Add this to the list of things the European mind can’t comprehend: a 1,500-mile road trip for a midweek league game.
With the FIFA World Cup bringing European soccer fans to the United States this week, many in the European media — particularly the English — have been introduced to uniquely American soccer challenges: sweltering summer temperatures, vast travel distances and inconsistent playing surfaces.
What Louisville City FC is set to experience this week would cause the English media to hyperventilate.
The boys in purple are heading west for a midweek cross-country meeting with Phoenix Rising FC. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium.
The trip will cover roughly 1,500 miles, including a 3-hour, 40-minute flight.
Such a trek is a rarity for European clubs. Take the English champions, Arsenal FC, for example.
Their longest trip of the recently completed 2025-26 season was to Lisbon, Portugal, for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal — roughly 990 miles by air, requiring a 2-hour, 45-minute flight.
For Arsenal to travel the equivalent of LouCity’s visit to Phoenix, the Gunners would have needed to visit Athens, Istanbul or Moscow.
Such travel is not unusual for LouCity — in fact, this season’s travel schedule is light compared to recent years. LouCity will travel west just once more this season, with a visit to Orange County SC in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 15 — an 1,800-mile journey requiring a six-hour flight.
Last season, by comparison, LouCity traveled to California three separate times and also made a trip to Colorado. In all this season, LouCity will travel west of the Mississippi River just three times — though playoff success could add a fourth trip to that itinerary.
Louisville trained at home Monday morning before taking off for Arizona on Monday afternoon. LouCity will train in Arizona on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s game.
After the game, LouCity will spend all day traveling on Thursday — roughly six hours in total, including airport transfers — before returning to the training field on Friday for a one-day lead-in to Saturday’s home game versus Brooklyn FC.
Six hours in the air for 90 minutes on the field. Just another Wednesday in American soccer.
Follow Along
• The match will air locally on WBKI/The CW and ESPN Louisville’s 680 AM and 105.7 FM. For streaming, log on to WDRB+ or the CBS Sports Golazo Network.
• For starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter. Also, find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram and Louisville City FC on Facebook.
Storylines…
Unbeaten: Louisville City FC is unbeaten all-time against Phoenix Rising FC with a 2-0-2 record. That includes a 1-0 win in the 2018 USL Championship Final, the highest profile meeting between the clubs. The two clubs had met three seasons in a row from 2022 to 2024 before the series took a year off last season.
Sacko: Phoenix is led by 28-year-old French forward Ihsan Sacko, who is tied for the league lead with eight goals — and those goals have come in a bunch. He has scored seven of his eight goals over just the last seven league games, including a brace in his last game against Sacramento Republic on May 30.
To the spot: Referees have awarded Phoenix six penalty kicks this season, the most in the USL Championship. Of those six, Phoenix has scored five, tied for the most in the league. Conversely, LouCity has yet to earn a penalty this season.
Out West: Phoenix is one of five Western Conference foes Louisville will face this year. LouCity already defeated Lexington SC in the season opener. The boys in purple will also face San Antonio FC, Orange County SC and El Paso Locomotive in the regular season.
Rising return: LouCity’s roster includes two former Phoenix Rising players: Amadou Dia and Kevon Lambert. The duo each played all 90 minutes for Phoenix in the game.
Streak: Louisville City is on a five-game winless streak, its longest since June 2018. That 2018 team went on to win the USL Championship title, defeating Phoenix Rising FC in the title game. LouCity has never gone six league games without a win.
