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Louisville City FC will open the USL Championship Playoffs by hosting a 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, game inside Lynn Family Stadium, the club announced Wednesday.

Season ticket members have been notified of opportunities to opt into the playoffs. A limited number of single-game tickets will also be made available to the public at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at www.loucity.com or by calling (502) LOU-CITY.

The boys in purple, who are unbeaten in their last 10 games with five straight victories, have locked up the No. 1 seed from Group E, one of eight regional pods in which the league organized clubs to limit travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. LouCity’s first-round opponent will be determined this weekend as the USL’s regular season concludes.

Group E’s 1 seed hosts Group F’s 2 seed to start the postseason in the round of 16. Pending this week’s results, either Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (10-4-1, 31 points) or the Hartford Athletic (9-3-2, 29 points) are in line to visit Lynn Family Stadium.

Admission for any future home playoff games will be handled similarly, with season ticket members getting first access before any single-game tickets will be made available to the public. Other postseason rounds include the Eastern Conference semifinals (Oct. 15-18), Eastern Conference Final (Oct. 22-25) and USL Championship Final (Nov. 1).

LouCity has operated at about 30% capacity in its first season at Lynn Family Stadium, which under normal circumstances could accommodate a capacity crowd of 15,304. All fans are required to follow stringent safety protocols, among them wearing masks and physical distancing. For more details, visit www.loucity.com/VenueShield.

Before the playoffs begin, LouCity hosts Sporting KC II at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. While the No. 1 seed has been clinched, any more points earned improve the club’s chances of hosting playoff games beyond the first round, as home team status is awarded to the side with a better record. 

LouCity-SKC II will air on WBKI/The CW and AM 790 WKRD plus stream through ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app.

Louisville City FC has earned itself one home playoff game. In the event the boys in purple advance, coach John Hackworth hopes it’s not the only one.

In his weekly conversation with WDRB, Hackworth said he’d like to see LouCity “maximize our points” — and by that, he means win — its regular-season finale. Sporting KC II visits Lynn Family Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s not apples to apples. We’re literally competing on points with teams we haven’t faced all year,” said Hackworth, with home field advantage beyond the first round given to the side with a better record.

“We do have the ability to finish first in the East — and maybe first out of the whole USL — but we need a little help, and we need to win Saturday night.”

In terms of that help, Group H’s Tampa Bay Rowdies specifically have 33 points, one better than LouCity, and with a victory of their own would own the Eastern Conference’s best record. The soonest the boys in purple could run into them is the Eastern Conference Final — round three.

Group F’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Hartford Athletic are also within reach of the East’s best point total should LouCity come away with less than a win Saturday. The good guys could see either or both to open the postseason.

As scenarios play out, stay tuned to the USL Championship standings, and look for Yackin’ with Hack each Tuesday on WDRB.

Louisville City FC has started accepting initial payments toward season tickets for the 2021 USL Championship season, its second campaign inside the new Lynn Family Stadium.

Demand is expected to be significant after season ticket sales soared to record highs earlier this year, at least until the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports ahead Lynn Family Stadium’s scheduled opener. Since the USL restarted play, LouCity has continued to welcome 4,850 fans per game and anticipates safely accommodating larger numbers next year. 

Initial payments of $50 per ticket can be placed by visiting www.loucity.com/tickets, calling (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours, or emailing our team at tickets@https://www.www.loucity.com.

“This season has been tough on supporters, players and staff,” said LouCity president Brad Estes. “Our inaugural ticket campaign was a huge success, as pre-pandemic we had nearly sold out most games. We are excited to welcome everyone back in 2021, hopefully with COVID-19 behind us.”

Lynn Family Stadium, located in the Butchertown neighborhood, is built to a 15,304-fan capacity. Ticket options range from standing supporter zones ($280.50 per season) to chair back seats (starting at $323) along with premium and club levels. 

Seating priority will be determined in order of initial payments placed.

“We are excited to start the process of taking initial payments for the 2021 USL regular season,” said Mitch Ried, LouCity’s vice president of sales and marketing. “As we did for the inaugural season at Lynn Family Stadium, we will cap the number of season tickets available, so fans are encouraged to act quickly.”

