Hartford Athletic is hosting its first-ever “Green Out” at Trinity Health Stadium on Saturday for the matchup against Oakland Roots SC as the team continues to pursue a postseason berth for the first time since 2020.
Welcome to the most recent iteration of the Terminix-sponsored USL Championship Race to the Playoffs, where we offer weekly updates on each team’s progress towards the October 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.
The Charleston Battery, who secured their postseason berth this past weekend, may be joined by New Mexico United on Wednesday night following a pivotal match between the top two teams in the Western Conference. By the end of the week, New Mexico United could secure a top-two position in the East and is guaranteed a top-four finish.
We are appreciative to our friend John Morrissey at USL Tactics for supplying the playoff projection data this season. Here are some games to watch this weekend, along with a summary of everyone’s positions.
Wednesday night’s game between New Mexico and Sacramento, which could tip the scales in the race for first place, is their first meeting of the season. You would prefer United to continue and claim first if New Mexico wins at home and increases its lead to ten points, or if the game ends in a draw and leaves seven points separating the two teams. We could be in for a fierce battle if Republic FC prevails and closes the gap to four points with a game remaining and a home match against them at the end of the month.
After losing in Memphis, North Carolina is in a situation where it needs to win, especially in a game like this where it can catch up to a team that is in the East’s playoff picture. Against El Paso last weekend, Indianapolis looked more like its mid-season self, and as it approaches, it leads NCFC by seven points. The Boys in Blue would be well-positioned for the playoffs and possibly a top-four finish with a victory.
The Western Conference results from the previous weekend have created a race between five teams for the final two spots; as the week gets underway, the only point differential between Monterey Bay and Orange County is just two. On Saturday night, OCSC secured a much-needed victory to reclaim eighth place, while Monterey Bay, following a draw with Las Vegas, has lost its last nine games. It would be enormous if Orange County could finish the season sweep of the show. Should Monterey Bay emerge victorious, things might get even more crazy.
This matchup between the previous two USL championship title winners could not have been predicted to have such a significant impact on who advances to the playoffs and who doesn’t, but that is exactly what it is. With its first back-to-back victories of the year, San Antonio is positioned to tie FC Tulsa and Orange County for points. Due to its defeat in Sacramento, Phoenix was only two points ahead of those three teams, which put it in a vulnerable position. The pressure will decrease slightly if Rising prevails. If San Antonio prevails, it might be ahead of the playoff line and have the momentum to extend its winning streak.
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