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Coach James O’Connor’s assessment of Louisville City FC’s regular season is a positive one. The club took away, on average, two points per game and finished second behind only a record-breaking New York Red Bulls II squad in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings.

But, O’Connor said Monday, “It means nothing” — not with the playoffs now here.

“It’s all about preparing for Sunday’s game,” O’Connor told local media members during his regular weekly press conference. “…When you get a one-off game like this, it’s making sure you perform to the best of your ability and don’t let the occasion get to you.”

LouCity will next host the Richmond Kickers, the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed, in a 7 p.m. game at Slugger Field.

• Watch: Full video of O’Connor from Monday

The opener to the USL Cup Playoffs makes for a rematch of a Sept. 10 game in Louisville, one LouCity won 2-0 over the Kickers. Going back to last year, O’Connor and the boys in purple found postseason success at Slugger, topping the Charleston Battery in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

With the USL playoffs expanded this year from six teams from both conferences to eight, no longer do the top-two seeds earn byes. It’ll take four wins in as many weeks to hoist the USL Cup.

LouCity enters on a five-game unbeaten streak, with four of those victories before Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the Charlotte Independence.

“We’ve been pleased with our form,” O’Connor said. “I think, certainly, the last few games we feel as though we’ve had some really strong performances. We feel that comes from the way we’ve trained. We’ve had some really strong performances in training as well. It’s making sure you carry that all the way through.”

More from O’Connor at Monday’s press conference…

• On 2015 playoffs versus 2016: “Each season and each group of players are different. I think you need to approach the game against Richmond with the correct mindset. Understand the playoff situation. Character’s going to be really important. So I think it’s very difficult to make comparisons between last year. I think it’s more important that you focus on what you can control, which is getting a good week’s training into you and preparing for the game.”
   
• On big individual performances: “There’s loads of players I can point to who I think have had really strong years. We’ve got a lot of quality in the squad. I think there’s going to be certain night when a player scores and maybe grabs the headlines. For Greg (Ranjitsingh), for instance, if he saves a penalty he’ll maybe grab the headlines. For us, again, it’s looking at things constructively and looking over the course of the season and being analytical with how we go about things, which we are.”
   
• On the possibility of a penalty shootout in the playoffs: “I think you need to manage the game as it goes. We obviously had penalties early in the year in the (U.S.) Open Cup. Again, you try and be aware of situations. From (Kickers coach) (Leigh (Cowlishaw’s) standpoint and my standpoint, we’re both trying to win the game in regulation. Certainly, from their point and my point, it’s not something you want to try and do — go to penalties.”

The field for the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs was completed on Sunday afternoon with 16 teams set to kick off the postseason next weekend in Eastern and Western Conference quarterfinals.

The New York Red Bulls II and Sacramento Republic FC enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seeds in the East and West, respectively, while Orlando City B and Orange County Blues FC claimed the final available berths in either conference on a dramatic final weekend of regular-season action.

Louisville City FC, which closed Saturday with a 1-1 draw against the Charlotte Independence, previously clinched the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed and at least two home playoff games should the club advance past the quarterfinals. LouCity will open the playoffs at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, against the seventh-seeded Richmond Kickers. Slugger Field could also serve as the site of an Eastern Conference semifinal on Saturday, Oct. 8.

After the conference finals played from Oct. 14-16, the 2016 USL Cup will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. ET. Every other game of the 2016 USL Cup Playoffs will be available on the league’s website, with the boys in purple also live-streamed at www.loucity.com.

The defending USL champion Rochester Rhinos will kick off a tripleheader of action on Saturday night in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as the No. 4-seed Rhinos welcome the No. 5-seed Charlotte Independence to Rhinos Stadium for a 6:05 p.m. ET kickoff.

Action then switches to the Western Conference as No. 2-seed Rio Grande Valley FC hosts No. 7-seed OKC Energy FC for a regional rivalry clash at 8:30 p.m. ET in its first postseason contest. The night concludes as No. 1-seed Sacramento Republic FC hosts No. 8-seed Orange County Blues FC at Bonney Field at 10:30 p.m. ET after the Blues jumped past the Portland Timbers 2 on goal differential to clinch the final playoff berth in the West on Saturday.

The focus switches back to the Eastern Conference on Sunday, as the No. 1-seed New York Red Bulls II play host to No. 8-seed Orlando City B at 4 p.m. ET, and No. 3-seed FC Cincinnati welcomes the No. 6-seed Charleston Battery to what is expected to be a raucous Nippert Stadium. The weekend’s action concludes that night with LouCity-Richmond.

2016 USL CUP PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

Saturday, Oct. 1
No. 4 Rochester Rhinos vs. No. 5 Charlotte Independence, 6:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, Oct. 2
No. 1 New York Red Bulls II vs. No. 8 Orlando City B, 4 p.m. ET
No. 3 FC Cincinnati vs. No. 6 Charleston Battery, 4 p.m. ET
No. 2 Louisville City FC vs. No. 7 Richmond Kickers, 7 p.m. ET

WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

Friday, Sept. 30
No. 4 Swope Park Rangers vs. No. 5 LA Galaxy II, 8:30 p.m. ET
No. 3 Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. No. 6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, 9 p.m. ET

Saturday, Oct. 1
No. 2 Rio Grande Valley FC vs. No. 7 OKC Energy FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
No. 1 Sacramento Republic FC vs. No. 8 Orange County Blues FC, 10:30 p.m. ET.

