Super League Power Rankings – Week 17

Fort Lauderdale United was barely holding its head above water a few weeks ago, going 1-4-1 in October and November. And just like that, the team found its stride again and has earned two 2-1 wins this month to move back above the playoff line in the standings. 

The key for FTL has been to take control of the game early. Against Dallas, Fort Lauderdale got on the board just two minutes into the match. This past Saturday, Addie McCain gave the home side the lead at the nine-minute mark. Both of its opponents struggled to get back into the match after those early goals. The team has won five of the six matches when it scored first. 

Fort Lauderdale could go three in a row to close out the fall if it can take down a struggling Carolina Ascent in the Fall Finale this weekend. In the Ascent’s recently-snapped 11-match unbeaten streak, it only conceded first once. It fell into a deficit in both of the two losses since. If FTL can get the road win, it would close the gap between it and Carolina in the standings with one match in hand. 

Rank		Team	Change	Summary
1		Brooklyn FC (8-3-2) Week 17: @ DAL	Last Week: 1	Brooklyn made its return after three weeks away looking just as good as it did last month. Mackenzie George, Jess Garziano and Dana Scheriff all got on the scoreboard again and secured a 3-0 win over Lexington to extend its first-place lead in the standings.
2		Dallas Trinity FC (6-2-5) Week 17: vs. BKN	1 Last Week: 3	Trinity bounced back from last week’s loss with a 2-0 victory over a red-hot Tampa Bay Sun side. Despite holding less possession and recording fewer shots on goal, Dallas capitalized on its opportunities, spearheaded by the November Player of the Month Sam Meza and the team’s leading scorer Allie Thorton.
3		Fort Lauderdale United FC (5-5-2) Week 17: vs. CAR	5 Last Week: 8	Fort Lauderdale has emerged from its recent slump with two impressive wins in a row to move into fourth place in the table. Golden Boot race leader Addie McCain added to her tally in both matches, while Sheyenne Allen recorded her first of the year to secure another home win for FTL UTD.
4		Tampa Bay Sun FC (4-4-4) Week 17: vs. SPK	2 Last Week: 2	Tampa Bay suffered its first loss in over a month to a Dallas team that has yet to be defeated at the Cotton Bowl. The Sun put in a valiant effort and created multiple looks in front of goal but couldn’t find their way back into the match after falling into a two-goal deficit.
5		Carolina Ascent FC (5-2-6) Week 17: @ FTL	1 Last Week: 4	The Ascent will have three weeks to regroup and move past its back-to-back losses before it closes out the Fall Schedule on the road at a newly rejuvenated Fort Lauderdale side. If the Ascent can shut down the early attacking efforts of FTL while converting its own chances, the team can finish the fall on a win.
6		DC Power FC (3-6-4) Week 17: @ LEX	Last Week: 6	Another team with a few weeks of rest before returning to action this weekend is DC Power. The club earned a last-minute victory in its most recent match against Fort Lauderdale, but it will need to be disciplined defensively if it wants to take down Lexington for a second time this season.
7		Spokane Zephyr FC (2-5-6) Week 17: @ TB	2 Last Week: 5	The road struggles continue for Zephyr after the team fell 2-1 to FTL last weekend. Similar to Tampa Bay, the team controlled most of the possession and got more shots off than Fort Lauderdale, but Spokane has yet to unlock that next level of attacking energy for the full 90 minutes it needs to come away with a win.
8		Lexington SC (2-8-3) Week 17: vs. DC	1 Last Week: 7	It’s always going to be a big defensive ask for the team going against Brooklyn, but Lexington’s defensive woes were put under the spotlight in Saturday’s match. And now without midfielder Amanda Allen for the rest of the season, Lexington’s offense takes a hit as well.