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In its first six seasons, Louisville City FC won almost everything there is to win in the USL Championship. Almost.

There were two league titles, three Eastern Conference championships and an appearance in that national semifinal game each year from 2015-2020.

But as the boys in purple continue to wear their way through another successful season, another goal has emerged. LouCity is for the first time looking to finish the regular season atop the entire 32-team league.

“It’s the one thing we’ve yet to achieve as a club in everything else that we’ve won,” said midfielder Niall McCabe, a member of the club since it launched. “It’s just something that we haven’t achieved, and we want to achieve it. It’s game by game, but the ultimate goal at the end of the season is to win championships and trophies. If there’s a trophy for that, we want to win it.”

The boys in purple sit on 39 points — the current highest total in the USL Championship with a 12-3-3 record. Close on their heels are the Western Conference’s El Paso Locomotive (38 points) Phoenix Rising (37). Those clubs have played one game fewer than LouCity, which is six points clear of all its Eastern Conference rivals in the regular season race.

“It’s certainly a motivation for the group in there,” head coach Danny Cruz said.. “It’s something we’ve talked about often and it’s important that us as a group. We can’t take any games for granted.”

Ultimately, clubs are playing for playoff positions within four USL Championship divisions — the Atlantic, Central, Mountain and Pacific — for a spot in the 16-team playoffs. The top regular season record, though, would ensure a home final should LouCity advance there again.

The club has thus far out-performed its 2017 and 2018 predecessors that won league titles. The 2017 team was on 35 points through 18 games and the 2018 team on 32.

Coming off his team’s fourth straight victory last Saturday, a 2-1 win over FC Tulsa, winger Brian Ownby acknowledged the unfinished business this year.

“We’re excited. This is four in a row with the (opposing) goal late, but in the end it’s a win,” Ownby said post game. “We have a goal this year to win the regular season, which we haven’t done since I’ve been here (in 2017) and I don’t think we’ve ever done it as a club. That’s one of our main goals.

“Obviously, other teams have to deal with their stuff. But if we control our own business in the end, I think it’ll put us there.”

The boys in purple have lost just once since June 12 while playing the bulk of their games at home, where they’ve only dropped points twice in 12 games. However, the back half of the season will be played mostly away, including an upcoming stretch of seven in eight games.

Cruz has full confidence in his team getting the job done on the road, he’s well aware of the weight that playing in front of an average of 10,000+ fans at Lynn Family Stadium carries.

“Our goal is to finish at the top and when you finish at the top you know when you’re winning your playoffs games, everyone has to come here,” Cruz said. “This is a place where we’ve had success this year and last year and we want to continue to make this place a fortress.”

Louisville City FC triumphed by a 2-1 score Saturday over FC Tulsa in a feisty, back-and-forth game that featured 29 fouls whistled.

It was the clubs’ third meeting of the year with the results split previously. And as with the prior contests, the scoring started early.

Cameron Lancaster netted the opener in the 10th minute when he received a cross from Niall McCabe in the box. A deflection caught the opposing keeper off guard, and the ball nestled into the bottom right corner.

Lancaster registered his second of the game and doubled LouCity’s lead when a McCabe corner resulted in chaos in the penalty box. The ball dropped favorably to the Englishman, whose strike prevented a late FC Tulsa goal off a set piece near the corner flag from being consequential.

A win put LouCity at the top of the USL Championship on points, two clear of the Western Conference’s El Paso Locomotive FC. The boys in purple also have a six-point cushion over Birmingham Legion FC in the Central Division.

Aside from the late goal, head coach Danny Cruz was pleased by his team’s performance, saying, “I think we came out with the right mentality for sure. As the game progressed, we conceded a bit of possession there, but I was really happy with the group. I told the players Tulsa is a good team. We did just get three points against them, but what I love about the culture [in the locker room] is that guys are frustrated, and I think that’s the sign of a team that’s going to do something special.”

Big picture defending

Despite losing the clean sheet in the final minutes of the game, LouCity’s defense has improved massively as the season’s has progressed. City has conceded only six goals in its last seven games while scoring 16. Compare that to 11 goals conceded in the seven games before that.

LouCity’s fantastic goal differential — the +18 number is second-best across the Championship — can be credited beyond City’s strikers. Midfielder Niall McCabe led the way, gaining possession back from FC Tulsa eight times on a night the team turned over its opposition 41 times in all.

