The Fourth of July is known for its celebration of the red, white and blue, but it was all purple in Colorado Springs on Friday night.
For the sold-out crowd at Weidner Field, at least there were post-game fireworks.
Louisville City FC (11-1-4, 37 points) extended its lead atop the USL Championship standings to five points with a 1-0 win over the defending USL Championship title winners, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks (3-6-6, 15 points).
The win guaranteed Louisville first place through the rest of the weekend’s action, regardless of other results.
For LouCity, the festivities started with a bang: With an explosive, adroit turn, Phillip Goodrum put LouCity ahead within the opening ten minutes, ricocheting his right-footed effort against the upright and into the back of the net.
It was Goodrum’s eighth goal of the season, all of which have come since May 1, a span of eight league appearances for the 28-year-old.
“It comes in ebbs and flows and right now I’m feeling good,” Goodrum said of his scoring run. “The guys seem to be finding me in the right spots, and (I’m) putting the ball into the back of the net.”
“He’s doing what we believe he can do, and he knows he can do,” Cruz said of Goodrum. “… Defenders don’t want to deal with him, because he’s a menace.”
The goal came from a long throw-in from center back Josh Jones, who started for the third-straight game. It’s a new weapon in the LouCity set piece arsenal.
“Man, that kid can sling it,” Goodrum said.
It’s more than his throwing ability that’s earned Jones this run of starting nods.
“I think everybody, rightly so, will be talking about his ability in that phase of the game,” Cruz said. “But he has been tremendous the last three games. Defensively solid, strong in the back, quality with the ball at his feet — also not easy to do in your first year as a pro with the expectations that come with being a Louisville City player, but he’s taking it in stride. He was again immense at the back for us tonight.”
The second half offered plenty of sparks, both on and off the field, most of them for the hosts, Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs took 11 of its 14 total shots in the second half, but couldn’t find the back of the net despite a 67% possession advantage after halftime.
LouCity emerged with the shutout victory, the club’s second-consecutive clean sheet.
“It’s just one of those games (where) you’ve got to grind out a performance, and I think we did that tonight, together as a group through tough moments,” LouCity defender Kyle Adams said.
The game ends a brutal run for Louisville, that included seven games in 27 days, three of which were on the road. Of LouCity’s last 10 games, six were away from home.
“This group is deep, they push one another every day and they’re getting results in a collective way, with players playing in different spots,” Cruz said of the lengthy run of games. “… We talk about ‘no excuses’ and the players have yet to give one.”
Up next, LouCity will return home but step out of competitive play for an international friendly against CD Leganés at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, July 12. Notably, Leganés defeated Spanish giants FC Barcelona this season in a La Liga match. For tickets and more info, visit LouCity.com/leganes.
It’s the first of three prestige international friendlies at Lynn Family Stadium this summer, the Global Games Series. An English Premier League club will play in Louisville for the first time when Aston Villa visits to face Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany’s Bundesliga on July 26. Then, on July 29, LouCity will host Frankfurt for the second-consecutive season.
For tickets and more information, visit LouCity.com/GlobalGames.
Game Summary: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Louisville City FC
Date: July 4, 2025
Venue: Weidner Field
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy
Scoring
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (0, 0, 0)
Louisville City FC (1, 0, 1)
Goals
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC:
Louisville City FC:
9′ Phillip Goodrum (Manny Perez)
Lineups
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: 1 – Christian Herrera (22′, 32 – Jonathan Burke); 33 – Isaiah Foster (45′, 3 – Akeem Ward), 23 – Garven Metusala, 5 – Matt Mahoney (c), 18 – Aidan Rocha, 10 – Zach Zandi, 21 – Anthony Fontana (65′, 34 – Charlie Adams), 22 – Marco Micaletto, 9 – Levonte Johnson, 7 – Jonas Fjeldberg (64′, 20 – Yosuke Hanya), 27 – Juan Tejada (45′, 11 – Quenzi Huerman)
Subs not used: 4 – Tyler Clegg, 14 – Duke Lacroix, 15 – Chase Gozdieski, 25 – Henry Weston
Head coach: James Chambers
Louisville City FC: 1 – Damian Las, 13 – Amadou Dia (45′, 3 – Jake Morris, 68′, 23 – Sam Gleadle), 32 – Kyle Adams (c), 24 – Josh Jones, 2 – Aiden McFadden, 15 – Manny Perez (16′, 27 – Evan Davila), 17 – Taylor Davila (64′, 8 – Carlos Moguel Jr.), 31 – Kevon Lambert, 7 – Ray Serrano, 25 – Jansen Wilson (85′, 83 – Brandon Dayes), 9 – Phillip Goodrum
Subs not used: 12 – Danny Faundez; 53 – Cameron Lancaster
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Stats Summary: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC / Louisville City FC
Shots: 11 / 11
Shots on Goal: 2 / 4
Expected goals: 0.39 / 0.65
Possession: 63% / 37%
Fouls: 13 / 13
Offside: 0 / 0
Corner Kicks: 5 / 7
Discipline Summary
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC:
26′ Jonas Fjeldberg (yellow)
45’+4 Levonte Johnson (yellow)
90’+1 Akeem Ward (yellow)
Louisville City FC:
11′ Amadou Dia (yellow)
45’+4 Phillip Goodurm (yellow)
Referee: Brandon Stevis