The 2021 USL season is expected to consist of at least 30 games, with half of those home dates. The boys in purple currently top the standings in an abbreviated 2020 campaign and historically succeed on the pitch with league titles won in 2017 and 2018.

Lynn Family Stadium — in addition to ideal sight lines and close proximity to the pitch — delivers amenities befitting of a superior local soccer experience. Local food and drink are on the menu with premium bars, a large video board and free WiFi part of the experience.

With one game to play in an abbreviated USL Championship season, Louisville City FC has solidified its position in the postseason bracket as Group E’s No. 1 seed. But just about everything else revolving around the playoffs remains in flux.

Here’s what to watch for during the regular season’s final week…

Round 1 (Eastern Conference quarterfinals)

LouCity will open the playoffs the weekend of Oct. 8-11 at Lynn Family Stadium. But who against?

The boys in purple will match up with Group F’s No. 2 seed, which could be either Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (10-4-1, 31 points) or the Hartford Athletic (9-3-2, 29 points) pending this week’s results. Having chased Pittsburgh all season, Hartford actually controls its destiny given the Athletic have two games left to play. That’s thanks to a 1-0 victory last Saturday over the Riverhounds.

Pittsburgh defeated LouCity back on July 12 upon the USL restart. But after LouCity stumbled out of the gate to a 1-3 record, the club has reeled off 10 straight games unbeaten with five straight victories.

Round 2 (Eastern Conference semifinals)

The winner of the Group E 1 vs. Group F 2 game meets the winner of Group F 1 vs. Group E 2 between Oct. 15-18. From LouCity’s pod, Indy Eleven (7-5-2, 32 points) is the more likely club to qualify for the playoffs given two opportunities to earn points this week. But Saint Louis FC (6-5-4, 22 points) is close if the Eleven stumbles, plus gets a head-to-head meeting in the season finale.

There’s a good chance, should LouCity advance out of the opening round of 16, that the club would also host a conference semifinal. The boys in purple (10-3-2, 32 points) welcome Sporting KC II — with four straight losses and no playoff hopes — to Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday with the opportunity to boost their points total to 35.

Hartford can make it to 35 as well, but goal differential is the USL’s first tiebreaker. LouCity owns a +11 edge in that category.

Round 3 (Eastern Conference Final)

As for hosting a third playoff game — again, should the boys in purple continue advancing — record will continue to determine a home side in this round played Oct. 22-25.

Out of Group H, the Tampa Bay Rowdies have accumulated 33 points with a game to play, while the Charleston Battery have accumulated 27 points through 13 games. The Battery won’t get to 16 games complete because a group rival, Loudoun United, has elected to forfeit its remaining games due to COVID-19 complications; in this side’s case, points earned per game are key, and LouCity’s trending just ahead of Charleston (2.13 PPG to 2.08 PPG).

Aside from Tampa Bay and Charleston, no others exiting Group G or H can match LouCity’s record.

Round 4 (USL Championship Final)

Set for Sunday, Nov. 1, this game pitting winners of the East and West sides of the bracket will be played for the first time to an ESPN audience (recent editions aired on ESPN2 and ESPNU). Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

LouCity is vying to reach its fourth straight final after winning the cup in 2017 and 2018, then finishing as the league’s runner up in 2019. No club has won three USL titles in the playoff era.

With plenty still to develop, bookmark this link to keep up with the USL standings during a busy final week.

Midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams, whose headed goal last weekend at Saint Louis FC made the difference in a 1-0 victory, was on Tuesday recognized on the USL Championship’s Team of the Week.

Williams finished off a 44th-minute curling corner kick from Oscar Jimenez to notch his career-high fourth goal of the 2020 season. In doing so, LouCity also extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games and clinched a No. 1 playoff seed.

A 28-year-old from Jamaica, Williams also completed all but seven of his 62 passes in the away win. On the season, Williams’ 904 passes are most of any USL player as he leads distribution from the central midfield.

USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 14

GK – Cody Laurendi, OKC Energy FC: Laurendi marked his 100th appearance for Energy FC with a five-save shutout, including a penalty kick save late in the first half, as OKC earned a 0-0 draw with Austin Bold FC on Sunday.

D – Sean McFarlane, Austin Bold FC: McFarlane helped Bold FC record back-to-back shutouts over the week, winning 16 of 29 duels and recording three interceptions and three clearances while notching an assist and four chances created in attack.

D – Dekel Keinan, Sacramento Republic FC: Keinan scored the equalizer for Republic FC in its 1-1 draw on the road against Reno 1868 FC, completed 27 of 33 passes and won 10 of 11 duels defensively in a solid all-around performance.

D – Ayoze, Indy Eleven: Ayoze recorded one assist and five key passes, won 6 of 7 duels and made six recoveries while also completing 59 of 67 passes during Indy’s 1-1 draw with Saint Louis FC on Wednesday night.

M – Eric Bird, FC Tulsa: Bird scored the stoppage-time game-winner in Tulsa’s 1-0 victory against San Antonio FC on Saturday night and completed 38 of 49 passes overall while winning 6 of 9 duels in a strong midfield display.

M – Speedy Williams, Louisville City FC: Williams scored the lone goal of the game, completed 55 of 62 passes, recorded two interceptions and eight recoveries and won 5 of 8 duels in LouCity’s 1-0 victory against Saint Louis FC on Saturday night.

M – Jack McGlynn, Philadelphia Union II: McGlynn notched three goals across two games, including the equalizer in his side’s 1-1 draw against Hartford Athletic last Wednesday night at Dillon Stadium, and completed 68 of 86 passes overall.

M – Jorge Gonzalez, Portland Timbers 2: Gonzalez scored twice as T2 took a 3-1 win against Tacoma Defiance, while also putting three of his five total shots on target and completing 24 of 33 passes overall last Thursday night.

F – Omar Sowe, New York Red Bulls II: Sowe scored twice in New York’s 5-4 victory against the Philadelphia Union II and recorded 10 chances created across the Red Bulls II’s two games against Atlanta and Philadelphia.

F – Cal Jennings, Memphis 901 FC: Jennings scored twice to lead Memphis to a 3-1 victory against the Charlotte Independence, while also winning 3 of 5 aerial duels and recording four shots on goal and six shots overall.

F – Amir Bashti, Atlanta United 2: Bashti had one goal and one assist, recorded four shots overall, three shots on target and two key passes while also completing 14 of 21 passes overall in Atlanta’s victory against the New York Red Bulls II.

Bench: Cody Mizell (NM), Mauricio Cuevas (LA), Dre Fortune (NC), Junior Sandoval (LV), Rufat Dadashov (PHX), Sebastian Guenzatti (TBR), Jackson Conway (ATL).

Owing to a request from the USL Championship, Louisville City FC has reverted its kickoff time to 7:30 p.m. ET for Saturday’s regular-season finale against Sporting KC II.

The game at Lynn Family Stadium had been previously announced as an 8 p.m. start, putting it in line with Indy Eleven’s matchup at Saint Louis FC in a tight playoff race. Those two clubs are now expected to begin at 7:30 as well, negating any competitive advantage gained by a later opening whistle.

While this weekend’s results won’t impact LouCity’s seeding — the boys in purple have already locked up the No. 1 spot in the USL’s Group E — there is still much to play for. Beyond the first round of the 16-team playoffs, home field advantage will be determined by better record.

At 10-3-2, LouCity’s 32 points are second-most in the USL’s Eastern Conference, which will encompass one side of the bracket. The Group H-leading Tampa Bay Rowdies (33 points) and Group F’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds (31 points) are also in play for the East’s best finish.

Regardless of how the points play out, LouCity has experienced quite the resurgence after finding itself last of four in Group E exiting July on a 1-3 beginning to the USL’s restart.

“I think that we played in the hardest group in the whole USL Championship, and the fact that we won it, after being at the bottom of the table three weeks into it, is incredibly impressive,” said coach John Hackworth, with the Indy Eleven and Saint Louis FC the pod’s other members.

“I just can’t say enough about the group of men in there. Their resolve and their character to fight back and perform at well at a high level and do it consistently through this stretch, that’s really hard to do in our sport. Huge credit goes to the players in that locker room.”

The Sporting KC II game will air live WBKI/The CW and AM 790 WKRD with streaming options ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app.

Date, time and ticketing details for LouCity playoff games will be announced later.

USL Championship Playoffs

Oct. 8-11: Conference Quarterfinals

Oct. 15-18: Conference Semifinals

Oct. 22-25: Conference Finals

TBD: USL Championship Final

Before his Louisville City FC team took the field Saturday against Saint Louis FC, coach John Hackworth reset what was at stake.

Get a point, he reminded players, and they’d clinch a No. 1 playoff seed. Winning the game would mean a continued push toward the Eastern Conference’s best record.

Along the way, Hackworth hoped it would lead to the first assist of 2020 by defender Oscar Jimenez. It’s as if the coach spoke it into existence.

“His service is just exceptional,” Hackworth said of Jimenez, who on a 44th-minute corner kick looped in a perfect ball near the back post. Devon “Speedy” Williams made it an assist when he redirected the ball from his head to the back of the net; without Williams’ touch, Jimenez may have nearly well scored directly off the corner.

“If you know teammates, it’s all about relationships,” Hackworth added. “If a teammate knows where Oscar’s going to put it and Oscar can put it on a dime, it’s as simple as that.”

Jimenez has led LouCity in assists each season since signing with the club, tallying five in 2017, 10 in 2018 and seven in 2019.

“That’s great, but my play is not determined by my assists in my opinion,” Jimenez said. “I think I’ve been playing pretty well, and although I haven’t been getting assist, it’s fine. It’s the collective of the team and we’ve been winning. We’ve been playing good football, so the fact that I got an assist or a goal is great.”

Saturday’s lone goal in a 1-0 victory at West Community Stadium in Fenton, Mo., changed the tide of a game that saw LouCity on its back heel much of the first half. Proceedings were physical but even out of the locker room, allowing the visitors to escape with their unbeaten streak extended to 10 games.

Jimenez, a 30-year-old from Mount Vernon, Wash., has primarily played a left back role at LouCity, though he brings the type of versatility that sees him push up on the wing, take on a midfielder’s role and handle a number of set pieces.

“He’s unbelievable on the ball,” said forward Antoine Hoppenot. “We joke around, but he’s a center mid playing outside back just because he’s so good on the ball. He’s so good on his feet. He opens up a lot of things.

“Even when he’s not getting assists, he’s one of the main catalysts for our offense in terms of getting on the ball and creating space, especially for me. I play on the outside a lot, so he creates a lot of space for me to be able to go at guys and get those one-v-ones.”

Jimenez is nearing 1,000 minutes played this season, again serving as one of the club’s most reliable assets on the back line. He created a number of chances as well Saturday by leading LouCity with five crosses attempted.

“That’s the brilliance of Oscar and his service,” Hackworth said.

“I think it’s the understanding with the attacking players and just all the other players,” Jimenez added. “When I know what they want to do or where they want the ball it’s a lot easier when we are on the same page. The fact that I’m just getting in dangerous areas and find a good pass in there is good.”

With a win at Saint Louis FC on Saturday, Louisville City FC accomplished a few significant things. First and foremost, the club sealed top spot in Group E and a home playoff game. LouCity also secured the Kings’ Cup for eternity, as Saint Louis FC goes the way of the dodo after this season concludes. Aside from the intangible results, the boys in purple also proved to themselves that they can win games when they have an unfavorable matchup against an opponent with nothing to lose.

Here is what I think went right, and what did not, in the 1-0 victory at West Community Stadium in Fenton, Mo.

The Good

Win when they could easily have lost

I am going to my best to avoid cliches and platitudes here, but that was quite the gutsy/gritty/hard-fought performance by LouCity. It would have been so easy to pack it in. Saint Louis FC was knocking on the door all night and even had two early goals disallowed for rightly whistled offside positions.

A point would have sealed the top spot in the group for LouCity, but maximum points helped toward potentially hosting more playoff games. Goal scorer Devon “Speedy” Williams may have ended up with the Man of the Match honors, but goalkeeper Ben Lundt deserves a lot of credit for the result here. All four of his saves on the night were huge, and he also came out to collect a couple of crucial crosses and loose balls.

