The USL Championship’s current Western Conference leader continues its pursuit of a league record set a decade ago on Saturday night, while the three-day weekend also sees top-four matchups in the Eastern and Western Conferences that include one of the league’s top rivalries getting the network television spotlight.

Here are three top storylines to know going in, three players to keep an eye on, and what else you need to know before tuning in on CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN2, CBS Sports Golazo Network and ESPN+.

1. NEW MEXICO’S HISTORIC PURSUIT

Want to know something remarkable? More than one-quarter of New Mexico United’s home wins all-time in the USL Championship have come in the past 10 months.

United is perfect at Isotopes Park this season and has a 10-game winning streak at home dating back to last September. That’s brought its win total to 37 in 74 regular season contests as Birmingham Legion FC arrives this Saturday night.

• ALL-TIME TARGET: New Mexico’s run has put it three home wins away from equaling Orlando City SC’s league record of 13 consecutive home victories in the 2014 season.

• FAST START: New Mexico is also only two home wins from equaling Real Salt Lake’s run of nine consecutive home victories to start a season, set in 2017.

With Legion coming off defeat at home on Wednesday night, the visitors are going to have to make a quick turnaround, which would seemingly boost New Mexico’s odds of success.

Sitting on a five-point lead at the top of the Western Conference, and games in hand that offer a chance to challenge Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery in the race for the Players’ Shield, the Somos Unidos faithful will be hoping to see another three points.

2. INDY, TAMPA BAY TRY TO BRIDGE GAP

The battle at the top of the Eastern Conference enters a crucial stretch this weekend as the third-placed Tampa Bay Rowdies visit fourth-placed Indy Eleven in one of Saturday night’s must-see contests.

• LIVE UP TO THE BILLING: Tampa Bay has been somewhat of a conundrum this season with the side underperforming its Expected Goals mark and its Expected Points mark per American Soccer Analysis, but it jumped past Indy with a composed 2-0 win last weekend against Orange County SC and is undefeated in the last six meetings against the Boys in Blue.

• RISE TO THE MOMENT: Indy, on the other hand, has shown its ability to earn results when it has played well and when it has been sub-par. That’s got the Boys in Blue in the Semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup and on course for a top-four finish in the East for the first time since 2019.

• FANCY SEEING YOU: There’s a shared history between the squads, with former Rowdies forward Sebastian Guenzatti and midfielder Jack Blake now starring for Indy – although Blake has missed time recently with a foot injury – and former Indy forwards Manuel Arteaga and Cal Jennings* now leading Tampa Bay’s attack.

This game is key because if one side emerges victorious, it will at least keep pace with frontrunners Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery. With the Rowdies hosting the Battery on July 27 and Indy visiting Charleston on August 2, there’s a chance for both these sides to bridge the five-point gap that currently separates the top two from the rest.

That makes this game one that has major potential for where the playoff race is going to head over the second half of the season.

* Editor’s Note – Yes, Jennings didn’t officially play for Indy before the club transferred him to LAFC four years ago, but don’t let that get in the way of a narrative.

3. ROOTS MANEUVER

The weekend’s action wraps up with the second nationally televised contest on CBS this season, and while there’s always a good reason to tune in to watch NorCal rivals Oakland Roots SC and Sacramento Republic FC square off, the stakes involved in this meeting make it must-see.

• UPPER HAND: Roots took a stunning 3-2 victory against Republic FC last month at Heart Health Park, earning the side’s first win in the series since 2021 and its first win in Sacramento ever as Lindo Mfeka led the way.

• PRIME SPOT: That result helped Oakland move into second place in the Western Conference thanks to its head-to-head tiebreaker with Sacramento, which is level on points with Roots after last weekend’s results.

• ROAD SQUAD: As strange as Republic FC’s home struggles this season have been – the side has lost more games at Heart Health Park this season in the league than in all of 2023 – away from home Sacramento is undefeated. Picking up a fifth win would be a major boost for the Travel Bridge Battalion.

As big as the rivalry is, there are a couple of other things to watch for here. First, how does Roots react to its worst outing of the season in Pittsburgh last Saturday? Second, can Republic FC figure out its attacking plan and start to find the net consistently again?

With everything that’s on the line, all eyes should be on the East Bay on Sunday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Charlie Dennis, Phoenix Rising FC – The English attacking midfielder has been brought in by Rising to try and spark its attack. He could get his first chance on Friday night when Phoenix hosts El Paso Locomotive FC, another side that could feature some new faces this weekend.

Jorge Hernandez, San Antonio FC – The SoCal product has regularly found ways to deliver against Orange County SC, notching two goals and four assists in 12 prior appearances as SAFC heads to Championship Soccer Stadium this weekend.

James Murphy, Detroit City FC – The central midfielder had a solid performance when Le Rouge took a 1-0 victory at home against North Carolina FC earlier this season and will be looking for more of the same as the side heads to WakeMed Soccer Park on Friday night.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

#CHSvMIA: The Charleston Battery needed a late winner to take a 2-1 victory against Miami FC earlier this season in South Florida. There’s the potential for this to be a trap with the games ahead for the Battery, and Charleston needs to be locked in regardless of Miami’s record.

#NCvDET: With Rhode Island FC rolling, there’s pressure on North Carolina FC to respond at home to stay in touch with the playoff positions. After last week’s late loss, Detroit City FC will be aiming for a sharper attacking display here.

#LOUvCOS: There have been seven goals across two prior meetings between Louisville City FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. With the mindset both teams have in attack, this could be pretty entertaining.

#PHXvELP: Phoenix Rising FC isn’t adrift from the top eight yet, but it needs to show us something against last-placed El Paso Locomotive FC as it returns home for the first time since Danny Stone’s departure.

#PITvHFD: Is this a playoff six-pointer already? Honestly, yes. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC have seven points to make up to the playoff places and Hartford Athletic eight, which should raise the temperature and the pressure to deliver on both clubs.

#TULvMEM: It doesn’t happen as often as you think, but with Memphis 901 FC’s Marlon Santos and FC Tulsa’s Phillip Goodrum facing their former clubs in this clash, the chance at least one of them finds the net is lurking near the surface for this matchup.

#SAvOC: San Antonio FC got a morale-boosting win in its last outing and would move within a point of Orange County SC in the playoff positions if it can get back-to-back victories for the first time since March. OCSC’s veterans will need to step up after last week’s cameos.