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As Louisville City FC travels to play Birmingham Legion FC at 7 p.m. Saturday, Danny Cruz is maintaining a position he’s held all season: He’s confident in his locker room.

The coach doesn’t have much of a choice while dealing with a flurry of injuries. Sidelined this weekend are a number of lineup fixtures including defenders Jonathan Gomez and Wes Charpie along with midfielders Corben Bone and Niall McCabe.

However, this LouCity side is no stranger to rotation, as Cruz has been keen on game-to-game changes this season to keep the squad fresh and develop depth.

“We’re a little bit beat up at the moment. That’s a perfect way to put it,” Cruz said, as “a lot of guys who have played an important role this year and certainly played a lot of minutes” will miss the trip.

“But I’ve said it over and over again: I believe in the depth of the group. I certainly believe anyone in that locker room is ready to start at any moment. For us, we’ll travel to Birmingham and the expectation is three points.”

Fortunate for LouCity is the return of the club’s all-time assist leader, defender Oscar Jimenez, who’s available along with forward Abdou Thiam and midfielder Elijah Wynder. All spent the start of season recovering from injuries of their own.

“With the team, it’s like next guy up,” said defender Pat McMahon. “Rotation’s good, getting guys rest. Obviously, we have a tough schedule coming up with a lot of away games, so I think the rotation is definitely necessary to keep everyone healthy, happy. Overall, team morale is good.”

Here’s more of what to watch for on Saturday…

Follow along…

• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Live stats can be found at www.loucity.com/match-center.

• And for ESPN 680/105.7 on the radio: Jeff Greer and Casey Whitfield.

Notes to know

Attack sputters: A LouCity offense on record pace slowed dramatically Sunday when the boys in purple were held scoreless at OKC Energy FC. It marked their first shutout since a 1-0 away loss to Atlanta Unite 2 on June 2. Between the clean sheets, LouCity poured in multiple goals in 12 of 13 games and netted three or more goals in five of those fixtures. The attack didn’t break through Sunday despite 63.3% of possession held in Oklahoma.

A bagel delivered: Before Sunday, the main – and perhaps only – negative critique of LouCity’s performances came with the tendency to concede a late goal. Finally, those worries were put to rest when the boys in purple delivered a shutout of their own in the scoreless draw against OKC Energy. Parker Siegfried made a pair of saves, and LouCity limited OKC to six shots and just two open play crosses in a lockdown effort.

Oscar’s return: The main moment Sunday didn’t come via a goal but rather a 63rd-minute substitution. That’s when defender Oscar Jimenez made a long-awaited return to the pitch, sidelined after Game 1 of the 2021 season on the mend from a knee cartilage injury. The club’s all-time assists leader looked back in form immediately, returning to his hallmark spot taking dangerous corner kicks upon checking in.

Away days: On a steamy Sunday evening at OKC, LouCity’s lineup likely missed the regular 10,000-plus fans backing the boys in purple at Lynn Family Stadium. But that was just the beginning of the road trips. After a Sept. 3 home game, five straight September games will be played away with a return trip to Oklahoma City in order along with games at Hartford, Indianapolis, Memphis and Atlanta.

Climb to the top: A point earned in Oklahoma City allowed LouCity to extend its Central Division lead over Birmingham and maintain the Eastern Conference’s best overall record. At 40 points, the club enters the weekend just one off Western Conference leader El Paso Locomotive FC’s total for the best across the USL Championship. While division standings will determine playoff seeding, higher point totals lead to the right to host postseason games.

Series history: The third meeting of the season between Birmingham and LouCity will bring with it a change of venue as the boys in purple make their first trip of the season to BBVA Field. The previous two matchups, both at Lynn Family Stadium, included a 1-1 draw on May 8 before a 2-0 victory on June 16. LouCity will see Birmingham once more, playing all Central Division foes four times in 2021, on Oct. 31.

Moving up:  A central midfielder in years past for LouCity, captain Paolo DelPiccolo has at times this year featured higher up the pitch than any player on the field. Accordingly, his three goals this season have already eclipsed 2020’s total, and DelPiccolo came close to notching on a fourth on Sunday, putting one of LouCity’s two shots on goal against OKC as the recipient of a second half pass from defender Josh Wynder at the top of the box.

