We’ve got a full slate of action in the USL Championship on Saturday night, including the home openers for defending title holder Orange County SC and the side it vanquished last November in the Tampa Bay Rowdies. There’s also a historic home opener for Detroit City FC, and much more besides as Week 2 of the campaign concludes.

Here are the storylines to follow this weekend.

1. DETROIT CAN BUILD IN HISTORIC HOME DEBUT

The result didn’t go Detroit City FC’s way against San Antonio FC in the club’s first game in the USL Championship last weekend, but there should be a renewed sense of belief within Head Coach Trevor James’ squad as the club hosts its home opener against the Charleston Battery at Keyworth Stadium on Saturday afternoon. After going toe-to-toe with a side that reached the Western Conference Final a season ago and is among the favorites this season, the new faces that made their Championship debut have something to build on in what should be a great – and emotional – day for the club.

“It was disappointing for them afterwards because we though they deserved something, but I think they realized that this is a level they can play at after experiencing it,” said James. “I think they surprised themselves a little bit that they played as well as they did against one of the better teams in the league.”

The Battery will offer another test, and the contrast in styles between DCFC’s desire to play and control possession and Charleston’s aim to play directly should make for an exciting contest before what’s set to be a packed house for Detroit City’s inaugural Championship home opener.

2. ORANGE COUNTY’S BANNER NIGHT

After opening its title defense on the road last weekend, Orange County SC will unveil its USL Championship Title banner on Saturday night when it hosts Rio Grande Valley FC and will be aiming for a performance to match in front of its enthusiastic support at Championship Soccer Stadium. The key to the latter part is almost certainly going to be getting out to a fast start as the club’s new attacking pieces try to click into place.

Orange County recorded only one official shot against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC a week ago and scored on its lone shot on goal in the second half by Milan Iloski. With Ronaldo Damus now officially transferred to Sweden’s GIF Sundsvall, this should be the moment for Cubo Torres to come to the fore at his new club.

3. ROWDIES RETURN TO FORTRESS AL LANG

The Tampa Bay Rowdies didn’t go undefeated at Al Lang Stadium a season ago, but in earning 13 home victories in the regular season they tied the USL Championship’s regular season record on the way to the best regular season campaign in the club’s modern history. On Saturday night they’ll try to pick up where they left off as Indy Eleven comes to downtown St. Petersburg for their home opener after earning a point on the road in Birmingham last Sunday.

There’ll likely be no-one more eager for Saturday than Rowdies captain Sebastian Guenzatti, whose 16 goals at home last year were the most by any player in the league. Sitting two goals back of Georgi Hristov for the all-time goalscoring lead in club history, it could be a big night for Tampa Bay’s front man.

4. LOCOMOTIVE FC DEFENDS HOME TURF

The other side to match the Championship’s single-season record for home wins a year ago was El Paso Locomotive FC, which went undefeated at Southwest University Park with a 13-0-3 record in the regular season to run the club’s overall home regular season streak to 23 games. That’s 10 off the longest such streak in the Championship’s history, but it could come under threat on Saturday night as New Mexico United visits for their first meeting of the season on ESPN Deportes at 8 p.m. ET.

As we’ve noted, there’s little love between the two Southwestern clubs, and New Mexico was the last team to take a regular season win in El Paso on July 24, 2020 when Chris Wehan and Devon Sandoval scored first-half goals. Wehan’s back, and this time he’s bringing Neco Brett – a goalscorer on his United debut last weekend – to try and break Locomotive FC’s historic run.

5. LOUCITY's Cruz respects MIAMI's growth

If Louisville City FC’s consistency on the field has made it the club every contender wants to emulate, Saturday night’s contest with Miami FC could give an illustration of whether the South Florida club has gained ground since LouCity’s 1-0 win in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of last year’s USL Championship Playoffs. Miami looked the part in its 2-0 win against the New York Red Bulls II on opening day, and LouCity Head Coach Danny Cruz is expecting a strong challenge to his club’s home success.

