Welcome to the Western Conference Roundup, a new series of articles where we’ll be taking a look around the Western Conference every Thursday to see how the opposition is faring in the table. Join us as we take a look at how each team did last week, what it means for Republic, and the best possible outcomes for the following week.
First, let’s take a look at the Western Conference table and whose moving up and whose falling down:
1) FC Tulsa - 2-0 loss at Colorado
Next Match: Home against Birmingham Legion (11th in the East)
FC Tulsa lost last week to 9th place Colorado, a major development if you’re any other team in the West. The dropped 3 points suddenly gives Sacramento a lifeline to cling to, trailing first place by only 8 points with a game in hand. An upcoming game against an Eastern Conference foe in Birmingham means Republic fans should be rooting for Tulsa to drop points again this week.
Best Republic Outcome: Tulsa loss against Birmingham
2) Sacramento Republic - 2-0 win at New Mexico
Next Match: Away against Tampa Bay (10th in the East)
No movement in the table this week for the boys in Old Glory Red, but they did gain ground on first place Tulsa. You can read our match recap here:
And our tactical analysis here:
Best Republic Outcome: A win, of course
3) El Paso - 3-3 draw at Phoenix
Next Match: Home against Loudoun (3rd in the East)
A hectic game in Phoenix allowed El Paso to rescue a point on the road. Trailing 3-0 in the 53rd minute, a Phoenix red card in the 63rd minute allowed El Paso to score 2 goals late in the game, before dragging their way all the way back with a goal to steal a point in the 90th+8 minute. A draw here is great for Republic, as neither team was able to really gain ground in the table. For next week, as is usual when a team in the West plays a team in the East, Republic will be hoping El Paso drops points to Loudoun to keep them off Sacramento’s tail.
Best Republic Outcome: El Paso loss against Loudoun
4) San Antonio - 1-1 draw at Detroit
Next Match: Home against New Mexico (7th in the West)
A 1-1 draw on the road in Detroit will feel like a win to a San Antonio team that was played off the pitch. The point is also positive for Sacramento, though a loss would have been preferred. Coming up, San Antonio will host a sliding New Mexico who are now winless in 8 USL-C matches. Sacramento will be hoping for a draw so that neither team moves up the table.
Best Republic Outcome: Draw with New Mexico
5) Phoenix Rising - 3-3 draw vs El Paso
Next Match: Home against Las Vegas (12th in the West)
Phoenix drew El Paso in a game that will certainly feel like a loss, especially at home. After a 63rd minute red card, the Phoenix defense completely broke down and allowed 3 goals late in the match to drop 2 much needed points that would have put them into position for a home playoff game. With Las Vegas so far back in the standings, a Lights win next week would be a major boon to almost everyone in the West.
Best Republic Outcome: Loss vs Las Vegas
6) Orange County - 4-4 draw vs Birmingham
Next Match: Away against Detroit (6th in the East)
Orange County was the team in the West with the most movement this past week, moving up two spots in the table after a crazy, wild, 4-4 draw at home against Birmingham. Seriously, we’re talking about a game where OC had THIS own goal. OC will now travel to Detroit, where everyone in the West will be hoping they drop 3 points.
Best Republic Outcome: Loss at Detroit
7) Lexington - 1-0 loss at Las Vegas
Next Match: Home against North Carolina (4th in the East)
Lexington lost to… Las Vegas?? That is a big 3 points dropped to the worst team in the West, even on the road. What makes it worse for Lexington is that Vegas won without a single shot on target - their only goal was a Lexington own goal! With Lexington on the playoff bubble, and with 2 extra games already played, teams like New Mexico, Colorado, and OC will be hoping Lexington drops more points.
Best Republic Outcome: Loss vs North Carolina
8) New Mexico - 2-0 loss vs Sacramento
Next Match: Away against San Antonio (4th in the West)
The hits keep coming for New Mexico, who are now winless in their last eight USL-C matches. An away match against San Antonio doesn’t give hope for a turn around anytime soon. For Sacramento especially, the clubs splitting the points is the best outcome here, though a few teams below New Mexico will be pulling for an SAFC win.
Best Republic Outcome: Draw at San Antonio
9) Colorado Springs - 2-0 win vs FC Tulsa
Next Match: Home against Monterey (11th in the West)
A surprise 2-0 victory against the best team in the West broke the Switchbacks back into the playoff race, where they are just out of a playoff spot by goal difference. Colorado is far enough down in the table that the outcome of this match isn’t that important to Republic, but Colorado’s title winning season last year showed how dangerous they can be down the stretch. Splitting points or a Monterey win is preferred.
Best Republic Outcome: Draw or Loss vs Monterey
10) Oakland Roots - 1-0 win vs Monterey
Next Match: Home against Pittsburgh Riverhounds (7th in the East)
Oakland pulled out a 1-0 win over 11th in the table Monterey, but they’ll need to keep winning games with some consistency if they want to try and get back into a playoff position. If Republic fans want a chance at a home rivalry game in the playoffs, they’ll want Oakland to move into a playoff position; otherwise, they’ll be looking for Oakland to drop the points.
From a USL perspective, a sold out home playoff game in the Oakland Coliseum would be an instant marketing hit - but the chances of that happening this year are getting slimmer by the day.
Best Republic Outcome: Loss at Pittsburgh (A win if you want to host Oakland)
11) Monterey Bay - 1-0 loss at Oakland
Next Match: Away against Colorado Springs (9th in the West)
A loss at Oakland continues Monterey’s down-slide and they’re now winless in 7, with that last win being way back on July 11th. The main playoff issue for MB is that they have 2 or 3 more games played than anyone around them in the table, and that could drop them further down the table as soon as those games get made up. A win against Colorado would give them a lifeline, and Colorado dropping points would be a boon to New Mexico and Oakland, but the rest of the West would probably prefer a draw.
Best Republic Outcome: Win or Draw at Colorado Springs
12) Las Vegas - 1-0 win vs Lexington
Next Match: Away against Phoenix (5th in the West)
A shocking win against Lexington, in a game where they had zero shots on target, doesn’t seem like much more than a consolation prize for a Vegas team that certainly hoped for much more than this out of the 2025 season. The rest of the West will be hoping for Vegas to poach points against everyone else where they can. Maybe Vegas can play spoiler somewhere?
Best Republic Outcome: Win at Phoenix
This week’s slate brings several interesting match-ups, with half the Western Conference squaring off against Eastern Conference opponents. For Republic fans keeping an eye on the playoff race - or just looking to catch more USL action - be sure to watch Phoenix host Vegas on Friday night. Then, once Sacramento’s match wraps up on Saturday, flip over to catch the second half of San Antonio vs. New Mexico to see how the Western Conference continues to take shape.