Count on Cam: While he didn’t add to his team-leading 11 goals on Sunday, Cameron Lancaster’s heat and touch map reflects an effort that had the Englishman all over the pitch. The striker earned possession back four times, won three fouls and prevailed in an aerial duel. Lancaster also put in a full 90 minutes for the first time amid a season that has been stop and start due to minor injuries along the way.

Injury report

• Corben Bone (out)
• Wes Charpie (out)
• Jonathan Gomez (out)
• Niall McCabe (out)
• Brian Ownby (questionable)
• Elijah Wynder (questionable)

The USL Championship on Tuesday named Cameron Lancaster its Player of the Week, a well-deserved honor after the English striker netted three goals in two games as Louisville City FC returned to the top of the Central Division table.

Lancaster first opened scoring by both earning and converting a penalty kick in Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over former division leader Birmingham Legion FC. He then followed up on Saturday night with a second-minute Olimpico, sinking a goal straight off a corner kick, before finishing another penalty in a 3-2 win at FC Tulsa.

Lancaster currently leads LouCity in scoring on the season with five goals in seven appearances. Four of those goals came from the penalty spot as the club’s press remains active in the box. 

Also included in the USL Championship’s Team of the Week was LouCity defender Jonathan Gomez, who tallied his first goal and assist as a professional last week. The success came amid the 17-year-old’s listing on the U.S. Men’s National Team preliminary roster for the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup.

Lancaster is the second LouCity player to earn Player of the Week honors this season following midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo’s Week 1 honor.

Louisville City FC will start its 2021 USL Championship Playoffs run when hosting a game the evening of Saturday, Nov. 6, inside Lynn Family Stadium.

Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Tuesday by visiting www.loucity.com/Playoffs or calling (502) LOU-CITY during business hours.

A kickoff time will be set later by the league. Likewise, the opponent is to be determined during this final week of the regular season.

LouCity has clinched a top-two finish in the Central Division standings. The club, a pair of points back of Birmingham Legion FC, travels to play Legion FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a pivotal season finale.

Should LouCity defeat Birmingham and earn the Central’s top seed, it will begin the postseason versus the Atlantic Division’s No. 4. A two seed would put the boys in purple up against the Atlantic’s No. 3.

The USL Championship Playoffs are a 16-team event culminating with a Nov. 28 final. Beyond the opening round, host privileges will go to the side that earned more regular season points.

Heading into the season’s final week, LouCity is 17-7-7. Its 58 points make for the fifth-best record in the league, creating a number of scenarios for the boys in purple to play other postseason games at Lynn Family Stadium should they advance.

LouCity will be making its seventh straight playoffs appearance, qualifying each year since launching in 2015. City remains the only USL Championship club to win back-to-back titles, something it accomplished in 2017 and 2018.

Louisville City FC defeated Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night at Lynn Family stadium by a score of 3-1, with the final game of the four-match regular-season series between the two ending at 2-1-1 in favor of the boys in purple.

Cameron Lancaster bagged a hat trick, and coach Danny Cruz’s team bounced back well after consecutive losses away from home, one of those coming in Memphis. The win edged LouCity ahead of Birmingham Legion FC in the USL Championship’s Central Division standings, though Birmingham has the chance to reassert itself Sunday afternoon.

It all sets up an epic final game of the season Saturday in Birmingham, where the winner of LouCity at Legion FC could claim a No. 1 playoff seed.

Here’s more of what we learned from the Memphis victory…

McCabe slides into the No. 6 role

With two of Cruz’s defensive defensive midfield options, Tyler Gibson and Napo Matsoso, nursing injuries, Niall McCabe, usually an attacking midfielder, moved into the role Saturday. The veteran in purple anchored the position almost perfectly

McCabe tallied two tackles, second-most on the field, and provided a clearance. He also won three fouls, the most out of any player on the field. 

The Dublin native was also excellent in possession, connecting the most passes on the field (63) while having the second most successful passes (53). McCabe’s 33 passes into the opposition’s half were only topped by midfield comrade Corben Bone, who recorded 35. Even from the defensive mid position, McCabe swung in three crosses, tied for the second-most on the field behind winger Brian Ownby. 

“His leadership was really important there.” Cruz said of McCabe’s. “There are still some areas he knows we want to continue to look at for himself moving forward in regard to transition and being in a good spot to break up plays. Tonight he had a really good performance. I was really happy with him.”

