The theme for this past weekend in the Western Conference was separation.

Not at the very top, where New Mexico United was thwarted in its bid to build a lead in first place.

In the rest of the top six, however, there were four winners, while the bottom six saw none of its sides claim all three points. That’s opened up a six-point gap between sixth-placed Monterey Bay FC on 19 points and seventh-placed Orange County SC on 13 as some teams approach the midway point of the regular season campaign.

For all those teams in the top six, a postseason berth looks within range. Monterey Bay – which is seeking its first trip to the Playoffs – is at a pace that would have easily put it above the line last season, while Tulsa could earn its best finish in club history sitting two points off New Mexico United with 11 games gone.

So, for the teams in the lower half, whose most likely to bridge the gap?

The obvious answer is Sacramento Republic FC, which is currently in eighth place but has a couple of games in hand and the underlying numbers to make a case for its place as a contender.  

For others, though, it’s time to start making a move before the standings pressure begins to rise over the second half of the campaign.

Here are this week’s rankings.