The 2024 USL Championship Final between Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Rhode Island FC this Saturday (12 p.m. ET | CBS | TUDN | SiriusXM) will feel familiar to some of the participants. 

Take the Switchbacks’ Speedy Williams, who already has three Championship Final winner medals from his highly decorated career.

But for others, Saturday marks the first time they could lift a league title. Here’s who you should consider rooting for, and why.

Zach Zandi, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

The former Villanova standout - where he won at least one individual award in each of his four NCAA seasons - has been a story of perseverance throughout his professional career. One of the first signings for the Switchbacks when the current technical staff joined the club, Zandi has been hampered by injuries over the past three seasons but this year has become a pivotal player for the side, recording six goals and four assists across the regular season and playoffs. After making only three appearances a season ago, this would be a comeback for the ages. 

Albert Dikwa, Rhode Island FC

Last year was the postseason everything was supposed to happen for Albert Dikwa. Coming off winning the USL Championship’s Golden Boot with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC with 20 regular season goals, he led the Players’ Shield winner into the playoffs with high expectations, only for those to be dashed by Detroit City FC in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in arguably the biggest upset in Championship Playoffs history. Now, after joining Rhode Island this offseason, he’s got the chance to play in his first Final, and after bagging 11 goals and four assists this season, he could have a major impact.

Matt Mahoney, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

The 2024 USL Championship First Team All-League selection has made 212 career appearances in both the regular season and in the playoffs, but this match will be his first Championship Final. A graduate of the New York Red Bulls Academy, Mahoney has spent his entire career in the Championship since signing with Bethlehem Steel FC in 2017, also having featured for Sacramento Republic FC. The center back joined the Switchbacks in 2021, where he has made 138 appearances and become captain, which places him third among the club’s all-time appearance leaders. After earning his first All-League recognition and leading the Switchbacks to their first Western Conference title, Mahoney could add a Championship Final winner’s medal to cap a sparkling season.

Zach Herivaux, Rhode Island FC

The Haitian international was a consistent presence in the USL Championship before injuries hampered his time with the Tampa Bay Rowdies last season and this. Since returning to the northeast - where he was originally a Homegrown signing by the New England Revolution in 2015 - via a midseason transfer to RIFC, Herivaux has found a new lease on life, scoring a career-high four goals and three assists in just 18 appearances for the club. In his 10th professional season, this will mark Herivaux’s first opportunity to play in a Final.

Christian Herrera, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Since he made his USL Championship debut in 2018, all Christian Herrera had been looking for was an opportunity. A year ago in Colorado Springs, it finally arrived for the 27-year-old New Mexico native, who has taken the Switchbacks’ goalkeeper position and made it his own. Herrera has played every minute of every game this season, recording career highs of 96 saves and 12 shutouts. After time as a young goalkeeper at Real Salt Lake, Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City, Orlando City and Seattle Sounders, Herrera has finally earned his moment in the spotlight.

JJ Williams, Rhode Island FC

A star at the collegiate level with the Kentucky Wildcats, Williams has had an itinerant career that has included time in MLS with the Columbus Crew and Atlanta United, as well as five other USL Championship teams before his arrival in Rhode Island in 2024, including stints with FC Tulsa, Phoenix Rising FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies over the past two seasons. The 26-year-old came into his own with the Rowdies, recording 12 goals and nine assists across the regular season and playoffs, and since his acquisition by Rhode Island last December he has kept up that pace with 11 goals and seven assists during his team’s road to the final. Williams will now get the chance to win his first professional title.

Duke Lacroix, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

During his 10-season career, Lacroix has played in 202 matches in the USL Championship and been on title contenders in the past, only for the postseason to end in disappointment. With Reno 1868 FC in 2019, the side finished second in the Western Conference in the regular season, but was knocked out in the Western Conference Quarterfinals by rival Sacramento Republic FC. In two seasons with Colorado Springs, however, Lacroix has pushed to even higher levels, earning his first international call-ups for Haiti, and will now get the chance to play in his first Championship Final.