In the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference, just six points separate the team in second place from the team in ninth. Out West, that margin is merely five points. After Week 15, every single club in the division has lost at least once, and the parity across the board remains remarkable. Which teams did the most to raise their stock, and who failed to rise to the occasion? Let’s dig in to this week’s power rankings.
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1. Tampa Bay Rowdies
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Result: 2-2 draw v. Charleston, 1-0 loss v. Hartford
Finally, the Tampa Bay Rowdies have lost a soccer match. On the stat sheet, Dom Casciato’s side was as dominant as ever, ending Week 15 with a 3.8 to 1.9 xG edge across two matches. In practice, however, the strokes of luck simply didn’t go the Rowdies’ way.
Charleston played the Rowdies tighter than any team they’d yet played, but Tampa Bay still found answers. The key was to speed the game up, particularly in post-restart situations. Tampa Bay’s back five was less steady than usual, but they still excelled at flooding forward immediately after regaining. At best, you’d see forwards like MD Myers and Louis Perez fight for searching balls into the attacking zone, supported by later-arriving motion all over the pitch.
Charlie Ostrem's game-tying assist for the @TampaBayRowdies earns him tonight's @PrinxTiresUSA Most Valuable Performer honors 👏#USLonCBS | #PrinxTiresUSA pic.twitter.com/J3duUgTJbe
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) June 11, 2026
The directness paid off handsomely as Tampa Bay tried to chase the game. With Charlie Ostrem allowed to push up from left back instead of sitting deep in a resting four, the Rowdies could swing over the top and immediately access the former Union Omaha star on the edge of the box. From there, Ostrem could beat two men, cut inside, and play Mattheus Oliveira through to preserve his side’s perfect record.
Casciato wanted to push the issue against Hartford from the jump on Saturday, and he opted to use loanee Isaiah LeFlore and the ever-versatile Sebastian Cruz as his fullbacks to make it happen. Tampa Bay was as prodigious as ever in a match where they held 76% of possession and put up 2.6 xG, but there was a problem: they couldn’t finish.
