Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Rhode Island FC meet at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night in one of this weekend's key games in the race for the postseason. | Photo courtesy Ben Reimann / Rhode Island FC
Welcome to the latest edition of the USL Championship Race to the Playoffs presented by Terminix, where we provide weekly information on where each team stands in their bid to reach the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs in October.
This weekend, Louisville City FC and the Charleston Battery can clinch a postseason berth – LouCity can get there on its own, while the Battery will need a little help from elsewhere to seal their return to the postseason. Elsewhere, we’ve got some key games around the playoff line in both the Eastern and Western Conference to watch.
This season, we’re grateful to our friend John Morrissey at USL Tactics for providing the data for playoff projections. Now, here are some games to watch and an overview of where everyone stands.
You probably wouldn’t have predicted this to be a playoff six-pointer at the start of the season, but here we are. With Tulsa in seventh place and Phoenix in eighth – and both sitting on 30 points – this is a huge game for both clubs. If either comes out victorious, it’ll be big for their playoff chances. If they end up all square, they’ll both still be in a battle with the teams below the playoff line.
This is much more of a must-win for Hartford in terms of the playoff race with the Athletic sitting five points out of the top eight in the East with nine games to play. They’ve been much better at home than away this season, though, and with Indy winless in its last three league outings – and needing a Romario Williams wonder-strike against Pittsburgh last week to avoid that being three consecutive defeats – the Boys in Blue need a win to boost their top-four chances and keep the teams below the playoff line at bay.
The Hounds are running out of games to make up ground in the East which makes this game at home to Rhode Island huge for their playoff prospects. RIFC is looking well set for the playoffs after winning a six-pointer last week against Birmingham Legion, however, and has lost only once in the last 13 outings. A win would be big for the visitors, too, as they pursue a top-four finish in their inaugural campaign.
This isn’t an elimination game for Monterey Bay and San Antonio, but it has the feeling of one with both teams below the playoff line going into the weekend. Neither side is in good form as of now – Monterey Bay is winless in its last seven, while San Antonio has one win in its last seven – but if either can come out with all three points it could be huge for that side, and deal another blow to the losing party.
Tag(s): Features San Antonio FC CO Spring Switchbacks Orange County SC Phoenix Rising FC Sacramento Republic FC FC Tulsa Charleston Battery Louisville City FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds Tampa Bay Rowdies Las Vegas Lights FC Birmingham Legion FC North Carolina FC Indy Eleven Memphis 901 FC El Paso Locomotive FC New Mexico United Loudoun United FC Hartford Athletic Miami FC Oakland Roots SC Detroit City FC Monterey Bay F.C. Rhode Island FC