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (To be played Oct. 7-9 at higher seed)

New York/Orlando winner vs. Rochester/Charlotte winner
Louisville/Richmond winner vs. Cincinnati/Charleston winner

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (To be played Oct. 7-9 at higher seed)

Sacramento/Orange County winner vs. Swope Park/Los Angeles winner
Rio Grande Valley/OKC winner vs. Colorado Springs/Vancouver winner

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL (To be played Oct. 14-16 at higher seed)

Conference semifinal winners

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL (To be played Oct. 14-16 at higher seed)

Conference semifinal winners

2016 USL CUP (Sunday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU)

Eastern Conference champion vs. Western Conference champion

In a game Louisville City FC trailed at the half Saturday, coach James O’Connor opted for mass substitutions out of the locker room, saving some of his top attacking players for what’s ahead.

While LouCity’s four-game winning streak ended, the club still legged out a 1-1 draw in the regular-season finale.

“I was always going to make changes,” said coach James O’Connor. “For me, my focus was making sure we got through with no injuries. I think when you have a game like that, and we’ve had as many games as we’ve had, I think my focus is always going to be trying to get some players some minutes – try to get some players off that I felt needed to be off.

“The changes were always going to happen at halftime regardless of the score.”

• Final Whistle: More analysis from the game

A draw prevented the Independence from locking up a top-four United Soccer League postseason seed because, in an earlier result, the Rochester Rhinos knocked off Toronto FC II to leap Charlotte in the standings.

Entering Saturday, the league table was of little concern for LouCity. The club had already clinched the No. 2 spot and will host the Richmond Kickers at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2.

Top-four seeds in the Eastern and Western conferences earn home field advantage for first-round USL playoff games.

“We’re coming in with a lot of confidence, that’s for sure,” O’Connor said.

• By The Numbers: Breaking down the draw

After Charlotte’s Brian Brown opened the scoring Saturday with a 43rd-minute goal, LouCity responded in the second half.  A 73rd-minute goal — Chandler Hoffman’s shot was saved, then bounced off a defender and in — equalized.

As a result, LouCity finished the regular season with a stout 60 points overall in 30 games.

“Obviously, we already have a spot in the playoffs, so it’s just being able to manage players – manage their time,” said Ben Newnam, who, as with Hoffman, was among O’Connor’s four halftime substitutes. “So I don’t think that there was any reason necessarily for those changes other than a little spark for the rest of the game.

“Going into the playoffs, it’s a team effort every time we step out on the field. No matter who’s out there, we feel like we’ve got the best chance to win.”

LouCity did as O’Connor hoped — avoid injury — throughout Saturday’s game. There was one close call. In the first half, midfielder Magnus Rasmussen absorbed a kick to the ribs but re-entered the game after seeing a trainer.

That moment had the 8,301 fans at Slugger Field concerned. Events later had them riled up.

In addition to goals that counted, a pair were disallowed late when first, another would-be Hoffman score was whistled dead for offside in the 90th minute. At the other end, the flag also went up in stoppage time as the Independence put a ball into the back of the net, still fighting late for a top-four seed.

In goal, LouCity keeper Greg Ranjitsingh finished with five saves and stepped in to grab a number of crosses in the box on his way to being voted Man of the Match.

“We’re just looking forward to a good week of training and going into the playoffs on the right foot,” Ranjitsingh said.

LouCity took the seasons series with the Independence after opening in Charlotte. Cameron Lancaster hit a free kick at the final whistle of a 1-0 win. Saturday’sdraw came in front of 8,301 fans at Slugger Field as Louisville improved its record to 17-4-9.

Game Summary

Match: Louisville City FC vs. Charlotte Independence

Date: Sept. 24, 2016

Venue: Slugger Field

Kickoff: 7:33 p.m.

Weather: Clear, 85 degree

Attendance: 8,301

Man of the Match: Greg Ranjitsingh

Louisville City FC (0 ,1, 1)

Charlotte Independence (1, 0, 1)

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 13-Greg Ranjitsingh, 24-Kyle Smith, 15-Sean Reynolds, 18-Tarek Morad, 20-Enrique Montano (46′ 2-Ben Newnam), 36-Paolo DelPiccolo (67′ 8-Guy Abend), 4-Aodhan Quinn, 7-Kadeem Dacres (77-Andrew Lubahn), 10-Magnus Rasmussen (46′ 14-Ilija Ilic), 22-George Davis IV, 9-Cameron Lancaster (46′ 17-Chandler Hoffman).

Subs not used: 28-Tim Dobrowolski, 12-Mark-Anthony Kaye.

Head coach: James O’Connor

Charlotte Independence: 12-John Berner, 3-Bilal Duckett, 4-Patrick Slogic (78′ 2-Jack Metcalf), 22-Joel Johnson, 25-Henry Kalungi (86′ 17-Joseph Greenspan), 6-Jun Marques Davidson (78′ 20-Aly Hassan), 14-Lewis Hilton (68′ 7-Yann Ekra), 19-Enzo Martinez, 23-Alex Martinez (68′ 10-Jorge Herrera), 9-Brian Brown, 11-David Estrada.

Subs not used: 1-Cody Mizell, 5-Paul Clowes.

Head coach: Mike Jeffries

Stats – LouCity / Charlotte

Shots: 13 / 14

Saves: 5 / 4

Corner Kicks: 7 / 9 

Offside: 3 / 5

Officials

Referee: Danielle Chesky

Assistant Referee 1: Ben Hall-Volpenhein

Assistant Referee 2: Ronald Stuver

4th Official: Tony Crush

Saturday’s game was fairly inconsequential for Louisville City FC, which already had clinched a home playoff game and No. 2 seed on the USL Eastern Conference’s side of the bracket.

That didn’t stop 8,301 fans from showing up to Slugger Field for the regular-season finale, supporting the boys in purple. They were proud to show it on social media, too.

Below, check out photos from the stands using the official game hashtag, #LOUvCLT. To be included next time around — LouCity hosts the Richmond Kickers at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 — tweet or Instagram with #LOUvRIC.