The third weekend of the 2022 USL Championship season brought us some more firsts. One week after its fellow newcomer to the league Detroit City FC broke through, it was Monterey Bay F.C.’s turn to grab the spotlight, while DCFC put in another strong shift as well.

Then there were the rivalry contests, which included a pair of big road victories, and at the end of it all two teams still sitting with perfect records through three contests.

Here are 10 things we took away from the action.

1. MONTEREY BAY F.C. EARNS DRAMATIC FIRST WIN

Monterey Bay F.C. Head Coach Frank Yallop summed it up best.

“What an unbelievable roller coaster for a game, really,” he said shortly after his side had claimed a 3-2 victory against Oakland Roots SC for the club’s first official victory in the USL Championship, with Hugh Roberts’ 90th-minute winner the difference between the NorCal clubs. Everything that came before, and after, delivered the first chapter in what seems to have the makings of a strong rivalry moving forward, with Chase Boone not only scoring twice but then taking up the goalkeeper’s gloves after a late injury to Rafael Diaz when the visitors were out of substitution windows.

“It feels great man, it’s long overdue,” said Boone. “We’ve been grinding since early February, and it’s just great to do it so close to home. And then to have some of our hometown fans here makes it even better.”

MBFC still has another month on the road before it gets its debut at Cardinale Stadium. Taking its first points in such a dramatic style is going to be major for the club’s confidence moving forward.

2. LOWRY’S INDY SHOWS RESOLVE TO EARN LIPAFC POINT

Without a point and a goal in their first two outings of the season, Indy Eleven’s visit to LIPAFC rival Louisville City FC – on a run of three consecutive victories to start the season – could have added more disappointment onto the early-season struggles for the Boys in Blue.

Instead, the side earned Head Coach Mark Lowry his first point at the helm of the club in a 1-1 draw that saw the visitors withstand pressure, but leave LouCity with few clear-cut chances to grab all three points in the second half. Louisville’s 1.03xG mark was its lowest of its four games so far this season, and gave Lowry and his squad something to build on ahead of Saturday’s home opener against the LA Galaxy II.

“Traveling support; incredible. Our heart, desire & fight; unrivaled,” Lowry tweeted after the game. “It’s early days in our journey, we follow the process & strive to get better every day. Let’s pack The Mike on Saturday & make our home a fortress.”

3. SD LOYAL LOSES LEAD, FINDS ANSWER

For anyone that’s followed the USL Championship for a few seasons, the second-half rally by Phoenix Rising FC at Wild Horse Pass that saw the level of crowd noise rise noticeably after both James Musa and Luis Seijas found the net to draw level against San Diego Loyal SC would have brought a familiar feeling.

On Saturday night, though, there was a different ending. While Seijas’ equalizer – which snuck under Phoenix goalkeeper Koke Vegas from long range – could have deflated the visitors, instead they battled back. A timely first goal of the campaign from Alejandro Guido, lashed into the top-left corner of the net from the right side of the penalty area and a strong defensive display to close out the result saw SD Loyal hand Phoenix its first official defeat at its new home and rebound impressively from its midweek defeat in Tulsa.

“I think most teams come here intimidated, and we don’t,” said SD Loyal Head Coach Landon Donovan, who knows a thing or two about intimidating atmospheres. “We come here with the intention to score and beat them, and we probably should have scored five or six goals tonight but for some great goalkeeping on their end. I’m really proud of our guys, mostly because we had to travel to Tulsa, hard game in Tulsa, and they mustered up the energy, the emotional energy to just grind. After going up two goals, conceding two goals, and then to keep going and win, unbelievable performance.”

4. COLORADO SPRINGS FINDS STRUCTURE, SUCCESS

Going into the 2022 season, the attacking elements Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC had added was attracting a lot of the attention. What’s stood out most from its first three games? The structure and organization defensively that has turned the side from a must-see week-in and week-out to a team that looks like one of the better all-around teams in the Championship so far.

Consider this; after Saturday’s 2-0 win on the road against Birmingham Legion FC, Colorado Springs has notched two shutouts in its first three games but has also held its opponents to less than a 1.00xG in each contest as well. In contrast to a season ago when the Switchbacks regularly exchanged chances with opponents, resulting in nine regular season contests in which their opponent recorded an Expected Goals mark over 2.00xG, there’s a shape and discipline here that has led to the best start in club history with three wins out of three.

As the Switchbacks head to Miami next weekend, they appear to have the makings of a serious contender.

5. SAN ANTONIO SHOWS RESILIANCE, UNDERLYING NUMBERS ARE TROUBLING

At the top level, San Antonio FC’s start of three wins from three games has seen the side pick up where it left off at the end of last season, justifying its position as the preseason favorite to claim the Championship title by fivethirtyeight.com. The perseverance the side has shown – including in a hard-fought 2-1 victory against South Texas Derby rival Rio Grande Valley FC on Sunday night – is a trait that title-contending clubs need to have.

“Demonstrating resilient behavior is staying confident in the face of adversity and the face of challenges,” said SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina. “Finding solutions, never making excuses. The guys did that tonight and earned three points.”

