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Louisville City goalkeeper Chris Hubbard was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week Tuesday.

The Trinity High/Notre Dame grad became Louisville City’s starting goalkeeper at midseason and has notched five clean sheets. Hubbard has a remarkable 80.3 success rate in saves in his 14 games as LouCity’s starting goalkeeper. 

Hubbard and Louisville City face a huge matchup Saturday night at Slugger Field as league-leading New York Red Bulls II comes to town. Louisville City is the hottest team in the East, going unbeaten in its last seven matches including a win Saturday night at Hartford Athletic.

Here is the full USL Championship Team of the Week

USL Championship Team of the Week

GK – Chris Hubbard, Louisville City FC: Hubbard recorded a four-save shutout in a performance that also saw him claim three catches and make 12 recoveries in LouCity’s shutout victory on the road in Hartford.

D – Brent Richards, Reno 1868 FC: Richards recorded three assists in Reno’s victory against Tacoma, and across two 1868 FC victories had five chances created, six interceptions, seven clearances and nine recoveries.

D – Austin Ledbetter, Phoenix Rising FC: Ledbetter completed 48 of 53 passes, had two key passes and won 6 of 8 duels in Phoenix’s road victory against Las Vegas Lights FC on Wednesday night.

D – Jaylin Lindsey, Swope Park Rangers: Lindsey contributed to a pair of shutouts for the Rangers, recording the assist on the side’s game-winning goal against North Carolina FC while completing 72 of 85 passes across the week.

M – Ayoze, Indy Eleven: Ayoze scored a pair of goals in the Eleven’s victory against Ottawa Fury FC on Wednesday night and had 12 chances created overall in a two-win week for the side.

M – Jared Stroud, New York Red Bulls II: Stroud recorded a goal and assist – becoming the first player in Red Bulls II history to reach 20 goals and 20 assists for the club – as New York clinched its place in the playoffs with a 2-0 win against the Charlotte Independence.

M – Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Forbes provided the assist on the Hounds’ game-winning goal against Charleston, had five chances created overall, completed 71 of 84 passes and won 7 of 9 duels.

M – Cristian Parano, San Antonio FC: Parano had two assists and seven chances created while completing 41 of 47 passes overall as San Antonio took a 3-1 victory against OKC Energy FC.

F – Daniel Musovski, Reno 1868 FC: Musovski scored five goals – including a four-goal haul against Tacoma Defiance on Tuesday night – and added one assist as Reno took a pair of victories over the week.

F – Douglas Martinez, Real Monarchs SLC: Martinez notched a four-goal outing and completed 14 of 17 passes as the Monarchs swept to victory against the Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday afternoon.

F – Devon Sandoval, New Mexico United: Sandoval scored his first professional hat trick to lead New Mexico to victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Saturday night.

Bench: Eric Dick (SPR), Manny Padilla (NM), Aodhan Quinn (OC), Preston Tabor Etaka (LV), Darek Formella (SAC), Junior Flemmings (PHX), Tyler Blackwood (STL)

Louisville City’s new stadium is being constructed in Butchertown and the crews from Messer and Harmon are making great progress. This week, work began on installing the iconic roof structure for Lynn Family Stadium. 

A $65-million project, Lynn Family Stadium will have permanent seating for 11,700 and will hold as many as 14,000 fans. Season tickets for the 2020 season went on sale to the general public on Monday. Click here to take a virtual tour. 

Here are some of EM Dash’s best photos from Wednesday’s construction tour. 

Louisville City is getting hot at just the right time. The club is on a six-game undefeated streak and is moving closer to clinching a playoff spot with each new week. 

After training Tuesday, Louisville City coach John Hackworth explained what is going so well for his team right now.

“We’re just being good on the defensive side of the ball and guys are making plays,” Hackworth said. “We are also believing in our attack and we are putting together performances that are more consistent. And we are doing all this against some quality opponents in some quality places so we feel confident for sure.”

Louisville City is one of only two clubs in the East (Birmingham being the other) undefeated in the last six matches. 

“I have really said all along that we believe we are capable of this and more,” Hackworth said. “This success is not a surprise to us. We understand the accountability that we have to go do it. Now that we are through that stretch we can’t take our eyes off our next opponent.”

Louisville City will travel to Connecticut Friday to take on Hartford Athletic at 7 p.m. at Dillon Stadium. 

