SAN ANTONIO – Things could hardly have fallen better for San Antonio FC on Wednesday night in its pursuit of a return to the USL Cup Playoffs as it not only took a 1-0 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Toyota Field but also saw fellow contenders OKC Energy FC and Fresno FC play to a 0-0 draw at Taft Stadium.

With its own visit to Oklahoma City now set for Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+), San Antonio could not only be sitting in the playoff positions in the Western Conference standings by the end of the weekend, but also deal a serious blow to Energy FC’s hopes of a trip to the postseason as well.

“We want to make sure we earn momentum and tonight it was important that we followed up on our performance on Saturday night,” said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell. “The guys were very committed to that cause this evening. They put their bodies on the line and were able to capitalize on the opportunity.”

To take advantage of the opening presented to it by Wednesday’s results, however, San Antonio will need to accomplish something it hasn’t been able to in seven previous regular-season meetings between the clubs, namely defeat Energy FC. Saturday’s hosts have claimed the lone regular-season victory in that span, and after a 1-1 draw when the teams met at Toyota Field on July 4 the teams have finished deadlocked in five consecutive regular-season meetings.

With Energy FC aiming to bridge a five-point gap to San Antonio, Saturday night’s home contest has all the makings of a must-win as the side looks to continue a run that has seen it go eight games undefeated, but only pick up one victory in its last five outings.

“They’re a good team but I think they’re a team we can beat,” said Energy FC defender Drew Beckie. “It’s going to be hot, but it’s hot for both teams. Playing in the league is tough and every team can win every match. They’ll come here wanting a result, but we’re playing at home and we need to get the result we want.”

1868 FC STILL FEELS SHARP: Reno 1868 FC last saw league action on July 11, but ahead of its clash this Saturday night with Saint Louis FC at Greater Nevada Field (10:30 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+) the side is ready to pick up where it left off with a season-best 16-game undefeated streak to defend.

“I think our confidence is really high right now,” said Reno Head Coach Ian Russell. “We gave the guys a few days off to get away from the game. But they came back and were sharp at practice. I think we’re still riding that confidence.”

Reno is still six games away from breaking the USL regular-season record of 22 games undefeated set by the Richmond Kickers in the 2013 season, but while the side hasn’t seen league action since its 4-1 win against the LA Galaxy II it did get to take to the field last Saturday night in an international exhibition against Liga MX’s Monarcas Morelia.

With most of the squad getting the chance to square off with a side that while at the time in preseason preparation reached the postseason in both the Apertura and Clausura last season in Mexico, the high level of competition helped keep 1868 FC’s players sharp and offered a learning opportunity as well.

“They were a good team and I think we learned a lot during that friendly that we can take back into USL play,” said 1868 FC forward Jerry van Ewijk.

The Roughnecks themselves are unlikely to return to the playoffs this year after a 4-2 defeat last Saturday night against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC saw the side fall for the first time under interim Head Coach Michael Tsien. With Fresno looking to get back in the win column after its midweek draw with OKC Energy FC, Tulsa will have to be wary of its former standout, who scored four goals and six assists at ONEOK Field in Roughnecks colors a season ago.

AROUND THE WEST: Seattle Sounders FC 2 midfielder Antonee Burke-Gilroy’s goal on Thursday night helped snap S2’s six-game losing streak in a 3-0 win against Las Vegas Lights FC, and the nature of the chipped finish was partly thanks to the advance knowledge the side had of Las Vegas goalkeeper Ricardo Ferriño. “We were all aware that he was always off his line,” said Burke-Gilroy. “First instinct was to kick it up, try to chip it over him.” … Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC knows it needs to have a short memory as it heads to complete its road trip to Texas on Saturday against Rio Grande Valley FC after Wednesday’s defeat in San Antonio, but with the Toros having gone 2-1-8 at home this season coming away with three points is going to be a challenge. “It’s not easy to play there,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh. “It’s a big field, and it’ll be hot, so we’ve got to have a short memory. We’ve got to be good defensively and, like always, keep their strikers in front of us.”