League One Updater Power Rankings: May 2026
Welcome to our May edition of the USL League One power rankings! There has been a great deal of change in the fortunes of a lot of our clubs since our last rankings in April. Namely, some of last month's bottom nine seem to have turned things around after poor starts.
These power rankings are based on recent performance and momentum, and take into account only regular season play.
1) Union Omaha
Last ranking: 1st ↔️
Form since last ranking: 2-1-1
The Owls have the unfortunate honor of being the first victim in Richmond’s current three-match winning streak, falling 3-1 on April 18. Since then, though, the squad has steadied itself with wins over a struggling Greenville side and a strong Knoxville team on the road, plus a draw against Portland. Two more points against the Hearts of Pine would have sweetened the run, but seven points still pushed the Owls back to the top of the table heading into the Cup break.
Diego Gutiérrez continues to reward his new full-year deal after initially signing a 25-day contract. The striker now sits on four goals in nine matches, adding yet another weapon to the deep attack Vincenzo Candela has assembled.
2) One Knoxville
Last ranking: 4th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 2-1-0
We were ready to crown One Knox as runaway favorites for the Player’s Shield, but Omaha’s win on Wednesday night threw a little chaos back into the title race.
The loss was Knoxville’s first in league play since March 14, and it took a late breakaway goal to finally separate the two sides after a tightly contested battle. Even with the defeat, though, One Knox still looks every bit like a contender. Denis Krioutchenkov is firmly in the Golden Boot conversation, while the defense has piled up four clean sheets and kept its goals-against average under 1.0.
Right now, these two heavyweights look separated by inches, not miles. Which is great news for everyone except the blood pressure of their fan bases.
3) Spokane Velocity
Last ranking: 2nd ↘️
Form since last ranking: 2-0-1
Yes, we’re absolutely dinging Spokane for dropping points in Corpus Christi. When you’re chasing silverware in a league this tight, those are the matches elite teams are supposed to finish off.
Still, any panic faded quickly after back-to-back home wins over Richmond and Naples. Medgy Alexandre, on loan from Charleston, struck early in both matches to give Spokane leads it never surrendered.
And while Spokane may not be steamrolling teams with style points, the results keep stacking up. The club still has just one league loss all season, dating back to March 27. Sometimes “boring and effective” wins titles.
4) Charlotte Independence
Last ranking: 10th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 2-1-1
After a 1-1-1 start, we weren’t entirely sure what to make of the squad Mike Jeffries assembled this season. A few weeks later, the picture is getting much clearer.
Since a hard-fought loss to One Knoxville, the team has responded with a draw against an underrated Fort Wayne side and wins over Boise and Corpus Christi. More importantly, the attack is starting to hum.
Any questions about whether Enzo Martinez still had something left in the tank have been answered with a pretty emphatic yes. The veteran has two goals in his last three league matches, plus a brace in Cup play. Now add Luis Álvarez returning from a minor knock and settling back in, and suddenly this group looks more dangerous than ever.
The Player’s Shield race may have another serious contender lurking in the weeds.
5) AC Boise
Last ranking: 9th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 3-1-0
The expansion side carrying some of the league’s biggest preseason expectations finally looks like it’s settling into a groove after a shaky start.
It began with a statement-making 4-0 demolition of Westchester at home, followed by another win against Chattanooga. A midweek road loss to a surging Charlotte side slowed the momentum a bit, especially in a match where the attack struggled to create much of anything.
Still, Boise answered the setback the right way with another home victory, this time over Naples. It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece; one shot on target, one own goal, and plenty of ugly moments in between. But style points don’t count in the standings. The result was enough to lift Boise into the league’s top four, and that’s what matters.
6) Fort Wayne FC
Last ranking: 12th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 2-0-1
After a slow start on the road, the expansion side finally returned home to open its new stadium, and what a debut it’s been. The facility already feels like the crown jewel of the league, and the energy around it seems to have lit a fire under this squad.