“We’re playing a Hartford team that’s pretty hot right now,” Hackworth said. “They are in good form and they are feeling it. They have added some new players who are playing very well for them. We have to go to their place and that’s a challenge for us. At the same time, we feel confident about what we do and we’ll try to build a plan to go there and take away some of the things that Hartford has done well in the past few games. And at the same time, we want to see if we can do a better job of creating some chances and finishing on the attacking side.”

Hackworth said he was pleased with the way his team performed at Pittsburgh Saturday. 

“I thought our build-up play against Pittsburgh was excellent,” Hackworth said. “The facility, the surface, the size, and the team you are playing make it really difficult to go to Pittsburgh and have the kind of build-up play that we had, so I was really happy with that. I thought their goalkeeper made some really good saves, but they also got some key blocks in there so you have to give them credit, otherwise I think we would have come away from there with a couple more points.”

Louisville City will regain the service of Paco Craig, who is returning from a Yellow Card accumulation suspension. The Boys in Purple will also gain Speedy Williams and Shaun Francis back from the Jamaican National Team. 

“It means we have one of our veterans and our key players back on the field for us,” Hackworth said. “I thought Taylor and Alexis did an excellent job on the back line and moving Totsch to the midfield I was really happy with his performance. These are things I say a lot, but we are a team. We are not about any one individual, and there’s no one individual that’s bigger than any other guy. Our expectation is that when your name is called you step up and fill whatever shoes of the guy that was previously there.”

LOUISVILLE, KY (September 9, 2019)­— Louisville City FC is preparing to move into Lynn Family Stadium for the 2020 season, and fans are responding in a big way. On Monday, the club crossed the 5,000 season ticket mark on the same day tickets became available to the general public for the first time.

“The response has been tremendous,” Louisville City FC President Brad Estes said. “Our longtime Season Ticket Members have had access for more than a month and many of them have already selected their seats. And now that the public has access, we have already sold more than half our allotted season tickets for 2020.”

The stadium, which will have permanent seating for 11,700 and capacity near 14,000, will be Louisville City’s new home starting next season. Built in the Butchertown neighborhood, just East of downtown, the stadium is a showpiece for the city of Louisville, nestled right next to two major interstates, I-64 and I-71. Built specifically for soccer, seating in the new stadium will be tailored to the fans. 

“It is truly a cathedral for soccer,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “The ability for our fans to be right next to the action will be a new experience.”

Season Ticket Members began logging on to www.loucity.com to select their seats in late July. The process began with Season Ticket Member No. 1 (J.C. Cissell) and the club made tickets available to each Season Ticket Member account every five minutes throughout the end of July and throughout early August. 

“We wanted to reward our longtime Season Ticket Members by giving them first pick in our new stadium as a thank you for their support,” said Director of Ticket Sales Dave Walkovic. “The process was remarkably smooth as Season Ticket Members reserved thousands of seats.”

Through the first several weeks of ticket availability for Season Ticket Members, eight sections sold out completely. On Monday morning, three more sections sold out. 

Tickets range in price from as little as $16 per game in the Butchertown and Waterfront Supporter Zones to $65 per game for Center Circle Premium Seats. Lynn Family Stadium will be equipped with 18 luxury suites and more than 1,000 club seats for a premium experience as well as safe-standing Supporter Zone sections for the most ardent supporters. 

Louisville City FC won the USL Cup in both 2017 and 2018, becoming the first club in modern USL Championship history to do so. Founded in 2015, Louisville City quickly became one of the leading clubs in the USL modern era, winning four trophies in the span of its first five seasons.

Link: SELECT YOUR SEAT in Lynn Family Stadium

ESPN+ Stream: PITvLOU on ESPN+

It’s a crucial Eastern Conference battle as Louisville City FC takes on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Saturday night at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh. The game will be broadcast locally on WBKI-CW at 7 p.m. 

LouCity, 7th in the East at 12-7-7, is four points behind Pittsburgh (13-4-8, 5th) in the Eastern Conference table. While both teams are highly likely to make the 10-team playoff field, both clubs are shooting for one of the automatic bye slots in the East given to the top six teams. Beyond that, the top four seeds in the East not only get a bye but they are also guaranteed to host a playoff game. 

“This is a six-point game,” LouCity coach John Hackworth said. “When another team is so close to you in the table and you are playing this late in the season, a win not only means three points for you, but also three points that they don’t get.”

The Riverhounds have been tremendous at home this season, going 8-0-5. Pittsburgh coach Bob Lilley is known for his tough, defensive-minded teams. 

“We know that Pittsburgh has quality players and play extremely hard,” Hackworth said. “We know it is going to be a fight Saturday night.”

For Louisville City, the lineup has shifted quite a bit. Midfielder Speedy Williams and defender Shaun Francis were called up to the Jamaican National Team, center back Paco Craig will miss Saturday night’s match with the Yellow Card accumulation, and several players are recovering from injuries. Creative scorer Magnus Rasmussen is back in the lineup after missing last week due to Yellow Card accumulation. 

Louisville City has been resilient this season. The club battled through a stretch of injuries and call-ups earlier this season and emerged as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference during the last five games. LouCity has won 13 of a possible 15 points in its last five matches, leading the league during that stretch. 

All USL fans know Louisville City has the last two USL Cups, but Pittsburgh Riverhounds have been very successful over the years as well. Saturday night’s clash is a battle of two of the USL’s most successful clubs. 

Here’s a look back at the series history between the two:

2019 – April 6: LouCity 0, Pittsburgh 1 – Louisville Slugger Field

It was a stalemate for 70-plus minutes until Neco Brett scored in the 74′. Louisville City had numerous chances in the final 16 minutes plus added time, but couldn’t find the equalizer. 

2018 – September 15: LouCity 2, Pittsburgh 2 – Pittsburgh’s Highmark Stadium

Cameron Lancaster scored a left-footed shot in the 31′ to put Louisville City ahead 1-0. Alexis Souahy followed with a header in the 70′ to put Louisville City up 2-0. There was an own goal by Greg Ranjitsingh in the 86′. Kenardo Forbes converted a penalty for the Riverhounds in the 90′ to tie the game. 

2018 – June 27: LouCity 0, Pittsburgh 1 – Louisville Slugger Field

Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ Kenardo Forbes scores in the 79′ with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner to put the Riverhounds on the scoreboard. Louisville goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh had 3 saves.

2017 – September 9: LouCity 3, Pittsburgh 0, Pittsburgh Highmark Stadium

Louisville City’s Mark-Anthony Kaye fed a ball through defenders to Luke Spencer for the team’s first goal in the 33′. Defender Kyle Smith recovered a loose ball and finished with another goal in 43′, followed by a converted penalty by Devon Williams in the 54′ to shut out the Riverhounds. Louisville City goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh had 2 saves.

2017 – May 20: LouCity 1, Pittsburgh 0, Pittsburgh Highmark Stadium

Louisville City’s Luke Spencer scores early in the 7′ with an assist by Brian Ownby to open the game. Louisville goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski was 4 for 4 with saves.

2016 – August 5: LouCity 2, Pittsburgh 1, Pittsburgh Highmark Stadium

George Davis IV scored twice in the second half to push Louisville City past the Riverhounds for the win (goals in the 56′ and 82′). Riverhounds’ Michael Green scored in the 27′ for a halftime score of 1-0. Louisville goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh had 2 saves.

2016 – April 27: LouCity 2, Pittsburgh 2, Louisville Slugger Field

Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the 10′ with a finish from Romeo Parkes for a halftime score of 1-0. Louisville City responded with a header by Chandler Hoffman in the 57′. Pittsburgh’s Corey Herzog scored off a penalty kick in the 75′ to put the Riverhounds up 2-1. Conor Shanosky scored to tie the game for LouCity in the 88′. Louisville goalkeeper Scott Goodwin picked up a red card in the 75′, replaced by Greg Ranjitsingh for his first minutes of the season. Ranjitsingh had 1 save.

2015 – August 29: LouCity 0, Pittsburgh 1, Louisville Slugger Field

After a pair of Riverhound and one Louisville yellow cards, Pittsburgh’s Rob Vincent scored off of a penalty goal in the 44′ just before the halftime whistle. 

2015 – July 18: LouCity 2, Pittsburgh 1, Pittsburgh Highmark Stadium

Magnus Rasmussen scored in the 15′ to put Louisville City up, but was quickly followed by a goal from Riverhounds’ Kevin Kerr in the 20′ for a draw at halftime. Matthew Fondy puts one more on the scoreboard for Louisville in the 66′ to win. 

2015 – April 19: LouCity 1, Pittsburgh 1, Pittsburgh Highmark Stadium

Riverhounds’ Fejiro Okiomah opened the scoring in the 38′ with a header for the Pittsburgh 1-0 lead at halftime. Louisville’s Kadeem Dacres responded with a heroic goal in the 90′ for a draw at the end of the match. Louisville goalkeeper Scott Goodwin had 3 saves.

Louisville City is in Pittsburgh prepping to face the Riverhounds in a Saturday night clash at Highmark Stadium in downtown Pittsburgh. Check out photos from LouCity’s Friday night training session at Highmark. 

Louisville City got an equalizer on a header from Abdou Thiam in the 70′ to draw with visiting Indy Eleven Friday night at Slugger Field.

Thiam, who came on as a substitute in the 65′, quickly made a difference for Louisville City. 

“I knew my chance was going to come,” Thiam said. “Even before coming in, Coach was telling me, ‘You’re going to have a chance. Just focus. You just need to finish it’ and if you look at the last game, I had chances. I used to be unlucky but today I was lucky to put it in.”

Louisville City coach John Hackworth brought on George Davis IV and Abdou Thiam as substitutes in the second half, and both provided an offensive spark. 

“We went to playing two up high, 3-3-4, and that just meant that we were taking a lot of risks forward,” Hackworth said. “Ultimately resulted in us getting back into the game and after we scored we went back to playing 4-3-3, so Abdou comes on and gives us a lift, so did George.”

After LouCity drew even with Indy, the match took a turn toward the dramatic and both teams gathered near Indy’s goalkeeper during a skirmish in the 79′. 

“I would say that was playoff intensity and that you had both teams going forward and both teams were fighting to the very end for the opportunity, so it’s good,” Hackworth said. 

Indy Eleven coach Martin Rennie agreed,  “It was a good game and there was a lot of intensity from both teams. Both sides were putting everything into the match. We’re a little disappointed that we didn’t get more, but it was a pretty even game. [Louisville] is a difficult place to come to. Given the setting, the field and everything else, both teams played pretty well.”

Louisville City has 43 points on the season including 13 in the last five matches. The Boys in Purple are 7thin the Eastern Conference. Indy Eleven is 4th in the Eastern Conference with 47 points with three games in hand.

Back home after winning its third-straight match Saturday, Louisville City hosts North Carolina FC Saturday afternoon at Slugger Field. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

Louisville City started this recent run with a 1-0 win at Charlotte Independence on Aug. 3. Then LouCity returned home to beat Atlanta United 2 in a 5-1 goal-fest at Slugger Field. On Saturday, LouCity got an 88th-minute goal by George Davis IV to beat Charleston Battery in Charleston.

“We’re going to keep to what we are doing and then try to improve as well,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “We feel good about Saturday night, but we know there are lots of areas that we have to improve if we are going to be successful in the games coming up next.”

Louisville City’s next six games include five teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference table. The top 10 teams in each conference make the USL Championship Playoffs with the top six teams getting a first-round bye. LouCity is currently seventh in the East, two points behind sixth-place Pittsburgh and four points behind fifth-place North Carolina FC.

“The intensity has been good and I feel like we are more organized defensively,” forward Sunny Jane said. “We always talk about working for each other and we are doing that really well. We just have to keep it rolling, keep doing the same work we have been doing.”

LouCity lost to North Carolina in the opening match of the season. In that match, North Carolina sat back and scored on counter-attacks.

“I think Carolina has changed some,” Hackworth said. “They are more of a possession team than we played them the first time. I think what you do in a game is you try to do something that works against your opponent, and sitting in really worked well for them in that match. I know Dave Sarachan well and I know what he was looking for then, but I think he knows his team much better now.”

Hackworth and Sarachan both worked for the United States Men’s Soccer Team and have known each other for decades. Hackworth has been watching North Carolina closely in recent weeks.

“They are in great form,” Hackworth said. “They beat Pittsburgh 5-nothing on Saturday night. That speaks volumes about what they are right now.”

North Carolina FC has won three of its last four matches including the 5-0 win over Pittsburgh and a 2-1 win over Memphis 901 FC, where Hackworth’s son plays. So will there be any communication shared this week between old friends?

“It’s radio silence this week, for sure,” Hackworth said. “I would say we are friends before we are coaching colleagues so if either one of us calls then I’m sure the other will pick up the phone.”

Louisville City and North Carolina kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised on WDRB TV locally and streamed on ESPN+. The radio broadcast will be on 840 WHAS.

Louisville City FC forward George Davis IV came on as a substitute alongside fellow veteran Luke Spencer and both made a huge impact on Saturday’s win over Charleston Battery. 

After Man of the Match voting had closed, Davis IV scored the game-winning goal to push Louisville City past Charleston Battery, securing three points for LouCity and earning Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Visionworks Man of the Match honors. 

After the match, Davis IV reviewed his team’s big win.