The underlying numbers, though, say San Antonio is a side that so far has lived on fine margins, and while being able to deliver results consistently in those circumstances is admirable, it might not be sustainable. Next Saturday’s visit from Phoenix Rising FC – which itself will be desperate for a win – should be a must-see and will likely tell us more about how good SAFC actually is.

6. DETROIT CITY’S ADJUSTMENTS EARN DESERVED POINT

At halftime of its first meeting with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Detroit City FC was facing its first real challenge in the USL Championship. Down a goal and having been dominated in terms of chance creation throughout the opening 45 minutes, it was going to take a major turnaround to deliver a second consecutive result at Keyworth Stadium against a side considered a serious Eastern Conference contender.

DCFC more than delivered. After recording only one touch inside the Hounds’ penalty area in the first half, the hosts created more consistent pressure after the break, putting their opponents off-balance and eventually earning a penalty kick that Maxi Rodriguez converted to earn a point. The driver of much of the second-half improvement, Rodriguez ended the game having won 12 of 15 duels as DCFC battled back impressively.

“I think we were happy that we were finally possessing in the right areas,” Rodriguez told the Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi. “We were just eager to get an opportunity to score a goal and luckily it came, but I think it's something that we can build on.”

7. NEW MEXICO CAN’T CLOSE OUT OCSC

There’s an argument that New Mexico United should be sitting on three wins from three games at this point of the season, but despite another strong display before 10,676 fans at Isotopes Park the hosts left the door open for the defending title holders late. For a player with Cubo Torres’ quality on the field, that can come back to bite you, and in this instance it did. The former Mexico international was denied in the final minute by an excellent save from United’s Alex Tambakis, but from the ensuing corner kick, Torres’ header set up Milan Iloski’s equalizer and earned OCSC a 1-1 draw.

“My style of play that we introduce to these players, it's a lot about adaptability and being able to diversify the way we score goals, the way we play the game,” said New Mexico Head Coach Zach Prince. “You saw that tonight by us being able to be in control of the game in possession, and a lot more moments rather than, you know, being out of possession and being in control. And so, with that, I think what we learned tonight is that the game has to go two-zero. We have to take that, and you've got to learn from it.”

One of the traits that led to New Mexico missing out on the postseason a year ago was its inability to hold leads, with its 22 points dropped from winning positions the second-highest in the league. As it looks ahead to Wednesday’s game with Oakland Roots SC, it’s a trait this year’s side will need to avoid.

8. HARTFORD SHOWS DISCIPLINE IN DRAW

Hartford Athletic knew it was going to have to dig in against a Tampa Bay Rowdies attack that had been among the best in the league so far this season on Saturday night, and thanks to an excellent early goal by Joel Johnson and dogged defensive performance it was able to come away from Al Lang Stadium with a second positive result in as many seasons after a 1-1 draw.

There was no way around the Rowdies’ overall dominance of the game. The hosts not only controlled possession but comfortably won the individual battles (57.8 percent of duels, 61.3 percent of aerial duels). Despite that, Hartford’s resilience showed as the Rowdies delivered 37 crosses – not a record amount, but certainly up there – and Hartford repelled most of them, recording 42 clearances as the Rowdies had only five successful deliveries.

Head Coach Harry Watling’s side is going to want to show more as it returns home next weekend but getting that first point on the board in a challenging environment will be a nice boost.

9. MEMPHIS SLOWS DOWN LAS VEGAS’ ATTACK

Having seen what other clubs had endured from Las Vegas Lights FC’s quick, counterattacking style, Memphis 901 FC set itself up for success as it visited Cashman Field on Saturday night. Playing with both center backs Graham Smith and Niall Logue consistently deep – leaving Las Vegas’ attacking trio of Danny Trejo, Cal Jennings and Danny Musovski less room to get in behind to wreak havoc – Memphis limited the hosts to only two shots on target and eight shots overall.

When Jeremy Kelly delivered his first goal of the season after a fine through-ball by Laurent Kissiedou early in the second half, it proved all 901 FC would need to take its second consecutive victory. As Memphis and Head Coach Ben Pirmann get set to return to his old stomping grounds at Detroit City FC next week, expect an interesting tactical battle once again.

10. LOUDOUN’S DEFENSE CONTINUES TO SHINE

If you want the biggest contrast between the 2021 Championship regular season and the start of the 2022 campaign, you’ll find it at Segra Field. After conceding a league-high 78 goals a campaign ago – an average of 2.44 goals per game – Loudoun United FC has opened this season with three consecutive shutouts after a 0-0 draw against Miami FC on Saturday night at FIU Stadium.

The third clean sheet in a row didn’t come without some controversy – Miami believed it had taken the lead early on but was denied after Paco Craig was ruled to have fouled the goalkeeper as Luca Antonelli’s header found the net – but Loudoun was stout otherwise, limiting the hosts to only a 0.60xG and without an official shot on target. It’s still early days, but Loudoun is clearly the biggest surprise package of the season so far.