To put it simply: Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium was just not Louisville City FC’s night.
For the second straight season, LouCity suffered a shocking early playoff exit. A first-half goal from defender Devon Amoo-Mensah was all Detroit City FC needed to complete the improbable 1-0 upset of the back-to-back Players’ Shield winners in the USL Championship Playoffs’ conference quarterfinal round.
Detroit had not earned a single result in Louisville in five previous trips. That all changed Saturday, as one 34th-minute set piece proved the difference, sending Detroit stunningly to a conference semifinal against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
The defeat also put an end to City’s four-month unbeaten run across all competitions, which dates back to June 11. The boys in purple finished the 2025 regular season with the league record for points per game (2.43), the best defensive record, and the highest goal differential.
But playoff games are defined by fleeting opportunities. LouCity’s chances came and went.
“Really, really poor with the ball in the first half,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “I thought from an individual standpoint, there was a lot of technical breakdowns. We certainly weren’t good enough, obviously, in the attacking phase of the game tonight. You work all year on the defensive side of set pieces, but this is what the playoffs come to, right? (It) is the set piece.
“Ultimately, we didn’t do a good enough job. It’s heartbreak. It’s frustration. I’m at a loss for words, obviously, because for me, it’s an incredible group of players and we fell short tonight.”
It was a frustrating night for the Louisville frontline, which was the league’s second-most potent (56 goals) during the 30-match regular season.
Detroit’s resistance held firm after its only shot on target found the back of the net. That came from Captain Amoo-Mensah 11 minutes before the opening half’s conclusion, as he crashed the far post to redirect a Jay Chapman header past goalkeeper Damian Las.
The hosts did test Danny Dichio’s men on a multitude of instances, particularly in the second half after Cruz sought an influx of energy through his substitutions.
Ownby, who came on in the 61st minute, asked the most questions of Detroit’s backline. He finished the game with a team-high four shots, with his lone one on target denied by the outstretched arm of Carlos Saldaña four minutes after he entered the pitch.
“It’s been hard for us to score lately,” defender Kyle Adams said. “I think we all know that, especially here at home. We just weren’t able to put one away. We had a lot of half-chances there, not really too many clean ones, but the keeper also made a couple of incredible saves. … Sometimes that’s how the way the game goes.”
“Regular seasons in this country don’t really mean [much], it’s all about playoffs,” said Ownby. “So, we’re proud of what we could do throughout the regular season, probably the most consistent team, but playoffs are a different beast. It comes down to critical moments, who wants it the most. Unfortunately, they got that one and we just couldn’t get one to tie it, so that’s just the way it is.”
Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Detroit City FC
Date: November 1, 2025
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
Weather: 49 degrees, rain
Attendance: 8,210
Scoring
Louisville City FC (0, 0, 0)
Detroit City FC (1, 0, 1)
Goals
Detroit City FC:
34’ Devon Amoo-Mensah (Jay Chapman)
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 1 – Damian Las; 13 – Amadou Dia (62’ 23 – Sam Gleadle), 32 – Kyle Adams (c) (75’ 3 – Jake Morris), 24 – Josh Jones, 4 – Sean Totsch, 2 – Aiden McFadden, 17 – Taylor Davila, 31 – Kevon Lambert, 7 – Ray Serrano (62’ 16 – Adrien Perez), 25 – Jansen Wilson (76’ 53 – Cameron Lancaster), 9 – Phillip Goodrum (61’ 10 – Brian Ownby)
Subs not used: 12 – Danny Faundez; 11 – Niall McCabe, 80 – Hayden Stamps, 83 – Brandon Dayes
Head Coach: Danny Cruz
Detroit City FC: 91 – Carlos Saldaña; 30 – Devon Amoo-Mensah (c), 12 – Michael Bryant, 4 – Shane Wiedt, 39 – Ryan Williams, 33 – Isaiah LeFlore, 14 – Haruki Yamazaki (81’ 5 – Stephen Carroll), 6 – Jay Chapman, 10 – Jeciel Cedeño (73’ 22 – Kobe Hernández-Foster), 7 – Darren Smith (72’ 99 – Jordan Adebayo-Smith), 32 – Ates Diouf (61’ 3 – Alex Villanueva)
Subs not used: 16 – Tatenda Mkuruva; 13 – Matt Sheldon, 23 – Sebastián Guenzatti
Head Coach: Danny Dichio
Stats: Louisville City FC / Detroit City FC
Shots: 16 / 3
Shots on Goal: 3 / 1
Expected goals: 1.41 / 0.67
Possession: 59.9% / 40.1%
Fouls: 13 / 9
Offside: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 9 / 2
Discipline Summary
Louisville City FC:
71’ Brian Ownby (yellow)
Detroit City FC:
73’ Jeciel Cedeño (yellow)
79’ Isaiah LeFlore (yellow)
Referee: Greg Dopka
