Week 2 of the USL Championship season kicks off on Wednesday night as El Paso Locomotive FC hosts Monterey Bay F.C. at Southwest University Park at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+ | SiriusXM FC) in the second game of a three-game homestand to start the season.

Here are three things to watch for as Monterey Bay takes to the field for the first time this season.

1. LOCOS LOOK TO REBOUND

El Paso Locomotive FC suffered a third consecutive home opener defeat on Saturday night as it conceded early against Hartford Athletic and wasn’t able to find a way back despite some positive debut performances in the side. Lucas Stauffer in particular looked bright – earning Championship Team of the Week honors for his performance on the left side – but Locomotive will be hoping the new attacking combination of Justin Dhillon and Amando Moreno can hit their stride after combining for four shots, one of which was on target, in the season opener.

“We outshot [Hartford Athletic] 15-10 but [scoring] is the final detail,” said Locomotive Head Coach Brian Clarhaut after the game. “I liked what we were doing, I thought we were causing enough problems. Those first 10-15 minutes, I don’t think they were super sharp from either team. I think as we settled into the game, you saw what we could do.”

2. MONTEREY BAY’S OPTIONS IN SHAPE

Monterey Bay F.C. will play its first game of the new season on Wednesday night, bringing the potential for a new-look attack that includes offseason acquisitions Luther Archimede (Sacramento Republic FC) and Tristan Trager (Charleston Battery) alongside returning veteran Alex Dixon. Whether all three start together is an interesting idea. Archimede’s size and speed offer similar traits to that of Romario Williams, who scored Hartford’s goal in El Paso’s defeat on Saturday, and the speed of Trager combined with the creativity of Dixon playing on the right side of a 4-3-3 could be an option.

That decision could impact how Monterey Bay looks elsewhere, with the other decision likely to be whether to play a three-center back line with Morey Doner and Walmer Martinez operating as wingbacks, or to have Carlos Guzman shift over to left back with Kai Greene and Alex Lara operating as two center backs. With Rafael Baca set to marshal the center of midfield, it will interesting to see how Head Coach Frank Yallop sets up his side.

3. MBFC AIMS FOR OPENING NIGHT SUCCESS

Monterey Bay F.C. has had ups and downs in its first two seasons, but last year it got out of the traps quickly in its first game of the season. Alex Dixon had a first-half hat trick that powered a 5-3 victory against Hartford Athletic at Cardinale Stadium, giving some optimism about what could be ahead. Putting together a similar performance on Wednesday night ahead of a challenging home opener against defending Championship title holder Phoenix Rising FC would be a major boost.

For El Paso, meanwhile, there’s the specter of last season in the background when the side lost all three games in an opening homestand that mirrors this year’s opening run. Locomotive won only five out of its 17 home games a season ago and needs to become more successful in front of its passionate fanbase if it’s going to achieve the success it wants to this season.