It’s rivalry week in the Bluegrass State as Louisville City FC hosts Lexington SC in the first leg of the Commonwealth Cup, presented by Republic Bank. Kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium is slated for 8 p.m. Thursday.
The matchup is the first competitive meeting between the two clubs since Lexington joined the USL Championship this season. The two sides previously met in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup when Lexington was a member of USL League One. LouCity won, 1-0.
As it sits in the USL Championship standings, there’s more than just 75 miles of geography that separates the two clubs.
LouCity (4-0-2, 14 points) is the league’s lone unbeaten team. They boys in purple have conceded just four goals in league play, the joint-best defensive record in the Championship. They also have a top-10 attack with their 10 goals ranking ninth-most in the league.
Lexington (1-2-4, 7 points), meanwhile, is still adjusting to the rigors of the USL Championship. The team hasn’t won since opening night, a 2-0 victory over last-place Hartford Athletic on March 8. Since then, LexSporting is winless in six league games.
Statistically, Lexington SC is in the middle of the pack in the league: the club is tied for 12th in goals scored (8) and tied for 13th in goals conceded (8). Lexington is led by Championship veterans Marcus Epps and Cory Burke, with two goals apiece.
Last weekend, both sides played in the USL Jägermeister Cup. LouCity defeated the Richmond Kickers 4-1 while Lexington fell to Loudoun United 1-0.
While the two sides haven’t met competitively for two years, they did face-off in a hotly contested preseason friendly in February that Louisville won, 3-2. The second leg of this year’s Commonwealth Cup, presented by Republic Bank, will take place to close the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage Saturday, July 26, in Lexington.
Thursday’s game is an official Kentucky Derby Festival event and kicks off Kentucky Derby weekend in Louisville. Fans can show their 2025 Pegasus Pin at the box office for a discounted, $10 general admission ticket. Gates at Lynn Family Stadium open at 6:30 p.m. for our $2 happy hour featuring beer and Pepsi products at bars throughout the concourse.
For tickets and more information, visit LouCity.com/lexington.
Follow Along
• The game will air live locally on WBKI/The CW and ESPN Louisville’s AM 680/FM 105.7.
• If streaming, download the free WDRB+ app to watch the local feed in Louisville or ESPN+ for national coverage.
• 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.
Story Lines…
Unbeaten start: Louisville City is undefeated through eight games this season across three competitions. The current run is the second-longest to open a season in club history behind a 13-game stretch at the beginning of the 2022 campaign. The club didn’t suffer its first defeat that season until May 13, making it through 10 regular season games and three Open Cup matches without a loss.
One of the few: There are 97 men’s professional soccer clubs in the United States across four leagues — Major League Soccer, the USL Championship, MLS Next Pro and USL League One. Of all those clubs, LouCity is one of just three that have yet to take a loss in the 2025 season alongside Philadelphia Union II and MNUFC2 of MLS Next Pro.
Number 200: Last Saturday’s 4-1 win for LouCity over the Richmond Kickers was the 199th victory in the club’s history in a USL-sanctioned competition. All-time, across the USL Championship regular season, playoffs, and USL Jägermeister Cup, City is 199-73-74. That makes Louisville the winningest club in the USL Championship’s modern history, which dates to 2011, ahead of the Charleston Battery’s 186 combined wins.
It’s not delivery, it’s Davila: The United Soccer League named LouCity midfielder Taylor Davila to the USL Jägermeister Cup Team of the Round for Round 1 after the 24-year-old registered two assists versus Richmond. The former Cal Bear is putting together an All-League quality season so far in 2025, his second with LouCity, after being named a Player of the Year finalist in 2024. Davila was also an All-League First Team member in 2023 while playing with Rio Grande Valley FC.
Thrice as nice: LouCity forward Sam Gleadle has now scored in three-consecutive games. He’s the first LouCity player to manage the feat since Jansen Wilson in August of 2024. It’s the third time in Gleadle’s career he’s scored in three-straight, and the first since April 2023 with Monterey Bay. He’s never scored in four-straight games in his career.
Tucked in, locked in (for another season): LouCity and Longtime defender Sean Totsch agreed to a contract extension, the club announced this week. The deal will see Totsch suit up in purple for a 10th season in 2026 with an option for the 2027 season. Totsch sits atop LouCity’s all-time leaderboard in appearances (260) and minutes (22,837). Earlier this season, he became the USL Championship’s all-time regular season minutes leader, surpassing the recently retired Kenardo Forbes.
“Williams… for Lancaster — he scores!”: Lexington SC’s roster features a winning combination from Louisville City’s championship past. Midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams and forward Cameron Lancaster both now feature for LSC. The two combined on the goal that won the 2017 USL Championship title for Louisville City, with Williams serving a ball in for Lancaster’s header. LouCity’s all-time leading scorer with 84 goals, the 32-year-old Lancaster has been limited by injury this season — he’s not seen action since he played 80 minutes in the season opener on March 8. The 33-year-old Williams, meanwhile, has played the full 90 minutes six times for Lexington this year. He still ranks in the top 10 all-time in LouCity history in games played and minutes.