Lancaster’s MOTM performance

LouCity’s go-to forward showed out against Memphis, registering his second hat trick in purple following a first against New York Red Bulls II in August of 2018. Lancaster also recorded his fourth multi-goal game this season while reaching 20 goals on the year.

Those numbers are all despite Lancaster appearing in only 24 of 31 games, missing multiple fixtures due to injury earlier this season. The Tottenham Hotspur product launched four of LouCity’s five shots on target, including his first half stoppage time strike from distance that knuckled past the goalkeeper to put LouCity up 2-1 and ahead for good. He also headed in an early cross from Jonathan Gomez and capitalized on a second half penalty try, again set up by Gomez earning a foul in the box.

“You have to go into every game thinking you’re going to get more goals,” Lancaster said. “You have to. After the first one, you’re hungry for more. That’s basically my mentality.”

A well-oiled machine

While LouCity was held scoreless last out at Indy Eleven, the boys in purple returned to their usual scoring prowess back on their home pitch. The club tallied fewer shots than Memphis but tripled up 901 FC in goals. How? Efficiency. None of LouCity’s nine shots were blocked, and five landed on target.

Additionally, LouCity made the most of its chances by straying offside only twice compared to Memphis’ four calls, despite the host side having more possession. LouCity had more quality looks as well, out-shooting Memphis in the box and producing a number of corners. Expected goals shows the same story, with LouCity having 2.33 Xg compared to Memphis 901’s 1.33 Xg. 

“We needed to win this game.” Lancaster said, “We needed to win this game to stay with Birmingham and thankfully we did. They’re a good team. They gave us some problems, so we did well to grind the result out.”

What we learned

LouCity will need to stay in form with a potential must-win game ahead next weekend for the division crown, then single-elimination playoffs from there. The persistent problem of conceding late in either half remains troubling, but overall, the boys in purple continue to limit opposing chances from inside the box.

“There are issues that we need to continue to address.” Cruz said about season struggles, “I’m certainly unhappy with the goal with five minutes left in the half. We’ve spoken about it over and over again and we’ve talked about the different ideas of the things we need to do.”

Feeding the ball down the touchline to wide players like Gomez, Brian Ownby, Antoine Hoppenot and Oscar Jimenez has been the theme in many games, including against Memphis when the opening goal was a result of wing play preceding a cross. LouCity shouldn’t stray from this tactic as utilizing players with the ability to beat a defender and put in a quality cross, especially with Lancaster’s lurking aerial threat in the box. 

“Ultimately, [playing Birmingham] will be a great test for us going into the playoffs.” Cruz said. “It’s a good opportunity to bounce back from the last time we played there and pick up three points and we certainly need it. We are going there for three points.”

Cameron Lancaster registered his second Louisville City FC hat trick Saturday as the club cruised past visiting Memphis 901 FC by a 3-1 score at Lynn Family Stadium. But the celebration couldn’t begin in earnest — not yet, at least.

A victory set up the boys in purple for a winner-take-all showdown with Birmingham Legion FC for a USL Championship Central Division title to cap the regular season. The two meet next Saturday in Birmingham in a game that will also award a No. 1 playoff seed.

Lancaster’s heroics — in front of 10,900 fans — lifted LouCity’s record to 17-7-7, good for 58 points. Birmingham sits on 57 but plays Sunday before meeting City, meaning a draw may not be enough next weekend for the boys in purple.

“It’s important that we take three points here,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “Every time we have a game here, it just feels so special and the atmosphere is amazing. I’m proud of the group to obviously score multiple times tonight. I’m really proud of Cam.

“Again, there’s issues that we need to continue to address — certainly unhappy with (allowing) the goal five minutes left in the half. I can tell you that we’ve spoken about it over and over again and talked about different ideas and things that we need to do. Very unhappy with the conceding there, but at the same time, Cam with a wonderful strike puts us in a good position going into halftime.

“Ultimately, as I started with, it’s three points here at home and in the driver’s seat going to Birmingham next week.”

LouCity will head into that one with its top scorer humming. Lancaster scored in a variety of ways against Memphis to boost his season total to 20 goals, good for third in the league behind only Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s Hadji Barry (25) and Tampa Bay Rowdies Sebastian Guenzatti (21).

In the 21st minute, Lancaster headed in a cross from defender Jonathan Gomez. Three minutes into first half stoppage time, he pulled from about 40 yards out, with a knuckling shot fooling Memphis’ goalkeeper. And in the 65th minute he finished a penalty earned by Gomez to round out a career night.

It made for the most goals in a game by Lancaster since the first time he made it a hat trick in purple in a 6-4 win over New York Red Bulls II on Aug. 10, 2018, amid the striker’s Golden Boot campaign.

“You have to go into every game thinking that you’re going to get multiple goals,” Lancaster said. “You have to. After the first one you’re not happy and hungry for more. That’s basically my mentality going in.”

A native of England, Lancaster came up through the Tottenham Hotspur academy and logged minutes in a Premier League game before heading stateside to join LouCity’s inaugural roster. He’s been here ever since outside of a 2019 season in which the forward ventured to Nashville SC ahead of its Major League Soccer expansion.

Memphis managed just one answer to Lancaster, equalizing in the 41st minute when a cross bounded through the box and to Michael Salazar for a headed finish. Not long after, Lancaster’s wonder strike moved LouCity back ahead for good.

“I thought that if I could hit it nice and clean, which I did, it would sort of move in the air,” Lancaster said. “I felt bad for the keeper because it’s a tough one to deal with, but thankfully it went in. Most importantly, we got the three points at the end of the night.”

The victory snapped a two-game losing skid for City, with both those defeats away. The club has already locked up an all-important home start to the postseason the first weekend of November. Final weekend games will set seeding and matchups.

Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Memphis 901 FC

Date: Oct. 23, 2021

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: 63 degrees, showers

Man of the Match: Cameron Paul Lancaster

Attendance: 10,900

Scoring

Louisville City FC (2, 1, 3)

Memphis 901 FC (1, 0, 1)

Goals

Louisville City FC:

21’ Cameron Lancaster (Jonathan Gomez)

45+’ Cameron Lancaster (Corben Bone)

65’ Cameron Lancaster

Memphis 901 FC:

41’ Michael Salazar (Kadeem Dacres)

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 1 – Chris Hubbard, 19 – Oscar Jimenez (86’ 15 – Patrick McMahon), 4 – Sean Totsch, 6 – Wesley Charpie, 42 – Jonathan Gomez, 13 – Corben Bone (86’ 3 – Alexis Souahy), 11 – Niall McCabe, 36 – Paolo DelPiccolo (79’ 64 – Carlos Moguel Jr.) 10 – Brian Ownby, 9 – Jorge Gonzalez Asensi (79’ 29 – Antoine Hoppenot), 17 – Cameron Lancaster (82’ 21 – Kyle Greig)

Subs not used: 24 – Parker Siegfried, 20 – Jimmy McLaughlin

Head Coach: Danny Cruz

Memphis 901 FC: 22 – Cody Cropper, 50 – Niall Logue (69’ 3 – Zach Carroll), 5 – Brecc Evans, 33 – Skyler Thomas, 18 – Dominic Oduro (79’ 88 – Max Talley), 23 – Leston Paul (69’ 19 – Dre Fortune), 10 – Kadeem Dacres (69’ 20 – Roland Lamah), 30 – Laurent Kissiedou, 77 – Alan Winn, 16 – Rashawn Dally, 11 – Michael Salazar

Subs not used: 28 – Brady Scott, 36 – Andre Reynolds, 9 – Kyle Murphy

Head Coach: Ben Pirmann

Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / Memphis 901 FC

Shots: 6 / 9

Shots on Goal: 5 / 3

Possession: 53.8% / 46.2%

Fouls: 12 / 14

Offside: 2 / 4

Corner Kicks: 3 / 1

Discipline Summary

Louisville City FC

25’ Brian Ownby (yellow card)

Memphis 901 FC

36’ Kadeem Dacres (yellow card)

70’ Laurent Kissiedou (yellow card)

Referee: Joshua Encarnacion

It’s time to do some scoreboard watching.

Louisville City FC hosts a beleaguered Memphis 901 FC side at 7:30 p.m. Saturday inside Lynn Family Stadium, though attention will also naturally turn to Saint Louis FC’s 8 p.m. kickoff against Sporting KC II.

A LouCity victory paired with a Saint Louis FC draw or loss would make the boys in purple the first club from the USL Championship’s Group E to clinch a playoff spot. A LouCity draw, however,  leaves work to do, allowing Saint Louis FC to remain mathematically eligible for the postseason.

Regardless of Saturday’s results, the boys in purple remain well positioned in the bigger picture at 8-3-2, good for 26 points. They’ve ridden an eight-game unbeaten streak to sit four points clear of second-place Indy Eleven with three games to go — and LouCity hasn’t looked better since the USL restarted play than now.

Over its last three outings, the club has out-scored its closest pursuers in the standings a combined 8-1, most recently defeating Indy Eleven on Wednesday by a 2-0 score.

Memphis 901 FC is another story. The second-year side is notable given legendary goalkeeper Tim Howard — in addition to serving as minority owner and sporting director — also exited retirement earlier this year to join the club’s roster. Howard has started six games this season, splitting time between the posts with Jimmy Hague.

Earlier this week, Howard also took part in a tough decision for Memphis 901 FC to dismiss coach Tim Mulqueen. The club went 11-11-24 during Mulqueen’s tenure and has since handed the reins to assistant coach Ben Pirmann. The interim boss previously spent six seasons as head coach of Detroit City FC and eight years at his alma mater, Michigan State.

Saturday’s visitors are at 2-6-4 on the season, good for 10 points. As LouCity seeks to clinch its postseason spot, it may simultaneously eliminate Memphis 901 FC, which hails from Group G.

Coach John Hackworth says…

“We’re not in a position where we can take our foot off the gas, so we need to continue to build. We have good momentum. We’re on a good streak right now. It’s important to secure first place in this division because of the playoff implications. There’s no rest for the weary right now. We believe in all of our players and have a lot of depth, so there’s going to be some difficult choices. Really, it’s about evaluating and seeing how guys recover. If you look at how guys recovered from Saturday to (Wednesday), that alone, was a big emphasis for us and we’re really proud of how our players did that.”

Key players

LouCity: Defender Sean Totsch has solidified himself as one of the league’s top center backs this season while starting 11 games and logging just short of 1,000 minutes. A bullying force at the back, Totsch is also walking a bit of a fine line having been shown his sixth yellow card of the season Wednesday in Indianapolis. Totsch will have to play it safe down the stretch, as an eight caution would sideline him for a game on accumulation. Luckily, the slate is wiped clean for the playoffs.

Memphis: 901 FC’s scoring is spread equally with four players having hit the back of the net a team-leading three times apiece. Among them is the familiar forward Brandon Allen. The 26-year-old from New Jersey has been a frequent foe of the boys in purple dating back to his time with New York Red Bulls II, with which he won the USL title in 2016. Allen, who has also gone on to score in stints with the Bethlehem Steel, Nashville SC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, has tried a team-high 16 shots in 12 appearances this season.

Follow along

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.

On the WBKI-TV (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Josh Eastern (play by play) and Devon Kerr (color).

And for AM 1080 WKJK on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Notes to know

Playing percentages: According to FiveThirtyEight.com, LouCity has a better than 99% chance of qualifying for the postseason. Conversation could soon turn to the top seed. As of now, there’s a 93% chance of finishing atop Group E and the opportunity to put more pressure on Indy Eleven this weekend. With a LouCity win Saturday, the Eleven would be in a must-win situation when they return Wednesday to keep pace.

Tracking Group F: No. 1 and No. 2 seeds from the USL’s Group E and Group F will converge to open the single-elimination playoffs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (9-3-1, 28 points) was the first USL Eastern Conference club to guarantee itself a postseason bid while trending toward top-seeded status. Hartford Athletic (7-3-1, 22 points) posted a midweek victory to move 10 points ahead of New York Red Bulls II in third.

By the numbers: Exiting Wednesday’s Indy win, a foursome of LouCity’s 2020 statistical leaders continued moving up the ranks. Goalkeeper Ben Lundt posted his sixth shutout (tied for the USL lead); forward Antoine Hoppenot registered his fifth assist (tied for fourth in the league); midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams ran his pass attempts total to 763 (fifth); and striker Cameron Lancaster netted his seventh goal (tied for ninth).

