Welcome back to the Western Conference Roundup, the weekly article where we take a look around the Western Conference to see how each team did last week, what it means for Sacramento, and the best possible outcomes for the following week. This week was a doozy—nearly every result went right for Republic and the entire middle and bottom part of the table was shaken up. Let’s dive in!
First, let’s take a look at the Western Conference table after Match Day 25, leading into Match Day 26:
1) FC Tulsa - 1-1 draw vs Birmingham
Next Match: Away against New Mexico (3rd in the West)
FC Tulsa dropped two points at home against Birmingham and now find their lead in the West slowly dwindling. A big match up comes up next on the road at New Mexico, who are themselves looking to compete for the top of the West. This is a weird match for Republic fans—in many ways, a draw would be best, as it slows Tulsa down and keeps New Mexico off Sacramento’s tail. With only six games left in the season, gaining ground on Tulsa is more important than worrying about New Mexico, who Republic are ahead of. A New Mexico win would give Sacramento a way to take the top spot.
Best Republic Outcome: Tulsa loss at New Mexico (Draw would be ok)
2) Sacramento Republic - 2-0 win at Tampa Bay
Next Match: Home against Phoenix (10th in the East)
Republic still sits solidly in second place; while they didn’t move in the table, Tulsa’s draw with Birmingham means Republic is now only six points off of first place, with a game in hand over Tulsa. A 2-0 win against Tampa Bay kept the Quails moving forward, and they’ll need a win over Phoenix to keep the pressure on. You can read our match recap here:
And our tactical analysis here:
A win at home over Phoenix is a must to keep putting the pressure on Tulsa.
Best Republic Outcome: A win, of course
3) New Mexico - 1-0 win at San Antonio, 4-0 win vs Detroit
Next Match: Home against FC Tulsa (1st in the West)
A two-game week saw New Mexico break out of their slide in a big way, with six total points, five goals, and two clean sheets. These performances are nothing to sneeze at either—San Antonio and Detroit are both real threats in their respective conferences. The four-goal beat down of Detroit was especially impressive, and New Mexico moved up five places in the table to third. They now take on first place Tulsa. The rest of the West, with first place largely out of reach, will be hoping for a Tulsa win to keep New Mexico down—but Republic fans should be rooting for a New Mexico win (or a draw) to reign Tulsa back into Sacramento’s reach.
Best Republic Outcome: New Mexico win vs FC Tulsa (Draw would be ok)
4) El Paso - 2-1 loss vs Loudoun United
Next Match: Away against North Carolina (4th in the East)
After giving up two early goals to Loudoun, a 66th minute goal gave El Paso a chance at home—until a very harsh second yellow to their center back put them on the backfoot the rest of the match. El Paso holds on to a home playoff position by just a single point—and the rest of the West will be hoping they drop further with a loss against Eastern Conference opposition.
Best Republic Outcome: El Paso loss at North Carolina
5) Lexington - 2-1 win vs North Carolina
Next Match: Home against Orange County (9th in the West)
Lexington’s 2-1 win over NC moved them up two slots in the table, where they sit just one point out of a home playoff place—not bad for your first season in the Championship, eh? Still, despite Lexington winning four of their last five matches, they just can’t seem to break away from the pack in the middle of the table. Most of the teams around them will be hoping they draw with Orange County.
Best Republic Outcome: Draw against Orange County
6) Phoenix Rising - 0-0 draw vs Las Vegas
Next Match: Away against Sacramento (2nd in the West)
Phoenix’s attack was mitigated by a stingy Las Vegas defense, who held Phoenix to a scoreless draw despite the home squad having 63% possession. It almost certainly feels like a lost two points to the Rising, who drop a spot in the table and remain just two points above the playoff line. They now travel away to Sacramento, who haven’t lost at home since the beginning of June. Teams just under the playoff line will be hoping for a Sacramento victory, teams at the top of the table will be hoping for a Phoenix victory, and everyone else will be hoping for a draw. Republic fans, of course, will be rooting for their home side as they return to Heart Health Park.
