The past weekend in the USL Championship saw the Eastern Conference hold the upper hand in interconference play – which resulted in big victories for last year’s Players’ Shield winner and the team currently the favorite to win the regular season title this year – and a historic result in the Western Conference that could prove crucial in the weeks to come.

Here are the three big storylines we took away from Week 22’s action, our picks for who’s up and who’s down coming out of the weekend, and thoughts on everything else we saw around the league.

TOP THREE STORYLINES

1. THE HOUNDS ARE ON THE MOVE

Over the first half of the season, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s streak of reaching the playoffs in every season of Head Coach Bob Lilley’s tenure seemed in doubt.

After Saturday night’s 1-0 win on the road against Sacramento Republic FC, however, the Hounds might have turned the corner as the gap to the postseason places continues to narrow.

• CHANGING GEARS: Pittsburgh’s win – fueled by Edward Kizza’s goal late in the first half and a stellar eight-save performance by goalkeeper Eric Dick – was its third in the past four games. That’s doubled the Hounds’ win total in the league this season.

• MAINTAINING SPACE: Dick’s eight-save performance was a season-high, but importantly the Hounds’ defense didn’t offer up any high-quality chances to Republic FC. A double-save midway through the second half to deny Kieran Phillips and Jack Gurr was key, but Sacramento averaged only 0.07 Expected Goals per shot.

• CLEANING UP: The Hounds’ defense did a lot of good work in that regard, making clearances and holding back the late tide of Sacramento pressure. “They gained some momentum and then threw everything at us in the end,” said Lilley. “We won a lot of second balls in the box, and we were mentally there through the full 90.”

Pittsburgh has found strong finishes to the season before. A year ago it took nine wins in its last 12 games to secure the Players’ Shield for the first time.

This time, it is aiming simply for a place in the postseason. With games coming up against seventh-placed Detroit City FC on Wednesday night and San Antonio FC this weekend, another strong final 12 games could be enough to continue the club’s postseason streak.

2. LOUCITY MAINTAINS PRIME POSITION

If we were going to get a challenge from the Western Conference in the race for the Players’ Shield this season, Louisville City FC’s visit to New Mexico United seemed pivotal.

But for a side who over 10 consecutive home victories always seemed to find a way, the past week saw the magic of Isotopes Park go missing.

Louisville’s 1-0 victory on the back of a late first-half goal by Jansen Wilson – intriguingly shifted into the forward line by Head Coach Danny Cruz – meant the race to the first silverware of the season seems set to be staged in the Eastern Conference’s standings.

• CLOSE TO THE VEST: This was a different LouCity performance than the ones we’ve seen for much of the season. The visitors were comfortable ceding possession, posting season lows with 34.5 percent of possession and 68.4 percent passing accuracy rate as they looked to move quickly when opportunity arose.

• PREMIUM BLEND: What that resulted in, however, was more chances that the hosts were able to create, and better ones at that. LouCity’s organization in transition resulted in New Mexico registering only two shots inside the penalty area all game despite their superiority in other metrics.

• HE SAID IT: “It was just a full 90-minute performance from the team,” said Wilson. “We grinded the whole game. We always say we’d love to grind out a one-nil game. Of course, you always want to score more goals, but at the end of the day it’s about three points.”

LouCity’s performance in New Mexico didn’t have the fireworks of chief rival the Charleston Battery on Friday night, but it didn’t need to. What it showed was another way it is capable of winning if the situation calls for it.

3. FC TULSA IS CLOSING FAST

Can you name the two teams with the most points over their past four games in the Western Conference?

Top of the list is Las Vegas Lights FC with 10 points, which has put the side in contention for a top-four finish.

Second is FC Tulsa, which has taken eight points from its last four games after a historic 3-1 victory at San Antonio FC on Saturday night. The win marked Tulsa’s first win all-time at Toyota Field in its 10th visit to the venue and might have signaled the moment it fully entered the race for the postseason.

• GETTING TO WORK: Tulsa didn’t get out to the best start with Bradley Diallo failing to convert a prime early opportunity to open the scoring before Luis Solignac found the net for the hosts. But the visitors didn’t let their level drop, and before halftime Phillip Goodrum’s excellent diving header gave them a platform to build on.

• LASHED HOME: Goodrum then picked up the easiest assist he’ll ever get thanks to Edwin Lazso, whose stunning finish from what felt like 40 yards out landed him deservedly on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Add in a Stefan Stojanovic insurance goal late and Tulsa had a landmark moment that had Head Coach Mario Sanchez beaming.

• FILLED WITH BELIEF: “They all showed the character of a team that believes in each other,” said Sanchez. “Even though we gave up an early goal, we defended well and to get three goals is a huge confidence boost for the team.”

The knock we’ve had on Tulsa during its great recent run of defensive form was whether it could find the goals to match. It did so against San Antonio, and with Orange County coming to ONEOK Field this Friday there’s a real chance the side could be above the playoff line this time next week.

Three Up

Nick Markanich – What can you say about what Markanich is doing at this point? Another goal and assist against Indy Eleven to move to 20 tallies this season and now down to six goals in 11 games to set a league single-season record.

Edwin Laszo – You might not see a better thunderbolt of a finish than the Colombian unleashed against San Antonio, and he backed it up with a great all-around display.

Kalil ElMedhkar – ElMedkhar has played less than 500 minutes this season because of injuries, but when he’s been on the field, he’s delivered for Loudoun United. Two goals against Miami were a great sight.

Three Down

Nicolas Cardona – The Puerto Rico international has been among Miami FC’s bright lights this season which made it all the more disappointing that he get sent off against Loudoun United FC.

Indy Eleven’s Defense – Indy Eleven will probably dread its next trip to Patriots Point, whether it’s this season or next, after having five goals dropped on them in each of their past two visits.

Phoenix Rising’s Attack – There were new faces on show and some chances to be had, but it just wasn’t incisive enough overall and showed how much work still needs to be done.

THE REST OF THE ACTION

#CHSvIND: The Charleston Battery have produced two second halves in which they’ve scored five goals this season, the first coming on June 28 against North Carolina FC. That’s not happened before in a single season in the Championship.

#DETvRI: Clay Holstad has shown us he’s got the ability for the spectacular in his bag this season. His equalizer was huge for Rhode Island to keep its undefeated streak intact and a big downer for Detroit City FC on home turf.

BHMvHFD: We definitely didn’t see that comeback from Hartford Athletic coming at halftime as poor as the first half had been against Birmingham Legion. It might not be too late for a playoff drive, especially if they can produce that for 90 minutes in Rhode Island.

#LDNvMIA: Loudoun did what it needed to in picking up three points against Miami. There are going to be bigger tests to come, but they couldn’t afford to leave points on the table here.

#MEMvELP: Memphis 901 FC will win games in which it plays worse than it did on Saturday, but it won’t have El Paso and Jamaica goalkeeper Jahmali Waite standing in the way to deny them.

#COSvPHX: Ronaldo Damus’ inventiveness was superb on his ninth goal of the season. A very solid victory overall for the hosts as they eye a top-three finish with Phoenix still looking for answers up front.

#MBvTBR: There was some serious controversy about the lead-up to Monterey Bay’s equalizer in stoppage time, but the Rowdies were left missing a win they needed given results elsewhere.

#OCvNC: Justin Malou delivered only the third road win for North Carolina this season in a major boost for their playoff chances while keeping Orange County in serious danger just above the playoff line. Neither side feels particularly secure right now.