Amplified pressure, intense crowd, spirited challenges – rivalries add a bite to any meeting regardless of placement in the table.

One of the top rivalries in the South Conference kicks off this weekend with Richmond Kickers and Richmond Strikers meeting for the second time this season.

“When you have two teams of the same town, you get that added incentive to play,” Richmond Kickers U18 assistant coach Leigh Cowlishaw told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “There’s always an added spice in competition.”

Richmond Kickers won both games when the teams met earlier this month, but the Kickers now make the 21.8-mile journey to the Strikers home stadium in what should be a fiery contest.

South Conference:

Beyond the Richmond derby, it is really quiet in the South Conference this weekend. The lone other contest on the docket pits McLean Youth Soccer against Virginia Rush with the older game kicking off at noon on Saturday.

This is the second meeting between these clubs this season. McLean held onto a 2-1 win in October and is still undefeated in division play all season. Amardo Oakley and Joel Teston are the top scorers for McLean with five goals apiece.

Rush won the first meeting between the U16 sides. James Hoffman’s side captured a 1-0 victory at home, but Hoffman’s team has not traveled well this year with only one road win in seven attempts. Mason Duke leads the way for the Rush with eights goals in 18 games.

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West Conference:

Pateadores seek revenge against LA Galaxy on Saturday after losing to the MLS academy in both games only two weeks ago. Galaxy continues to field limited numbers due to injuries, but should still hold the upper hand in the U18 game with William Raygoza and Sebastian Velasquez running the show.

In the U16 game, Pateadores are coming off their best result of the season last weekend, a 2-0 win over RSL-AZ. The Pats are also buoyed by the return of Brian Pachecho. He was suspended when these teams met two weeks ago in a 4-0 Galaxy win.

Arsenal will have to survive at least one more game without Paul Arriola, who is with his high school team in the playoffs, and it could be a tricky one. Real So Cal U18 has strung together a quietly impressive run with only one loss in the last 10 games. Arsenal U18 trails Real So Cal by one point in the standings.

In the U16 game, Arsenal and Real So Cal are level on points heading into the weekend. Jose Garcia leads the way for the Temecula club with nine goals in 15 games.

In Northern California, California Development Academy welcomes the Seattle Sounders to Mahany Park on Saturday. Sounders U18, which is currently second in the table, is looking to close the gap on De Anza Force with a win over CDA.

For the younger game, Sounders will have to slow down Dalton Pando who has six goals in six games since returning to CDA. Sounders are top of the table in the U16 bracket.

Crossfire Premier hosts Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. Whitecaps U18 trail Crossfire in the standings by three points, but have four games in hand. Crossfire star Jose Ocampo will have his hands full marking Whitecaps’ Caleb Clarke who has 16 goals on the season.

The younger Whitecaps are looking to gain ground on the Sounders and De Anza Force, as Craig Dalrympie’s side trails those clubs by four points. Brody Huitema is continuing his breakout season with 14 goals in 14 starts.

Central Conference:

In perhaps the best contest of the weekend, Dallas Texans U18 take on Solar Chelsea SC at the University of Texas – Dallas on Saturday. Solar won the first meeting between the teams behind an early goal from Colton Missimo. Texans fought to a 1-1 draw in the second meeting. Saturday will be the final clash between the two storied Texas clubs this season.

The U16 contest should be equally as enticing with Dallas Texans undefeated run still on the line. Texans topped Solar 2-1 in the first meeting with Christian Ramirez netting the late winner. The squads settled for a scoreless draw in the second meeting. Texans’ Brandon Aubrey and Solar’s Alan Winn are the players to watch - both have 10 goals on the season.

Elsewhere in Texas, Texans SC Houston face Classics Elite on Saturday. Leobardo Vazquez (17 goals) and Christian Duarte (11 goals) lead the way for the U18 Texans SC Houston, which is holding onto second place in the standings.

Division leaders, FC Dallas, are also in action over the weekend. The MLS academy hosts Andromeda. Since FC Dallas U18 lost its lone game of the season on January 14, the Hoops have yet to concede a goal while accumulating a plus nine-goal differential in three games.

The nation’s leading-scorer Kekuta Manneh takes his talent on the road against Houston Dynamo over the weekend. Manneh is up to 23 goals on the season, but Lonestar remains in the middle of the pack in the Texas Division.

Quotes for this piece provided by Travis Clark. 

J.R. Eskilson is a staff reporter at TopDrawerSoccer.com. Follow him on or send him an email.