This weekend in USL League One gives us the pivotal six-pointer in the USL League One playoff race, and a chance for Union Omaha to add to its silverware collection and match a feat we haven’t seen in the USL’s professional ranks in a decade.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s where you can find where everyone stands in the Race to the 2024 USL League One Playoffs. Here are three more storylines to know going in, three players to keep an eye on, and what else you need to know before tuning in on ESPN+.

1. THE MAIN EVENT: Kickers, Tormenta square off with postseason at stake

There will be other games that affect the race for the final playoff berth in the USL League One Playoffs presented by Terminix over the final three weeks of the regular season, but none has the potential to move the needle in the same way as Friday night’s clash between the eighth-place Richmond Kickers and ninth-place South Georgia Tormenta FC.

Separated by a point in the standings with three games to play, a decisive result in either direction would set the winner on the inside track to the postseason. But the two sides enter moving in very different directions.

• KICKERS CLICKING: Richmond’s three-game undefeated streak in league play is its longest since June, 2023, and has coincided with a run of three consecutive shutouts backed by 18-year-old goalkeeper James Sneddon. Last week’s scoreless draw with Players’ Shield favorite Union Omaha illustrated the side’s progression.

• TORMENTA SPUTTERING: South Georgia, on the other hand, is in dire need of a win. Tormenta last took victory on July 13 in a 2-1 victory against Lexington SC and since then has gone 0-2-4 in league play, with the side suffering a 4-0 defeat to Northern Colorado Hailstorm last weekend that marked the most goals the side had allowed since May against Union Omaha.

• TURN THE TABLES: Tormenta took a 3-1 win when the sides met back in March when Conor Doyle and Niall Watson found the net for the side. If Richmond earns a split of the season series at Tormenta Stadium, it would have the potential to open up a four-point advantage in eighth, which could lead to it clinching with a game to spare.

The clash between Tormenta and the Kickers is offset by the matchups for the two sides that could take advantage if they end all square. With Lexington SC visiting a Union Omaha side that has the Players’ Shield in its sights, and Chattanooga Red Wolves SC heading to play a Forward Madison FC side which is the only side that can deny Los Buhos the regular season title, they’re both up against serious tests.

That makes this Friday night’s clash potentially make-or-break for the final playoff berth.

• READ MORE: WTVR's Lane Casadonte has more on James Sneddon's emergence to star for the team he grew up watching in Richmond

2. THE UNDERCARD: Omaha takes aim at the Players’ Shield

You have to go back to the very start of the USL Championship’s history to find a team that has had the level of regular season dominance Union Omaha has established in USL League One.

Orlando City SC took three Players’ Shields in four seasons (2011, 2012, 2014) before it moved to Major League Soccer in 2015. Now, Los Buhos can match that feat as early as this weekend.

• FLYING HIGH: With a four-point lead on Forward Madison FC going into Saturday’s action, Los Buhos can clinch the Players’ Shield with a victory at home against Lexington SC should the Flamingos fail to take victory against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at Breese Stevens Field.

• COMING FOR NO. 1: Despite playing a full season less than League One’s originals, Omaha is already second all-time in regular season wins with 63, six behind Greenville Triumph SC. Over the past four seasons – including 2024 – the side is averaging 1.82 points-per-game and a winning percentage of 50.5 percent.

What’s made Omaha’s success all the more impressive is it has shifted eras. After Jay Mims led the side to its early success, current Head Coach Dominic Casciato has sustained it since taking the reins prior to the 2023 season.

As much as Union will be aiming to become the first team to win the League One title this postseason, what the side is accomplishing in the regular season year-on-year is worthy of its own attention.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lyam MacKinnon, Greenville Triumph SC – MacKinnon notched an assist when Triumph took a 3-1 victory against Spokane Velocity FC earlier this season, but he’ll be keen to find the back of the net as he vies with J.C. Obregon Jr. of the Charlotte Independence for the Golden Boot.

Austin Pack, Charlotte Independence – The Independence haven’t recorded a shutout in Pack’s past five outings, which has also marked a five-game winless run for the side. With Northern Colorado Hailstorm’s potent attack coming to American Legion Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, Pack will need to be on his game in a key battle for seeding.

Juan Galindrez, Forward Madison FC – The Colombian has scored in three of the past four league outings for the Flamingos and is the only player to have recorded multiple goals in the club’s seven-game undefeated streak in league play since the start of August. Facing former club Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, he’ll look to keep that streak going.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

#MADvCHA: Forward Madison is the only team standing between Union Omaha and the Players’ Shield, but with a win on Saturday night against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC it could set up the chance to clinch a top-two finish. The Red Wolves, meanwhile, have to spring a major surprise to push their chances of being in the playoffs forward, with the Flamingos having lost only once across all competitions this season.

#CLTvNCO: This is the moment the Charlotte Independence need to dig in and fight for a place in the top four. After a run of five games without a win across all competitions, the opponent couldn’t hardly be tougher than a Northern Colorado Hailstorm team that romped to victory last time out, Charlotte has to deliver at home to move back above NoCo.

#SPKvGVL: You could argue Spokane Velocity FC deserved something out of its midweek game against Central Valley Fuego FC, but couldn’t find a decisive finish. That’s three consecutive games that have ended in defeat, however, a run that the hosts will want to end as it looks to close out a playoff spot against Greenville Triumph SC, while the Triumph will try to build on a three-game undefeated streak that has it closing in on a top-four finish.