Numerous scenarios are in play heading into the final three matches of the regular season, but the Laredo Heat SC is solely focused on Wednesday’s 8 p.m. match at the TAMIU Soccer Complex against the CF10 Houston FC and the opportunity to achieve the team’s first goal of securing a playoff berth.

“The mentality is pretty straightforward,” Heat head coach John Powell said. “It’s to dominate the game, create more chances, score more goals and get the three points and then we’ll think about the scenarios as we prep for Brownsville. All that matters right now is Houston.”

Thanks to a sweep of a North Texas road trip last week, the Heat (7-1-1, 22 points) are alone in first place in the Lone Star Conference. Laredo achieved its climb back to the top of the table by winning 3-1 over the Denton Diablos FC on Thursday and 1-0 Saturday over the Fort Worth Vaqueros FC.

“A lot of teams make the mistake of riding the high of the emotional roller coaster,” Powell said. “We’re coming off six points in a place that a lot of people weren’t expecting us to take six points, outside people as well as internal people. We went there and handled the business, and now we need to back it up and make sure we take the points Wednesday.”

Along with securing a spot in the postseason, a win Wednesday would also keep the Heat on track to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference. Winning Wednesday and in the finale on July 9 against the Corinthians SC of San Antonio (7-1-2, 23 points) would guarantee a first-place finish. If Laredo beats Houston and Brownsville, it would only need to draw in the finale. If San Antonio lost its other remaining match against Brownsville, the Heat would just need two wins in any of the remaining matches to finish first.

Wednesday will be the third match in seven days for Laredo, but the team is used to quick turnarounds after playing a compact first half of the season with six games in 20 days. Despite the limited time to prepare for Houston, the Heat are entering the match nearly at full strength. It is a big improvement from Thursday’s match in Denton when the team wasn’t even able to dress the full 18 players due to injuries.

“The depth we have is really good. We have almost full selection of the squad heading into the game,” Powell said. “It’s not really about rotation, it’s about getting the win. But we know whenever we have to go to the bench that the level won’t drop. The intensity will stay at a high level and the quality will be there as well.”

The exception to the full selection is midfielder Oscar Govea as he continues a season-long recovery from a broken bone in his foot. The team is hoping to get Govea some work next week ahead of the playoffs, and in the meantime Powell appreciates the impact he has on the team without even taking the field.

“He’s doing great. He’s handling it like a professional. It has been discouraging having minor setbacks along the way, but what he has brought to this summer is invaluable,” Powell said. “He is a culture guy. He sets a proper example. The coaching staff is 100% positive he is going to be playing in the professional game very soon. Whenever we get him back, we’ll have gotten better. Everybody else gets better this summer just by being around him. He’s goofy off the field, but the way he trains and takes care of his body, he is a pro. His contribution has been massive.”

Laredo won 4-0 when it traveled to face Houston (2-5-2) on May 28. However, that match came with an asterisk as Houston earned two red cards midway through the first half and played down two players the rest of the way. Houston has been up and down all season including its last two matches as it was routed 8-0 at home against the Irving FC but bounced back to upset San Antonio 1-0 on the road.

“With the way the game went down last time, it wasn’t in our control the way the referee sent the players off. That’s his call, and we just played what was in front of us,” Powell said. “It was hard to break them down, and I imagine it will be hard to break them down again. They are coming off a big upset win against San Antonio, so we know they are coming in with a lot of belief. They are going to fight and be organized. They are going to try to play proper football. We’re looking forward to the matchup.”

Along with attempting to break down Houston’s defense, the Heat will also aim to post their sixth clean sheet and improve on their league-leading defense. Laredo leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks third out of 95 teams in the National Premier Soccer League with only 0.67 goals allowed per game.

Laredo and Houston kick off at 8 p.m. at the TAMIU Soccer Complex. Tickets are $5 for general admission and $20 for VIP, and children 12 and under get in free.

Visit laredoheatsc.com and follow @laredoheatsc on social media to stay up to date on the latest news. Any youth players interested in joining the academy can visit laredoheatscyouth.com for more information.