A Louisville City FC legend is getting his first shot at starting this year as head coach Danny Cruz makes five changes to his lineup for an away trip to Hartford Athletic at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
Niall McCabe — the only player from LouCity’s inaugural, 2015 roster still with the club — claims a spot in the midfield for just his third appearance across all competitions this season. start tonight for the first time in 2025. The 34-year-old logged 16 minutes off the bench in an April 5 draw at Sacramento Republic before playing the entire second half of Louisville’s 2-1 win over Loudoun United in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup on April 15.
Overall, Saturday will mark McCabe’s 142nd regular season start for LouCity.
McCabe’s presence in the lineup keys a reshaped team for Cruz. LouCity dropped an attacking player for an additional midfielder, with Kevon Lambert and Taylor Davila making up the midfield trio alongside McCabe.
Phillip Goodrum returns to the starting lineup at forward after coming off the bench against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in LouCity’s last outing. He’ll be joined by Adrien Perez in the Louisville attack Saturday night.
The back five sees two changes: Arturo Ordóñez returns in the middle, replacing rookie Josh Jones, and Amadou Dia slots in at left wingback for Aiden McFadden.
Kyle Adams and Sean Totsch take their regular places either side Ordóñez. The duo has a combined 21 starts across all competitions this season. Manny Perez will play at right wingback, retaining his place for the sixth-straight game.
That back five will play in front of Damian Las, who posted a fourth shutout of the season last time out, second-most in the league. The net minder has played every minute of LouCity’s season across competitions this year.
On the bench, dangerous options such as Ray Serrano and Jansen Wilson will offer Cruz some attacking punch should he need it, while Carlos Moguel Jr. and Evan Davila could also offer fresh legs in the midfield.
Team sheet at Hartford Athletic
1 – Damian Las
13 – Amadou Dia
32 – Kyle Adams (c)
5 – Arturo Ordóñez
4 – Sean Totsch
15 – Manny Perez
17 – Taylor Davila
31 – Kevon Lambert
11 – Niall McCabe
16 – Adrien Perez
9 – Phillip Goodrum
Substitutes: 12 – Danny Faundez; 2 – Aiden McFadden, 7 – Ray Serrano, 8 – Carlos Moguel Jr., 24 – Josh Jones, 25 – Jansen Wilson, 27 – Evan Davila