Best Republic Outcome: Phoenix loss at Sacramento
7) San Antonio - 1-0 loss vs New Mexico
Next Match: Away against Loudoun (3rd in the East)
Where one team's skid ends, another team’s continues. In a battle between two teams that hadn’t won a game in over a month and a half, San Antonio came out worse for wear, picking up a 31st minute red card and falling to New Mexico 1-0. Now down to seventh place, San Antonio is now only two points above the playoff line. An away game in DC against a Loudoun team coming off of back to back wins will prove to be a challenge.
Best Republic Outcome: San Antonio loss at Loudoun
8) Colorado Springs - 2-1 win vs Monterey Bay
Next Match: Away against Tampa Bay (11th in the East)
A come from behind 2-1 victory over bottom dwellers Monterey this past weekend moved Colorado up a slot in the table, where they currently reside in the last playoff spot. A cross-country trip to Tampa Bay awaits them this week, where the rest of the west will be hoping they drop points to a struggling Rowdies side.
Best Republic Outcome: Colorado Springs loss at Tampa Bay
9) Orange County - 4-1 loss at Detroit
Next Match: Away against Lexington (5th in the West)
Orange County took a punch to the mouth in Detroit, losing 4-1 despite leading the game in possession, shots, passes, and corners. They’ve now conceded eight goals in their last two matches while scoring five—at least the games are entertaining! Next up is a Lexington side with the third-fewest goals for in the West and the fourth-fewest goals against. The rest of the West will be hoping the two sides to split the points, which wouldn’t move either team up in the table.
Best Republic Outcome: Draw at Lexington
10) Las Vegas - 0-0 draw at Phoenix
Next Match: Home against Miami (12th in the East)
Vegas continued a more positive run of form, taking two points away from Phoenix that Phoenix really needed. Sitting on 24 points with 7 games left to play, Vegas surprisingly still have a chance to sneak into the playoffs, despite a -21 goal difference, the worst in the entire USL-C. To make things even better, they now host a Miami team that is potentially the worst team overall in USL. There’s still hope here, just enough to make the rest of the playoff bubble teams a bit nervous.
Best Republic Outcome: Vegas loss against Miami.
11) Oakland Roots - 2-0 loss vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Next Match: Away against Charleston Battery (2nd in the East)
Oakland lose at home to Pittsburgh, and slide another spot down the table. Six points out of the playoff race, Oakland needs a complete turn around in the final eight games to eek out a playoff appearance that is seemingly increasingly unlikely. On the bright side, their odds are better than Monterey. With a few other clubs sliding, there is still a little bit of hope to sneak into eighth place.
Best Republic Outcome: Oakland loss at Charleston (Win if SRFC wants to host Oakland in 1st round)
12) Monterey Bay - 2-1 loss at Colorado Springs
Next Match: Home against Hartford (5th in the East)
Another week, another loss for Monterey. To make matters worse, they’re now last in the west, six points out of a playoff spot, and they have two games more played than nearly every team above them. With only six games left in their season, things are looking bleak. At least their season ticket holders will get a 20% refund?
Best Republic Outcome: Sadly... Does it really matter?
What to Watch
The most anticipated matchup of the week is easily New Mexico hosting Tulsa. Both teams are in a spot where they really need the three points—and while Tulsa’s been sliding the last two weeks, New Mexico is flying high. Unfortunately, this match is Saturday at 6pm PST, with the Republic match starting at 7pm PST. We recommend catching the beginning of this one before switching over to the Quails.
For those of you looking to catch more USL action this weekend, both Pittsburgh hosting Louisville and Rhode Island hosting Indy XI (4pm PST on Saturday) will be fun matchups. Pittsburgh’s beautiful stadium always makes for a fantastic backdrop and the Riverhounds hope to push for a home playoff game while facing the best team in USL. Rhode Island meanwhile will be hoping to leap frog Indy XI into the last playoff position—while Indy XI try to stave off their last real challenger for that spot.
Whatever games you choose to watch, this weekend is pivotal in the playoff races of both conferences. With eight games remaining, virtually every playoff spot is still open, and no teams have yet been officially eliminated.