One Knoxville are both headed to Idaho, while a cross-country trip to Westchester awaits. If Boise wants to reestablish itself as a contender, the turnaround will need to start sooner rather than later.
11) FC Naples
Last Ranking: 9th ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-0-3
Speaking of teams moving in the wrong direction, Naples has dropped three of its last four matches. The lone bright spot was a much-needed win over Westchester, but the club struggled to make an impact in tougher tests against Omaha and Charlotte, including a home-and-away series with the Jacks.
A month ago, there was little reason to worry. Now, the conversation is starting to change. Expectations were understandably high after Naples' strong start to life in USL League One, but the club has yet to find the consistency needed to keep pace with the league's top contenders.
One encouraging development has been the emergence of William Arevalo. The attacker has scored three goals in his last four matches after earning a larger role in the rotation. With injuries and inconsistent performances forcing Matt Poland to shuffle his attacking options, Arevalo has taken advantage of the opportunity. The question now is whether his rise can help spark a turnaround before the gap above Naples grows any larger.
12) Corpus Christi
Last Ranking: 17th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 2-2-1
After opening the season with 10 consecutive league matches without a win, Corpus Christi suddenly finds itself on a two-game winning streak and out of last place. The turnaround has been fueled in part by Blake Bowen, whose move from wingback into a more attacking role continues to pay dividends. He now leads the club with four goals and three assists.
There is some reason for caution. Those victories came against Portland and Richmond, two teams enduring difficult stretches of their own. Even so, wins have been hard to come by in South Texas this season, and Corpus Christi deserves credit for finally turning competitive performances into points.
The next month should provide a clearer picture of where this team stands. Sarasota, AV Alta and Chattanooga all visit Corpus Christi with a difficult trip to Charlotte sandwiched in between. The good news is that the club has generally looked more comfortable at home and already owns a win over Chattanooga in USL Cup play. If the recent momentum is real, this stretch offers a chance to prove it.
13) Westchester SC
Last Ranking: 13th ↔️
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-1-1
After a string of frustrating 1-0 losses, Westchester finally showed signs of life in a 1-1 draw against Fort Wayne. We wondered whether the newfound scoring touch meant anything, and after a 4-0 demolition of Greenville, the answer appears to be yes.
The spark has come from captain Conor McGlynn, who has scored in each of the club's last two matches and now sits on six goals for the season. That puts him firmly in the Golden Boot conversation. Westchester has also continued to get strong performances from goalkeeper Luca Marinelli, who conceded just four goals across his previous four appearances before earning his first clean sheet against Greenville. Not bad for a player who arrived on an emergency contract and quickly turned it into a full-season deal.
The challenge remains the same: road form. Westchester still hasn't solved its away-day problems, and that issue isn't going away anytime soon. After hosting a struggling Portland side, the club faces consecutive road trips to Spokane and Chattanooga, two of the league's tougher places to play. If Westchester can finally start collecting points away from home, this recent surge may prove to be more than a brief hot streak.
14) Portland Hearts of Pine
Last Ranking: 11th ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-1-2
We're not quite ready to call it a collapse in Portland, but the trend is becoming difficult to ignore. Hampered by injuries and an increasingly fluid roster, Hearts of Pine has dropped two straight, including a painful late defeat at home to Chattanooga. In his post-match comments, head coach Bobby Murphy acknowledged that changes may be needed, though exactly what those changes look like remains to be seen.
There are still reasons for optimism. The immediate impact of loanee Diego Gonzalez offered a glimpse of what reinforcements could do for this squad. The Houston Dynamo prospect scored in his debut and appears capable of providing the attacking spark Portland has been searching for.
The schedule may offer an opportunity to stop the slide. Westchester, Richmond and Naples are next up, with each club dealing with its own challenges. For Portland, the bigger question is whether additional help arrives before those matches. The club still feels more likely to adjust and push forward than stand pat while the season slips away.
15) Greenville Triumph
Last Ranking: 16th 🚀
Form Since Last Ranking: 1-1-2
Greenville appeared to have found a spark when it defeated Madison in the first match at its new stadium. For a moment, it looked as though the Triumph might be ready to build momentum after a difficult start to the season. That optimism didn't last long. A trip to Westchester ended in a 4-0 defeat, one of the club's most disappointing performances of the year.
The underlying problem remains unchanged: Greenville still hasn't won a road match. Four of its six losses have come away from home, and until that changes, it will be difficult to climb the standings. With the stadium project finally complete and the grand opening behind them, perhaps attention can now shift entirely to results on the field.
The timing is important. As the season approaches its midpoint, Greenville still has an opportunity to course-correct, whether through roster additions or tactical adjustments. If not, the club risks spending the second half of the season looking ahead to a much larger rebuild this winter.
16) Richmond Kickers
Last Ranking: 7th ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 0-1-3
We had high hopes for Richmond in our last rankings. The Kickers entered that edition riding a rare three-match winning streak that included victories over Omaha, Westchester and Greenville. Since then, however, the season has taken a sharp turn in the wrong direction.
Much has been made of the field conditions during Richmond's 5-0 loss at Chattanooga, but that explanation only goes so far. The Red Wolves had to navigate the same surface and adapted far better. More concerning was what followed: a blown two-goal lead at home against Boise, followed by road losses to Boise and Corpus Christi. What looked like the beginning of a turnaround now feels increasingly distant.
The Corpus Christi match may have been the low point, which is saying something after the Chattanooga result. Richmond managed just one shot on target and generated only 0.25 expected goals according to g+ GameFlow, suggesting a side struggling to create chances and establish any attacking rhythm. With Fort Wayne and Sarasota headed to City Stadium and a trip to Portland in between, the Kickers are approaching a critical stretch. If adjustments are needed, this feels like the moment to make them.
EDITOR'S NOTE: this story was originally published and sent to subscribers minutes before Richmond Kickers announced the departure of Head Coach and Sporting Director Darren Sawatzky. Assistant Brian Ownby has been promoted to interim Head Coach effective immediately.
17) NY Cosmos
Last Ranking: 15th ↘️
Form Since Last Ranking: 0-0-4
Right now, no team in USL League One is in worse form than the Cosmos. While Richmond and Greenville have struggled, neither has endured the sustained slide that New York finds itself in heading into the second half of the season.
The expansion side hasn't won a league match since April 3, a result against Charlotte that looks more surprising with each passing week. Since the start of May, the Cosmos have dropped five straight and remain without a point away from home through six road matches. Defensively, the numbers are equally concerning. The Cosmos have conceded a league-high 27 goals and own the worst goal differential in USL League One at minus-12.
One player can only do so much. Ajmeer Spengler has been one of the league's better individual performers, contributing six goals and four assists despite the club's struggles. The challenge for the Cosmos is finding support around him. Until more players begin to contribute consistently at both ends of the field, the club risks spending the rest of its inaugural season focused more on long-term development than climbing the standings.
