In the USL Championship’s Western Conference, merely two wins separate third place from 10th place with five weeks to play. That’s the gap between eighth and ninth in the East. The competitive landscape across the two conferences couldn’t be more different, but the race for the playoffs (and for playoff seeding) remains in flux across the map.
Which teams made their case as contenders in Week 29? Whose playoff hopes are in doubt? I’m ranking all 25 clubs in the Championship to see where every team lands after an action-packed weekend.
1. El Paso Locomotive
Trending: No change
Result: 3-1 win at Phoenix
Winning seven matches in a row in a league as mercurial as the USL Championship is no mean feat, and El Paso came out looking to make it eight against Phoenix in Week 29. The Locomotive have been the division’s hottest team for a lot of reasons, but a mix of “next man up” effort and star power has broadly defined their recent success. That combo loomed large in Arizona on Saturday night.
Manager Junior Gonzalez’s most consequential change saw defender-slash-holder Carl Sainte enter the heart of his back line. Sainte spent time away at the World Cup over the summer, but he’s never locked down a starting spot on either side of that absence. Whether his start against Phoenix was a nod to Sainte’s rangy coverage or a man-management choice to let the Haitian international prove his mettle against his old club, it worked. Sainte paired with Tony Alfaro and Noah Dollenmayer to bring no-nonsense passing against Rising’s man press and a confident backstop behind their own front end.
Another day, another goal for Rubio Rubín as he gives @eplocomotivefc the early lead! 🚂 pic.twitter.com/SxHv8gPH8d
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) September 20, 2026
The Locomotive came out hot in the press, trying to use the front three of Amando Moreno, Rubio Rubin, and Alex Mendez to stop Phoenix cold at the back. Gonzalez’s 3-4-3 could send help from the wingback spots if Phoenix tried to bend up the sideline, but that kind of rotation could open gaps in behind. El Paso successfully walked that tightrope. In the 11th minute, pressure driven by Mendez and an advanced pivot forced a long ball and let Sainte put in an agile interception. Immediately after the takeaway, the Locomotive pushed into Moreno and Rubin, wasting no time in taking the lead.
El Paso doubled up with a wingback-led breakaway where the gravity of the forwards left a wide-open Eric Calvillo free to score off a trailing run from the midfield. They added a third goal in garbage time, with Rubin punctuating an end-to-end break. Along the way, it was the balance of the Sainte-led back three that stood out – something you’d never have expected from this El Paso team three months ago.
2. Hartford Athletic
Trending: No change
Result: 2-0 win v. Jacksonville, 1-1 draw at Las Vegas
In the 41 days between August 9th and September 19th, Hartford Athletic played 10 matches. No team in the USL has been busier during that stretch, yet you’d never know it. Hartford made it 10 games unbeaten across Week 29, continuing to establish their status as a legitimate title contender along the way.
