CINCINNATI – The USL Game of the Week heads to Nippert Stadium on Wednesday night as Queen Cities Cup rivals FC Cincinnati and the Charlotte Independence square off for the second and final time this season live on ESPN2.

With both teams coming off victories in their last outings and some standout names to key in on for both sides, the matchup should provide plenty of entertainment in front of one of the most spectacular backdrops in North American soccer. Here are five reasons you should be tuning in at 8 p.m. ET.

1. UP FOR THE CUP

With FC Cincinnati set to move to Major League Soccer in 2019, Wednesday night’s matchup could decide which club holds the Queen Cities Cup for the foreseeable future. If the hosts want it to be them, they’ll have to not only take victory, but overturn a three-goal deficit in the process after the Independence took a 4-1 victory when the teams met at the Sportsplex at Matthews on May 12. Kay Voser had a goal and assist in that contest as the Independence also got goals by Cordell Cato, Yann Ekra and Eamon Zayed to stand as the only team outside of Louisville City FC to defeat FCC in league play this season.

2. Playoff Preview

As things stand in the Eastern Conference, Wednesday night’s game would currently be a preview of an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup in the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs, with the Independence entering the week in the eighth and final playoff spot in the standings. While there are plenty of games left in the regular season, if Charlotte can pick up a positive result on the road on Wednesday it could provide some added confidence should the sides meet again in the postseason.

3. Golden Boot Trio

Three of the league’s leading scorers will be on show on Wednesday night with FC Cincinnati’s co-leading scorers Emmanuel Ledesma and Danni König and the Charlotte Independence’s ageless wonder Jorge Herrera all sitting on nine goals this season, one back of the co-leaders in the race for the USL Golden Boot in the Charleston Battery’s Ataulla Guerra and Orange County SC’s Thomas Enevoldsen. With Ledesma having been named the USL Player of the Month for June last Thursday, there’s some serious starpower on display in Wednesday’s game.

4. Going Streaking

The Charlotte Independence have been one of the streakier sides in the league this season, which accounts for their current position in the middle of the race for the USL Cup Playoffs, but after taking a 1-0 victory against Nashville SC last Wednesday night in their most recent outing to snap a seven-game winless streak it will be worth watching if the pendulum is back on the upswing for the visitors. With Cincinnati on an eight-game undefeated streak itself, Charlotte will have to be at its best, but would gain a massive boost in terms of the postseason chase if it can become the second side to win at Nippert Stadium this season.

5. Spotlight on Nippert

This past Saturday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies was a historic one for FC Cincinnati as it surpassed one million fans in its 50th game at Nippert Stadium since the club opened its inaugural season in the USL at the start of 2016. With the club averaging more than 25,000 fans per game this season, and the national spotlight arriving with ESPN2’s cameras, the atmosphere could be set to emulate some of the more memorable in the club’s short history, including the remarkable scenes on display during FCC’s run to the Semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last season.