“When you look at the quality they have on the roster, those that they kept from last year and the new pieces they brought in, it’s a well-coached team and I have a lot of respect for [New Miami Head Coach] Anthony [Pulis],” said Cruz. “We expect it to be a playoff type game. We’re expecting a tough opponent and it’s certainly a game that is going to bring out the best in both teams.”

6. ASSIST KINGS AIM FOR BREAKTHROUGH

There’s good reason for the build-up to Saturday’s home opener for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium against Hartford Athletic, with the players sitting 1-2 in regular season assists in the Championship’s history squaring off. For Pittsburgh’s Kenardo Forbes and Hartford’s Danny Barrera, however, the opposing side has been a source of problems historically.

In eight prior contests, Forbes – who holds the all-time assists lead with 45 – has yet to record an assist against the Athletic despite notching 14 chances created. Barrera – who enters the game with 44 regular-season helpers – has notched one but has been limited by the Hounds to only nine chances created in eight games.

7. LINDLEY GIVES COLORADO SPRINGS CONTROL

For all the attacking weapons Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC added to its squad this offseason – including opening-night goalscorer Malik Johnson and center forward Elvis Amoh – the new arrival that might have had the biggest initial impact was midfielder Cam Lindley. The former San Antonio FC man will be in the spotlight again on Saturday night as Monterey Bay F.C. visits Weidner Field with the hosts looking for back-to-back wins to start a season for the first time since 2016.

“[Lindley] controlled the tempo of the game on the ball, which is really important,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Brendan Burke this week. “We were about 50-50 in possession against OC, but a lot of OC’s possession was pinned back on top of their 18 [yard box], and you can see that from the average positions: we were really on top of the game. Although we didn’t create a ton, I thought the way we were structured was really good and Cam was obviously right in the middle of that with [Zach] Zandi.”

8. SAN DIEGO, SACRAMENTO GET CHANCE AT STATEMENT

Both San Diego Loyal SC and Sacramento Republic FC needed late goals to grab victory at home last weekend, with SD Loyal’s 97th-minute game winner against the LA Galaxy II the latest the side had scored in a game in its short history. As the California squads meet on Saturday night at Torero Stadium, we could get an indication of which side is primed for success early this season.

For Sacramento in particular, this feels significant. Republic FC has yet to defeat SD Loyal after five contests between the sides, posting a record of 0-2-3. If Republic FC can earn a road win, it would solidify what are on paper strong credentials to be a contender this season.

9. TRADING BLACK AND GOLD

There will be a familiar face on the opposite side for both FC Tulsa and Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday night in Tulsa’s home opener at ONEOK Field, with new Legion FC signing Marlon returning to face his former club, which now includes ex-Birmingham forward J.J. Williams.

Marlon paid an immediate dividend for Legion FC in his debut for the side, scoring a superb second-half equalizer in its 1-1 draw against the Tampa Bay Rowdies last Sunday evening that landed at No. 2 on ESPN’s Futbol Americas’ Top 10 Weekend Goals countdown on Monday night. The Brazilian will certainly be hoping to produce something similar as both teams look for their first wins of the season.

10. FAST TRACK IN SIN CITY

While Las Vegas Lights FC has a new Head Coach this season in Enrique Duran, there didn’t appear to be many surprises for Phoenix Rising FC Head Coach Rick Schantz as he looked ahead to his side’s second opponent of the season on Saturday night in Lights FC’s home opener at Cashman Field.

“They’re very similar to what they were in 2021,” said Schantz. “They’re extremely good in transition offensively. They’re a little weak in defensive transition. Their pressing is similar to ours. They can get exposed in direct football. New Mexico played direct, playing in-behind quite a bit, which caused problems for Las Vegas.”

Lights FC’s ability to get out quickly in transition is mirrored by Phoenix’s, which could make for another fast-paced and entertaining contest between the two sides. In 12 prior meetings, Phoenix has scored 40 goals against Las Vegas, with the teams combining for 56 overall, an average of 4.67 goals per game.