This method of ranking team performance factors in point per game, strength of schedule, and goal difference. This isn't an attempt to predict the final table, but rather a way to measure a team's form over the course of the season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

NYRB II (↔): Lost a 1-0 in a close-fought contest away to Indy Eleven. Still holding onto the top spot, but their recent form hasn't been stellar. Tampa Bay Rowdies (↔): Really the only side towards the top of the East not to drop points this weekend, winning 3-1 in Charlotte. Nashville SC (↔): Lost 1-0 in Saint Louis in a match where they never really looked up for it. Pittsburgh Riverhounds (↔): Held at home to a 0-0 draw by a Louisville City side that's been strong in recent weeks. Indy Eleven (↔): Picked up a massive win at home over New York midweek before losing in Charleston to a 10-man Battery side. North Carolina FC (↔): Blew a 3-1 lead at home to draw 3-3 with Bethlehem Steel. Louisville City FC (↔): Continued their good form with a plucky 0-0 draw in Pittsburgh. Ottawa Fury FC (↔): Lost to Saint Louis midweek and a terrible Atlanta United 2 side at the weekend. A really poor week for a side in danger of slipping out of the playoffs. Saint Louis FC (↔): Picked up two massive wins, beating Ottawa and Nashville to solidify their chances of finishing in playoff position. Charleston Battery (↔): Got a huge win at home over Indy Eleven, despite going down a man with over 20 minutes to play. Birmingham Legion FC (↔): After some really poor results mid-season, they've turned things around, beating Atlanta 5-0 on the road. They're looking likely to earn a playoff spot. Charlotte Independence (↔): Lost 3-1 at home to Tampa Bay in a fairly predictable result. Bethlehem Steel (↑2): Fought back from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 3-3 draw on the road in North Carolina. Loudoun United FC (↓1): Lost 5-1 on the road in Hartford, and it could have been worse, as they went down a man in the 51st minute, after all the goals had been scored. They keep hanging around the playoff line, and they keep passing up opportunities to gain ground. Memphis 901 FC (↓1): Got a 4-2 win at home over Swope Park, but still drop a spot, because a) a win over Swope Park doesn't mean a whole lot at this point, and b) Bethlehem's draw against NCFC moved them up two places. Hartford Athletic (↑1): Got a massive 5-1 win at home over Loudoun. They still are technically alive in the playoff race, but it would take a near-perfect run and a lot of help from other results. Swope Park Rangers (↓1): Lost to Memphis on the road to drop towards the bottom of the rankings. Atlanta United 2 (↔): Smashed 5-0 at home by Birmingham before picking up a shocking 3-2 win in Ottawa. Too little too late at this point, though.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Phoenix Rising FC - x: 18 straight wins. Not much more to say about this side. They're the best regular-season side in USL history, and a trophy to cap things of is a must. Fresno FC: They're miles behind Phoenix, but still well ahead the rest of the conference, and solidified that even more with a huge road win over Reno. Sacramento Republic FC (↑1): Won 3-0 against Tacoma (probably the worst side in the league), and moved into third ahead of Reno. Reno 1868 FC (↓1): It wasn't a horrible loss, but a 3-2 loss at home to Fresno drops them down a spot. San Antonio FC (↔): Lost 1-0 on the road to Phoenix. Doesn't hurt them too much, as losing to Phoenix is an expected result at this point, but they don't have much of a cushion at this point. Orange County SC (↑1): A 2-1 win on the road in Portland moves them up a spot. Real Monarchs SLC (↓1): Drew 2-2 at home against a poor Las Vegas side to drop into seventh. Portland Timbers 2 (↔): Hung onto eighth, despite a loss at home, but they're getting really close to dropping out of the top ten. El Paso Locomotive FC (↑3): Picked up a point at home against Tulsa Roughnecks before winning 3-0 in Las Vegas to move up three spots after a really solid week. Austin Bold FC (↓1): Only managed a draw against a really poor Colorado Springs side. New Mexico United (↔): Won 3-1 on the road against OKC Energy. They've really struggled since their Open Cup run, but have improved a bit in the last 2-3 weeks and are making a push for the playoffs. LA Galaxy II (↑1): Move up a spot after a really impressive win over a Real Monarchs side that had been towards the top of the rankings. OKC Energy (↓2): Lost 3-1 at home to New Mexico. The West is close enough that they're still not nearly out of the playoff race, but they have to start picking up results against good sides. Las Vegas Lights FC (↔): Drew to Real Monarchs on the road before getting stomped at home by El Paso. Rio Grande Valley FC (↔): Could've gained ground on Las Vegas, but a loss at home to Tulsa keeps them in 15th. Tulsa Roughnecks FC (↔): Beat RGV Toros on the road, but they're so far below the rest of the conference that it didn't do much for their rankings. CS Switchbacks FC (↔): Drew at home with Austin, but like Tulsa, it didn't do much to help them. Tacoma Defiance (↔): Beaten soundly by Sacramento. Only rivaled by Atlanta to be the worst team in the USL Championship.

PROJECTED TABLES





These projections use current home and away points per game to predict each team's remaining results and their final standings. I've also included their current/minimum possible point totals, as well as the maximum possible points for each team.





EASTERN CONFERENCE

I have Indy projected to win the East with 68 points, with Pittsburgh beating Nashville for the fourth place spot by 0.3 points. Obviously that's an impossible actual outcome, but the race for home playoff spots became a lot closer with this weekend's results. Atlanta United is still alive, but they could theoretically be eliminated from the playoffs in just two more matches.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The middle of the table in the West is as tight as it gets, with my projections only showing six points between third and twelfth place. Phoenix is projected to win 82 points, but with the streak they're on, it's not that unthinkable for them to take the maximum points from their remaining games and finish with 86. Apart from Phoenix, though, the rest of the conference is incredibly close, with every side (except for maybe Colorado Springs) still with a realistic shot to finish in a playoff spot.



