It may not have been the full bounce-back result Louisville City FC wanted, but a point on the road will always carries value in the increasingly competitive USL Championship.
LouCity (4-1-1, 14 points) earned that point at Segra Field with a 3-3 tie against Loudoun United FC. The draw came on the heels of LouCity’s first loss last week versus the Charleston Battery. It is the first draw of the season for Louisville.
“When you come on the road and you score three goals, you need to be winning the game, essentially, and we didn’t do that,” LouCity interim head coach Simon Bird said. “We need to look at it. We need to be more difficult to beat. We need to be more solidified defensively.”
Each of LouCity’s three goals marked a first: a first professional goal for teenager Brandon Dayes, a first league goal for Tola Showunmi and a first goal of the season, regardless of competition, for Evan Davila.
Dayes’ tally came on a corner kick, well delivered by Taylor Davila in the 20th minute to tie the game 1-1. Dayes, a former basketball standout at Louisville’s St. Xavier High School, out-leapt two Loudoun players to win the ball in the air and redirect it over the goal line.
“It was a great ball from Davi. I think I did well, but it’s pretty easy to get my head on when it’s a really good ball,” Dayes said. “It feels really good. I like to use my athleticism to get up and head the ball, but it was a really good assist from Taylor.”
With the goal, Dayes (17 years, 3 months) became the second-youngest goalscorer in Louisville City FC history, just behind Josh Wynder (17 years, 2 months).
Showunmi’s goal highlighted the 25-year-old Englishman’s physical presence, and it gave LouCity a lead at 2-1. With his back to goal, the 6-foot-3 Showunmi turned and fired a shot that deflected off a Loudoun defender into the back of the net.
“Tola took his goal really well, was strong in the box,” Bird said, noting the similarity to a goal Showunmi scored earlier this season in the U.S. Open Cup. “He is able to turn and get his shot off quickly.”
Davila’s goal came in the clutch for LouCity. Trailing 3-2, Manny Perez delivered the ball from wide right. Davila made a near post run and looped a header to the back post, evading a diving Adam Beaudry, Loudoun’s goalkeeper.
“Simon and Paolo (DelPiccolo) have made it a point to work on crossing and finishing a lot,” Davila said of the coaching staff. “Coincidentally enough, I literally scored the same goal in training yesterday. Like literally the same goal with my head.”
For LouCity, though, the performance was not without its disappointments. It was the first time LouCity conceded three goals since August 31, 2024, at North Carolina FC — a game Louisville won 6-4.
“We needed to be stronger in challenges. We needed to track runners … We need to kill the play,” Bird said of his team’s defensive fragility. “We need to end the play … We need to be more ruthless in the moments where we can end the play.”
On the night, LouCity and Loudoun were virtually even on the stat sheet, and ultimately the scoreboard. Louisville finished with more shots (16 to 13) but fewer shots on target (5 to 4). The possession was nearly evenly split, though it finished slightly in favor of Louisville (52.8% to 47.2%).
The tie sets LouCity up for a significant week featuring a U.S. Open Cup clash with Austin FC of Major League Soccer and a Thunder Over Louisville game against Sporting Club Jacksonville — both figure to have increased attention locally and across the national soccer landscape.
“We need to look at the game. We need to look at the moments in the game that we let slip away,” Bird said of the short turnaround. “The focus will be on less tactical but more fight. And that’s ultimately what we need.”
For tickets and more information on Tuesday’s game, visit LouCity.com/OpenCup.
Game Summary: Loudoun United FC vs. Louisville City FC
Date: April 10, 2026
Venue: Segra Field
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 71 degrees, clear
Scoring
Loudoun United FC (2, 1, 3)
Louisville City FC (2, 1, 3)
Goals
Loudoun United FC:
8′ Thor Úlfarsson (Richard Aman)
45′ Thor Úlfarsson (James Murphy)
61′ Bolu Akinyode (James Murphy)
Louisville City FC:
20′ Brandon Dayes (Taylor Davila)
26′ Tola Showunmi (Sam Gleadle)
72′ Evan Davila (Manny Perez)
Lineups
Loudoun United FC: 1 – Adam Beaudry; 6 – Kwame Awuah, 21 – Bolu Akinyode, 51 – Ascel Essengue, 2 – Noah Adnan, 7 – Pacifique Niyongabire (66′ 33 – Lucas Piras), 10 – Pedro Santos (76′ 16 – Jack Panayotou), 8 – James Murphy (c), 19 – Richard Aman, 17 – Thor Úlfarsson, 39 – Marco Dias (76′ 9 – Arquímides Ordóñez)
Subs not used: 41 – Ethan Bandré; 89 – Lorenzo Herrera-Rauda
Head coach: Anthony Limbrick
Louisville City FC: 1 – Hugo Fauroux; 13 – Amadou Dia (45′ 3 – Jake Morris), 32 – Kyle Adams (c), 5 – Brandon Dayes, 4 – Sean Totsch, 23 – Sam Gleadle (45′ 15 – Manny Perez), 8 – Taylor Davila, 19 – Babacar Niang (65′ 6 – Zach Duncan), 25 – Jansen Wilson (65′ 9 – Chris Donovan), 27 – Evan Davila (86′ 7 – Ray Serrano), 14 – Tola Showunmi
Subs not used: 12 – Danny Faundez; 16 – Carlos Moguel Jr., 47 – Mukwelle Akale
Interim Head Coach: Simon Bird
Stats Summary: Loudoun United FC / Louisville City FC
Shots: 13 / 16
Shots on Goal: 5 / 4
Expected goals: 1.49 / 0.57
Possession: 47.2% / 52.8%
Fouls: 8 / 12
Offsides: 0 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 8
Discipline Summary:
Louisville City FC:
44′ Babacar Niang (yellow)
48′ Evan Davila (yellow)
84′ Amadou Dia (yellow)
Referee: Igor Bych
