Whatever club or league you follow, there are games that define the battle for silverware.

They’re typically between two high-powered squads filled with potential game-changers where a victory will prove pivotal for both.

Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery’s showdown for Fill the Fam night at Lynn Family Stadium ticks all the boxes. More than anything, the result could end up being decisive in the race for the 2024 USL Championship Players’ Shield.

Here are five reasons why you need to tune in, 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night on ESPN+.

1. The Background

Since LouCity joined the USL in 2015, the Battery have been one of their most regular opponents. The teams have played 19 times across the regular season and playoffs, and for a while it was a pretty one-sided affair in favor of the Boys in Purple. In their first 15 meetings, Louisville won eight times, knocked Charleston out of the playoffs twice, and lost only twice.

In the past 12 months, everything’s changed. Under Head Coach Ben Pirmann, the Battery earned draws in each of their regular season meetings last year, and then took the club’s first win against LouCity since 2018 to win the Eastern Conference title. Charleston picked up another victory early this season in a 3-2 thriller at Patriots Point. That’s pushed this in the direction of a serious rivalry.

2. The Standings

With two-and-a-half months to go in the regular season, the race for the Players’ Shield is effectively down to LouCity and the Battery, and the pressure’s going to be on Charleston to deliver. The Battery’s seven drawn games this season have ended up putting them a point behind LouCity going into Saturday’s game. On top of that, the hosts have two games in hand. There would still be plenty of games to be played, but LouCity would be a firm favorite with a win. If the Battery take victory, the intrigue will ramp up further.

3. The Coaches

You’d be hard-pressed to find two coaches under the age of 40 with brighter resumes than LouCity’s Danny Cruz and the Battery’s Ben Pirmann. Each has led their respective club to conference titles in the past two years. They each boast winning percentages over 50 percent in the Championship’s regular season – 34-year-old Cruz is at 57 percent (69-29-23) and 38-year-old Pirmann is at 53.5 percent (68-31-28). With their respective sideline demeanors, you’ll feel the tension in the air.

4. The Sharpshooters

If they aren’t on your radar yet – and for goodness’ sake, where have you been? – the Battery’s Nick Markanich and LouCity’s Wilson Harris are here to bring the goals. Markanich is currently the leading domestic goalscorer in the United States with 21 goals in 24 games this season and has bagged nine goals in his last eight outings. His 32 goals for the Battery across the regular season and playoffs since the start of the 2023 season are tied for the most in the league in that span. Harris, meanwhile, has become the youngest player to reach both 50 and 60 regular season goals this year to sit second to Markanich in the race for the Golden Boot with 14 tallies. The 24-year-olds are both absolute box office.

5. The Venue

When it comes to goals, there has been no venue quite like LouCity’s Lynn Family Stadium this season. In 11 games – 10 of which LouCity has won – fans have seen an average of 5.2 goals per game in league contests. That’s a testament to the Louisville’s attacking potency, but also to the environment The Fam brings. Remember April’s 5-3 victory against Indy Eleven on CBS? Or this past weekend’s 4-3 win against Sacramento Republic FC? Or when Rhode Island FC rolled in this June and took a 5-2 victory? This venue has become the stage where wild results reign.