The home opener delivered a wild draw against Charlotte, with four combined goals flying in during the first 15 minutes. Since then, the club has followed up with a dominant win over Portland and a 1-0 result against Westchester.
Meanwhile, rookie midfielder Taig Healy has caught absolute fire, scoring in four straight matches. At this point, it’s fair to say we may have badly underestimated this team a month ago.
7) Richmond Kickers
Last ranking: 17th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 3-0-0
Richmond has won three straight league matches for the first time since its improbable late-season playoff charge in 2024. After a miserable start to the year, the rebuilt squad finally looks like it’s finding a rhythm.
Strong wins over Omaha, Westchester and Greenville have pushed the Kickers back into positive goal differential territory, with the latter two also delivering Yann Fillion’s first league clean sheets of the season.
Meanwhile, Tarik Pannholzer is quietly climbing the scoring charts with three goals in his last four matches. Add that to an attack featuring Josh Kirkland, Lucca Dourado and Darwin Espinal, and Richmond suddenly looks far more dangerous going forward.
Now comes the real test: a trip to chaotic Chattanooga followed by a home-and-away series with Boise. Survive that stretch with positive results, and the “nice little turnaround story” label can probably be retired.
8) Forward Madison
Last ranking: 5th ↘️
Form since last ranking: 1-1-1
Madison’s extended early-season road trip is finally nearing its end, though not before one more exhausting stretch. The Mingos head to Detroit City for Cup action this weekend, then travel to Charlotte before finally returning home to face Corpus Christi.
The results since our last rankings have been a mixed bag. Madison handled Sarasota, settled for a draw against the Cosmos, then got shut out by AV Alta. The latter result was made more painful by the fact it was Alta’s first win since July.
Still, zoom out a bit and the road swing has been more successful than not. A 3-2-1 start away from home is solid work under the circumstances. Now the question becomes whether Breese Stevens Field, complete with a fresh new pitch, can give the Mingos an extra boost once they finally settle back in at home.
9) FC Naples
Last ranking: 3rd ↘️
Form since last ranking: 0-3-1
Is it time to panic in Naples? Maybe not fully panic. But at minimum, the “concerned glances at the recent form” phase has begun.
After a fast start to the season, Naples is now winless in four straight, including a home loss to Knoxville and road defeats against Spokane and Boise. Even the earlier draw against an inconsistent Portland side looks rougher by the week.
The attack, once a strength, has cooled off considerably. Matt Poland is still searching for the right answer at striker between Gio Miglietti, Dominick Bachstein and Chris Garcia, but all three have gone quiet over the last month after promising starts.
Then there’s the sudden retirement of Max Glasser, which has left the right back spot unsettled. Taylor Gray filled in against Spokane and Boise, though it’s hard to imagine that being the long-term plan. Right now, Naples feels like a team still searching for its footing after losing some early momentum.
10) AV Alta FC
Last ranking: 14th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 1-0-0
With only one league match since our last rankings, AV Alta made it count. The club picked up its first regular-season win since July 2025 with a 2-0 home result over Madison.
So, is this the start of a turnaround or just a brief flash of life? We’re about to find out. The next four matches all come against expansion sides, giving Alta a real opportunity to build momentum. Or will they slide right back into the fog?
11) Portland Hearts of Pine
Last ranking: 11th ↔️
Form since last ranking: 1-1-2
Similar to 2025, Portland has stumbled out of the gates again.
Two of their wins have come against the Cosmos, and most of the scoring has followed suit: nine goals total, six of them in those matchups. Unfortunately, the Cosmos can’t carry the schedule forever, and Portland will need more variety in their attack if they want to stay afloat.
There are at least some signs of life elsewhere. The draw against Omaha offered something to build on, with goals from Tyler Huck and Titus Washington before a stoppage-time equalizer spoiled the full three points. It’s frustrating, sure, but it also feels like a foundation they might be able to work with.
