The long weekend of action in the USL Championship’s Western Conference saw a reshaping of the Mountain Division playoff race and a pair of notable road victories on Sunday in the Pacific. Here are five takeaways from what we saw over the past three days.

RIVAS PROVIDES KEY AS NEW MEXICO UNLOCKS VICTORY

It might not have shown up on the scoresheet on Saturday night in the way Josh Suggs’ goal and assist did, or the tallies by Devon Sandoval and Chris Wehan, but you could make a very good argument that the player who provided the key to New Mexico United’s 3-2 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC was Sergio Rivas. While the nominal attacking midfielder has been used in numerous roles this season for the side, his play alongside Micheal Azira both distributing possession and regaining the ball was at the heart of a much-needed win for the hosts at Isotopes Park that snapped a seven-game winless streak and could re-energize the side’s playoff aspirations.

“I think the change on the night tonight, with Sergio going into the middle of the field was to have someone that was a little more vertical, a little more active on the dribble. And you were able to see that,” said New Mexico Head Coach Troy Lesesne. “There was the combination between him and Mike - a good balance between those two in the middle of the field. And Sergio being able to pick the ball up like he did and find Suggsy on one particular play to score a goal is what he's capable of. He was able to execute, and I think that was the right combination for tonight's match.”

Rivas notched an assist on Suggs’ goal late in the first half, but his ability to set the tempo was notable. The former Cibola High standout completed 46 of 52 passes overall while winning 6 of 7 duels, with the verticality he brought helping United record 11 of its 15 shots for the game inside the penalty area. New Mexico has at times this season – especially during its recent winless run – struggled to find that attacking penetration consistently. With Rivas in his more central role, it could have found a solution to that problem.

SACRAMENTO’S SECOND HALF EARNS VALUABLE VICTORY

There was not, in all honesty, much to write home about from Sacramento Republic FC’s first-half performance at Las Vegas Lights FC on Sunday night. The side had created only one clear chance, an early effort by Dan Casey that was saved, and had only three shots to show for a middling display. By contrast, the second half display that saw the side show both drive and quality – highlighted by excellent goals from Luis Felipe Fernandes and Julian Chavez – earned a 3-1 victory that boosted the side to within four points of the playoff positions in the USL Championship’s Pacific Division.

“Tonight was a tale of two halves,” said Republic FC Head Coach Mark Briggs. “The first half could have been a lot better, but in the second half we played with the intensity, we showed a desire, and we showed urgency. And we showed quality- we scored three quality goals just because we showed urgency and we wanted it.”

The differences from one half to another have arguably been the biggest stumbling block for Sacramento as it pursues an eighth consecutive trip to the postseason. It was at play on Wednesday night when the side saw the LA Galaxy II rally back to take a lead before Cameron Iwasa’s late penalty kick salvaged a point in the side’s first game of its road trip, and has occurred regularly throughout the season otherwise. There can be room for optimism after the high of Sunday night’s ending, but Republic FC is still going to have to produce better 90-minute performances over its 11 remaining games to get where it wants to go.

SD LOYAL’S HERTZOG REACHES LANDMARK, COULD SEE SPARK IN FORM

While officially according to the lineup list produced by San Diego Loyal SC the side was playing in a 4-5-1 on Sunday against the LA Galaxy II at Torero Stadium, as supporters group The Locals noted it could just as easily have been a 4-1-5 given the number of attacking players that were included in the list of midfielders in the starting lineup. That certainly bore out as Augustine Williams bagged a third goal since his arrival as well as an assist as the side looked produced some fluid soccer in the final third to earn a 4-2 victory.

Maybe the most notable performance of the afternoon, though, was that of Corey Hertzog, who notched a pair of goals and moved into a tie with former Charlotte Independence legend Jorge Herrera for second in the Championship’s scoring list with 72 regular-season goals in his career. 

“I want to get that number one spot but as long as we get those three points every weekend, I am happy. It was good,” said Hertzog after the game. “I felt that we played really well in the first half and scored the goals that we needed. Those type of goals really propel our team. You have Augie (Augustine Williams) scoring goals, you have Dougie (Douglas Martinez) on the right and Miggy (Miguel Ibarra) on the left it makes my job easy because I know where I need to be. It opens up my game with what they do. It’s good to have that freedom.”

While it might be difficult for Hertzog to earn that No. 1 spot on the scoring chart – current Independence forward Dane Kelly is still 23 goals ahead on 95 and counting for his career – getting Hertzog into a groove would be big for SD Loyal’s final third of the season. Two years ago, he notched 12 goals in 18 games to close the regular season with Reno 1868 FC and has scored four goals in his past three playoff outings before moving to San Diego this offseason. That sort of production could earn a top-two finish in the Pacific, and a shot at a playoff run.

ORANGE COUNTY DISAPPOINTED, BUT CONTINUE UPWARD PROGRESSION

Orange County SC became the latest team to learn about the inevitability of El Paso Locomotive FC on Friday night as the visitors to Championship Soccer Stadium scored a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw that denied OCSC what would have been a notable victory and another boost to their playoff chances in the Pacific Division.

While that was a disappointment for interim Head Coach Richard Chaplow, the fact that the goal came on the lone shot on goal the visitors recorded in the second half was evidence that Orange County is starting to get back to the side it believed it was capable of being when this season began. While it didn’t result in three points this time, it certainly feels as though the ship has been steadied in a positive manner with the side three games undefeated since Chaplow took the reins.

“It's been more of a case of you know, just trying to get us back doing what I think these boys can do which is playing the soccer that we saw tonight,” he said after the game. “It’s putting in defensive performance that we saw tonight and unfortunately I think we can see probably actually two poor goals. I think the first one is avoidable if we have a better shape around the box. [There are] things we can learn from [this] going forward and that definitely for me sends a message out, if they're cruising in the Mountain [Division] which is supposed to be a strong conference, and we've just played them off the park, then that tells us where we're at.”

MATTOCKS MAKES EARLY MARK FOR PHOENIX

According to Phoenix Rising FC’s Twitter stream, new arrival Darren Mattocks told Head Coach Rick Schantz he owed him a pair of goals this week ahead of the side’s visit to Tacoma Defiance. Within the first half of his first start for Rising FC, the Jamaican forward proved good as his word with a pair of goals that paved the way for a 3-1 victory at Cheney Stadium, making Phoenix the first visiting side to take victory in Tacoma this season.

Getting off the mark after missing out in his debut against New Mexico United the prior weekend will certainly be good for Mattocks, who arrived as a de facto replacement for departed forward Rufat Dadashov last month. The veteran brings plenty of experience to Rising FC, but there’s no substitute for seeing the ball hit the back of the net to help even someone with Mattocks’ resume to start to feel good about his new spot in the middle of a consistently prolific attack.

“Darren Mattocks is certainly a difference-maker,” Schantz told Owain Evans. “He’s extremely explosive, you can see his ability to jump and finish crosses, tenacity. He’s still not fully fit, which for us to get him about 85-90 minutes was unbelievable. He sees the game at a really, really high level. So we’re going to have to get used to playing with him, but I think we’re going to see more of that from Darren.”