​It shouldn’t have come as a surprise.Not with what the Western Conference table looked like heading into Sunday’s match between New Mexico United and Phoenix Rising FC. Certainly not with one of the West’s seven remaining playoff spots still up for grabs. Or even the ramifications that awaited United depending on the result. One that determined if the club was in or still out.It did anyway. At least to Dennis Sanchez.Even after it was announced over the PA system at Isotopes Park, a graphic was shown on the video board and the manager’s players celebrated after New Mexico’s 2-1 victory.“We clinched?” Sanchez asked. With real genuineness, too.That United did. For the seventh time in eight seasons — 2021 the exception.“(Hell), yeah,” Sanchez said.Somos Unidos @NewMexicoUTD has clinched a spot in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs! ️ pic.twitter.com/ZUMWaC7sOg— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) October 5, 2026And, well, he didn’t use the word hell. You probably know what he actually said. “Fudge” can also be used as a replacement word for those adverse to such language.But who could blame that reaction? It means more soccer at the end of October is in New Mexico’s future. And with it, a chance at a trophy. That, of course, will be for much later.Baby steps first. Like Sunday.But it does go back to a key question. Sanchez really had no idea?“No,” Sanchez said. “All I know is you can lose that game and you can be in eighth place, so I try to just focus on being present, focusing on how we can help the guys and support them, and how we can be our best self.”In reality, a loss would have dropped United (13-7-7) to fourth in the table at worst. Yet, it’s not an unfair assessment. Especially after New Mexico hadn’t been its best self since its 13-match unbeaten streak came to an end, going 1-3-3 entering Sunday for its worst stretch of the season at the worst time.Instead, the club remains second in the West with 46 points, one behind El Paso Locomotive FC, with three matches left, including the regular-season finale in El Paso on Oct. 24. Those three games will determine what United’s seed will actually be.“The most important thing is the result,” said midfielder Charlie Dennis, who played against his former club after being acquired on loan by New Mexico on Sept. 7. “We found ourselves shooting ourselves in the foot a few times (over the past few weeks). But we’ve learned from that and we didn’t do that today.”He’s right. United hadn’t done what it did against the likes of San Antonio FC on Aug. 29 or Indy Eleven on Sept. 6 or at Birmingham Legion FC on Sept. 11 or against Sacramento Republic FC on Sept. 29. Against Phoenix, it didn’t squander any sizable leads or concede goals within the first 15 minutes of first half or the start of the second. Of the 32 regular-season goals opponents have scored, 15 have come during that time frame.New Mexico, however, did make things interesting. As i