Entering arguably the biggest week so far of the United Soccer League season, Louisville City FC remains the team to beat.
With a 4-1 win Sunday over the Wilmington Hammerheads, “Louisville looked back to its normal self,” wrote the USL’s Nicholas Murray, who assembles the USL’s weekly power rankings.
LouCity came in at No. 2 on Murray’s list, one position better than a week ago and behind only the New York Red Bulls II.
The club sits atop the USL’s Eastern Conference standings, however, and will remain there regardless of Wednesday’s result between the Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati, the Nos. 2 and 3 teams on the table. Then Saturday, LouCity travels to play Cincinnati as well.
“City’s 17-game undefeated streak is getting close to some of the longest in USL history, but will be challenged this Saturday as the final regular-season edition of the River Cities Cup arrives at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium,” Murray wrote.
The 2013 Richmond Kickers opened their season by playing 22 straight matches unbeaten, marking a USL record.
Maintaining its own streak could be key to Louisville fending off the Red Bulls, who are four points back in the league standings but have a pair of games in hand. LouCity’s only defeat this year came by a 2-0 score to New York on April 2. The club gets a rematch Aug. 19 in New York.
In numerical-based Eastern Conference power rankings assembled by Indomitable City Soccer, an SB Nation blog, LouCity holds the top spot and “keeps on moving further up the ratings with each coming week.” An Elo Ratings system that takes into account factors such as margin of victory and home field advantage registered Louisville at 1,173 ahead of New York’s 1,158 and Cincinnati’s 1,139.
