Well, that was quite the seven days, wasn’t it? It certainly gave the voting panel plenty to think about, and both FC Cincinnati’s three-game winning streak and Real Monarchs SLC’s four-point week got each side one first-place vote this week in the USLSoccer.com Power Rankings after Louisville City FC’s first loss of the season on Saturday.

But the defending USL Cup champion is still sitting No. 1 overall by a two-point margin over its River Cities Cup rival as its head-to-head victory when the sides first met and game in hand that could allow it to regain top spot in the Eastern Conference kept the other two first-place votes in Louisville’s column.

Cincinnati’s move up seven positions, the largest of any side this week, is an indicator of where this team now appears to sit among the contenders in the East, however. With the chance at a club-best four-game winning streak on offer this weekend against a Charlotte Independence side that has struggled over recent weeks, another impressive display could see a swap at the top next week.

The four-person USLSoccer.com voting panel tabulates 16 points for first-place team votes, 15 points to the second-place team and so forth to one point for 16th place. The accrued points among the group determines the final ranking.