Eight teams are still standing in their bid for a place in the 2024 USL Championship Final on Saturday, November 23 on the CBS Television Network after an opening weekend that included three road upsets, two penalty shootouts and another goal for the Golden Boot winner.

Here are five storylines we took away from the action.

1. LOUCITY DOESN’T WANT TO RELY ON RESILIENCE

Louisville City FC has been one of the most resilient teams in USL Championship history. Its 23 points gained from losing positions was only a point off the most in a regular season, and the side was at it again on Saturday night when it rallied after conceding early to take a 3-2 victory against North Carolina FC.

But for the players and Head Coach Danny Cruz, that habit of allowing the opening goal is one they’d rather put an end to.

“It’s definitely been a little trend we have to get away from,” said Adrien Pérez, who had a goal and assist in the comeback. “I think we’re resilient and we just keep our heads straight. We know what we can do out there.”

With Rhode Island FC up next – bringing with it momentum and a hot striker in JJ Williams – there are going to be two focuses for Cruz as his sides takes on the only team to hand LouCity defeat on its home turf this season.

“There’s two main (points) of emphasis we’re going to talk about Tuesday,” Cruz said. “That’s not going down early and making sure we kind of understand the why tonight, and then the second thing that goes with it is set pieces. We talked about it all week. We talked about how championships in this league are decided on set pieces.”  

2. LIGHTS LEANING ON EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE

While Friday night was the first playoff game in Las Vegas Lights FC’s history, the squad included plenty of players who’d appeared in win-or-go-home scenarios elsewhere that they could try to draw from as they stepped up to face Sacramento Republic FC.

For Head Coach Dennis Sanchez and attacking midfielder Valentin Noël, that meant a call-back to last year’s MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs, where Austin FC II was in a poor run of form entering the playoffs, but ended up claiming the reserve league title with four consecutive wins on the road.

“It’s interesting because it’s a similar path, a similar momentum going through the playoffs,” said Noël. “Last year, we were winless for six games [going into the postseason]. This year we lost the last two. But going into this first game of the playoffs, the confidence was there. There was no doubt that we could do it.”

The Lights at least got to open their postseason at home as they advanced in a penalty shootout thanks to the goalkeeping heroics of Raiko Arozarena. Now they’ll head to face top seed New Mexico United with the hope of earning another upset.

3. THE ROWDIES SURVIVE AND ADVANCE

The last time the Tampa Bay Rowdies faced a postseason shootout, it was more than a decade ago as the club won the North American Soccer League at Al Lang Stadium in 2012.

This time around at a sold-out Keyworth Stadium, Jordan Farr played the role of Jeff Attinella while Lewis Hilton provided a parallel to Luke Mulholland to send the visitors through from the spot.

For Tampa Bay Head Coach Robbie Neilson, the night was a reminder of the cup competitions he grew up around in his native Scotland, where the most important thing was always to make sure you were moving on.

“The atmosphere was brilliant here,” said Neilson. “It was different than what we’re used to, but it reminded me of a normal cup game back home. It’s all about progressing to the next round. That’s all it is. We managed to do that.”

4. THE SWITCHBACKS MADE THEIR OWN BREAKS

The saying, of course, is it’s better to be lucky than good, but when it came to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC attacking midfielder Jairo Henriquez’s opening goal against Oakland Roots SC on Saturday night in the side’s 2-0 victory, he was both.

“He beats them on the dribble and then gets a little bit of good fortune,” said Switchbacks Head Coach James Chambers. “[Zach] Zandi has the shot, but he’s in the right place at the right time, and then ultimately if you’re in the right place at the right time, you got to put it away, and he did that. And I think that was deserved for the first half play, to be completely honest with you.”

Henriquez was making only his 10th start of the season for Colorado Springs after an up-and-down campaign, but those individual moments are the sort the El Salvador international has delivered occasionally over his time at the club.

If the Switchbacks persist in their aggressiveness in putting opponents under pressure, it could pay off with a second trip to the Western Conference Final in three years when they host Orange County SC next weekend.

5. NICK MARKANICH HAS UNDENIABLE INSTINCTS

Facing the only team that had held them scoreless in both meetings of the regular season, the Charleston Battery knew the first goal was going to be essential against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

The player and manner of that goal when it arrived in the eighth minute came as no surprise with Nick Markanich’s diving header delivering his 29th goal of the season across the regular season and playoffs, giving the Battery the lead they knew they needed.

“If they would have got the first goal it, would have been hard to come back,” said Markanich. “We stuck with the first goal, great ball from Arturo. We talked about it pregame, cut in and either find me or Jackson [Conway] the box, and that’s what exactly we did.”

That might have been the plan, but the finish itself showed why Markanich has produced the number of goals he has this season. Reacting first to attack the ball before his marker could clear was another instinctive strike that illustrated again why the 24-year-old has been lethal throughout this year.