Louisville City FC’s path through the 2022 USL Championship Playoffs is a simple one: It’ll take three wins to lift two trophies.
The top-seeded boys in purple open their postseason at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, hosting Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Lynn Family Stadium in an Eastern Conference Semifinal. Should LouCity advance, the conference final would be played Saturday, Nov. 5, in Louisville with the USL Championship Final set for Sunday, Nov. 13.
City enters the playoffs boasting more points earned than all but Western Conference leader San Antonio FC, with that the only club that would prevent the league final from being played at Lynn Family Stadium.
Both LouCity and San Antonio earned opening-round byes through the conference quarterfinals. In the meantime, City hosted MLS Next Pro’s St. Louis City SC — led by former coach John Hackworth — for a weekend friendly to stay sharp.
Leading into Saturday, here are 10 story lines to know as the boys in purple push to put a third star above their crest.
High achievers: LouCity’s playoff run will follow a record-setting regular season. The boys in purple won 22 of their 34 games, reaching 20 victories for the first time in a season. Their 72 points via a 22-6-6 record were also the best in club history.
The streak: City is seeking an eighth straight conference final appearance — reaching at least that round every season since starting play in 2015 — and to become the USL Championship’s first three-time title holder after winning it all in 2017 and 2018.
Cruz control: LouCity improved in a number of statistical categories in 32-year-old Danny Cruz’s first season as a head coach. Mainly, the boys in purple are giving up fewer late chances after conceding 50% of their goals against in the last 15 minutes of halves in 2021. City is allowing only 0.86 goals against per game.
Offseason overhaul: Top scorer Wilson Harris (15 goals), distributor Amadou Dia (8 assists) and Golden Glove winner Kyle Morton (0.74 goals against per game) all signed with LouCity as part of a highly productive offseason that also saw regular starters Enoch Mushagalusa and Manny Perez join the club.
Home turf: Why the importance of hosting games in the playoffs? LouCity earned the right to hold at least two games at Lynn Family Stadium, where the boys in purple are 13-2-2 this year with a +24 goal differential. The club has lost just four times in 28 league games at home since capacity limits were lifted in June of 2021.
Locked in: After making the All-League First Team in 2020 and 2021, defender Sean Totsch stated a league Most Valuable Player case this year. The veteran center back is at or near the top of the team in most defensive categories plus scored a career-high nine goals, establishing himself as the go-to penalty taker as Cameron Lancaster dealt with injuries.
Career years: Totsch isn’t the only player in purple playing at his peak. Harris, the former USL Championship Young Player of the Year, had previously never scored more than 12 goals in a campaign. Mushagalusa (10 goals) and Brian Ownby (9) have reached career highs in scoring as well.
Academy impact: Five members of LouCity’s first team roster are products of the club’s youth academy launched in 2020. With 17-year-old defender Josh Wynder the current star of the group, current and former academy players appeared on team sheets in 32 of 34 regular season games.
Cam’s comeback: LouCity’s perennial leading scorer missed all but six regular season games, first for a preseason hamstring tear and later a mid-summer groin injury. But Cameron Lancaster came on strong while appearing as a substitute late in the campaign, ripping a game-winning penalty kick against Hartford Athletic in the Oct. 15 finale.
Injury update: While Lancaster returned, midfielders Niall McCabe (foot) and Jorge Gonzalez (knee) are ruled out for the rest of the season. Winger Brian Ownby has been on the mend from a leg injury of his own in recent weeks with hopes he’ll be fit to play in Saturday’s conference semifinal.
