The 2025 preseason passed, and so did the first six games of the regular season, without a goal from Louisville City FC’s No. 9. But lately, Phillip Goodrum has made up for lost time.
LouCity’s top striker became the sixth player in club history to register a hat trick Saturday as the host side dug out from an early hole to defeat Birmingham Legion FC, 4-2, at Lynn Family Stadium.
A victory — City’s third in a week — kept the boys in purple three points clear atop the USL Championship. They’re also unbeaten through 13 games, a club record to open a campaign.
“Obviously didn’t start the exact way we wanted, but ultimately I was really, really happy for the result,” said coach Danny Cruz. “It’s a nine-point week. Tired legs — I think you could see that at the end of the game. We wanted a little bit more intensity from that, but at the same time, I’m proud of the group.
“Not an easy week — not easy to do what they just did — and again, nine points is important, especially here at home.”
After Amadou Dia knocked in a 29th-minute Ray Serrano cross to equalize, Goodrum got to work. All three of his goals were assisted by Taylor Davila — in the 30th, 44th and 59th minutes.
A high-profile, midseason addition last year, Goodrum’s hitting his stride with LouCity, where he’s now scored in three of his last four appearances.
“Ever since I played against LouCity, I knew this is the place I wanted to be,” Goodrum said. “This is the premier club in the USL. For me, this is my big Champions League club of my career. To wear No. 9 here and be the guy to put the ball in the back of the net, it means a lot.”
Goodrum first slipped a ball through the opposing goalkeeper’s legs to give LouCity the lead. He later padded it when a Davila steal deflected to him in the box. Goodrum completed his hat trick by heading down a corner in the second half.
His performance capped a dominant night on the attack in which City generated 2.1 expected goals to Birmingham’s 0.36, according to Opta statistics. The visiting Legion scored only on a deflected shot from distance in the 15th minute and a late own goal off a Louisville player in the box.
“Three games in a week is never going to be easy, and it’s really good to have nine points come out of that,” Davila said. “Undefeated, sure. But we’ve definitely got things we can improve on. That’s the whole thing, winning games and improving. Even though we’re winning games, we can’t get complacent.”
LouCity improved to 9-0-4 with its victory over Birmingham, upping its points total to 31 through 13 games. That’s only one point off the pace that last year won the club its first Players’ Shield.
The boys in purple — who played Saturday in front of 8,802 fans, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — have scored 23 goals this season while conceding just nine. Their next test arrives Friday with a trip to play North Carolina FC.
Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Birmingham Legion FC
Date: June 14, 2025
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: 76 degrees, partly cloudy
Attendance: 8,802
Scoring
Louisville City FC (3, 1, 4)
Birmingham Legion FC (1, 1, 2)
Goals
Louisville City FC:
29’ Amadou Dia (Ray Serrano)
30’ Phillip Goodrum (Taylor Davila)
44’ Phillip Goodrum (Taylor Davila)
Birmingham Legion FC:
15’ Ronaldo Damus (Edwin Laszo)
90’ Carlos Moguel own goal
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 1 – Damian Las, 13 – Amadou Dia (65’ 2 – Aiden McFadden), 32 – Kyle Adams, 5 – Arturo Ordóñez, 4 – Sean Totsch, 15 – Manny Perez (65’ 3 – Jake Morris), 17 – Taylor Davila (82’ 8 – Carlos Moguel), 27 – Evan Davila, 7 – Ray Serrano, 25 – Jansen Wilson (76’ 16 – Adrien Perez), 9 – Phillip Goodrum (65’ 23 – Sam Gleadle)
Subs not used: 30 – Ryan Troutman, Jr., 24 – Josh Jones, 80 – Hayden Stamps, 83 – Brandon Dayes
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Birmingham Legion FC: 57 – Fernando Delgado, 2 – Stephen Turnbull (78’ 4 –Ramiz Hamouda), 3 – Phanuel Kavita, 13 – Jake Rufe, 43 – Tiago Suarez (67’ 20 – AJ Paterson), 8 – Kobe Hernandez-Foster, 17 – Edwin Laszo (78’ 6 – Sam McIllhatton), 27 – Erik Centeno (67’ 21 – Sebastian Tregarthen), 19 – Enzo Martinez, 10 – Preston Tabort Etaka, 9 – Ronaldo Damus
Subs not used: 1 – Matt Van Oekel, 7 – Danny Trejo, 25 – Roman Torres, 77 – Kameron Lacey
Head coach: Mark Briggs
Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / Birmingham Legion FC
Shots: 14 / 10
Shots on Goal: 7 / 5
Expected goals: 2.1 / 0.36
Possession: 39.2% / 60.8%
Fouls: 12 / 13
Offside: 2 / 0
Corner Kicks: 5 / 6
Discipline Summary
Louisville City FC:
68’ Sam Gleadle (yellow)
Birmingham Legion FC:
19’ Erik Centeno (yellow)
51’ Preston Tabort Etaka (yellow)
Referee: Mark Verso