LouCity numbered 14 shots in the box while generally keeping FC Tulsa out of the area. The visitors numbered three shots in the box and had four more attempts blocked by the boys in purple.

A pep in their step

The usual back four featured Pat McMahon, Wes Charpie, Sean Totsch and Jonathan Gomez, with the latter, of course, free to move forward. Gomez also numbered a team-leading four tackles on the night.

Noticeable also was the play up front by Paolo DelPiccolo. The captain has continued to progress from his former central midfield role to at times play more like a forward. He played an eighth-minute cross from Brian Ownby off the post that nearly represented the go-ahead goal.

Prolific Lancaster stands out

The Tottenham Hotspur product ran his season total to 11 goals, which is tied for second in the league behind Colorado Springs’ prolific Hadji Barry’s 18. Lancaster put three of his shots against Tulsa on target, along the way shaking off a number of opposing fouls, particularly leading up to his second half goal.

“He’s a goal scorer — one of the top in the league and the country,” Ownby said. “So when we’re out there, we know all we have to do is give him a little chance. As a poacher in the box, the ball just seems to fall to him all the time and he finishes them.”

Lancaster led the lines in other ways, too. He won 100% of his seven duels, had two tackles, and won possession from Tulsa twice. 

“The work [Lancaster] put in defensively is not easy the way that we look to press,” Cruz said. “So I was really proud of him from that standpoint and then he rewards himself with two goals.”

Cameron Lancaster scored on both sides of the halftime whistle Saturday as Louisville City FC exacted a bit of revenge.

The boys in purple — unbeaten now in 12 of their last 13 games — paid back the only club to defeat them over that span with a 2-1 victory over FC Tulsa.

Much to the delight of 10,675 fans at Lynn Family Stadium, LouCity upped its record to 12-3-3, with the 39 points best in the USL Championship pending later Western Conference results this weekend.

“Unbelievable atmosphere,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “I know I feel like I’m saying it every week, but it really is. This is a special place. We’re happy about obviously getting three points.

“But it can’t go unsaid: It’s a late goal again. Unacceptable — spoke to the guys individually and collectively we know that, and we know as we keep progressing here toward the end of the season, we know it’s gonna be important that we make sure that these mistakes and these late goals fix.

“With that being said, it’s another three points at home against a good team and I’m proud of the group for that.

Lancaster opened by getting on the end of a looping, 10th-minute Niall McCabe cross from wide left. The deflected shot hit the back of the net.

In the 66th minute, a scramble in the box and half clearance led to Lancaster gaining possession again. He finished up the chance cleanly to double the lead.

“I don’t think you could teach being in the right place at the right time,” McCabe said of Lancaster. “It’s just an instinct. He kind of just smells out opportunities, and thankfully he’s on our side and long may he continue and keep scoring.”

The brace raised Lancaster’s season total to 11 goals, ranking third-best in the league.

FC Tulsa managed a concerning late answer to the 2-0 deficit. In stoppage time, a Lebo Moloto corner landed freely to the head of Bradley Bourgeois. It marked the fourth time in five games the boys in purple have conceded after the 85th minute and dashed hopes of a fifth clean sheet on the season.

“I think it’s just little mental errors here and there,” said forward Brian Ownby. “We had a very good game. I think they only had really one chance…If we can just fix those little errors where the ball’s going out of bounds and we don’t need to make fouls, that will help us in the long run.”

Still, it was three points earned for the fourth straight game ahead of an important end-of-season stretch for the club, which will play primarily away from home beginning Aug. 22 at OKC Energy FC.

LouCity got the better of a rival Saturday that had given it troubles twice previously, both on the more narrow ONEOK field in Tulsa, Okla. On June 19, it was a 3-2 victory for the boys in purple. On July 10, FC Tulsa posted a 3-2 win of its own.

Tulsa managed four shots on target in the rubber match as LouCity goalkeeper Parker Siegfried twice came up huge, in the 33rd minute preventing a goal after the boys in purple were turned over in their own half before coming off his line to thwart a counter in the 48th.

Aside from its goals, LouCity threatened, particularly in the first half. Ownby — amid a season that has already seen him rack up a career-high six assists — nearly had a seventh in the eighth minute. He hustled to win possession deep in Tulsa’s half, and the ensuing cross to Paolo DelPiccolo led to a one-touch shot off the post.

In all, LouCity out-shot Tulsa 16-12, with 14 of the home tries taken from inside the box. The clubs were even in other areas of the stat sheet, setting up an intriguing final meeting between them back at Lynn Family Stadium on Sept. 3.

Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. FC Tulsa

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: 80 degrees, cloudy

Man of the Match: Cameron Lancaster

Attendance: 10,675

Scoring

Louisville City FC (1, 1, 2)

FC Tulsa (0, 1, 1)

Goals

Louisville City FC:

10’ Lancaster (McCabe)

66’ Lancaster

FC Tulsa

90’+ Bourgeois (Moloto)

Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / FC Tulsa

Shots: 16 / 11

Shots on Goal: 5 / 4

Fouls: 15 / 14

Offside: 1 / 2

Corner Kicks: 6 / 4

Saves: 3 / 3

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 24 – Parker Siegfried, 15 – Pat McMahon, 6 – Wes Charpie (90’ 66 — Josh Wynder), 4 – Sean Totsch, 42 – Jonathan Gomez, 12 – Tyler Gibson, 36 – Paolo DelPiccolo (75’ 7 – Napo Matsoso), 11 – Niall McCabe, 9 – Jorge Gonzalez (82’ 20 – Jimmy McLaughlin), 10 – Brian Ownby (82’ 29 – Antoine Hoppenot), 17 – Cameron Lancaster (75’ 21 — Kyle Greig)

Subs not used: 1 – Chris Hubbard, 8 – Akil Watts

FC Tulsa: 1 — Sean Lewis, 4 — Jadama Modou, 13 — Matthew Sheldon (79’ 6 — Johnny Fenwick), 26 — Jorge Corrales (79’ 18 — Solomon Krampe), 22 — Bradley Bourgeois, 16 — Rodrigo da Costa, 11 — Joaquin Rivas, 10 — Marlon, 30 — Lebo Moloto, 44 — Eric Bird, 14 — Jason Johnson (79’ 21 — Kembo Kibato)

Subs not used: 31 — Austin Wormwell, 99 — Raphael Ayagwa, 92 Dario Suarez, 2 — Kevin Garcia

Discipline Summary

LouCity: 66’ McMahon (yellow)

Tulsa: 72’ Sheldon (yellow)

Tulsa: 81’ Moloto (yellow)

LouCity: 85’ Gomez (yellow)

Tulsa: 90’+ Bird (yellow)

Referee: Malik Badawi

Assistant Referees: Ben Pilgrim and John Krill

Fourth Official: Chris Schurfranz

Professional soccer clubs Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC are this month launching their first supporter group geared toward the next generation of fans.

The Lil’ Kickers Kids Club, powered by Zappos.com, will provide opportunities for those ages 3-12 to connect with the teams through exclusive content, swag and events.

Signups are open now at www.loucity.com/kids-club or RacingLouFC.com/kids-club. Registrations will also be accepted at home games beginning Saturday when the boys in purple host FC Tulsa at Lynn Family Stadium.

“The Kids Club sets us on a course not just to further engage younger members of our existing fan base but help us reach a goal of every child in our community having access to LouCity and Racing Louisville in some way,” said club president Brad Estes.

“We thank Zappos for helping us launch this initiative, which we anticipate will only grow in the coming years.

Kids Club memberships are available in both a free and low-cost paid tier.

The free version includes a digital membership certificate, access to discounted game tickets, subscription to a monthly e-newsletter including exclusive Kids Club content, invitations to Kids Club events and reduced prices on academy camps and clinics.

A $35 annual membership comes with all of the above plus a free game ticket and number of items including a Zappos discount code, T-shirt, shoelaces, lunch tote, keychain as well as more goodies designed to help kids represent their clubs.

With every paid Kids Club membership purchased, a ticket will be donated to host another child at a LouCity or Racing game. Residents of Bellewood & Brooklawn — which care for vulnerable children and their families throughout the state — will also be invited to an upcoming game in conjunction with the Kids Club launch.

“Sports are a great way for kids to grow, learn and have fun — all values we hold close to our heart at Zappos,” said Sarah Fee, senior directior of operations, Zappos.com “We look forward to powering the Lil’ Kickers Kids Club and further supporting the Louisville community.

Once available, Kids Club gear will be redeemable each home game at Lynn Family Stadium. Contact LouCity/Racing’s Chris Antonious at cantonious@https://www.www.loucity.com with questions.