1) Greenville Triumph
Previous ranking: 2
Table rank: 1
After an even first half at Tormenta that saw somewhat of a fluke goal for Greenville’s Leo Castro, the visitors broke free in the second half on two goals from Lyam MacKinnon. The brace puts MacKinnon at the top of the early season Golden Boot race, and maintained Greenville at the top of the table, although with three more matches played than Omaha. The team is scoring at a pace of 2 goals per match, and conceding less 0.83.
They’ll take this momentum into hosting Richmond in the first round of the Jägermeister cup on Saturday.
2) Union Omaha
Previous ranking: 1
Table rank: 4
The Owls played Charlotte Independence to another 0-0 draw, on the strength of goaltending and defense on both sides. Rashid Nuhu appears to be making the case to regain Goaltender of the Year honors, but then again, so is Austin Pack. Omaha’s regular season lossless streak now extends to 17 matches. While they’d like to score a few more goals, they’re sitting pretty with three in three matches, and only conceding one.
They’ll have the weekend off before hosting Northern Colorado in mid-week Jägermeister Cup action in Wednesday, May 1st.
3) One Knoxville SC
Previous ranking: 3
Table rank: 3
After a hard-fought loss to Union Omaha, One Knox had the weekend off in preparation for a first round Jägermeister Cup matchup at Chattanooga on Saturday. Knoxville has five goals in its first four matches, on pace for a much better season than 2023, and has only conceded two. With a much stronger defense, and an offense finally finding its footing, they’ll have an advantage over their hosts in a tournament designed to encourage high scoring affairs.
4) Charlotte Independence
Previous ranking: 4
Table rank: 5
Taking a clean sheet draw out of Omaha is a respectable result, and the Jacks head into the Jägermeister Cup with just one regular season loss. Even better, midfielder Omar Ciss returned to the roster after an injury scare, and with the addition of Noah Pilato, the team now has some really good depth there. Austin Pack continues to shine, and the addition of Juan Carlos Obregón at striker seems to be paying dividends. They’ll travel to Statesboro to take on Tormenta FC in the first round of the Jägermeister Cup on Saturday.
5) Spokane Velocity
Previous ranking: 8
Table rank: 2
Spokane continues to head up the table and is now challenging for the top spot in its first season. Led by veterans Luis Gil and Romain Métanire, along with a group of former MLS prospects including Ahmed Longmire, Pierre Reedy, and first year professional Jack Denton, the new squad seems to have come into its own already. They’ll host a struggling Fuego FC side on Saturday in the first round of the Jägermeister Cup. After that, they’ll see their most difficult stretch yet, hosing Union Omaha, Forward Madison, Greenville Triumph and then a trip to Omaha. That’s when we’ll see if they’re for real.
6) Forward Madison
Previous ranking: 5
Table rank: 7
Madison also had the week off from competitive play, engaging in a friendly with University of Wisconsin. Expected to return to play healthy, they’ll head to Lexington for a Jägermeister Cup matchup on Sunday, April 28th. Both sides should be well-rested and healthier than last weekend, and both sides are looking to open the floodgate of goal scoring. Madison, so far, has the advantage there, with six in four matches.
7) South Georgia Tormenta FC
Previous ranking: 6
Table rank: 6
If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect from Tormenta, it’s a lot of ups and downs. A loss to Fuego, a draw with Madison, solid win at Richmond, loss to Knoxville, big win over Lexington, and a big loss to Greenville. But with the way this side is playing in the US Open Cup, maybe tournaments are their thing? With that being said, watch out Jägermeister Cup. First up there: a visit from Charlotte Independence.
8) Chattanooga Red Wolves
Previous ranking: 7
Table rank: 9
Ropapa Mensah came through again for Chattanooga, providing its lone goal late in the second half against Northern Colorado. The striker now has four in the regular season. However, the defense allowed an awful lot of shots, somehow escaping with just one goal conceded. It was a (controversial, according to coach Scott Mackenzie) 98th minute header from a Hailstorm corner kick. Overall, Chattanooga allowed 20 shots, 15 inside the box and 7 on target. TJ Bush is a decent enough goaltender, but that kind of pace may not be sustainable.
They’ll host Knoxville, another potent offense, on Saturday’s Jägermeister Cup opening round action. Better fix those leaks quick.
9) Northern Colorado Hailstorm
Previous ranking: 11
Table rank: 12
They may have departed Chattanooga with a draw, but Hailstorm put everyone on notice that they aren’t down or out. With 20 shots and seven on target, it’s only a matter of time before the floodgates open for Éamon Zayad‘s squad. They’ll have the weekend off to figure it out more, and then will travel to Spokane for midweek Jägermeister Cup action.
10) Lexington
Previous ranking: 10th
Table rank: 8th
Out of the US Open Cup and off this past weekend, Lexington has a long break to regroup its disappointing start to the season. They’ll host Madison in the first round of the Jägermeister Cup on Sunday. Lexington, on paper, is set up to thrive in a tournament that favors high scoring. But with just five goals in six matches, those goals have not exactly been flowing so far.
11) Richmond
Previous ranking: 9
Table rank: 10
As long as injuries continue to plague Richmond, it’s going to be difficult to maintain a consistent and cohesive roster. A lot of other sides have not been so unlucky so far, and it’s a long season yet. After a relatively strong performance in Madison and against Loudoun United in midweek US Open Cup action, the Kickers stumbled into Saturday’s matchup with Spokane, missing lead goal scorer Adrian Billhardt and the lone, previously healthy veteran presence at centerback, Dakota Barnathan. The results weren’t pretty, and by later in the second half, coach Darren Sawatzky tossed in every youngster on the roster to see what would happen. The result was a disappointing 2-0 loss, a season sweep of Richmond by the expansion side.
Next up: Richmond travels to Greenville for a first round Jägermeister Cup matchup. Let’s hope the injury situation is cleared up by then.
12) Fuego
Previous ranking: 12
Table rank: 11
Like Lexington, Fuego had the week and weekend off, and also need a desperate regroup. Four consecutive losses after an opening week win have fans worried we’re seeing the same story as last season, despite the addition of high profile coach, Jermaine Jones. On a bright note, it appears the squad is recovering from injuries, so if they come into next weekend healthy, they may present a surprise threat to Spokane. The sides kick off the first round of the Jägermeister Cup on Saturday.