Louisville City FC hits the halfway point of its 2023 season Saturday when hosting Loudoun United FC for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium.
LouCity (7-4-5, 26 points) is off the pace of last year’s record-setting run having won 22 games and racked up 72 points. But lofty goals for the boys in purple are still in front of them.
City opened the year aiming to finish with the USL Championship’s regular season’s highest point total. That, in turn, would pave the way for the club to host the league final should another lengthy playoff run materialize.
LouCity sits fifth in the current Eastern Conference standings after last weekend’s scoreless draw at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. But the boys in purple are only five points back of the first-place Charleston Battery on a tight table. Western Conference-leading Sacramento Republic FC’s 33 points are tops across the USL Championship.
City’s eligible to make up ground on both table-topping clubs while holding games in hand entering the weekend.
Getting results from those lower on the table will be key over the second half with City having dropped points in recent weeks to then-eighth-place FC Tulsa and 12th-place Hartford Athletic. Loudoun United (6-12-1, 19 points) sits in a similar position — eighth and on the playoff cutline after rallying from a goal down Monday to defeat Hartford, 2-1.
LouCity and Loudoun United will meet on Teacher Appreciation Night at Lynn Family Stadium. Educators are eligible for free tickets to the game by visiting LouCity.com/teachers.
Follow along
• The game will air live locally on WBKI/The CW 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
Jorge Gonzalez (out)
Kyle Morton (out)
Brian Ownby (questionable)
Manny Perez (questionable)
Jordan Scarlett (out)
Story lines…
Know the foe: A former reserve team of Major League Soccer’s D.C. United, Loudoun remains in the USL Championship under the new majority ownership of Attain Sports & Entertainment. The club can therefore build more of an identity under coach Ryan Martin, whose player to watch is Zach Ryan. The forward has numbered 8 goals and 2 assists, ranking as one of Loudoun’s top chance creators in his first season since moving from New York Red Bulls II.
200 club: Should Sean Totsch play Saturday — and he’s logged every minute of the season so far — he’ll join Paolo DelPiccolo as just the second player to make 200 LouCity appearances across the USL Championship’s regular season and playoffs. Signed in 2017, Totsch has played a part in all of City’s trophies earned, plus arrived having also won the league with the Rochester Rhinos in 2015. He has appeared on the All-League First Team three years running.
Locking it town: LouCity’s 18 goals against rank second in the Eastern Conference, with the boys in purple boasting one of the league’s top defenses. That’s despite the loss of star center back Josh Wynder to a European transfer and Jordan Scarlett to a season-ending knee injury. The boys in purple let in eight of their goals in a matter of two games, giving them a 0.6 goals against average for the rest of the campaign.
Semmle’s shutouts: Rookie goalkeeper Oliver Semmle holds the USL Championship lead for shutouts with eight. Evidencing a strong defense in front of him, Semmle has had far less to do between the posts than his closest competitors, saving 24 of 33 shots faced so far. Oakland Roots’ Paul Blanchette and Charleston Battery’s Trey Muse — both on seven clean sheets — have numbered 51 and 46 saves, respectively.
Finishing touch: LouCity’s looking for it midway through the 2023 season. With 16 goals for, the boys in purple have scored the fewest goals of the USL Championship’s 16 clubs holding current playoff positions. But there’s reason to believe form will improve with all key pieces back from last year’s squad that generated 1.9 goals per game. City has been plagued by injuries, most recently seeing winger Brian Ownby miss all but a few minutes of the entire month of June.
Close call: Elijah Wynder’s still wondering if his 49th-minute shot in Pittsburgh — cleared by a defender standing in goal — fully crossed the end line. The chance represented only part of why the 20-year-old LouCity Academy graduate earned Man of the Match honors from last weekend’s draw. Wynder also led LouCity in duels won with eight and was 3-for-3 carrying his dribbles from an attacking midfield role.
Strong return: Appearing in his second league game since an early season foot injury, midfielder Niall McCabe showed that at age 32 he has plenty left to give. The Irishman came off the bench at Pittsburgh to pace LouCity with a pair of chances created, plus led the boys in purple with 15 passes made in the final third as the boys in purple pushed for the game’s opening goal. McCabe accomplished it having subbed on in the 74th minute.
