This weekend in the USL Championship the top four teams in the Eastern Conference square off in potential playoff previews, the past two USL Championship title winners meet in a battle with huge playoff implications, and the battle around the playoff line will intensify with some key games in both conferences.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s where you can find where everyone stands in the Race to the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs. Here are three more storylines to know going in, three players to keep an eye on, and what else you need to know before tuning in on ESPN2, CBS Sports Golazo Network and ESPN+.

1. EAST’S TOP FOUR OFFER PLAYOFF PREVIEW

What’s better than one potential Eastern Conference Semifinal preview? How about both potential November matchups as the standings currently sit in the same weekend?

On Saturday night, the second-place Charleston Battery play host to the third-place Tampa Bay Rowdies at Patriots Point in a rematch of one of the most dramatic games of the season so far. Then on Sunday afternoon, first-place Louisville City FC heads to face fourth-place Detroit City FC on ESPN2 for a rematch from last year’s playoffs.

• MIND THE GAP: There is a level of reality to these games. With LouCity holding a six-point advantage and two games in hand over Charleston for top spot, and the Battery holding a 10-point lead on the Rowdies for second having played only one game more those positions seem relatively set.

• SEND A MESSAGE: At the same time, there are messages to be sent. For LouCity, it’s the chance to complete a season sweep of Detroit after a 5-1 win at Lynn Family Stadium, while for the Battery it’s a chance to turn the tables on the Rowdies after Tampa Bay’s 4-2 win at Al Lang Stadium earlier this season.

• PRESSURE UP: The team facing the most pressure, in fact, looks like Detroit. Le Rouge finally got back in the win column at Keyworth Stadium last weekend against New Mexico United but still holds only a two-point lead on Indy Eleven for fourth. DCFC has only won once in six meetings with Louisville – a 2-0 win at home last season – and needs to produce the goods with Indy Eleven close behind.

All eyes should be on both games. In addition to trying to reverse its loss in Tampa Bay, the Battery will be hoping to bounce back from a rare setback and  for Nick Markanich to set the Championship’s single-season scoring record after being held off the scoresheet in Colorado Springs.

LouCity, meanwhile, will continue its pursuit of some of the league’s biggest single-season records in Detroit. That, combined with the Keyworth atmosphere, should be well worth tuning in.

2. FALLEN CHAMPIONS SEEK BOOST

The Championship has seen some dramatic changes in fortune in recent seasons, most notably Orange County SC going from winning the league title in 2021 to missing out on a postseason spot the following season, but the challenges both Phoenix Rising FC and San Antonio FC have faced this season is not something we had pegged in preseason.

As such, this weekend’s clash between the past two teams to claim the league title is the epitome of a playoff six-pointer with the side that ends up on the wrong side of the result potentially in serious trouble.

• CREATE THE MARGIN: Of the two, Rising is in the better current position. Prior to last week’s setback against Sacramento Republic FC, it had gone four games undefeated and currently sits in seventh place. If it wins against San Antonio on home turf, it could have at least a five-point advantage on the teams below it, as well as leveling up the head-to-head series between the sides this season.

• SAFC RESURGENCE: San Antonio has gotten back to basics as it looks to move above the playoff line for the first time since the early going. After a solid start, SAFC won only three games in 16 outings between the start of May and the end of August. Now it’s taken consecutive 1-0 victories to get back into the picture.

• MIRROR IMAGE: Both teams are here for similar reasons. While they’ve both been solid defensively – San Antonio ranks second in the league in Expected Goals Against at 27.31xGA, and Phoenix isn’t far behind at 30.76xGA – they’ve had real inconsistency in the attacking third. SAFC has struggled to create chances, scoring 27 goals in 27 games on an Expected Goal mark of 26.57xG, while Phoenix has been unable to finish them with 23 tallies on an Expected Goals mark of 30.97xG.

As unfathomable as it might have been that one or both of these teams might miss the playoffs, that’s the reality starting both of them in the face right now. Whichever side comes out on top will be feeling much better about its prospects going into the final five weeks.

