We told you there would be upsets this weekend (and at least Phoenix Rising FC came through for the predictions in the end), but the magnitude of both Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals opens a whole new window for the postseason.

(For the 51 percent of you who had one of those two teams winning in the Bracket Challenge, we’re sorry.)

So, who were the biggest winners from the opening weekend in the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs?

1. The Western Conference’s Top Remaining Seeds

Before the playoffs, it looked logical that the road to the USL Championship Final would go through Lynn Family Stadium or Patriots Point, with LouCity and the Battery having lost only once combined at home in the regular season to sit 1-2 in the hosting priority.

Now, the top two spots are held by Western Conference clubs. FC Tulsa’s first playoff victory in knocking off defending title holder Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC behind Stefan Lukić’s goal in extra time ensured the West’s No. 1 seed advanced at ONEOK Field, while No. 3 seed New Mexico United looked comfortable in its 2-0 victory against San Antonio FC at Isotopes Park.

If both of those teams advance to the Western Conference Final – with Tulsa hosting Phoenix this Saturday night, and New Mexico facing Orange County SC – they’ll be in line to host the USL Championship Final. The Scissortails have an 11-game home undefeated streak, while United is undefeated in its last five at home. Both would likely enter as favorites against whichever team comes out of the East with teams from the Western Conference having won every title this decade.

2. North Carolina FC

The win away at Loudoun United FC on the final day of the regular season is looking even bigger now for Head Coach John Bradford’s side. In the immediate term, it made sure North Carolina got at least one home game in the postseason, but now the road to the Eastern Conference Final runs through First Horizon Stadium.

We’ve knocked NCFC for its underlying numbers, but once again on Saturday night the side showed it understands how to win games. It put in another impressive display against Loudoun despite again ending up in a deficit in total shots and Expected Goals to secure another 1-0 result. Saturday night’s game at home to defending Eastern Conference title-holder Rhode Island FC will be far from easy, but North Carolina played RIFC well when they met in mid-October at home. The side has got a chance to add to its League One title in 2023 after advancing to the Eastern Conference Semis for the first time.

3. Phoenix Rising FC

It’s going to take a lot to go right for Rising to host the USL Championship Final – if you’re a Phoenix fan, your only hope is for one or both of Rhode Island FC and Detroit City FC to continue their runs next weekend – but there’s an awful lot going right for this side after the defensive frailty it showed for most of the regular season.

Phoenix dominated El Paso Locomotive FC in its 1-0 win on Saturday night at Southwest University Park, which was decided late by Charlie Dennis’ penalty kick, putting up its fourth consecutive shutout in the process. Over that span, Rising has allowed only 2.33 Expected Goals Against, with almost two-thirds of that coming on the road at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on the final day of the regular season. Rising goes to Tulsa next, but it could have visions of its road warrior run in 2023 dancing through its head right now.

4. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Is this a change of fortune we are sensing in the air? No, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC didn’t find the net against Hartford Athletic on Saturday night, but after weathering some early nerves the Hounds looked the more convincing of the two sides at Highmark Stadium and on balance likely deserved to advance.

Now the Eastern Conference bracket has opened up and with Detroit City up next – a side the Hounds are undefeated against in four games since their postseason encounter in 2023 – this could be the moment for Pittsburgh to finally deliver some postseason success. Certainly, with Louisville and Charleston out of the way – two sides they went 0-3-1 against this season – there’s reason for hope on the horizon.