Bone’s big birthday: Midfielder Corben Bone said Wednesday’s exclamation point of a goal in the 76th minute at Indy wasn’t the first time he’s scored a goal as a professional on his birthday. But the newly turned 32-year-old did more than just hit the back of the net in a 2-0 rivalry win. According to Opta stats, Bone led LouCity with three key passes as he completed 71% of his 28 such chances in the opponent’s half.

Back in the team: Just one player in LouCity’s lineup Wednesday night had fully fresh legs. Pat McMahon certainly made the most of them. Away from the team last weekend to celebrate marriage with his wife, Brianna, McMahon hopped right back in to lead his side in passes (50), completed passes (39) and passes in the opponent’s half of the pitch (34) as the boys in purple defeated rival Indy Eleven.

A streaking side: LouCity’s run of eight games without a loss is hardly unprecedented in club history. Last season, coach John Hackworth’s team went from August to early October unbeaten, totaling 10 games. A 10-game unbeaten streak also closed out the 2018 championship run. And going back to 2016, then under James O’Connor, the club went 17 straight games undefeated from April to mid-July.

The financial savings website WalletHub ranked Louisville as the United States’ 15th-best soccer city as part of a newly released study into the world’s most popular sport.

That positions the city — home to the USL Championship’s Louisville City FC and NWSL’s Racing Louisville FC — as the No. 2-ranked market without a Major League Soccer franchise, ahead of nearby peers Cincinnati (16th), Nashville (17th) and Indianapolis (25th).

Louisville, of course, is home to the new Lynn Family Stadium and has seen LouCity rise to quick prominence with back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. It’s also an emerging market for women’s professional soccer recently selected to host the Nov. 20 NWSL Championship game.

“I think anybody who comes here and sees what we’re doing as an organization or experiences a game at Lynn Family Stadium, whether be it with Racing Louisville City, can tell there’s something special here,” LouCity coach Danny Cruz said of the ranking.

“…It’s flattering, but at the same time I’d be lying to you if I said I was surprised. We’re doing the right things here in Louisville from ownership down to the players. That’s something I think everybody here should be proud of, because it’s built with regard to the community.”

WalletHub compared nearly 300 U.S. cities with at least one professional or college soccer team, reaching conclusions by gauging 52 key metrics, such as ticket prices and success on the pitch.

Because of LouCity’s success, Louisville ranked No. 1 by WalletHub as far as USL Championship markets. The boys in purple also play to the league’s largest crowds, averaging 10,034 at home games in 2021.

With Racing in just its first year as an expansion team, Louisville didn’t get the full weight of NWSL points from WalletHub. Cary, N.C., home to the NC Courage, as a result came in as the 10th-best soccer city overall and best without MLS. The Courage won three straight shields from 2017-2019 and consecutive playoff titles in 2018 and 2019.

Racing, however, continues to draw larger crowds as its inaugural season closes, including a club-record 8,488 for last Saturday’s win over the Orlando Pride.

“You look at the attendance we had the other night — we’re already beating some of the more established clubs,” said Racing goalkeeper Katie Lund, “and that says a lot about the people in Louisville supporting us. Even in a year of ups and downs, it’s great to see so many people coming out. The numbers just keep growing.”

Louisville is also home to four men’s and women’s college soccer programs that boosted the city’s score with the University of Louisville and Bellarmine University both at the Division I level.

WalletHub’s best soccer cities in America:

1. Los Angeles
2. Seattle
3. Salt Lake City
4. Portland
5. Orlando
6. Kansas City
7. Atlanta
8. Washington, D.C.
9. New York
10. Cary, N.C.
11. Miami
12. Houston
13. Columbus, Ohio
14. Chicago
15. Louisville

Louisville City FC made it back-to-back defeats for just the third time this season — and at a critical time — with a 1-0 loss Saturday to rival Indy Eleven.

The result at Carroll Stadium kept the boys in purple a point back of Birmingham Legion FC for the USL Championship’s Central Division lead. Two games remain to determine seeding for the playoffs beginning the first weekend of November.

The outcome also awarded the season Louisville Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest to Indy for the first time since the Eleven joined the league in 2018. The two sides entered 1-1-1 across three prior meetings.

“I felt we certainly created a lot of good opportunities that we needed to finish,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “We talked a lot about critical moments. There at the end, made a mistake and end up losing the game. I can tell you I still feel a lot better after this one than I did after (Wednesday’s loss to Memphis) with regard to performance. At the end of the day, though, it’s about getting results.

