Louisville City FC defender Brandon Dayes is set to make his first appearance since May 2 as LouCity heads west for the first time this season to take on Phoenix Rising FC.
Kickoff at Phoenix Rising Stadium at 38th & Washington is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. The game will air locally on WBKI/The CW and ESPN Louisville’s 680 AM/105.7 FM. For streaming, log on to WDRB+ or ESPN+.
The 17-year-old defender missed over a month after sustaining an injury prior to LouCity’s match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This will be the LouCity Academy product’s eighth league start this year and 10th of his career. The youngster will play between a veteran duo on the backline that has combined for over 380 starts in purple in their careers: captain Kyle Adams and Sean Totsch.
Aiden McFadden returns to his normal position at right wingback, after slotting in as a center back last week at Birmingham Legion FC. Amadou Dia, who was on the pitch for 88 minutes in the 1-1 draw in Alabama, will play at left wingback.
It will be a two-man midfield for the boys in purple, with Taylor Davila and Zach Duncan pairing. Davila is one of two LouCity players to start all 12 regular season matches so far, along with Kyle Adams. Davila is currently tied for the lead in the USL Championship with four assists. For Duncan, this will be his 22nd appearance across all competitions in purple. The Australian has scored two goals for Louisville this season, one shy of matching the total he scored across his previous six professional seasons.
Taylor’s brother, Evan Davila, will line up on the left wing. The Californian came on for LouCity at halftime last week and was accurate on 11 of his 12 passing attempts.
Mukwelle Akale will line up on the right wing. Akale, who arrived in Louisville in the offseason, spent the past two years at Phoenix’s regional rival, New Mexico United.
The attack will be led by center forward Chris Donovan. Donovan ranks first in the USL Championship for headed shots this season with 14.
Danny Faundez will start in goal for the third game in a row. The 33-year-old has made multiple saves in every league game this season.
The bench is headlined by Jansen Wilson, LouCity’s leading scorer in league play with four goals in 12 appearances. Goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux, Carlos Moguel Jr., Quenzi Huerman, Ray Serrano, Tola Showunmi, Jake Morris and LouCity Academy player Thomas Weinrich join Wilson on the bench.
Team sheet at Phoenix Rising FC
12 – Danny Faundez
2 – Aiden McFadden
32 – Kyle Adams (c)
5 – Brandon Dayes
4 – Sean Totsch
13 – Amadou Dia
8 – Taylor Davila
6 – Zach Duncan
47 – Mukwelle Akale
9 – Chris Donovan
27 – Evan Davila
Available substitutes: 1 – Hugo Fauroux; 3 – Jake Morris, 7 – Ray Serrano, 14 – Tola Showunmi, 16 – Carlos Moguel Jr., 21 – Quenzi Huerman, 25 – Jansen Wilson, 97 – Thomas Weinrich