The German, on loan from FC Cincinnati, was asked to do more than normal. But every time he is called into action, he looks like the most composed player on the field. Saturday’s goal was created on an Oscar Jimenez corner, but the win was decidedly secured by Lundt. 

Fluid front four

More than in any other game this season, we saw the likes of Antoine Hoppenot, Corben Bone, Brian Ownby and Cameron Lancaster playing all over the place — in a good way. By keeping Ownby and Hoppenot wide and using Bone to overload a flank at selected times, it uses everyone in their best capacity. Lancaster earned his customary couple of free kicks along the way, narrowly missing an opportunity in the second half that would have doubled the lead.

The Bad

Last ever Kings’ Cup 

All good things must come to an end. The rivalry with the Saint Louis fanbase was a good-natured one that grew organically, not from any league or single club artificially forcing the issue. 

There is no way around it, though: The matchup was one-sided. In 15 games over five years, LouCity won eight games and drew five. It’s not so much about results or the trophy, which will remain with purple-clad supporters. Rather, the tailgates with the St. Louligans and the Saint Louis FC supporters are what soccer is all about: coming together. These franchises started at the same time, but their story ends this year. Perhaps the real treasure is the friends we made along the way.

With the era of good feelings over, it now just leaves Indy as the last “local” rival. Now, it might be time to look further afield for a new match to circle on the calendar.

How about the Tampa Bay Rowdies? Tampa Bay is easily one of the biggest clubs in the league, and they are also usually good. They may not be local, but I know that there are already several friendships between the supporters via Twitter. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is a bit of a Eastern Conference heavyweight — and a day trip for the intrepid supporter.

I would love to hear some thoughts on who we should pick on pending a return to a full schedule next season. 

Prone on the counter

Saint Louis FC has been a tough matchup for LouCity this season. They won at Lynn Family Stadium and gave the boys in purple a tough go of it the last time the two sides met in Missouri.

Physically, Saint Louis FC’s roster is just bigger. LouCity is a team with fast attackers, not lumbering types. Going up against a team that is sizable in defense, conditioned to battle and looking to counterattack is a dangerous recipe — but LouCity prevailed Saturday. Saint Louis looked like the better team for more than I care to mention, but the solitary goal of the game set City up well.

Scoring right before the halftime break — Williams headed in Jimenez’s 44th-minute corner kick — forced Saint Louis FC to come out looking for the ball. That played right into the hands of LouCity coach John Hackworth for the second half.

Louisville may come up against less-than-ideal matchups in the playoffs (think Pittsburgh), but their outright quality should be enough to outclass anyone over a game. 

In Conclusion

Even though City’s still not assured the most points in the East — and that would bring home field advantage through the Conference Finals — the good guys have maximized their last five results and continue to be the scariest team in the East. The carrot in next weekend’s regular-season finale against Sporting KC II is racking up maximum points and hoping that teams such as the Tampa Bay Rowdies drop points. 

Louisville City FC on Saturday locked up a No. 1 USL Championship Playoffs seed while positioning itself to carry the Eastern Conference’s best overall record into the postseason.

In a likely last-ever matchup with rival Saint Louis FC, Devon “Speedy” Williams headed in a corner from Oscar Jimenez that made the difference in a 1-0 victory at West Community Stadium in Fenton, Mo.

“You’ve got to give Saint Louis a ton of credit,” said LouCity coach John Hackworth. “They made it really hard on us and competed for everything. At times, we are the better team in that regard, but to come here and for Oscar (Jimenez) to get an (assist) and then to get a shutout with a little bit of craziness mixed in there was important for us.”

The victory pushed LouCity to 10-3-2, with its 32 points an insurmountable number for any USL Group E foes. That ensures the boys in purple will host an opening-round playoff game — time, date and ticket details will be announced later — between Oct. 9-11.

Eastern Conference positioning will impact whether LouCity hosts beyond the first round, as home games are awarded to teams sporting the better record. Other results were pending Saturday as LouCity moved one point clear for first in that category.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Hackworth said. “I don’t love the performance on how it looked necessarily, but it’s really important. It keeps us on track to reach the goals that we’re trying to reach — secures first place in group E — so now we have a home playoff game. Again, we are moving in the right direction.”

Williams’ 44th-minute winner came bit of a surprise near conclusion of a first half in which the visitors out-possessed Saint Louis FC, controlling the ball for 63.2% of the going, but were out-shot 12-4 by the home side.

After the boys in purple won a corner, Jimenez looped in a ball Williams had to merely redirect with a header to score. It marked Williams’ fourth goal of an abbreviated season and the first assist for Jimenez, who since signing with LouCity in 2017 has led the club in that stat.

“I think they had ahold of the game in terms of energy and we weren’t able to match it at times,” Jimenez said. “I think that goal gave us a little breather, and it was huge because I think it was our first (corner kick) goal. …It definitely turned the table for us and calmed us down a bit.”

A physical but ultimately uneventful second half led to a result plenty important within this series. The fourth meeting this season between LouCity and Saint Louis FC awarded the Kings’ Cup — a supporter-created trophy recognizing the rivalry — to LouCity’s fans.

There the Kings’ Cup will stay. Saint Louis FC will fold at year’s end, making way for a new Major League Soccer franchise within its market.

“I think it puts us in a good spot — in the driver’s seat in terms of we want to host,” midfielder/forward Hoppenot said of Saturday’s result. “We want to play at home. They built a great stadium for us. The least we can do is try to get as many home games as we can.”

LouCity used a bit of good fortune in extending its unbeaten streak to 10 games, matching the longest of the coach John Hackworth era. Saint Louis FC hit the back of the net in both the 14th and 21st minutes, but both were disallowed due to offside calls.

In 2018, the club parlayed a double-digit run of games without a loss into a USL title; in 2019, the boys in purple repeated the streak and returning to the playoff final.

The 2020 bracket will be finalized after next weekend’s regular-season finales. LouCity closes Saturday against Sporting KC II at Lynn Family Stadium.

Game Summary: Saint Louis FC vs. Louisville City FC

Date: Sept. 26, 2020

Venue: West Community Stadium

Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET

Weather: 82 degrees, sunny 

Man of the Match: Devon “Speedy” Williams

Scoring

Saint Louis FC: (0, 0, 0)

Louisville City FC: (1, 0, 1)

Goals

Saint Louis FC: 

Louisville City FC: 43’-Devon Williams header from very close range to the center of the goal. Assisted by Oscar Jimenez with a cross following a corner.

Lineups

Saint Louis FC: 1-Kyle Morton, 2-Paris Gee, 21-Tobi Adewole, 3-Phanuel Kavita, 23-Richard Bryan, 11-Joaquin Rivas (64’ 10-Mour Samb), 8-Guy Abend, 5-Wal Fall, 13-Kadeem Dacres (77’-14-Tyler Blackwood), 9-Russell Cicerone, 22-Kyle Greig

Subs not used: 29-Nikiphoros Vlastos, 6-Daniel Fischer, 18-John Berner, 31-Kyle Genenbacher, 18-John Berner

Head Coach: Steve Trittschuh

Louisville City FC: 39-Ben Lundt, 19-Oscar Jimenez, 3-Alexis Souahy, 4-Sean Totsch, 15-Pat McMahon (45’ 6-Wesley Charpie), 80-Devon Williams, 36-Paolo DelPiccolo, 13-Corben Bone (78’-8-Akil Watts), 29-Antoine Hoppenot, 10-Brian Ownby (56’ 14-Abdou Mbacke Thiam), 17-Cameron Lancaster (89’ 9-Luke Spencer)

Subs not used: 1-Muamer Ugarak, 42-Jonathan Gomez, 5-Jimmy Ockford

Head Coach: John Hackworth                                           

Discipline

Saint Louis FC: 67’-Wal Fall yellow card, 73’-Phanuel Kavita yellow card

Louisville City FC: 14’-Brian Ownby yellow card, 57’-Alexis Souahy yellow card

Stats Summary: Saint Louis FC/Louisville City FC

Shots: 16/12

Shots on Goal: 4/2

Saves: 1/4

Corner Kicks: 6/6

Fouls: 10/9

Offside: 6/1

Possession: 44.8%/55.2%