USL Super League SUNRISE Power Rankings: Week 25

Because the world (obviously) needs another power ranking, we at RBLR have devised SUNRISE – the Spreadsheet of UNReliable Information & Suspicious Explanations. This system blends individual player ratings (per 90 stats, weighted by position), current team form, an ELO rating based on head-to-head matchups, and some other secret sauce we won’t be revealing anytime soon.

By pulling from different metrics, SUNRISE isn’t just about who won – it’s about how they won. It values the quality of a victory, recognizes strong performances even in losses, and gives credit (or blame) where it’s due for every player on the pitch.

If a team ranks higher in SUNRISE than in the actual league table, it probably means they’re playing better than their results suggest. Maybe they’re creating a ton of chances (high xG) but just can’t finish, or they’ve had to battle through a brutal schedule and still held their own (strong ELO rating). Their player ratings might also suggest they have a solid squad, even if the results haven’t gone their way yet.

Sometimes, it’s just bad luck. Maybe they keep smacking the post, running into goalkeepers having the game of their lives, or conceding goals at the worst possible times. A team that’s actually defending well but keeps getting burned by one-off mistakes or unlucky bounces might look better in the data than they do in the standings.

Schedule and form matter too. A team that’s had to grind through a gauntlet of top-tier opponents could be much better than their league position suggests. On the flip side, a squad on a hot streak could shoot up the rankings even if they started slow.

Bottom line: the table doesn’t always tell the full story – that’s exactly why power rankings exist.

Here’s this week’s ranking (and our first) after Week 24 has concluded: