USL League 2 Playoff Watcher: Top 35

The short and intense USL League Two regular season is over and after having games seemingly every night for months, we have our final take on the top 35 teams.

This list was compiled before the three play-in games were played on Tuesday, July 16th. We recognize that three of those teams are no longer in the playoffs; however, their hard work and effort is still reflected in these standings.

Protagonist will have a USL League Two Playoff Preview out on Friday morning, before the Round of 32.

Vermont Green 1 - Reading United AC 0
Western Mass Pioneers 3 - Motown STA 1
Virginia Beach United 2 - SC United Bantams 1

35. Cleveland Force SC
34. Tennessee SC
33. Bavarian United SC
32. SC United Bantams - OUT
31. ALBION SC Colorado
30. FC Tucson
29. Reading United AC - OUT
28. Project 510
27. Almaden FC: (Division Leader)
26. United PDX: (Division Leader)
25. Ballard FC
24. Thunder Bay Chill: (Division Leader)
23. Fort Wayne FC: (Division Leader)
22. Midwest United FC
21. Vermont Green
20. Sarasota Paradise
19. Ocean City Nor'easters: (Division Leader)
18. Flatirons FC: (Division Leader)
17. Peoria City
16. FC Motown STA - OUT
15. Salem City FC: (Division Leader)
14. Flint City Bucks: (Division Leader)
13. Virginia Beach United:
12. Lionsbridge: (Division Leader)
11. Long Island Rough Riders: (Division Leader)
10. Nona FC: (Division Leader)
09. Des Moines Menace: (Division Leader)
08. Brave SC: (Division Leader)
07. Western Mass Pioneers
06. AHFC Royals
05. Little Rock Rangers SC: (Division Leader)
04. Ventura County Fusion: (Division Leader)

3. Seacoast United Phantoms:

(Division Leader) The Sharks needed the very last day of the regular season and a furious comeback from 0-2 down to Houston FC to finally claim the Lone Star division title over AHFC Royals. Corpus Christie boasts one of the most potent attacking pairs in 2024 with SIUE teammates Ignacio Abeal and Jacobo Sanfeliu. They’ll need them both back to top form quickly as they take on Tennessee SC in the early match this Friday.

2. Asheville City SC:

(Division Leader) The Blues should sit pretty high on anyone’s list of favorites to claim the 2024 title. The top side in the south is the highest ranked team to remain unbeaten in the regular season, and boasts top ten rankings in both goals scored and in goals allowed. If Asheville can survive a southern gauntlet that will have included a pair of Florida sides and whoever emerges from the Little Rock quad, the Blues should be in form to be the first league national titleists from the Southern Conference since 2013 (RIP Austin Aztex).

1. Seacoast United Phantoms:

(Division Leader) A regular season title is impressive in any year, any league, any division. The Phantoms claiming one while competing in, and winning, the Northeast Division for a second year straight, is the making of at least a short dynastic legacy. Stumbling once in the season cost Seacoast just 8% of possible points on the table, and they handled their biggest rivals, playoff contenders Western Mass and Vermont, to the tune of a 3-0 record in total against them. Now, the Phantoms will try and buck the trend that sees regular season titlists rarely lift the league trophy at tourney’s end.

by Ryan Stallings