The Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix kick off on Saturday night with eight remaining teams vying for the title later this month.

Here are four storylines we’re following ahead of the action on CBS Sports Network and ESPN+, leading off with a reunion for one of the Championship’s most prolific all-time postseason goalscorers.

1. SWITCHBACKS’ DAMUS GETS ORANGE COUNTY REUNION

Three years ago, Ronaldo Damus was the leading light as Orange County SC claimed its first USL Championship title, scoring four goals in the postseason that included two in the Championship Final to claim MVP honors.

On Sunday night, he’ll face his former team with current club Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field (6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+) in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix aiming to make the same impact as the Switchbacks pursue the first silverware in their history.

“I strive to win, especially in the playoffs,” said Damus. “I always motivate myself more than when I’m playing in the regular season, because in the regular season if we lose, I say we’ll prepare for the next game, but in the playoffs it’s different. If you lose, everything is done.”

Damus’ uptick in the postseason is visible in his numbers. While he bagged his 13th goal of the season last Saturday night as the Switchbacks eliminated Oakland Roots SC to open the playoffs, the goal also marked his eighth in the Championship Playoffs for his career. In addition to his run with Orange County in 2021, he also bagged a hat trick for San Diego Loyal SC last year, only for the side’s season to end in a dramatic 4-3 loss to eventual title-winner Phoenix Rising FC.

The Haitian forward has good memories of his time with Orange County and is looking forward to going up against former teammates Dillon Powers and Seth Casiple, the two holdovers from the side that won the title three years ago. He also took away an understanding of what it takes to succeed in the playoffs, something that he also gained when he was part of North Texas SC’s USL League One title win in 2019.

“With North Texas and Orange County having good quality players, we first had to focus on a strong mentality,” said Damus. “For me what I learned to be successful in the playoffs is to have a strong mentality, and know how to manage the games.

“I believe in this group, that we can make it happen. Before I signed with the Switchbacks, my goal was to come here to win the USL Championship, and the whole team has the same goal. I know it won’t be easy, but we’ll fight for it.”

2. LOUCITY’S TAYLOR DAVILA MAKES IMMEDIATE POSTSEASON IMPACT

While some of Taylor Davila’s Louisville City FC teammates know exactly what to expect from the postseason given the club’s extensive history in the USL Championship Playoffs, the star midfielder was making his playoff debut last Saturday night as the Players’ Shield winners advanced past North Carolina FC.

It was no surprise, however, that Davila was one of the top performers on the field. A Championship All-League First Team selection a year ago at Rio Grande Valley FC, the 24-year-old bagged a goal and an assist to continue what’s already been a career-best season in the attacking third. Davila’s eight goals and seven assists place him second on the team in goal contributions, but he’s been as focused on doing what it takes off the ball to help his team succeed this season.

“I know who I am on the ball and what I can bring to the team, mostly just focusing on the defending side of the game, and I feel like I’ve improved, helping the team press,” said Davila. “I mean, even after North Carolina scored their first goal, we’re pressing them really well, and that’s how our goals came, winning the ball in their half. It’s just being a part of the team in that way, and just getting better at winning my matchup in the middle of the field.”

LouCity hosts Rhode Island FC on Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium aiming to extend its remarkable record of having advanced to at least the Eastern Conference Final of the USL Championship Playoffs for a 10th consecutive campaign. The side has been dominant at home, winning 17 of 18 matches and scoring 61 times, but Rhode Island is the one side that came away from its visit to Louisville with a win earlier this season.

Rhode Island was, in fact, the only team in the Eastern Conference that Louisville failed to take a win against during the regular season as the sides played to a draw when they met in the northeast. While LouCity Head Coach Danny Cruz expects there will be lessons to take from those games, however, how RIFC is playing currently is just as important.

“We have to look at recently how they've been playing, you know, what does it look like?” said Cruz. “So, it’s taking bits and pieces of all that and trying to put the puzzle together and making sure that the players, most importantly, feel prepared going into the game on Saturday. And if that’s the case, as good with the ball as I know we can be, I think we'll put ourselves in a in a good position to be able to progress.”

3. NOËL SAYS LIGHTS’ WILD RIDE HAS CREATED TOGETHERNESS

You might be able to count on one hand the number of people who believed when the USL Championship season began that Las Vegas Lights FC would not only reach the postseason, but host and advance out of its playoff opener, but star attacking midfielder Valentin Noël believes the ups and downs the club’s revamp has delivered has brought a togetherness in the squad that has them ready for anything the journey can throw at them.

“This entire journey, this whole year, really brought the players together in a way that, you know, we’ve seen it all so far,” Noël told Eric Wynalda and Jason Davis on SiriusXM FC’s Wynalda Talks Football on Thursday. “We experienced it all, and now there’s nothing that that can surprise us that we don't know about, and we’re ready for what’s coming.”

The Lights will try to continue their first postseason journey on Saturday night when they visit the West’s top seed in New Mexico United at Isotopes Park. While New Mexico has built one of the best home records in the league this season, the Lights were one of the few clubs to come away with a win when they visited earlier this season.

The French playmaker recorded a goal and assist in the side’s 2-1 victory in late July, a result that was part of a run that saw Las Vegas lose only once in 20 regular season outings. As much respect as the Lights have for what New Mexico will bring on the field and in the stands, Noël believes they’re ready to spring an upset.

“They have good wide dynamics, full backs pull pretty high, they put a lot of pressure and a lot of players in your defensive backline, so it’ll be an intense game,” he said. “Obviously, they have their home advantage, but it’s a [game] that we know that we are capable of winning. If we play our own game, stick to the plan, we know that we can beat them. It’s going to be about really performing and delivering our ‘A’ game on Saturday.”

4. ROWDIES ADJUST AFTER CHALLENGES TO ‘NEW NORMAL’

No team in the USL Championship has faced the challenges the Tampa Bay Rowdies have this season. The impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton displaced the club from home venue Al Lang Stadium late in the season as it had to play on the road for more than a month before concluding its campaign at IMG Academy Soccer Stadium.

As the side secured a postseason berth in its penultimate game against Hartford Athletic and then went on to defeat Indy Eleven in its regular season finale before going on the road to advance past Detroit City FC last Saturday night in a penalty shootout in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the sense of camaraderie and adjustment to what forward Cal Jennings termed its “new normal” is the foundation the side is now working from.

“We've become a bit of a family through it,” said Rowdies goalkeeper Jordan Farr, who made two saves in the shootout against Le Rouge. “I like the word resilient. We had a lot of difficult things to overcome, and we just stayed true to course, and we are trying to continue to stay true to course.”

Jennings, in particular, has picked up the pace of late. The standout forward has scored in three consecutive games after opening the scoring in Detroit, the sort of run that he’s become known for in the Championship as he approaches 70 goals in the league in his career. As the side prepares for a marquee clash with the Charleston Battery on Sunday afternoon on CBS Sports Network, the Rowdies are feeling in a far better spot than when they last visited Patriots Point during October’s turmoil.

“We finally got used to being uncomfortable,” said Jennings. “I think for a while, we were changing facilities. There was a lot going on, there was some stress back home, and we finally just bought into it and been like, ‘all right, this is our new normal. We’re going to go get after it and go win games’.”