The USL Championship’s national broadcast schedule kicks off on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m. ET as San Antonio FC plays host to Phoenix Rising FC at Toyota Field.

The contest brings together two recent league title-winners, with San Antonio having completed the double in 2022 after winning the Players’ Shield in the regular season, and Phoenix having reeled off a Cinderella run with four consecutive wins on the road to claim victory in 2023.

Ahead of the action, here are five reasons you should tune in for what promises to be a fireworks-filled clash between two of the Western Conference’s contenders.

1. San Antonio, Toyota Field know how to put on a show

San Antonio FC has called Toyota Field home for 10 seasons, and in that time the club has welcomed top international opponents from LigaMX and Europe, hosted the Final of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and even welcomed the United States Men’s National Team for its January, 2024 exhibition against Slovenia that saw Diego Luna make his debut for the side.

In short, this is a club and venue that knows how to put on a big-time event, with the supporters having had plenty to celebrate, including winning the 2022 USL Championship Final against Louisville City FC. After more than $1 million of renovations and upgrades were made this past offseason by owners Spurs Sports & Entertainment, the stage for this national showdown is among the best stadiums in the league.

2. SAFC’s Jorge Hernández is the best playmaker in the USL Championship

Coming out of the LA Galaxy Academy, Jorge Hernández might not have been as heralded as some of his then-teammates at the LA Galaxy II like Ulysses Llanez, Efrain Alvarez or Alex Mendez, but the numbers he’s put up both in LA and since his arrival in San Antonio prior to the 2023 season have been dazzling.

The 24-year-old has recorded 23 goals and 30 assists in the Championship in 150 appearances across the regular season and playoffs. He won the league’s Golden Playmaker award in 2023 with 10 assists in the regular season. What’s more, no-one in the league has more assists since the start of 2023 than Hernández’s 19 helpers, no-one’s created more Big Chances (28), and no-one’s recorded a higher Expected Assists mark (16.36xA).

Hernández’s quality on the ball in open play or set pieces is a treat to watch, exactly the sort of player that makes this game great.

3. Rising’s Mohamed Traore and Pape Mar Boye are a top young center back duo

Most clubs in the USL Championship have at least one experienced head in the center of defense, but that’s not the case for Phoenix Rising. Instead, they have the duo of 22-year-old Mohamed Traore and 21-year-old Pape Mar Boye, who form the youngest center back tandem – and one that offers high-level potential – in the Championship.

Both natives of Dakar, Senegal, the two ranked third (Boye) and fifth (Traore) among the youngest center backs to record at least 15 appearances in the 2024 regular season. Traore has already made more than 80 appearances in the USL Championship’s regular season, having previously competed for Las Vegas Lights FC after signing with Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer as an 18-year-old. Boye, meanwhile, elected to sign with Rising after a standout freshman season at Clemson University in which he won the College Cup and earned Most Outstanding Defensive Player, eschewing a Generation adidas contract offer from MLS.

The talent ceiling for both players is high. On a national stage, they’ll be looking to make their mark.

4. San Antonio’s Carlos Llamosa, Phoenix’s Pa-Modou Kah are making their imprint

Both San Antonio FC and Phoenix Rising hired new Head Coaches this offseason, and while they went in different directions in terms of the prior pathway for their hires, each is already putting their imprint on his respective squad.

In San Antonio, former United States international Carlos Llamosa entered his first head coaching position in the professional ranks in the Alamo City, having previously served as a top assistant to Giovanni Savarese at the New York Cosmos and Portland Timbers FC. Llamosa has quickly put his imprint on the side, leading it to three wins out of three to open the season, making SAFC the last perfect team standing going into Saturday’s visit to Lexington SC.

Kah, meanwhile, is at his third stop as a Head Coach after most recently working as an assistant at Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer. The former Norwegian international has already built a stellar resume, leading Pacific FC to the Canadian Premier League title in 2021 – and earning Coach of the Year in the process – before a year at North Texas SC in MLS NEXT Pro. The 44-year-old is leading one of the youngest squads in the Championship, which has already shown its spirit in a remarkable three-goal comeback in El Paso.

5. Wild cards Damian Rivera, Jake LaCava and Hope Avayevu can make magic

You’ve seen Damian Rivera’s goal for Phoenix from Week 3 against Rhode Island FC, right? If not, rectify that immediately. 

The potential for that to happen is what makes any game special, and in Rivera, Rising teammate Hope Avayevu and San Antonio’s Jake LaCava you have potential gamechangers that command attention.

Both Rivera and LaCava, incidentally, made a mark previously with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Rivera bagged six goals and three assists in just over 1,000 minutes while on loan from the New England Revolution a season ago, while LaCava had his best season in the league with 12 goals and five assists on loan from the New York Red Bulls in 2022. Their creativity in wide spaces and inside the penalty area makes them an attacking threat when they get on the ball.

But Avayevu has been one of the revelations of the season so far. Reunited with Pa-Modou Kah after their time together at North Texas SC, the 22-year-old has one goal and two assists playing in a hybrid central midfield role – check out John Morrissey’s analysis of his game here. All three should have a big role to play for their sides, and can deliver the sort of magic that changes a game.