The Real Monarchs paid a visit to the Pacific Northwest on Saturday to take on last place Portland Timbers 2 for the third and final time in 2017. The Monarchs were held to a scoreless draw at Providence Park to remain in the fourth spot in the USL’s weekly Power Rankings despite being the only team in the league to have officially clinched a playoff berth. Check out what the pundits had to say about the Monarchs below:
“The Monarchs remain in the driver’s set to claim the regular season championship, but their next two outings against Phoenix Rising FC and Orange County SC teams fighting for a place in the postseason are looking a little trickier. Draws for both Reno and San Antonio were a silver lining on Saturday after a performance that saw it comfortably outshot by a Portland Timbers 2 side that has been eliminated from the playoff race.
The Monarchs became the first side to clinch a spot in the playoffs last week despite seeing San Antonio FC snatch victory with two late goals but have now gone consecutive games without a victory for the third time this season, two of which have come in seven matches since the final day of July. Offensive inconsistency has contributed to the lull as Mark Briggs’ side has now been kept off the scoresheet three times during the stretch.”
Next up on the docket for Real Monarchs is a trip to Phoenix to take on the Rising for the third time this season. The Monarchs are 1-0-1 against the Rising this season after winning the season’s home opener 2-0 before drawing 1-1 at Phoenix in late June. Monarchs will look to jump back into the top spot in the power rankings, a spot they are very familiar in holding.
Click on the picture below to check out the latest USL power rankings:
