The past weekend in USL League One saw the Players’ Shield return to a familiar home, and the final place in the postseason locked up in impressive – if not simple – fashion.

Here’s more on the big storyline we took away from Week 24’s action, our picks for who’s up and who’s down coming out of the weekend, and thoughts on everything else we saw around the league.

ONE BIG THING – THE KICKERS ARE IN

Given Chattanooga Red Wolves SC were fighting for their playoff lives, clinching the final spot in the postseason was never going to be easy for the Richmond Kickers on Saturday night.

The Kickers team that’s emerged over the past month, however, proved up to the challenge, and laid a few skeletons to rest in the process. Richmond’s 2-1 victory on Klaidi Cela’s second-half finish closed the book on the Red Wolves’ season and sent the Kickers back to the postseason after a one-year absence.

• MAKING THEIR MARK: Form was always going to be the critical factor for the five teams that ended up pitted against each other for the No. 8 seed. The Kickers delivered where others didn’t. They’ve taken 11 points from their last five games, with the next-closest being Central Valley Fuego FC with six. It proved decisive.

• WELCOME COMEBACK: On Saturday night, the Kickers also achieved something it hadn’t in more than a year – rallying to win after conceding first. Richmond had gone 22 games without winning since rallying past Fuego on June 11, 2023. Ending that streak couldn’t have come at a more critical juncture.

• HOLDING FIRM: The Red Wolves, to their credit, were never completely out of it. The visitors could have grabbed an equalizer in stoppage time when their best chance of the half fell to Ropapa Mensah. Richmond’s young shot-stopper James Sneddon made a good save to keep his side ahead, and that was enough.

All things considered it would have been harsh on the Kickers had they not come away with all three points. The hosts looked the better side in the first half despite having to come from a goal down and the numbers backed that idea up. Nil Vinyals’ introduction at halftime, meanwhile, helped push the Kickers forward, and it was he who ended up providing the assist on Cela’s game-winner.

“That sequence comes from putting pressure on them, maintaining possession,” said Vinyals. “I just drilled inside, I saw Klaidi and luckily, the ball got there. And of course, it was a great finish, a great goal and a very important goal. Very, very important result.”

The Kickers are going to face a huge test in the postseason when they visit Union Omaha in the Quarterfinals two weeks from now. What’s more important, though, is the Kickers have momentum and a potential identity to build on in 2025 wherever the postseason takes them.

“Everybody played their roles well,” said Kickers Head Coach Darren Sawatzky. “Josh Kirkland got his first career start as a pro and I thought he played really well, caused all kinds of trouble for them. Brought Toni Pineda on, he did well, Chandler O’Dwyer again. Guys just did their roles well which is what we've been doing the last three weeks.”

Three Up

Union Omaha’s Trophy Case: Los Buhos earned their third Players’ Shield in the past four seasons with a dramatic 3-2 victory against South Georgia Tormenta FC, clinched with Pedro Dollabella’s 90th-minute winner. Omaha had never won after trailing by two goals previously in league play.

Forward Madison’s Homefield Advantage: The Flamingos ensured they’ll play at least one game at Breese Stevens Field this postseason after a scoreless draw with One Knoxville SC. Madison has 22 points from 11 home league game this regular season and lost only once across all competitions.

Alfredo Midence Alvarado: The Central Valley Fuego midfielder solidified his bid for the Golden Playmaker award with his eighth assist of the season in Fuego’s 1-0 win against Greenville Triumph SC. He’s now three assists clear of his closest rivals for the award going to the final weekend.

Three Down

Chattanooga Red Wolves SC’s lead retention: The Red Wolves’ defeat to Richmond saw their total of points lost from winning positions this season rise to 13. That’s the difference between being comfortably above the playoff line, and where Chattanooga is now, and something to address next year.

South Georgia Tormenta FC’s Discipline: Letting a two-goal lead get away while ending the game with eight players is the exact opposite of the way any team should see its season come to an end. Not great, Tormenta.

Greenville Triumph’s missed opportunity: Triumph SC could have solidified a top-four spot on Sunday night against last-placed Central Valley Fuego. Instead it lost to a late goal in an uncharacteristically poor display, and now has to get a result in the final week of the season.

THE REST OF THE ACTION

#MADvKNX: We know the odds were against Forward Madison FC catching Union Omaha for the Players’ Shield, but it was a bit surprising to see the lack of urgency for the hosts late on against One Knox SC when if felt like a win was there to be had.

#LEXvCLT: What happens when you bring together the two teams that have dropped the most points from winning positions this season? A game in which both teams lead, and therefore both drop points when it ends in a 2-2 draw after an equalizer by Lexington SC in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Lexington’s now dropped 20 points from winning positions, and the Charlotte Independence have dropped 17. One of them is going to the playoffs.

#NCOvSPK: Overall, a very tidy 1-0 win for Northern Colorado Hailstorm, who dodged an early opportunity for Spokane Velocity FC’s Luis Gil and then held their visitors with only one shot the rest of the night. That’s the sort of performance that will only add to NoCo’s momentum going into the postseason.

#CVFvGVL: Good stuff from Central Valley Fuego, who pulled themselves out of the basement in League One with the upset of the week against fourth-placed Greenville Triumph SC thanks to Dembor Benson’s winner with eight minutes to go. Maybe this is a matchup thing, given Fuego earned a point when they visited Triumph in September, but it’s a positive all the same.