The Pre-Preseason Power Rankings

With the 2017 USL season on the horizon, the ICS staff are going to do our best to play Nostradamus and make a prediction about who the best teams in the USL will be. In an equivalent of kicking a hornets nest at an angry lion, five writers; Kyle, Josh, Ryan, George and Evan have all ranked our top ten USL teams, regardless of conference, and assigned them points (10 for 1^st rank, 1 for 10^th rank). When teams are tied, the order shown is broken by showing the team who had a writer rank them highest first. Below is the combined list for all teams who received at least one point:

1 - Louisville City FC (45)

• 2016 Record: 2^nd in East at 17-4-9.
• Playoffs: Lost in Eastern conference finals.
• Highest Rank: 1
• Lowest Rank: 3

2- New York Red Bulls II (41)

• 2016 Record: 1^st in East at 21-3-6
• Playoffs: Won USL championship.
• Highest Rank: 1
• Lowest Rank: 7

3 - Sacramento Republic (26)

• 2016 Record: 1^st in West at 14-6-10
• Playoffs: Lost in Western conference quarterfinals.
• Highest Rank: 2
• Lowest Rank: NR

4-Tie – Rio Grande Valley Toros (22)

• 2016 Record: 2^nd in West at 14-7-9
• Playoffs: Lost in Western conference quarterfinals.
• Highest Rank: 2
• Lowest Rank: NR

4-Tie - Rochester Rhinos (22)

• 2016 Record: 4^th in East at 13-5-12.
• Playoffs: Lost in Eastern conference semifinals.
• Highest Rank: 2
• Lowest Rank: NR

6 – Saint Louis FC (21)

• 2016 Record: 14^th in West at 8-12-10.
• Playoffs: Did not make playoffs.
• Highest Rank: 4
• Lowest Rank: NR

7-Tie - Tampa Bay Rowdies (15)

• 2016 Record: 9^th in NASL at 9-11-12.
• Playoffs: Did not make playoffs
• Highest Rank: 4
• Lowest Rank: NR

7-Tie – Reno 1868 (15)

• 2016 Record: N/A
• Playoffs: N/A
• Highest Rank: 5
• Lowest Rank: NR

7-Tie – FC Cincinnati (15)

• 2016 Record: 3^rd in East at 16-6-8
• Playoffs: Lost in Eastern conference semifinals.
• Highest Rank: 5
• Lowest Rank: 10

10 – Charlotte Independence (14)

• 2016 Record: 5^th in East at 14-8-8
• Playoffs: Lost in Eastern conference quarter finals.
• Highest Rank: 3
• Lowest Rank: NR

Also receiving votes:

Phoenix Rising (12), Swope Park Rangers (9), Colorado Springs Switchbacks (6), Real Monarchs (5), Los Angeles Galaxy II (5), Charleston Battery (1), Orange County SC (1)

One point of interest centers around FC Cincinnati. This is a team that no one valued better than 5th, with all but one writer putting it in the bottom three teams. However, it did join NY Red Bulls II and Louisville City as one of the only teams to be ranked on all lists.

We will be back again before the season starts to see how our rankings are affected by preseason USL play and additional player signings.

What teams do you think we have ranked too high? What teams do we have ranked too low? What teams did we just curse and doom to mediocrity due to saying they are a top ten side? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!