Louisville City FC has the opportunity to both defend its 2022 Eastern Conference title and earn a return trip to the USL Championship Final when playing Saturday against the Charleston Battery.
The Eastern Conference Final between No. 3 seed Charleston and No. 5 LouCity kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Patriots Point, the Battery’s home field.
No. 1 seed Sacramento Republic welcomes No. 6 Phoenix Rising FC for the Western Conference Final at 10 p.m. on the other side of the bracket.
Should it advance, LouCity would play the USL Championship Final at Sacramento or host Phoenix on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Though the boys in purple find themselves in a situation similar to years past, their path to a ninth-straight conference final appearance been quite different. LouCity set club records for points (72) and wins (22) in 2022 and returned most players from that squad for 2023. However, City surprisingly lost more games than it ever has (12) and finished in a club-low spot on the table (5th).
But there’s just something about Louisville’s DNA this time of year. LouCity didn’t win any of its final three regular season games before upsetting Memphis 901 FC in a penalty kick shootout to take the conference quarterfinal. The boys in purple then posted their most dominant win of the season when knocking off Detroit City FC, 4-0, in the conference semifinal round.
The USL Championship switched to its East-West format in 2015, the same season LouCity started play. There has never been an Eastern Conference Final without the boys in purple, who are 4-4 in those games. City also remains the only club to win back-to-back league finals accomplished from 2017-2018.
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
Amadou Dia (questionable)
Kyle Morton (out)
Jordan Scarlett (out)
Story lines…
Breaking the stalemate: LouCity and Charleston played to draws of 0-0 (April 22 at Patriots Points) and 1-1 (Aug. 9 at Lynn Family Stadium) in this season’s regular season meetings. City’s away tie was particularly unmemorable after heavy rains delayed the start and made for boggy conditions, limiting both sides’ attacks.
Clutch finishers: Cameron Lancaster scored twice and Brian Ownby once against Detroit to up their individual total in playoff games over the year to nine. That’s the join-most of all active USL Championship players, speaking both to the forwards’ longevity and the number of chances they’ve received in purple.
Scoring streak: Dating back to LouCity’s regular season finale, Lancaster has now scored in three straight games. That’s a feat he also pulled off earlier this summer, scoring in wins over Indy Eleven (July 29), versus FC Tulsa (Aug. 4) and in the home draw against Charleston. Lancaster assisted teammate Jorge Gonzalez on the game’s fourth goal versus Detroit as well.
Positive change: Coach Danny Cruz made just one lineup adjustment from playoff game one to two. That was inserting Gonzalez for Rasmus Thellufsen along the front three. That decision paid off against Detroit, not only on Gonzalez’s chip-shot goal in the 60th minute but also as the Spaniard created a pair of chances and numbered five successful dribbles.
Goals aplenty: It’s not often we’ve said that about LouCity this year given the club’s -3 goal differential to finish the regular season. But the boys in purple saw their attack click against Detroit. Four goals were a season-high, and the margin of victory was widest since a 6-0 victory back on July 9, 2022, against New York Red Bulls II.
From the spot: By finishing his 15th-minute penalty kick last weekend against Detroit, Lancaster extended LouCity’s streak of made tries to 21 across the regular season and playoffs. It’s been since June of 2021 that LouCity didn’t convert a try from the spot. Lancaster is City’s first-choice taker, but the job has often fallen to Sean Totsch in his absence.
Standing tall: LouCity’s defense has locked down during the playoffs, conceding once in two games — the opening minute of the conference quarterfinal at Memphis. That wasn’t a sign of things to come, with the next 179 minutes clocked in shutout fashion. A clean sheet against Detroit was City’s first since a 1-0 win Sept. 16 over San Diego Loyal SC.
