The Brotherly Game’s “Top 100 Soccer Clubs in the United States and Canada” is one of the more ambitious ongoing projects in American soccer blogging. It attempts to, as objectively as possible, create a ranking of the top 100 soccer clubs in the US and Canada. The ranking began just a little over a year ago in August of 2014 and has since been updated 4 times. We at ICS were first attracted to the rankings by the same question which might now be coming into your mind: where does Sacramento Republic FC come in on this ranking?
Although you could click the link above (which we suggest you do), we can also just tell you. In the most recent rankings put out by The Brotherly Game, the Republic rank 28th out of 100 teams. They are currently the 3rd highest ranked USL team, behind the Richmond Kickers (24th) and the Rochester Rhinos (27th).
The Republic debuted on the rankings in 29th place with 1177.2 points. Over the next 4 updates they went only as high as 27th, but mostly were ranked in 28th. As of the latest update to the rankings, the Republic have 1,221 points, a reflection of their overall success on the field during their first 2 seasons.
Sacramento have consistently been the 3rd highest ranked USL (or USL PRO, depending on the season) team since the beginning of the rankings. In 2014 they were always behind Orlando City and Richmond. This season they are still ranked behind Richmond, who have taken over the top spot with Orlando’s move to MLS, but they are also below the Rochester Rhinos, whose incredibly successful 2015 vaulted them from 38th to 27th.
According to the methodology of the rankings, upon entering the rankings each USL team begins with a point total of 1100. Each match a team plays either earns them points toward their total using a formula. To see the full formula and all the explanation of exactly how the calculations work, make sure to click the methodology link. But to wrap it up nicely and, more likely than not, oversimplify it: if a team wins they earn points, if a team loses they lose points. The amount of points changes based on the competition (playoffs are weighted more than league games, MLS is weighted more than USL) and the goal differential of a game (winning by 2 goals earns more points than winning by 1).
While the rankings try to be objective and reflect the real picture of where each club stands in relation to the others, we want to know what you think. Should the Republic be higher than 28th? Perhaps lower? Let us know in the comments below.