3. MONTEREY BAY, OCSC FACE VITAL MATCH

There’s another crucial six-pointer in the Western Conference on Saturday night when 11th-place Monterey Bay F.C. plays host to eighth-place Orange County SC at Cardinale Stadium as the visitors try to secure their place above the playoff line after a huge win last weekend.

• BREAK THE HABIT: Having been in playoff contention for much of the season, Monterey Bay has fallen off the pace dramatically in the past two months. It’s not only winless in its last nine games, but it’s been held scoreless in its past four after a scoreless draw on the road against Las Vegas Lights FC last Saturday.

• DRAWING INSPIRATION: If there’s a side MBFC might be able to look to for encouragement, it’s Orange County. OCSC suffered a similar dry spell in August and September, going five games without a goal, but after finding the net in its last two meetings the 2021 title winner is back above the playoff line going into this weekend thanks to a 1-0 win against Rhode Island FC last Saturday night.

• FINE MARGINS: Where Orange County can draw confidence from besides that victory is its recent record against Monterey Bay, where it’s won the last three meetings between the teams. Back in April, goals early and late from Thomas Amang and Ethan Zubak allowed OCSC to take victory in a game that saw Monterey Bay hit the woodwork twice and both teams deliver enterprising attacking displays.

This game feels like a pivotal moment for Monterey Bay. The side has yet to take victory since Head Coach Jordan Stewart took the reins, and a defeat would leave it with at least five points to make up in its final five games.

There’s experience in this squad attack led by Alex Dixon and the recently-signed Christian Volesky, but if it fails to show up on Saturday, it’s most likely the end of MBFC’s aim of a first playoff trip.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Russell Cicerone, Sacramento Republic FC: Cicerone looked the best player on the field in the first half of Sacramento’s midweek clash in New Mexico before tailing off before his substitution in the second half. If he can come up with the goods against Las Vegas Lights on Saturday, it would be big for the visitors.

Albert Dikwa, Rhode Island FC: The 2023 Player of the Year has gone four games without a goal and been quiet generally over that span. RIFC has lost consecutive games for the first time this season as it heads home for an important contest against FC Tulsa and needs Dikwa to offer more.

Collin Martin, North Carolina FC: The veteran midfielder could make his 150th regular season appearance in the Championship on Saturday and will need to be at his best going up against an Indy Eleven midfield that could Jack Blake, Aodhan Quinn and Cam Lindley.  

AROUND THE GROUNDS

#HFDvOAK: Oakland Roots SC is 1-3-1 away from home against Eastern Conference opposition this season, and Hartford Athletic is on a six-game undefeated streak on home turf. With the playoff line still in sight, Athletic will be hoping to add to Roots’ road struggles this season.

#NCvIND: North Carolina is in must-win territory as it plays host to Indy Eleven with a four-point gap to make up to the postseason. If it misses out on all three points here, the road to the playoffs becomes steeper, and that could be tricky against an Indy side that seemed to regain its attacking footing last weekend.

#RIvTUL: Rhode Island FC and FC Tulsa both need to get back on track given how precarious both their situations are in the playoff race. Finding an attacking spark is going to be key in that – RIFC and the Scissortails have each scored only three goals in their last five outings, respectively.

#ELPvCOS: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s four-game winning streak has put it in with a serious shot at a top-two finish. To get there it must take advantage of games like this against last-placed El Paso Locomotive FC on the road, where the side has struggled comparatively to its home form.

#LVvSAC: Las Vegas Lights made a statement it was for real with its win against Sacramento Republic FC at Heart Health Park earlier this season. After two slightly underwhelming draws last week, it can put itself in position for a top-four finish if it can complete a season sweep as Republic FC looks to rebound from its defeat in New Mexico.

#NMvLDN: New Mexico United looks set for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference after its midweek win against Sacramento. It certainly doesn’t want to suffer a letdown against a Loudoun United FC side that took victory the last time it visited Isotopes Park two seasons ago, though.

#BHMvMIA: Miami FC has been the remedy for sides that have been going through some attacking difficulties this season. Birmingham Legion FC is certainly among those, with 33 goals in 28 games, and the hosts will want to find their rhythm in the final third to continue to close in on a sixth consecutive playoff berth.