Now officially beyond the halfway mark of the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup, the pressure is rising with all 12 clubs remaining in contention for the tournament's knockout rounds. Detailed below are some high-stakes matches to keep an eye on along with knockout clinching and elimination details with 18 group stage matches remaining.

• MORE: Enter the USL Jägermeister Cup Sweepstakes and Round 6 Pick 'Ems

As a reminder, the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup includes a group stage and a knockout round that creates additional matches of consequence in the annual calendar. The three groups - West, Central and East - consist of four clubs each and are built to emphasize regional rivalries.

The competition also includes non-traditional modifications that encourage attacking soccer and provide entertaining moments for fans, including goals scored determining one of four knockout round spots and matches ending level after full time advancing to a penalty kick shootout with the winning team earning an additional point.

In an even all-time series at 3-3-3, Northern Colorado and Omaha are set to face off for the third time this season, and it's already looking increasingly likely that both the Hailstorm and the Owls will progress to the knockouts with their sizeable advantages in both points and goals scored. While Northern Colorado are the lone team yet to suffer defeat in USL Jägermeister Cup play, the Hailstorm are winless across their last three compared to the Owls' three consecutive victories. What's more, a win by either side will almost assuredly eliminate both Spokane and Central Valley's chances of topping the West Group.

With the fewest goals scored of any team, it seems unlikely that Madison will advance to the knockouts if it can't make its way back to the top of the Central Group. The 'Mingos - who've never lost to Lexington at Breese Stevens Field - are set to host group-leading Lexington on Saturday in a match with major Central Group implications. A Madison victory would see the 'Mingos move to first or second place in the group - pending Knoxville's result - while a Lexington victory would decrease the second-year side's magic number to five.