You can read last week’s rankings here, and an explanation of our methodology here.

Below are the rankings as of July 15th, 2017 (last week’s ranking is in parentheses).

East Rankings

1 (Last Week- 1). Charleston Battery (1147)

Last Week: Lost 1-0 @ Saint Louis FC on Saturday.

2 (3). Charlotte Independence (1144)

Last Week: Won 3-2 @ New York Red Bulls II on Saturday.

3 (2). Louisville City (1135)

Last Week: Lost 3-2 vs FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

4 (4). Tampa Bay Rowdies (1118)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 @ Orlando City B on Thursday.

5 (6). Rochester Rhinos (1114)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 @ Ottawa Fury on Saturday.

6 (5). Bethlehem Steel FC (1113)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 vs Pittsburgh on Saturday.

7 (7). FC Cincinnati (1105)

Last Week: Won 3-2 @ Louisville City on Saturday.

8 (7). Ottawa Fury FC (1098)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 vs Rochester on Saturday.

9 (9). Orlando City B (1095)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 vs Tampa Bay on Thursday.

10 (12). Harrisburg City Islanders (1088)

Last Week: Won 2-0 vs New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday, Won 1-0 vs Richmond on Saturday.

11 (10). Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1086)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 @ Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday.

12 (11). Saint Louis FC (1084)

Last Week: Won 1-0 vs Charleston on Saturday.

13 (12). New York Red Bulls II (1066)

Last Week: Lost 2-0 @ Harrisburg on Wednesday, Lost 3-2 vs Charlotte on Saturday.

14 (15). Toronto FC II (1055)

Last Week: Bye Week

15 (14). Richmond Kickers (1053)

Last Week: Lost 1-0 @ Harrisburg on Saturday.

Week Eighteen Matches

Tuesday, July 18th

#10 Harrisburg City Islanders (1088) v #2 Charlotte Independence (1144)

Friday, July 21st

#13 New York Red Bulls II (1066) v #14 Toronto FC II (1055)

Saturday, July 22nd

#5 Rochester Rhinos (1114) v #11 Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1086)

#7 FC Cincinnati (1105) v #10 Harrisburg City Islanders (1088)

#15 Richmond Kickers (1053) v #6 Bethlehem Steel FC (1113)

#4 Tampa Bay Rowdies (1118) v #1 Charleston Battery (1147)

#12 Saint Louis FC (1084) v #3 Louisville City (1135)

Thoughts

Charleston and Louisville’s losses are Charlotte’s gain, as the North Carolina moved up in our rankings, to second. Within striking distance of first, the Independence threaten Charleston’s long held position in our rankings. Louisville slips out of the second spot, but remain well within in the race of the top three.

FC Cincinnati’s win over Louisville on Saturday moves them above the average rating for the first time since the sixth match of their 2017 campaign. Having been one of the more consistent clubs in the conference, FC Cincinnati joins the top half of the rankings. With the East split in two, clubs above the average continue to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

This season has seen two of last year’s playoff clubs fall from the ranks of the conference. USL defending champion New York Red Bulls II, languish in 13th place in our rankings,and appear to be in free fall having lost their last three matches. Finally, the Richmond Kickers fall behind Toronto FC II, taking the bottom spot of our rankings this week. The Kickers hold a 13 match winless run, which may not be ending any time soon, as they face two top half clubs in their last three matches to close out the month.

What are your thoughts on this week’s rankings? Halfway through July, are there any teams you are watching? Do you think Charlotte can pass Charleston in the coming weeks, or will the Battery maintain their control of the conference’s top spot? Let us know in the comments below!