The past weekend’s action saw the final two tickets booked to the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs, a historic victory to close out the regular season by the Players’ Shield winner, and a crucial shift in the playoff seedings for the Western Conference.

Here are the three big storylines we took away from Week 34’s action, our picks for who’s up and who’s down coming out of the weekend, and thoughts on everything else we saw around the league.

TOP THREE STORYLINES

1. HOUNDS, NCFC DELIVER WHEN IT MATTERS

The thing about knowing your season could come to an end depending on the result you get to close the regular season is it can affect the mindset of a team that knows what it needs.

When it came down to it, though, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and North Carolina FC delivered in impressive fashion to ensure there would be no openings for the other teams that entered the weekend with a chance to overtake them.

• TAKING INITIATIVE: As has become their habit, especially at home, the Hounds jumped out quickly against El Paso Locomotive FC, got an early goal through Edward Kizza – his fifth consecutive game with a tally – and hardly looked back. A second via an own goal by Locomotive’s Ricky Ruiz inside 20 minutes set the table, and goalkeeper Eric Dick saw out the result with a six-save shutout.

• SHOWING RESILIENCE: On paper, North Carolina was always going to have the tougher task facing a Las Vegas Lights FC side that still had something to play for. The Lights showed up, taking an early lead, but NCFC’s quick fightback to get on level terms through Paco Craig before Oalex Anderson delivered the winner late in the first half gave the side a fourth win in its last five and a postseason berth.

• CLOSING TIME: What’s set the Hounds and NCFC apart in the race for the playoffs is how they’ve closed. Over the last five games of the regular season, the Hounds ranked first in the East with 13 points, and NCFC sat second with 12, and that made the difference.

“We’re showing character. I couldn’t be happier with the group in terms of the tenacity you have to have to close the season [the way they did],” said Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley. “I thought they handled the emotions and the moment well, which is good for a team trying to mature. Hopefully we’re able to call on some of that going into the playoffs.” 

With North Carolina headed to face No. 1 seed Louisville City FC to open the postseason and the Hounds headed to No. 2 seed the Charleston Battery, neither side has any guarantee of moving beyond the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The battle-tested nature of both clubs in delivering when it mattered most, however, could help each in its bid to create two major upsets on the opening weekend.

2. LOUCITY REWRITES THE HISTORY BOOK

Louisville City FC put the final touches on the most dominant home schedule we’ve seen in the USL Championship’s history on Saturday night. The Players’ Shield winner romped to a 4-1 victory against Phoenix Rising FC behind a brace from Wilson Harris and a goal apiece from Ray Serrano and Phillip Goodrum to take their 16th win in 17 home games this campaign.

• WRITING HISTORY: LouCity had already surpassed the record for the most home wins in a USL Championship regular season, but the numbers they’ve racked up are truly awe-inspiring. The club’s 58 goals – an average of 3.4 per game – are also a single-season home record.

• ROOM AT THE TOP: The win also moved LouCity level with Phoenix’s 2019 squad and San Antonio FC’s 2022 side in winning 24 games across the regular season, while Louisville’s 86 goals finished only three behind the 89 scored by Phoenix five years ago.

• DOMINANT STYLE: To add to that goal barrage, consider this – LouCity’s eight games with at least four goals in its home slate (almost half its outings) set a new single-season record as well. Louisville wasn’t held scoreless once at home this season and was held to only one goal on one occasion – a 1-0 win against Loudoun United FC on September 6.

“I thought it was actually a very good game for us to have to play going into the playoffs,” said LouCity Head Coach Danny Cruz. “As I’ve said numerous times this year, I was really proud of the response once we went down a goal. And I thought we were all over them in the first seven minutes before they hit us in transition.

“At the end of the day, again, four goals at home – we stuck to the game plan. We knew they wanted the ball, and that was fine with us because we felt it was going to leave them vulnerable going the other way. I thought it played out that way.”

There’s only one team that we’ve seen as close to dominant at home as Louisville City has proven this season, and that was the Orlando City SC side that in 2014 went 13-0-1 on the way to the playoffs.

That Lions side, of course, lost in the first round of the playoffs.

It’s going to be a shock of an even greater magnitude if LouCity’s streak of nine consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Final comes to an end this year.

