One final regular season match awaits the San Diego Loyal.
They head to Las Vegas to face a familiar opponent in the Lights. They have played there all four years since their inaugural season and should head into Sin City with lots of motivation. Las Vegas and San Diego finished in a 1-1 draw at Torero Stadium last month.
The Loyal currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with 54 points. Orange County SC also has 54 points but own the tiebreaker over SD. No matter the result this weekend the Loyal will host a playoff match at Torero Stadium on Oct. 22.
🗣️ Tickets to our home playoff match on Sunday, October 22 are ON SALE NOW!
Let’s make history together, San Diego.
🎟️ https://t.co/L7GSUkftuc pic.twitter.com/9p3NgFw9LF
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) October 10, 2023
The opponent and the seed is still up in the air. A lot can happen this weekend and nothing is set in stone in the West besides Sacramento Republic FC earning a first-round bye with the 1-seed.
Here is the playoff scenario:
Despite being in 4th, San Diego can still earn the 2nd seed with a win and would need San Antonio and OC to not earn three points. If SA and OC both finish with a draw or loss and the Loyal win, SD would jump to 2nd in the West.
San Antonio faces Indy Eleven (6th in Eastern Conference) on Saturday night. Orange County faces Monterey Bay Union (10th in the West) a few hours later. The Union will just miss out on the postseason this year.
The Loyal potential playoff opponents fall into a list of these five teams: Colorado Springs FC, Phoenix Rising FC, El Paso Locomotive, New Mexico United, or Oakland Roots SC.
The Loyal have seen success against all these teams this season, so either opponent should be in the favor of the Loyal with the form they are in.
They have one last chance to get into the best shape possible for the 22nd. However, they must stay cautious and not endure any injuries. The Lights have just 19 points on the season which is the second fewest in all of the USL Championship and they are in last place in the West.
San Diego should have no trouble taking down the Lights once again. They are a much better team.
