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

Below are the rankings as of August 5th, 2017 (last week’s ranking is parentheses).

East Rankings

1 (Last Week- 1). Charlotte Independence (1161)

Last Week: Won 3-1 vs Louisville on Saturday.

2 (2). Louisville City (1143)

Last Week: Lost 3-1 @ Charlotte on Saturday.

T3 (3). Charleston Battery (1137)

Last Week: Lost 1-0 @ Toronto FC II on Saturday.

T3 (4). Tampa Bay Rowdies (1137)

Last Week: Won 3-0 vs Harrisburg on Saturday.

5 (5). Rochester Rhinos (1121)

Last Week: Lost 2-1 vs New York Red Bulls II on Saturday.

6 (6). FC Cincinnati (1105)

Last Week: Drew 2-2 vs Orlando City B on Saturday.

7 (8). Bethlehem Steel FC (1104)

Last Week: Won 2-1 @ Ottawa on Saturday.

8 (7). Ottawa Fury FC (1098)

Last Week: Lost 2-1 vs Bethlehem on Saturday.

9 (9). Orlando City B (1096)

Last Week: Drew 0-0 vs Harrisburg on Wednesday, Drew 2-2 @ FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

T10 (10). Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1079)

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

T10 (10). Saint Louis FC (1079)

Last Week: Drew 0-0 vs Swope Park Rangers on Saturday.

12 (10). Harrisburg City Islanders (1074)

Last Week: Drew 0-0 @ Orlando City B on Wednesday, Lost 3-0 @ Tampa Bay on Saturday.

13 (13). New York Red Bulls II (1070)

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

14 (14). Richmond Kickers (1053)

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

15 (15). Toronto FC II (1043)

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

Week Twenty-One Matches

Tuesday, August 8th

#12 Harrisburg City Islanders (1074) v #5 Rochester Rhinos (1121)

Wednesday, August 9th

#15 Toronto FC II (1043) v #1 Charlotte Independence (1161)

Thursday, August 10th

#7 Tulsa Roughnecks (1110) v #10 Saint Louis FC (1079)

Saturday, August 12th

#3 Charleston Battery (1137) v #13 New York Red Bulls II (1070)

#12 Harrisburg City Islanders (1074) v #10 Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1079)

#8 Ottawa Fury FC (1098) v #1 Charlotte Independence (1161)

#14 Richmond Kickers (1053) v #9 Orlando City B (1096)

#2 Louisville City (1143) v #6 FC Cincinnati (1105)

Sunday, August 13th

#7 Bethlehem Steel FC (1104) v #15 Toronto FC II (1043)

#10 Saint Louis FC (1079) v #3 Tampa Bay Rowdies (1137)

Thoughts

Charlotte extended their lead in first with a 3-1 win over Louisville on Saturday. The Independence now ride an eleven-match unbeaten streak, in which they’ve won eight. Charlotte travels north to Canada this weekend, to face eighth place in our rankings, Ottawa, in a match that can surely highlight the difference between the top and middle of our rankings.

Louisville, followed by a tie between Charleston and Tampa for third place, rounds out our top four. The Battery’s fifth loss of the year is Tampa’s gain, as the Rowdies have now won four of their last five matches.

Outside the top nine of the rankings, the Eastern Conference drops off into territory well below the average. Pittsburgh and Saint Louis lead a pack of clubs towards the bottom of the rankings. NYRB II and Toronto FC II both recorded crucial wins over top-half clubs this past weekend. With many clubs approaching the final stretch of the regular season, the push for the playoffs begin here.

What are your thoughts on this week’s rankings? Can anyone challenge Charlotte for the top spot? What clubs currently in the bottom half of the rankings, do you think can most likely crash the party at the top? Let us know in the comments below!