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We’re one month into this five-month journey that is the USL regular season. Let’s take a look at the Western Conference action from Week 5.
SCOREBOARD
| HOME | AWAY | |
| Orange County Blues FC | 1-0 | Portland Timbers 2 |
| LA Galaxy II | 2-2 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 |
| Co. Springs Switchbacks FC | 1-0 | San Antonio FC |
| Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 0-2 | Portland Timbers 2 |
| OKC Energy FC | 1-0 | Swope Park Rangers |
| Real Monarchs SLC | 0-1 | Rio Grande Valley FC |
| Sacramento Republic FC | 0-1 | Saint Louis FC |
THREE STORIES OF THE WEEK
Down Goes Swope
An undefeated squad fell from the ranks this week, as Swope Park Rangers took their first loss of the season. OKC Energy FC, motivated by a raucous crowd of 5,690 spectators at Taft Stadium, took the victory in the 78th minute, as Sebastian Daalgard sent in a cross to Kaylen Ryden, who headed home what would turn out to be the game-winner. And the goalkeeper Ryden scored on? None other than former Energy loanee Jon Kempin, now playing for his MLS club’s USL team. Oh, the irony...
P.S. This week was the anniversary of the tragic Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Please watch this powerful video on the "Survivor Tree" tifo by Energy FC’s supporters group, The Grid.
WFC2 Gets the Luck of the Draw
Usually when LA Galaxy II starts out with a lead, they’re excellent at clamping down on defense and pushing for insurance goals. Well, that wasn’t the case Friday at StubHub Center, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 came back from a 2-0 deficit (they don’t call it the most dangerous lead in soccer for nothing) with two goals of their own with about a quarter of the match left to be played. The "ThunderCaps" held on for the hard-earned point. While Los Dos remains undefeated, they’ve now drawn their last four matches, after winning their first two.
Roughnecks in a Rough Patch
After a 2-0 win over RGVFC to kick off the season, there was optimism surrounding the Tulsa Roughnecks. Good times, huh? Now, four weeks later, and it’s not pretty in Tulsa. The Roughnecks haven’t won since then, losing three out of the next four matches, including Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Portland Timbers 2 at ONEOK Field. However, the season is far from over, and if there’s an appropriate time for a rough patch, it’s now, at the beginning of the season. If they work out the issues now, and play progressively better as the season goes on, the Roughnecks will hopefully be in the mix for a playoff spot in the West.
STANDINGS
| Club | GP | Pts |
| LA Galaxy II | 6 | 10 |
| Co. Springs Switchbacks FC | 4 | 9 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Saint Louis FC | 6 | 8 |
| Rio Grande Valley FC | 4 | 7 |
| Swope Park Rangers | 4 | 7 |
| Real Monarchs SLC | 5 | 7 |
| Sacramento Republic FC | 5 | 7 |
| Orange County Blues FC | 5 | 7 |
| Arizona United SC | 5 | 6 |
| Portland Timbers 2 | 6 | 6 |
| San Antonio FC | 5 | 5 |
| OKC Energy FC | 3 | 4 |
| Tulsa Roughnecks FC | 5 | 4 |
| Seattle Sounders FC 2 | 5 | 4 |
After the first month, here’s the table in the West. Orange County has moved up three spots with two wins on the trot, and Colorado Springs’ win has vaulted them over the four 7-point teams from last week, all of whom lost or drew this week. Saint Louis has quietly turned around after their rough start to the season, and now sits in the top 3rd of the standings.
What’s your biggest takeaway from Week 5? Let us know in the comments below.