12) Chattanooga Red Wolves
Last ranking: 13th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 1-1-0
With the fewest matches played so far, Chattanooga still needs a larger sample size before climbing any higher in the rankings. But a 4-1 dismantling of Sarasota, powered by a Matt Bentley hat trick, at least offers a glimpse of what this team could become.
When they’re clicking, it looks like chaos in the best possible way. The only question now is whether they can bring that level of consistency once the schedule catches up with them.
13) Westchester SC
Last ranking: 7th ↘️
Form since last ranking: 0-3-0
A three-match losing streak is never a great look, especially when it comes right after a two-match win streak that had things trending upward. Expectations were rising fast; maybe a little too fast? Defeats to Boise, Richmond and Fort Wayne brought things back down to earth.
There are at least some mitigating factors. The latter two losses were narrow 1-0 results, with chances created but no way past strong opposing goalkeeping. On another day, those both swing the other way.
The good news? It’s still early. There’s plenty of time to stabilize, but the margin for “almost” is starting to feel a bit too familiar.
Alex Ashton
14) Sarasota Paradise
Last ranking: 15th 🚀
Form since last ranking: 1-2-0
At about a third of the season in, it’s still tough to figure out exactly what this squad is supposed to be.
Jonathan Bolanos and Garrett McLaughlin are both top 10 in the league for shots, but only Bolanos has actually found the net. The underlying threat is there, but it just hasn’t turned into consistent production yet. It’s starting to feel like a team perpetually one final step away from clicking.
Defensively, things have been even tougher. A 4-1 loss at Chattanooga exposed some real issues at the back, and Sarasota now sits with the worst goals-against rate in the league at 17 conceded. Nine matches in, it’s still all potential and frustration, with the breakthrough yet to arrive.
15) NY Cosmos
Last ranking: 8th ↘️
Form since last ranking: 0-1-1
Everyone’s favorite chaos team picked up a respectable draw against a solid Madison side, but things fell apart in a chaotic loss to Portland Hearts of Pine.
Against Portland, the Cosmos' defense looked disorganized and overwhelmed, conceding 24 shot attempts and seven on target. A late goal to avoid the shutout did little to cover up the overall collapse.
After Cup action, the expansion side faces a tough stretch, traveling to AV Alta before hosting Union Omaha. Defensive improvements are not optional at this point.
16) Greenville Triumph
Last ranking: 6th ↘️
Form since last ranking: 0-2-0
Six matches in, it’s starting to feel like the offensive rebuild might not deliver the immediate returns the new regime was hoping for.
There are some mitigating factors. A back-loaded schedule and a temporary lack of a true home base, with matches split between Furman and Clemson ahead of GE Verona Park opening next month, have made stability hard to come by. Still, since the last rankings, the team has dropped two straight without scoring a goal while conceding five. Zoom out, and things look even worse:
How bad is it? Well, GTSC set and continued to add to a few ugly records last night...
— GVL Goals 🇯🇲 (@gvlgoals) May 10, 2026
Consecutive games without a goal (4)
Consecutive minutes without a goal (391)
Consecutive games without a clean sheet (10)
It's now 13 losses in 19 games back to last season...#GTSC
With a few matches in hand over most of the league and a potential home-field boost on the horizon, there’s still time to steady things. But the recent 2-0 loss at Omaha and the disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Richmond are not the kind of performances that inspire much optimism on their own.
17) Corpus Christi
Last ranking: 16th ↘️
Form since last ranking: 0-2-1
A draw against Spokane Velocity was a brief positive sandwiched between disappointing losses to Sarasota and Charlotte.
That’s about where the good news ends. They remain the final winless team in the league and sit last in goals scored with just six, while already conceding 14.
And the schedule isn’t offering much relief. Upcoming matches against Fort Wayne, Knoxville and Madison mean there’s no easy reset button coming. Something needs to click soon, or this season risks slipping away fast.
