TAMPA, Fla. – The 2016 USL Cup Playoffs kick off this Friday through Sunday with the conference quarterfinal stage. Sixteen teams begin their trek to reach the 2016 USL Cup Final on Sunday, Oct. 23 (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

• USLSoccer.com: 2016 USL Cup Playoffs Home | 2016 USL Cup Playoffs Match Center

As a prelude to the quarterfinals, USLSoccer.com takes a look at the teams in the field and the keys to their postseason. Here is a look at the Western Conference field:

No. 1 Sacramento Republic FC: Just three seasons into its USL tenure, Sacramento Republic FC has become a sure bet to contend for a title every year out of the Western Conference. Sacramento went through a couple small hiccups earlier in the season, but the club heads into the postseason with a full head of steam thanks to an 11-game unbeaten streak dating back to late July. The first full season under Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle has gone according to plan, and now Sacramento looks to add to its 2014 crown.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: Sacramento Republic FC | #SACvOC Preview

No. 2 Rio Grande Valley FC: Rio Grande Valley FC was the talk of the summer in the USL, and for good reason. The offense was scoring at a staggering clip, including 11 goals in a two-game stretch. The defense did not concede a goal for a 758-minute stretch, a USL record. Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera’s side was the toast of Texas and the league for a couple months, and RGV now enters its first postseason as a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Toros without question are one of the more dangerous clubs in the postseason field as they continue writing an exciting first chapter.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: Rio Grande Valley FC | #RGVvOKC Preview

No. 3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: What should be made of Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s regular-season finale against Orange County Blues FC? The team was in the driver’s seat to attain the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. That top-seeded honor not only eluded the Switchbacks – it was wiped away with a vengeance to the tune of a 4-0 defeat, the club’s worst loss of the season. The USL Cup Playoffs represent a new season, and the Switchbacks are hopeful they quickly return to the club that won three straight to open September. Much of this team went through last year’s postseason in the organization’s first campaign, and perhaps the penalty kick loss memories against OKC Energy FC in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals are still lingering in the back of the players’ heads.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | #COSvVAN Preview

No. 4 Swope Park Rangers: One of the hottest teams heading into the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs is the Swope Park Rangers, thanks to a four-game winning streak that has featured three clean sheets. The expansion side is in good form on both sides of the ball, enjoying some good starts in their matches and dictating the flow of the match in stretches. Coach Marc Dos Santos’ side has earned six victories in its past seven matches, many of which took place at Swope Soccer Village, where the Rangers will open their first postseason.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: Swope Park Rangers | #SPRvLA Preview

No. 5 LA Galaxy II: The LA Galaxy II are back for their third consecutive USL Cup Playoffs, and they enter in a familiar position as a No. 5 seed once again, needing to go on the road to kick things off. Los Dos were among a number of clubs that at some point was in a position for the top spot in the Western Conference standings. Curt Onalfo’s side went through a five-game winless stretch in late July and August that ultimately was a setback in attacking a top-four finish, but the Galaxy II have always stepped up in the postseason.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: LA Galaxy II | #SPRvLA Preview

No. 6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2: Second-year Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 advanced to its first appearance in the USL Cup Playoffs, turning things around impressively following an eight-win 2015 campaign. Despite that turnaround, there still are some questions about this group heading into the postseason. Which WFC2 will show up – the version that posted a 10-game unbeaten streak to open the 2016 season or the version that managed only one win in a 10-game stretch from late July to mid-September? Vancouver capped off the regular season with a relatively strong 2-1 win against OKC Energy FC on Sept. 21, and that is the type of positive play WFC2 will need for the postseason chapter.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 | #COSvVAN Preview

No. 7 OKC Energy FC: Throughout the season, OKC Energy FC was the team many were waiting on to produce a late-season run as it held multiple games in hand against its Western Conference opposition. While OKC did ultimately grab a postseason position, it wasn’t through the club’s own doing but rather through the faltering of the teams below. OKC enters its second straight USL Cup Playoffs with a six-game winless streak and some of the most lopsided wins of its season during this stretch. Head Coach Jimmy Nielsen’s side will now travel to face a Rio Grande Valley FC side that it hasn’t scored against in three previous meetings, so the climb up the mountain starts with a heavy incline.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: OKC Energy FC | #RGVvOKC Preview

No. 8 Orange County Blues FC: Fifty miles southeast of Hollywood, Orange County Blues FC decided to write its own script. The Blues’ dramatic 4-0 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC made for some intense viewing across the country in the battle for the eighth and final Western Conference spot in the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs. Trevin Caesar better not have paid for any postgame meals and drinks after recording the brace that put Orange County into the postseason. The 2016 season has certainly been a grind, and it has coincided with a change in ownership with James Keston and front office realignment with Oliver Wyss moving into the general manager role and Barry Venison taking Wyss’ former position as Blues Head Coach. Some exciting long-term plans are on the horizon, but now that Orange County is in the postseason, everyone is fixated on the short-term.

• USLSoccer.com: USL Cup Playoffs Spotlight: Orange County Blues FC | #SACvOC Preview

2016 USL Cup Playoffs schedule
Friday, Sept. 30:
No. 4 Swope Park Rangers vs. No. 5 LA Galaxy II – 8:30 p.m. ET, Children’s Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village (Western Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview
No. 3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. No. 6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 – 9 p.m. ET, Switchbacks Stadium (Western Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview

Saturday, Oct. 1:
No. 4 Rochester Rhinos vs. No. 5 Charlotte Independence – 6:05 p.m. ET, Rhinos Stadium (Eastern Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview
No. 2 Rio Grande Valley FC vs. No. 7 OKC Energy FC – 8:30 p.m. ET, Toro Stadium (Western Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview
No. 1 Sacramento Republic FC vs. No. 8 Orange County Blues FC – 10:30 p.m. ET, Bonney Field (Western Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview

Sunday, Oct. 2:
No. 1 New York Red Bulls II vs. No. 8 Orlando City B – 4 p.m. ET, Red Bull Arena (Eastern Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview
No. 3 FC Cincinnati vs. No. 6 Charleston Battery – 4 p.m. ET, Nippert Stadium (Eastern Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview
No. 2 Louisville City FC vs. No. 7 Richmond Kickers – 7 p.m. ET, Slugger Field (Eastern Conf.) – USLSoccer.com Preview

FOLLOW THE USL
The 2016 USL Cup will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET. Every other game of the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs will be available on the league’s Playoff Center, with updates from across the league also available via Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram.