Quail City Soccer Western Conference Power Rankings: Week 5
The West is already starting to split into tiers, but not always in the ways anyone expected.
A few early contenders are beginning to separate themselves, some preseason favorites are wobbling, and several teams still feel one good result away from changing the entire conversation. With small sample sizes still shaping the narrative, every point matters and every overreaction feels just a little more justified.
Here’s where things stand after another chaotic week in the USL Championship Western Conference.
1: El Paso Locomotive FC (3-0-1) ⬆️1
Last match: 3-2 win vs Las Vegas
I mean, sure they’ll take the win at home, but they very much could have done without giving up 2 goals to a bad Vegas team. That being said, the 2 goals allowed were from uncharacteristically bad goalkeeping and defending, and the Locomotive haven’t lost a game yet this year. Things are going just fine.
2: Orange County SC (3-1-2) ⬆️1
Last match: 1-0 loss vs New Mexico, 2-0 win vs San Antonio
What a roller coaster. Leading up to this weekend, OC had scored exactly 1 goal in every single match - which was just enough to keep them undefeated. That slim margin finally faltered this weekend as they failed to score their expected goal and fell 1-0 to New Mexico. But fortunes turned midweek - they handed San Antonio their first loss of the season in a very convincing 2-0 win at home.
3: Sacramento Republic FC (2-1-2) ⬆️3
Last match: 2-0 win vs Phoenix
It was a strong start for the Quails, as they came out firing to put 2 goals up in 25 minutes. They then sat back and were under fire themselves for the final 45 minute - but held firm and got the win and the clean sheet. It’s a good pallet cleanser after the loss against El Paso, but there’s still a ways to go if they want to fight for the top of the table.
4: New Mexico United (2-2-0) ➡️
Last match: 1-0 win at Orange County
2 wins in 2 games for New Mexico sees them shooting up the league table - with 2 games in hand still over most of the opposition. Was the penalty a bit soft? Sure, but that hardly matters when you put up a clean sheet against a team that has scored in every match of the season. I’d call New Mexico "quietly optimistic”.
5: Oakland Roots SC (2-1-1) ➡️
Last match: Bye
A bye week is a good chance to reset for Oakland, who started hot but now have just 1 point in the last 2 matches. They now travel cross country to Tampa, where they’ll play a Rowdies team that’s been all but invincible.
6: San Antonio FC (3-1-2) ⬇️5
Last match: 0-0 draw at Monterey Bay, 2-0 loss at Orange County
Oof. That’s a rough week. A 0-0 draw at the worst team in the entire USL and then a 2-0 loss at Orange County makes for a very poor West Coast trip. They’ve now gone 300 minutes without scoring a goal - even though they remain at the top of the table, they need to get the goal scoring going or they are very quickly going to tumble.
7: FC Tulsa (1-1-2) ➡️
Last match: Bye
On a bye this week, Tulsa is now undefeated in 3 straight. A match up against OC who played midweek is a perfect opportunity to keep that going.
8: Colorado Springs Switchbacks (1-2-2) ⬆️3
Last match: 1-1 draw vs Lexington
They’ll take the draw at home, even if it came from a late PK that was a bit soft. That said, the Switchbacks were slightly the better team on the day and deserved a point. They’re in for a tough mid-table slog this year.
9: Lexington SC (1-2-2) ⬆️1
Last match: 1-1 draw at Colorado
On the road in Colorado, Lexington settled for yet another game without 3 points - this draw was their first road points of the year at all! They’ll count themselves unlucky to give up a soft PK, but surely you’d expect the biggest spender of the offseason to be averaging more than 1 goal scored a game.
10: Monterey Bay FC (0-3-2) ⬆️2
Last match: 0-0 draw vs San Antonio
It feels very weird to call a draw the “upset of the week”, but a Monterey team that entered the match with a single point just held the best team in the West to a 0-0 draw. It wasn’t pretty, Monterey hardly touched the ball, but their sit-back-and-counter strategy gave them a few solid chances and kept San Antonio from getting a single shot on target. It’s the rare nil-nil draw that feels like a win.
11: Las Vegas Lights FC (1-3-1) ⬇️3
Last match: 3-2 loss at El Paso
Well, you’ll certainly never be bored if you turn on a Lights game. In 5 matches, they’ve lost 3-2 *three times*. Vegas is very good at scoring goals - with 8 goals in 5 games. They are also very good at letting goals in - with 10 goals allowed in 5 games. If they can ever figure out this defense, they could have something here. Until then, they’ll at least continue to have some very entertaining games.
12: Phoenix Rising FC (0-3-2) ⬇️3
Last match: 2-0 loss at Sacramento
The search for a first win of the season was all but dead within the first 25 minutes of the match this week. Even still, there was some hope to head home with a draw - but several missed chances, including one point blank in front of the keeper, sent the Rising home without any points. It’s a long way up from down here.
If the opening stretch has proven anything, it’s that the West may be far less predictable than expected.
The margins remain thin, but patterns are starting to emerge: El Paso looks like the early standard, Sacramento may finally be finding its footing, and clubs like San Antonio and Phoenix are learning quickly that reputation means very little once the season settles in. With fixtures piling up and the table tightening, expect even more movement in the weeks ahead.
