For fans, the rivalry between Louisville City FC and Indy Eleven always has high stakes: pride, bragging rights and a traffic-cone trophy.
Saturday, when the two sides meet at Lynn Family Stadium, the game will feature an even bigger ante: postseason implications. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Butchertown.
Indy (9-12-7, 34 points) is fighting for its playoff life. Indy has not won since a 4-0 drubbing of Brooklyn FC on Sept. 15. Since then, the club has lost four of five and slipped out of the playoff picture, currently in ninth place.
LouCity (11-9-7, 40 points), meanwhile, controls its own destiny in the race for the top four in the Eastern Conference. If the boys in purple get wins in the final three games, nothing could prevent them from earning home-field advantage in the first round of the USL Championship Playoffs.
The two sides met on August 22, a 2-1 Indy win in Indianapolis. Since then, Indy has gone 1-5-3, while LouCity has managed a 3-1-4 record in that span, including victory in the Prinx Tires USL Cup.
With both teams desperate for victory, gaining the bragging rights over your most approximate rival might just be a bonus at this late stage of the season.
“When you get to this stage of the season generally teams are fighting for something, whether it’s to finish first, whether it’s a home playoff game, whether it’s getting in the playoffs,” LouCity interim head coach Simon Bird said. He later added, “From the rivalry aspect, it’s a huge game. Always has been for the fans here and for their fans. So, we know that there’s a lot on the line there as well.”
The game is Pink Night, raising breast cancer awareness and recognizing members of the community impacted by the disease, in partnership with UofL Health. LouCity will wear special pink jerseys in the game.
For tickets and more information, visit LouCity.com/pink.
Follow Along
• Listen locally on the radio, with coverage on ESPN Louisville’s 680 AM and 105.7 FM.
• For streaming, log on to WDRB+WAVE 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…
Pretty (good) in pink: LouCity has worn pink jerseys four times before, all wins: 2-1 versus North Carolina FC on Oct. 9, 2018, 8-3 versus the Swope Park Rangers on Oct. 12, 2019 and 4-3 against the renamed Sporting KC II on Oct. 9, 2021, and 2-0 against Indy last season on Oct. 4.
You have clearance(s): LouCity’s Kevon Lambert has proven to have a big impact since moving to the back line. Over the last two games, he has tallied 31 clearances, earning places on the USL Championship Team of the Week and the Prinx Tires USL Cup Team of the Tournament.
Laundry is done: LouCity has earned back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since July 4 and just the third time this season, across all competitions.
Unbeaten run: LouCity is unbeaten in its last four. That is the longest run without a loss since July 11, when LouCity enjoyed a five-game run undefeated.
Rivalry series: LouCity leads the rivalry series with Indy Eleven 13-6-7 all time. Indy’s 2-1 win in August ended a six-game winless streak in the rivalry that dated to August 31, 2022. Louisville has a 6-5-1 advantage over Indy at home, with Indy’s lone win coming on May 29, 2021.
