This USL Championship season has produced some memorable individual campaigns, marked by consistency at either end of the field that will have players up for the USL Championship All-League Team and Awards in the coming weeks.

But when it comes to the USL Championship Playoffs, we’re never short on potential surprise performers that step to the mark when their team needs them most. Those are the players you might term X-factors, who over 90 or 120 minutes can deliver a game-changing performance that sends their side a step closer to the 2024 USL Championship Final.

Here are our picks for the players to watch in the Western Conference. You can find our Western Conference. You can find our Eastern Conference selections here.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – Ronaldo Damus

Ronaldo Damus led the Switchbacks this season with 12 goals. The catch? Half of them came from the penalty spot, and among players with double-digit goals only Indy Eleven attacking midfielder Jack Blake had a higher percentage of his goals come from the penalty spot. At the same time, Damus has been doing a lot of good work in leading Colorado Springs’ line. He led the club with a +7.98 Goals Added mark as his ability to retain possession under pressure came to the fore, losing possession on average only 7.7 times per 90 minutes – by comparison, Charleston’s Nick Markanich sat at 12.7 per 90. We’ve also seen Damus make a postseason run before, playing a key role with four goals in Orange County’s run to the 2021 title. He could do the same for the Switchbacks.

Las Vegas Lights FC – J.C. Ngando

Las Vegas Lights’ turnaround has been one of the stories of the season, and J.C. Ngando has been the glue that has held it all together. The Cameroonian has been one of the top two-way midfielders in the league this season, recording two goals and five assists while ranking fifth in the league with 67 chances created and first in the league with 17 big chances created. If anything, Ngando has been unlucky not to have a higher assists total. His Expected Assists mark of 7.45xA ranked third in the league, while his completed dribbles mark of 72 mark ranked first. That ability to create is gold dust in the postseason, where Ngando will be aiming to lead the Lights to success.

Memphis 901 FC – Marlon Santos

Throughout the month of May, Marlon Santos was a comet for Memphis 901 FC, bagging five goals and three assists to earn Player of the Month honors. The rest of the season has been somewhat of a struggle. He’s only scored four goals in 17 appearances since the start of June, but he’s still continued to find ways to make his influence felt. Among 901 FC’s squad, the Brazilian ranked first in Goals Added at a +7.31 mark – higher than leading scorer Bruno Lapa – and the speed and unpredictability Marlon brings can be a game-changer. For any team in the playoffs, that’s something extremely valuable.

New Mexico United – Mukwelle Akale

The collective nature of New Mexico United’s squad might have been the biggest key to its success over the regular season, but arguably the most consistent performer was Mukwelle Akale, who led the side with five assists and 45 chances created while also chipping in three goals. That earned him the only top-30 rating in American Soccer Analysis’ Goals Added metric at a +6.95 mark, but it could also make the attacking playmaker essential if United is going to find the goals it needs to make a deep postseason run.

Oakland Roots SC – Memo Diaz

For a while, Memo Diaz was in contention for the USL Championship’s Golden Playmaker award as he logged seven assists through the end of August. Then over the final two months of the season, the helpers dried up, and so in the main did the goals and results for Oakland as it dropped to the No. 7 seed in the West. That makes the Roots veteran arguably as indispensable as it gets if his side is going to make a run. When Diaz performs well, it’s not always a guarantee of success, but with almost twice as many chances created (56) as anyone else in the squad, he’s probably going to have to deliver if the side is going to spring the sort of surprise it’s been capable of in prior postseasons.

Orange County SC – Seth Casiple

Over the final two months of the season, Orange County’s season turned in the right direction and Seth Casiple had a lot to do with it. After an injury-hit season, the veteran central midfielder has been in the starting lineup for the duration of OCSC’s eight-game undefeated run into the playoffs while Casiple himself has notched four assists and a Goals Added mark of +1.60, the highest on the team. It leads you to wonder how this season might have looked for OCSC had the 31-year-old been able to log more than 1,275 minutes during the regular season, but now he’s in form, it’s proving a gamechanger for his side that could carry into the playoffs.

Phoenix Rising FC – Edgardo Rito

At one point, Edgardo Rito was one of the most dynamic two-way players in the USL Championship, recording five goals and seven assists for Oakland Roots SC in the 2022 season to earn All-League First Team honors. Since arriving in Phoenix, however, the Venezuelan has seemed to lose his edge. He completed only 13 dribbles at a 25.5 percent success rate this season and has one goal and one assist with 18 chances created creating an Expected Assists mark of 1.94xA. If there’s a time for Rito to return to the swashbuckling right-sided threat we knew, this is it. It could be essential to Phoenix’s chance at another against-the-odds run.

Sacramento Republic FC – Russell Cicerone

This has been a tough regular season for Russell Cicerone. Due to injuries, he missed out on a fourth consecutive season with double-digit goals as he logged his fewest minutes in a full season since 2018 with FC Cincinnati, and he even slightly underperformed his Expected Goals mark when he was on the field, scoring five times on a 6.98xG mark. At the same time, the dynamism Cicerone brings in the final third makes him the straw that stirs Republic FC’s drink. His record of four goals in the past two postseasons also points toward his ability to rise to the occasion and makes him a key player for Sacramento in November.