Louisville City FC can put itself on the verge of the club’s first USL Championship Players’ Shield when hosting Miami FC at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
This midweek match at Lynn Family Stadium sees first-place LouCity make up a game in hand on the Charleston Battery, its closest pursuer in the race for the league’s best regular season record.
At 21-6-2, the boys in purple have compiled 65 points, six clear of Charleston. With another victory Wednesday, they’d move three full games in front with four to play.
The Players’ Shield represents the final piece of league silverware available to LouCity. The club previously won USL Championship titles in 2017 and 2018, plus added Eastern Conference crowns in 2019 and 2022.
Along with a trophy, the Players’ Shield grants the No. 1 overall playoff seed, meaning home field advantage through the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs. The postseason opens the first weekend of November.
Miami FC limps into Wednesday having lost 25 of its 30 games this season, sitting a distant 12th of 12 in the Eastern Conference standings with a -46 goal differential. To boot, starting goalkeeper Khadim Ndiaye was issued a red card in last Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Indy Eleven, meaning he’ll miss out against LouCity.
The boys in purple will be favored heavily at Lynn Family Stadium, where they are 13-1-0 with a +30 goal differential this season. City has tied the USL Championship record for home wins in a season and would set a new mark with one more victory from its final three chances this year.
Follow along
• The game will air live locally on MyTV 58 and ESPN Louisville’s AM 680/FM 105.7.
• If streaming, download the free WDRB+ app to watch the local feed in Louisville. ESPN+ or Golazo Network 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
Jorge Gonzalez (out)
Brian Ownby (out)
Story lines…
Last meeting: LouCity had a close encounter with Miami FC when playing away back on June 1. Sean Totsch’s 84th-minute penalty kick sealed a 2-1 victory in Florida, where City had taken a first half lead only to see the home side equalize. Miami has taken points from just two games since then.
Playoff picture: LouCity will open the single-elimination postseason at Lynn Family Stadium with a Saturday, November 2, Eastern Conference Quarterfinal game. Should the boys in purple advance, they’re also so far in line to host the Eastern Conference Semifinal round the weekend of November 8-10.
Record pace: LouCity continues to challenge the best marks in USL Championship history — both set by Phoenix Rising FC’s 2019 team — for points and goals in a single season. Phoenix recorded 78 points (2.29 per game) and totaled 89 goals (2.62 per game). City is averaging 2.24 points per game and 2.55 goals.
Record high: With a 4-2 weekend win over Memphis 901 FC, LouCity pushed its 2024 goals total to 74, eclipsing the club’s prior record of 71 tallied in 2018. City has hit the back of the net in a league-high 27 of 29 games, including a season-long 11 matches in a row entering Wednesday.
More at stake: The goal record isn’t the only bit of history in play down the stretch. LouCity is also one victory from matching the 2022 team’s record for 22 wins in a season and seven points from equaling the 72 points racked up that year. The boys in purple went on to win the Eastern Conference title back in 2022 before falling to San Antonio FC in the league final.
Comeback City: To defeat Memphis, LouCity had to climb out from a 2-0 hole dug just 18 minutes into last Saturday’s game. The boys in purple rallied to win after trailing by two or more goals for the first time since October 13, 2019 — the club’s final regular season game at Slugger Field. They’ve now taken 16 points from losing positions in 2024, second-best in the league to Charleston’s 17.
All-League repeat: It seems likely for LouCity newcomer Taylor Davila, who added two goals and an assist against Memphis amid a stellar first season in purple. The 2023 All League First-Teamer Davila arrived on a multi-year contract this past offseason and has gone on to start 28 of 29 games. He’s on a career-high seven goals to go with a team-leading six assists.
Raining goals: Wilson Harris and Elijah Wynder also added to the best totals of their young careers in the Memphis win. Harris scored LouCity’s first on a feed through by Davila to register his 17th goal of the season, ranking second in the league. The LouCity Academy graduate Wynder netted deep into first half stoppage time for his sixth goal.
McFadden’s impact: Brought in on loan from Atlanta United back in the spring, Aiden McFadden completed a permanent transfer to LouCity over the summer and has proven a key to the club’s success. McFadden ran his assist total to five when setting up Davila’s second goal against Memphis, giving the wingback goal contributions in his last three appearances.
