After a midweek match as part of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Louisville City FC’s turning attention back to its top priority: USL Championship play.
LouCity travels to meet Memphis 901 FC at AutoZone Park for an 8 p.m. Saturday kickoff in Tennessee, where the squad’s depth will be tested.
This marks the third away game in eight days for the boys in purple dating back to last weekend’s draw with the Charleston Battery. They also fell by a 1-0 score on Wednesday against Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati.
Coach Danny Cruz said he considers last year’s transition from the Open Cup back to the league a learning moment. In 2022, LouCity was knocked out of the tournament by MLS’ Nashville SC amid a run of three losses in four USL Championship games.
Cruz reacted by rotating from the Charleston game, making seven lineup changes at Cincinnati.
In Memphis, City will be looking to improve on a 4-2-1 USL Championship record early this season. The club’s 13 points are two off the Battery for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Memphis 901 FC sits eighth on the table with a 1-2-2 record. Saturday’s hosts won a league game for the first time last week, prevailing 3-0 over Rio Grande Valley FC, and continued to reverse form with a 2-1 midweek “Cup-set” of MLS’ Atlanta United.
Follow along
• Saturday’s game will air live locally on WBKI and ESPN Louisville’s 680/105.7.
• If streaming, download the free WDRB Now app to watch the local feed in Louisville. ESPN+ also streams the home feed of all USL Championship games not selected for national TV.
• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.
Player availability report
Cameron Lancaster (Questionable)
Niall McCabe (Out)
Brian Ownby (Questionable)
Jordan Scarlett (Out)
Story lines
Shutout streak: LouCity hasn’t conceded a league goal since April 1, a run of three games amounting to 270 minutes. Should they keep up this pace, the boys in purple would threaten their club-record five-game clean sheet spree from May 1-28 of the 2016 season.
Semmle’s solid: This bunch of shutouts coincides with LouCity’s switch to goalkeeper Oliver Semmle. The rookie out of Marshall University — he won the 2020 NCAA title there — has made four USL Championship appearances this season, saving all six shots faced so far. Semmle signed with City after a trial with MLS’ Colorado Rapids.
Wynder-ful defense: Star 17-year-old Josh Wynder has appeared in five league games this season, and City only conceded a goal in one of them. Having been recently called up to the U.S. national team, Wynder is in stellar form, winning 10 of his 14 aerial duels and ranking among team leaders in clearances (11) and tackles (9).
Lacking goals: Thanks to its defense, LouCity manages to sit third on the table, less than a game out of first place. That’s despite six goals scored in seven games and a -3 goal differential. Only Indy Eleven, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Detroit City FC — the East’s bottom three teams — have scored fewer.
On the rebound: LouCity looks over an early stumble that saw the boys in purple — 2-0 at the time — lose back-to-back games by an 8-0 aggregate score. City responded with a four-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. That included a 1-0, statement victory April 15 over San Antonio FC in a rematch of the 2022 USL Championship Final.
Title chances: The prior hiccup in form didn’t impact LouCity’s projections. Numbers-driven FiveThirtyEight.com still counts the boys in purple as the 2023 USL Championship favorite, giving City a 17% chance of winning the final. San Antonio (13%), Sacramento Republic FC (13%) and San Diego Loyal (9%) are next on the list.
Memphis’ men: 901 FC’s off to a rough start but maintains some dangerous pieces in its attack such as Aaron Molloy, who leads the league with 23 chances created. Phillip Goodrum poured in 22 league goals last year and hit the back of the net for the first time in 2023 Wednesday when sinking a game-tying penalty to force extra time against Atlanta United.
Diamond dogs: LouCity’s more than three seasons removed from its days of playing at Louisville Slugger Field, but the boys in purple still play away games outside soccer-specific venues. A trip to AutoZone Park marks the first of three matches in purpose-built baseball stadiums, with the others Aug. 4 at FC Tulsa and Sept. 30 at New Mexico United.