The Three Sparks may be done for the year (again) but the USL Championship continues on. The playoffs are about to begin with 16 teams looking for glory. Here is a quick preview of all 8 games this weekend:
Pittsburgh Riverhounds v. Hartford Athletic (Saturday, 5:30pm, ESPN+). Hartford had the misfortune to play Louisville City in the final game of the regular season and dropped from the home playoff spots to 5th with the 0-1 loss. They also lost 2-3 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies the previous week. Not a great way to end the otherwise excellent season. The Riverhounds for their part are just as clinical as ever, but also just as boring. Predictable? Certainly, but that doesn’t make them easy. This will be quite a contrast in styles.
Louisville City v. Detroit City (Saturday, 6:00pm, CBS Sports Golazo Network). Lou City just set records in the regular season. Detroit limped into the playoffs and has the fewest wins of any team still playing. That being said, Louisville has a habit of stumbling in the playoffs; they have made it to the final just once this decade and haven’t won it all since 2018. Still, the chances of Detroit pulling off a shocker seem very thin indeed. This Lou City squad is a very determined and organized bunch.
North Carolina FC v. Loudoun United FC (Saturday, 6:30pm, ESPN+). This and the next game are repeats of last week. In this case the venues change. North Carolina won 1-0 last time in Virginia and now have the home field advantage. They have made the playoffs both years since returning to the Championship; this will be Loudoun’s first-ever playoff game. Loudoun also lost the prior week 1-2 to Indy Eleven so are not on a great course. Still, they have an explosive attack and could take advantage of North Carolina’s si-back-and-counter approach.
FC Tulsa v. Colorado Springs Switchbacks (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPN+). This is a rematch of the season closer for both teams. It also pits last year’s champion against this year’s Western Conference champion. Tulsa ran away with it last week 3-0 to cap off their best season ever. Look especially for newcomer Taylor Calheira to make an impact on the game. The Switchbacks have not impressed greatly in their title defense so far (they were 2nd in the West last year) and are clearly missing Ronaldo Damus. An upset is unlikely.
New Mexico United v. San Antonio FC (Saturday, 8:00pm, ESPN+). These two have already played 3 times this season. New Mexico won both regular seasion games by an aggregate score of 5-2 and in the Jägermeister Cup they played to a 2-2 draw with New Mexico winning 3-0 in the shootout. The hsosts are also on a 7-game unbeaten streak. an Antonio broke a 4-game losing streak last week in spectaular fashion, winning 5-2 over El Paso Locomotive. This could be either a high-scoring game or a brutal grind-out.
El Paso Locomotive v. Phoenix Rising (Saturday, 8:30pm, ESPN+). This will almost certainly be another high-scoring game. In 3 games this season the teams combined for 18 goals (all 3 were draws, 4-4, 3-3 and 2-2) and a Jägermeister Cup shootout that went 7-6. It will be all-out attack and damn the torpedoes. Defense is entirely optional for both: Phoenix scored 48 goals in the regular season and allowed 48; El Paso scored 47 and allowed 45. If goals are your thing, this will the most entertaining game in the whole schedule.
Charleston Battery v. Rhode Island FC (Sunday, 1:00pm, CBS Sports). Neither team is known for lighting up the scoreboard, although both have had a couple of high-scoring games recently. That was against much weaker opposition, though. This one will be a cagey affair. Cal Jennings of the Battery barely missed out on the Golden Boot and will be the primary target man. Rhode Island’s J.J. Williams has likewise been a talisman but has missed a couple of games due to injury. It;s not clear if he will play.
Sacramento Republic v. Orange County SC (Sunday, 8:00pm, CBS Sports). The all-California matchup closes out the weekend. The OC is 5 games unbeaten in a surge to get into the playoffs. SacRep has been strong all year but has had a couple of hiccups, notably the 0-1 loss last week to The™ Miami FC. They were resting a few players though. Ethan Zubak has been a standout for Orange County; these playoffs will mark the end of a sterling career for SacRep’s Rodrigo Lopez.
