Just one more match separates the Colorado Springs Switchbacks from a fourth consecutive appearance in the USL Championship playoffs.

Defender and team captain Matt Mahoney is one of the few who have been in Colorado Springs for all four seasons.

In the club’s win at Monterey Bay F.C. last weekend, Mahoney eclipsed 200 regular appearances in the USL Championship.

“This something as a little kid I always dreamt of just having professional appearances in general. So it’s something you don’t really think about when you’re playing but it’s a milestone that I can be proud of,” he said.

Appearance No. 201 at Sacramento Republic FC has a lot of implications for the Switchbacks and their upcoming playoff run. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Colorado Springs (14-12-7) sits in fourth place in the USL Championship’s Western Conference with 49 points. Third-place Sacramento (13-10-10) also has 49 points but has a head-to-head tiebreaker over Colorado Springs by virtue of a 2-0 win at Weidner Field April 6. The top four teams in each conference earn at least one home playoff match.

With a win, Colorado Springs is guaranteed at least third place in the conference. The Switchbacks can earn second place with a win and a loss or draw by second-place Las Vegas Lights FC. The Vegas club has 50 points and plays at Eastern Conference side North Carolina FC on Saturday. Kickoff for that match is 5 p.m. so the Switchbacks will know if second place is a possibility before facing Sacramento.

The other team that can affect the Switchbacks in the final week is fifth-place Memphis 901 FC. Memphis has 48 points on the season and can only leapfrog Colorado Springs with a victory. A loss or draw against Western Conference top seed New Mexico United ensures both Sacramento and Colorado Springs will be at home to start the playoffs.

New Mexico has the West’s No. 1 seed locked up no matter what happens.

That match kicks off at 7 p.m. so the outcome could be known by halftime of the Switchbacks’ contest.

While many will have their eyes on the various scenarios this weekend, Switchbacks coach James Chambers isn’t focused on any of it.

“We’re going there to try and win the game and put on a performance. We had a decent last week at Monterey and we want to build on that,” he said. “We’re not looking at, ‘Well if “x” is this and “y” is that then “z” is this.’ We’re focused on ourselves.”

Sacramento has shown inconsistent form in recent weeks following the loss of mainstay Rodrigo Lopez. Last year’s top seed in the West has not won in the last four matches.

To extend that streak to five, Colorado Springs will have to have Sacramento’s scoring leaders Kieran Phillips and Trevor Amann marked.

“(The challenge is) their movement and their threat. I think (Sacramento) if you look at them in the league this year, they’ve been solid defensively but their form hasn’t been great and they are giving up chances,” Mahoney said. “If we start fast and do well and get on top of them then it will just be managing the game on the road.”

Phillips leads Sacramento with 12 goals and defender Jack Gurr has a club-high eight assists.

Switchbacks forward Ronaldo Damus leads Colorado Springs in goals with 12 and midfielders Devon Williams and Zach Zandi each have four assists to lead the team.