While Loudoun United FC and the Charleston Battery square off in the headline game in the USL Championship this weekend, we’ve got 11 games in all to tune in for across Friday and Saturday night.

Here are six questions we have going into Week 14’s weekend slate.

1. What does Oakland Roots debut under Benny Feilhaber look like?

Since Oakland Roots appointed Benny Feilhaber as its new Head Coach on Monday, replacing the outgoing Gavin Glinton, there’s been plenty to dissect. Feilhaber himself went on USL All Access on Tuesday night and joined SiriusXM FC’s WTF with Eric Wynalda and Jason Davis to talk about the move, and our friend John Morrissey produced a deep dive on what we might expect from Feilhaber after his tenure at Sporting Kansas City II.

Most of this is useful, but Saturday’s the first litmus test for Benny and the Roots. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself). It’s a tough one against an El Paso Locomotive FC side that’s taken its own big step forward this season while currently featuring one of the hottest attackers in the league in Andy Cabrera. It’s going to take time for Feilhaber’s methods to take hold, but there’s nothing like making a big first impression. We’re curious as to whether the Roots can deliver.

2. Did Hartford Athletic really fix its attack last week?

The worst thing a team can do simultaneously is both fail to get results and be boring while doing so. That was basically where we found ourselves with Hartford Athletic prior to last week, at which point they had won only once and scored only five goals in their first eight games.

Thankfully, things really perked up in Week 13. No, Athletic didn’t win against Indy Eleven, but it almost doubled its total of league goals in a single night in a brilliant 4-4 draw at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. The side then pulled out a 3-2 win against Westchester SC to stay firmly in the hunt to advance in the USL Jägermeister Cup on Saturday.

This is the sort of work we’ve come to expect from Head Coach Brendan Burke’s teams, getting after it in the attacking end and delivering entertainment. As a good – but not infallible – North Carolina FC side visits on Friday, we’re hoping to see Hartford deliver some more fireworks.

3. Wait, is Francisco Bonfiglio for real?

When we put Francisco Bonfiglio as Miami FC’s Young Player to Watch this preseason, there was a caveat – he’s not technically age-eligible for the Young Player of the Year award. And yet, with the other new arrivals at Pitbull Stadium this offseason, he’s still the youngest outfield player on a professional contract at the club.

What’s more, he’s showing us some things. The 23-year-old has scored in five consecutive league games – the longest streak for any player in Miami’s colors since it joined the Championship – and he put up a pair of assists last week to keep the team on top of Group 6 in the USL Jägermeister Cup. That parlayed into being nominated for the Championship’s Player of the Month award on Thursday. While Miami fell last time out in the league, heading to Rhode Island FC we’re intrigued to see if the young-ish Argentine can keep things moving.

4. Which of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC or Detroit City can lift themselves?

After a tremendous start to the season, May was a rough month for Detroit City. The side went winless in six games across all competitions, including last week’s 4-2 defeat to Portland Hearts of Pine in the USL Jägermeister Cup.

That’s almost been the story of the season for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, though, which is marginally above the playoff line but only picked up its third league win of the season two weeks ago against Rhode Island FC, and then immediately had the result reversed by RIFC on them last week in USL Jägermeister Cup play at Highmark Stadium.

So, two teams that some might consider rivals in middling form meet on the banks of the Monongahela. While Detroit took a narrow late win when the sides met in the USL Jägermeister Cup in April – currently their last win in all competitions – this feels like it needs to be a breakout performance for someone.

5. How does Marco Micaletto fare in his return to New Mexico?

Maybe the most interesting element to New Mexico United’s rise last season was the team itself consistently felt like it was greater than the sum of its parts. During the 2024 regular season, only three players started at least 30 games – goalkeeper Alex Tambakis and defenders Talen Maples and Chris Gloster – and at the end of the campaign none of the first-place club in the Western Conference’s players were voted to the Championship All-League Team.

One of the components to New Mexico’s 2024 success was Marco Micaletto, who notched six assists across all competitions from a holding midfield role. This offseason, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC came calling and acquired the 29-year-old via transfer, which makes Saturday’s visit to Isotopes Park for the defending title-holders Micaletto’s first game against his former club. As the Switchbacks look to build on a solid win last time out and move up the West, how Micaletto fares against his recent teammates will be worth watching. 

6. Will the Western Conference’s top two attacks deliver fireworks?

Pop quiz – based on Expected Goals per 90 minutes, which are the two best attacks in the USL Championship’s Western Conference at this moment? If you answered Sacramento Republic FC (1.71xG/90) and FC Tulsa (1.58xG/90), we don’t have a prize, but we’re very impressed.

Republic FC and the Scissortails end the night’s action on Saturday at Heart Health Park in arguably the marquee game of the week in the West. Sacramento just completed an undefeated month in the USL Championship and USL Jägermeister Cup last Saturday with its 4-0 win against Las Vegas Lights FC, while Tulsa sits third in the West, undefeated in its last three league outings.

Tulsa took its first victory against Sacramento in club history when the teams met at ONEOK Field earlier this year, but while their underlying numbers have been good, the Scissortails haven’t fired consistently this season. They’re underperforming their Expected Goals mark in league play with 13 tallies on 15.82xG, and their underwhelming finishing came back to bite them last weekend in a 2-1 loss to Birmingham Legion that saw Tulsa record 27 shots but put only three on target. 

At the same time, this should be well worth staying up for if you’re on the East coast. With Sacramento starting to roll, the hosts have a big opportunity to close the gap to the top four. Tulsa will be aiming to keep them at arm’s length.