One of Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC or Rhode Island FC will become the 11th team to lift the USL Championship trophy on Saturday when the sides square off at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs in the 2024 USL Championship Final.

The game will air live on the CBS Television Network, TUDN and SiriusXM, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. ET.

The matchup is the first between two first-time Final participants since 2016 when the New York Red Bulls II defeated Swope Park Rangers behind a hat trick from Final MVP Brandon Allen, with both the Switchbacks and RIFC led by first-time head coaches in James Chambers and Khano Smith respectively.

As we start to look ahead to Saturday’s showdown, here’s what recent Final history and this season’s results tell us as to what we might expect.

1. WEST’S ON A WINNING STREAK

When the USL Championship split into two conferences in 2015, the Eastern Conference held the upper hand. Its sides won each of the first four finals, including Louisville City FC’s back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018. Since then, the pendulum has swung the other way. The Western Conference’s representative has won four consecutive Championship Finals going into Saturday, with Phoenix Rising FC’s penalty shootout win against the Charleston Battery last November continuing that streak.

2. AT HOME ON THE ROAD

Over the first eight USL Championship Finals, if you were at home, you were going home with a trophy. Each of the hosts won the title between 2011 and 2018, including two dramatic comebacks by Orlando City SC in 2011 and the Rochester Rhinos in 2015 in which each side trailed only to come back to earn victory in a penalty shootout or extra time. Real Monarchs SLC broke that streak in 2019 when they thwarted Louisville City’s bid for a third consecutive title, starting a run where three of the past four winners have been the visiting squad.

3. BEASTS OF THE EAST

With a full slate of interconference play this season across the Eastern and Western Conference, the East came out firmly on top. Eastern Conference sides went 63-46-35 against their Western counterparts in the regular season, accumulating an average of 1.53 goals per game compared to 1.14 goals conceded. Rhode Island specifically went 4-3-5 with a +2-goal differential against Western opponents, while Colorado Springs went 4-5-3 with an even goal differential against the Eastern Conference.

4. SWITCHBACKS SQUEAKED THROUGH

When the Switchbacks hosted Rhode Island back on May 17, the hosts took a 3-1 victory behind a pair of goals by Haitian forward Ronaldo Damus. The final score might not have indicated the closeness of the contests overall, however, as RIFC held a narrow 9-8 advantage in shots while Colorado Springs held a 1.10 to 1.06 edge in Expected Goals. That Switchbacks mark included a 0.78xG mark for Damus’ late penalty kick, while RIFC’s Karifa Yao scored a 64th-minute own goal which ended up being the game-winner for Colorado Springs.

Both teams have evolved greatly since that meeting. It’s going to be fascinating to see how they match up this time.