With one game to go, there are still four spots available in the USL Championship’s Western Conference playoff field.

And – thanks to a confluence of schedule and the tiebreakers the league uses which are very different from most – absolutely no-one is safe, which could make for a long night of scoreboard watching this Saturday.

• EYE ON THE PRIZE: What makes the Western Conference playoff race distinct from the three-way battle for the final spot in the East is none of the five clubs shooting for the final four spots square off against each other. From fifth-placed Phoenix Rising FC’s kickoff away against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 7 p.m. ET to the conclusion of eighth-placed Orange County SC’s contest at home against Indy Eleven and ninth-placed Lexington SC’s away at Oakland Roots SC at approximately midnight, there will be something at stake.

• FIT TO BE TIED: As it stands, Phoenix is the team with the cleanest path of entry. It only needs a draw against the Hounds to secure its spot after a good 1-0 win against San Antonio FC on Saturday and could even claim a home playoff game with a win. But this is where the tiebreakers come in – Rising went a combined 1-3-0 against Orange County and Lexington this season. A loss and victories for all four teams below them and suddenly the 2023 title-winners could be the odd team out, sitting last in a three-way tiebreaker.

• FORM GUIDE: How much does form and opponent motivation matter? That might end up being the crucial question, especially for sixth-place San Antonio as it plays host to Copa Tejas rival El Paso Locomotive FC. Forget about winning, SAFC hasn’t scored in five consecutive games, the longest streak in club history. With Locomotive aiming to clinch a top-four position – and the rivalry series – with a win, the 2022 title-winner could be in serious peril.

If there’s nervousness in San Antonio’s camp, though, it wasn’t on display after its loss in Phoenix.

“I think the guys are ready to get back to training this week, get back home after a long, difficult road trip with a lot of travel and a lot of tough opponents and get back in front of our fans,” said SAFC midfielder Luke Haakenson. “We’re looking for everyone to really come out and get behind us for a big game against El Paso, our big rival.”

For all five clubs, then, this is a moment to be grasped. For those that come through, there’s the potential of what the playoffs hold, where upsets can always be around the corner.

For the club that blinks and finds itself without a seat when the music stops, it could end up being a very long offseason indeed.