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

Below are the rankings as of August 13th, 2017 (last week’s rankings is in parentheses).

East Rankings

1 (Last Week- 1). Charlotte Independence (1156)

Last Week: Drew 2-2 @ Toronto FC II on Wednesday, Lost 3-1 @ Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday.

2 (2). Louisville City FC (1152)

Last Week: Won 5-0 vs FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

3 (3). Charleston Battery (1136)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 vs New York Red Bulls II on Saturday.

4 (3). Tampa Bay Rowdies (1133)

Last Week: Lost 4-3 @ Saint Louis FC on Sunday.

5 (5). Rochester Rhinos (1127)

Last Week: Won 1-0 @ Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday.

6 (7). Bethlehem Steel FC (1110)

Last Week: Won 3-1 vs Toronto FC II on Sunday.

7 (8). Ottawa Fury FC (1104)

Last Week: Won 3-1 vs Charlotte Independence on Saturday.

8 (9). Orlando City B (1102)

Last Week: Won 1-0 @ Richmond Kickers on Saturday.

9 (6). FC Cincinnati (1096)

Last Week: Lost 5-0 @ Louisville City FC on Saturday.

10 (10). Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1089)

Last Week: Won 3-0 @ Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday.

11 (10). Saint Louis FC (1079)

Last Week: Won 4-3 vs Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday.

12 (13). New York Red Bulls II (1071)

Last Week: Drew 1-1 @ Charleston Battery on Saturday.

13 (12). Harrisburg City Islanders (1058)

Last Week: Lost 1-0 vs Rochester on Tuesday, Lost 3-0 vs Pittsburgh on Saturday.

14 (14). Richmond Kickers (1047)

Last Week: Lost 1-0 vs Orlando City B on Saturday.

15 (15). Toronto FC II (1036)

Last Week: Drew 2-2 vs Charlotte Independence on Wednesday, Lost 3-1 @ Bethlehem on Sunday.

Week Twenty-Two Matches

Wednesday, August 16th

#1 Charlotte Independence (1156) v #6 Bethlehem Steel FC (1110)

#8 Orlando City B (1102) v #7 Ottawa Fury FC (1104)

Saturday, August 19th

#12 New York Red Bulls II (1071) v #9 FC Cincinnati (1096)

#5 Rochester Rhinos (1127) v #3 Charleston Battery (1136)

#1 Charlotte Independence (1156) v #8 Orlando City B (1102)

#14 Richmond Kickers (1047) v #15 Toronto FC II (1036)

#4 Tampa Bay Rowdies (1133) v #7 Ottawa Fury FC (1104)

#11 Saint Louis FC (1079) v #10 Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1089)

Sunday, August 20th

#6 Bethlehem Steel FC (1110) v #2 Louisville City FC (1152)

Thoughts

Charlotte maintains their lead atop our rankings, despite the recent gains of Louisville in the past weeks. On tap for Week 22, Charlotte and Louisville both face Bethlehem, providing a true litmus test of comparison between the two sides versus another playoff destined club.

FC Cincinnati’s loss against Louisville City is Ottawa and Orlando City B’s gain. Fury and the Baby Lions both make jumps into the top eight of the rankings, as FC Cincinnati tumbles down to ninth, the biggest drop of the week. Bethlehem lead this middle group who occupy the last remaining spots in the playoff race, as the top five have formed a gap from the rest of the conference.

Week Twenty-Two provides a pair of matches that will undoubtedly impact the playoff picture. First, Orlando City B host Ottawa in midweek action, a fixture that will set the pace for edge of the postseason bubble spots. Later, Rochester attempts to break into the top four, as they host Charleston on Saturday. Home field advantage remains very important in the postseason, as the visiting club won only once in last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs.

What are your thoughts on this week’s rankings? What matches are you watching this week? What team currently outside the top half of the rankings do you think has the best chance at making the playoffs? Let us know in the comments down below!