Louisville City FC’s lone September home game falls just as the boys in purple could use some home-field advantage.
LouCity’s looking to solidify fourth place in the Eastern Conference — the cutoff point to host its playoff opener at Lynn Family Stadium — heading into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. kickoff against San Diego Loyal SC.
City (12-9-7, 43 points) has already played twice on the road this month, winning at Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC before last weekend’s loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Following its San Diego showdown, the club rounds out September with three more away games.
The boys in purple are narrowly holding fourth over Memphis 901 FC (42 points), Indy Eleven (41 points) and Birmingham Legion FC (39 points). Six games remain in their regular season.
Eight teams from both the East and Western Conference qualify for the USL Championship Playoffs. Top-four sides host and, pending results, could continue to play at home throughout the postseason.
Saturday’s opponent San Diego (12-8-7, 43 points) is in the same spot as LouCity in the West, fourth, also one point clear of fifth.
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+ 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. Also find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram and Louisville City FC on Facebook.
Player availability report
Owen Damm (questionable)
Amadou Dia (out)
Kyle Morton (out)
Ramzi Qawasmy (out)
Jordan Scarlett (out)
Story lines…
Clinching scenario: LouCity could mathematically lock itself into the USL Championship Playoffs as soon as Saturday night. This weekend’s scenario requires the following three outcomes: LouCity defeats San Diego to boost its points total to 46; Miami FC drops points versus Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (kickoff at 7 p.m. ET); and FC Tulsa drops points at Oakland Roots SC (10 p.m.).
Last vs. Loyal: San Diego Loyal recently announced it will shutter after the 2023 season, citing the inability to find a longterm suitable solution for a home stadium. Co-founded by U.S. Soccer legend Landon Donovan, the club started play in 2020 and has twice previously played LouCity. The boys in purple took 2021’s first meeting, 2-1, and won again in 2022’s away game by a 5-2 score.
Prior deal: LouCity executed a rare in-season deal with a USL Championship rival in late July when acquiring defender Kyle Adams on a transfer from San Diego. In exchange, City sent forward Enoch Mushagalusa west on loan. Adams started from Game 1 in purple and has gone on to become a regular contributor along the back line.
Form check: Adams’ arrival — and LouCity’s corresponding ability to switch between three- and four-back formations — led to an uptick in City’s results. The club is 4-2-2 since the San Diego player swap, including a four-game unbeaten streak. Crucially, the run immediately followed a three-game losing skid — just the second such stretch in club history.
Scoring lead: Wilson Harris took control of it for LouCity when carrying a lengthy dribble before scoring just 24 seconds into the second half at Tampa Bay. Harris has six goals on the season, one more than fellow striker Cameron Lancaster. Dylan Mares and Sean Totsch are tied for third on the list with three goals apiece.
Loss column: Last year, LouCity set a club record for wins in a season with 22 en route to an Eastern Conference title. The boys in purple find themselves on the other side of history this year, tallying a ninth defeat of the season against Tampa Bay. City’s prior record total for losses in a year came in 2019. That side finished fourth and also made a run to win the East.
Milestone man: LouCity captain Paolo DelPiccolo became the seventh player to hit 250 USL Championship regular season appearances last Saturday. DelPiccolo also ranks second in league history in regular season appearances for a single club, having played 196 regular season games for City, four behind the 200 made by former Charleston Battery standout Taylor Mueller.
