Coming in to Saturday’s rivalry game, Louisville City FC and Indy Eleven are two clubs with the same goal — to overcome mid-season struggles to build momentum ahead of the playoffs — but under different circumstances.
LouCity (9-7-4, 31 points) is coming off arguably its strongest showing of the year, a 3-2 road win over the Western Conference leader Orange County SC last week. Of all the teams that LouCity has beaten this league season, OCSC is highest in the standings, sitting second in the Players’ Shield race.
That win capped an unbeaten three-game week, following a pair of draws against third-place San Antonio FC and in the Prinx Tires Cup at the league-leading Tampa Bay Rowdies — LouCity advanced from the quarterfinal in a penalty shootout.
Indy (7-7-4, 25 points) is also coming off a win, albeit against the league’s bottom team, Sporting JAX, last time out. That 1-0 victory ended a five-game winless run that included four-straight losses from July 15 to July 31.
While LouCity is coming off its biggest win of the season, Indy has not beaten a current playoff team since July 4, when the “boys in blue” defeated the Charleston Battery 2-0.
The two sides also come in under different circumstances where the rivalry is concerned.
Indy has not beaten Louisville since Aug. 31, 2022 — a span of 1,452 days once Saturday’s game kicks off. In that span, LouCity has won five of six meetings, including two straight.
In fact, none of Indy’s current players have ever taken a win in the rivalry. No players on Indy’s current roster were on the team the last time the club defeated LouCity. Only two members of the team’s four-man coaching staff — first assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Phil Presser and Andy Swift, who serves as goalkeeping director and video analyst — were with the club at the time.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.
Follow Along
• The game will air locally on MyTV 58, with local radio coverage of the game will air on ESPN Louisville’s 680 AM and 105.7 FM.
• To watch streaming coverage of the game, log on to ESPN+ or WDRB+.
• 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.
Storylines…
Brandon is back: Brandon Dayes made his return to the LouCity lineup in the team’s win over Orange County. The 17-year-old spent the past month in Mexico competing with the United States U-19 National Team at the Concacaf U-20 Championship. He played 318 minutes in the tournament, scoring twice, as the U.S. finished as runners-up. In a start at Orange County, Dayes completed 33 of 34 passes, leading LouCity.
Jekyll and Hyde: Indy Eleven has been a different team at home than the club has been away. In league play, Indy has a 6-1-1 record at home, but a 1-2-6 record on the road. Saturday’s game will be a home game for Indy, at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
20-20 Club: Louisville City forward Ray Serrano bagged a brace at Orange County. It was the first time he had scored two goals in a game for LouCity, and the second brace of his career. The goals were the 20th and 21st league goals Serrano had scored with LouCity, making him the third player to tally 20 goals and 20 assists with the club, joining Brian Ownby (24 goals, 33 assists) and Niall McCabe (20 goals, 30 assists). He is the 13th player to reach the 20-20 mark for a single club in the USL Championship.
Team of the Week: The USL Championship named Louisville City FC forwards Ray Serrano and Quenzi Huerman to its team of the week after their performances against Orange County. Serrano scored twice, while Huerman registered two assists. They are the 14th and 15th players selected to the USL Championship Team of the Week this season.
Possession battle: Indy Eleven ranks last in the USL Championship in possession, averaging just 40.5% of the ball. LouCity averages 50.7%, ranking 10th.