3. THE SWITCHBACKS? YES!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when we were utterly befuddled by Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s form? Well, we’re still basically there, only much for the better after the side’s victory against Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday night grabbed the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

• HOME COOKING: For almost the entire season, the formbook for the Switchbacks had been great at home and poor on the road. Colorado Springs ranked fourth in the league with 10 home victories, and had won only three times on the road, before they let a crucial potential three points slip away at home to San Antonio FC in their home finale on October 12.

• BOUNCING BACK: That put the Switchbacks in a potential bind. With two road games to play, they needed results to ensure they’d get at least one home game to start the playoffs. They did better than that, winning at Monterey Bay F.C. on October 19 before completing a NorCal sweep this weekend thanks to Juan Tejada’s late winner at Heart Health Park.

• SET UP FOR SUCCESS: Now Colorado Springs would get at least two home games in the playoffs should it advance past No. 7 seed Oakland Roots SC on Saturday night at Weidner Field. It could even host the Western Conference Final should it advance that far and No. 1 seed New Mexico United falter.

The Switchbacks have been to one Western Conference Final in club history, two years ago, when they used homefield advantage to get there. The altitude at Weidner Field – and encroaching winter weather – should make it a difficult destination for any visitor.

That could be the set-up Colorado Springs needs to go further than it ever has in the postseason.

Three Up

Cal Jennings and Manuel Arteaga – The Rowdies’ forward duo each found the net in a 3-0 win against Indy Eleven on Saturday night after Jennings had broken his drought last Wednesday against Hartford. They’ve combined for 31 goals this season, and turned up just in time.

Edward Kizza – The Hounds forward bagging goals in five consecutive games embodies the confidence the club is playing with right now. They’ve outscored opponents 10-0 over the last four games, with the 25-year-old bagging half of those tallies.

Matt Mahoney and Christian Herrera – Completing ironman seasons in which they didn’t miss a minute of action across 34 games for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC with a shutout victory against Sacramento Republic FC on the road was big for the Switchbacks’ defensive leader and his goalkeeper.

Three Down

Oakland Roots’ Defense – The Roots are going to the playoffs but got lit up 5-0 by Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday night to enter the postseason having conceded the second-most goals in the league this season (57).

San Antonio FC – Yes, there wasn’t anything at stake but pride for SAFC, but that’s why you don’t concede four goals at home for the first time in your history before you head into the offseason.

The West vs. The East – Eastern Conference teams went 5-1-0 against Western opponents on the final day of the season – only Orange County SC’s 3-2 win against Hartford Athletic saved face – to leave the East with a 63W-46L-35D record in interconference play and +57 goal differential on the season.

THE REST OF THE ACTION

#CHSvLDN: The Charleston Battery won their 13th home game of the season on Saturday and set a club record for points – surpassing a 63-point campaign in 2002 – with a victory against Loudoun United FC. Don’t overlook the defending Eastern Conference title holders.

#TBRvIND: You could see the relief from the Tampa Bay Rowdies as they put together the sort of complete performance that they’ve been threatening for a while to complete a season sweep of Indy Eleven. The underlying numbers say the Rowdies are a dangerous team, this performance showed why.

#TULvMB: Even when you’ve got nothing at stake, going into the offseason with a win always feels better than suffering a defeat. FC Tulsa got the result against Monterey Bay F.C. and now can start planning for 2025 with a good feeling around the club.

#NMvMEM: Memphis 901 FC jumped New Mexico United early and kept calm when the hosts fought back to secure a tremendous road win. The alarm bells might be ringing for United after five consecutive games without a win as they head into the playoffs which included a home defeat to Western Conference Quarterfinals opponent Phoenix Rising FC on October 9.

#RIvMIA: We thought Reno 1868 FC’s record of nine goals in a game in 2017 was going to be under threat during the second half. Rhode Island FC didn’t quite get there in their 8-1 win, which sent Miami FC into the offseason with nowhere to go but up.

#SAvDET: Both Maxi Rodriguez and Ben Morris got to 10 goals this regular season in Detroit City FC’s comprehensive win against San Antonio FC, but we feel terrible for SAFC’s Carter Manley as he was sent off in his final professional game.

#OAKvBHM: Birmingham Legion FC’s 5-0 romp past Oakland Roots SC meant that Legion ended up with more victories against the Western Conference (7) than it did in its Eastern Conference home-and-home slate (6).

#OCvHFD: Ryan Doghman, have a day – and you too, Mike Watts, with that “He’s got that Dogh in him” call on the second goal. Orange County’s undefeated in eight going to the playoffs and might the best dark-horse pick of the lower seeds out West.