6. ARISE, ARIZONA: The offseason changes made by Arizona United SC have taken time to come into focus, but after the team’s first back-to-back wins of the season, there’s starting to be reason to think United could be a contender to slide into the playoff positions by the end of the season. Saturday’s 2-1 win against a good Saint Louis FC side was another positive step, and it will be worth watching how the side does when it takes its show on the road against Rio Grande Valley FC before returning home to host Sacramento.

7. GRIND IT OUT: After losing two games in a row on home turf, something that hadn’t happened in the club’s history in the USL, the Charleston Battery appeared set for another frustrating night at MUSC Health Stadium until a late penalty kick brought them a 1-0 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders, and a continued hold on their fourth-place position in the East. It hasn’t always been vintage Charleston soccer this season, but the Battery’s ability to continue to get results has them in a familiar position, and they have the appearance of a team that could be a tough out when the playoffs come.

8. OFF THE SLIDE: One place behind Charleston in the Eastern Conference following the weekend’s action are the Charlotte Independence, who got a much-needed 1-0 win against the Richmond Kickers on Saturday night. After a five-game winless streak, Charlotte had hit a wall the previous weekend with a lackluster first-half performance that resulted in a defeat to Bethlehem Steel FC. Against Richmond, the Independence seemed close to their best, and while they needed two big late saves from John Berner to preserve the win, the team will be feeling much better about its position ahead of a trip to Harrisburg on Friday.

9. ROUGHNECKS RALLY BACK: The side remains adrift at the bottom of the Western Conference, but Tulsa Roughnecks FC fans will at least be able to take heart from the fight their side showed in earning a 2-2 draw against the LA Galaxy II in the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3. Down 2-0 within the opening 25 minutes, the door was open to another devastating performance for the side against Los Dos, but over the final hour of the game the Roughnecks found a way back in, and looked a different side to the one that had gone winless in more than a month. The hope will now be a return match with the Galaxy II this Friday can see the side put in that effort for a full 90 minutes, and snap what is now a five-game winless streak.