There’s never been a more thrilling night of USL Championship playoff action than what we got on Saturday. Two multi-goal comebacks decided the Eastern Conference semifinals; the West was more lopsided, but it featured the best team soccer we’ve seen this postseason. In the end, we landed on two terrific matchups to come next weekend.
Who’s got the best chance to win it all among the four clubs left standing, and what went wrong for their eliminated peers? Let’s dig in.
1. New Mexico United
Result: 4-0 win v. Colorado Springs
Last season, a hot New Mexico offense ran up against a buzzsaw in the form of FC Tulsa's high-flying press and crashed out of the postseason. This weekend, United's task was to prevent history from repeating itself. The Colorado Springs Switchbacks offered themselves up as an equally fearsome opponent, providing a litmus test for New Mexico on the biggest possible stage.
United made it look easy last weekend against Phoenix Rising’s ramshackle press; Colorado Springs, by contrast, had an extra man through the midfield and brought a far higher level of organization to bear. Even so, manager Dennis Sanchez rightly identified that quick breaks behind the wingbacks in the Switchbacks' 3-1-4-2 could cause trouble. New Mexico essentially built a 2-3-2-3, and the calculus was simple. If you could break behind a wingback or hit one of your No. 8s through lines, it would force a defensive step and bring Colorado Springs’ back three crashing down like a Jenga tower.
Charlie Dennis and @NewMexicoUTD strike in 90 seconds at The Lab! ⏳ pic.twitter.com/nfzhF69SMT
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) November 8, 2026
That advantage became evident moments after the match began, with left back Chris Gloster stirring the drink. Gloster put up 6.4 final-third entries per 90 in the regular season, and his ability to receive, break a line, and force the entire Colorado Springs defense into aimless rotation was critical. When that happened in the second minute, winger Joseph Melto was thus able to receive in behind with linemates Greg Hurst and Charlie Dennis forging ahead alongside him; those players had a man advantage on the two remaining center backs, allowing Dennis to find a far-post tap-in.