“I’m unhappy with taking a loss here in Indy. At the same time a day or two will be good to get our bodies right — get these guys healthy. It helps me put a good group out on the field against Memphis next week and with the start starting playoffs.”

While LouCity could claim the better of chances through the opening 85 minutes, one lapse in the 86th made the difference as an Indy Eleven cross into the box wasn’t cleared. The club’s leading scorer, Manuel Arteaga, hammered in his 10th goal of the year as a result.

The boys in purple didn’t have much time to answer from there, going on to their second away loss in four days following a 2-1 defeat Wednesday at Memphis 901 FC. Overall, the club now stands at 16-6-7, with Birmingham eligible to increase its Central Division lead Sunday against OKC Energy FC.

“We started with the right mentality and tried to push through,” said defender Pat McMahon. “It’s just a tough loss, but we’re gonna get back to work and move forward. That’s the only thing we can do — focus on the next two games and get everything right so we’re not giving up goals. We need some clean sheets in the next two games leading into the playoffs.”

That LouCity didn’t score a goal of its own Saturday is a credit to Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jordan Farr, who came up big in key moments while numbering five saves. He also got some help from the woodwork when Antoine Hoppenot’s sixth-minute shot caromed off the post before the forward sent another try off the bar in the 46th.

After both those Hoppenot chances, LouCity claimed the rebound and put a header on frame Farr denied.

LouCity returns home — where it has lost just once since Lynn Family Stadium moved to 100% capacity back in June — next Saturday, hosting Memphis. The season concludes with an Oct. 30 game in Birmingham that could decide the Central Division winner.

The boys in purple have already clinched a top-two finish in the division, meaning they’ll host an opening-round postseason game. The opponent, date and time are to be determined.

“At the end of the day you look at the process and you look at what we’ve done all year, and if I just look at these last few games and think, ‘OK this is this is who we are,’ then that would be easy to be concerned,” Cruz said. “It would be easy to be frustrated, but obviously we want to win the game. Obviously, there’s a lot of frustration in that locker room right now but there’s certainly no concern with regard to us coming home against Memphis and getting ready to push forward toward the playoffs.

“…I do try to look at the process. I’m a process-oriented person, and I believe in this group, and I believe it what we’ve done. These last two results don’t take away the other 28 games that that we’ve played and how we’ve performed. So, I have full confidence in this group of men, I have full confidence in what we’re trying to do, and I’m confident that come Saturday we’re going to turn this thing around and put ourselves in a good position leading into the playoffs. I fully believe that.”

Game Summary: Indy Eleven vs. Louisville City FC

Venue: Michael A. Carroll Stadium

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Man of the Match: Chris Hubbard

Scoring

Indy Eleven (0, 1, 1)

Louisville City FC (0, 0, 0)

Goals

Indy Eleven:

85’ Manuel Arteaga

Stats Summary: Indy Eleven / Louisville City FC

Shots: 11 / 13

Shots on Goal: 3 / 5

Possession: 55.4% / 44.6%

Fouls: 19 / 17

Offside: 5 / 5

Corner Kicks: 5 / 5

Lineups

Indy Eleven: 1 – Jordan Farr, 2 – Patrick Seagrist, 19 – Rece Buckmaster, 33 – Tobu Adewole, 5 – Jared Timmer, 28 – Gershon Koffie, 27 – Nicky Law, 8 – Kevin Partida (79’ 6 – Jeremiah Guijahr), 17 – Nick Moon (73’ 98 – Peter-Lee Vassell), 45 – Emmanuel Ledesma (72’ 7 – Ayoze), 29 – Manuel Arteaga

Subs not used: 20 – Karl Ouimette, 85 – Aboubacar Sissoko, 4 – Liam Doyle, 26 – Robert Edwards

Head Coach: Max Rogers

Louisville City FC: 1 – Chris Hubbard, 4 – Sean Totsch, 3 – Alexis Souahy, 15 – Pat McMahon, 42 – Jonathan Gomez, 29 – Antoine Hoppenot (81’ 20 – James McLaughlin), 10 – Brian Ownby, 9 – Jorge Gonzalez (70’ 11 – Niall McCabe), 7 – Napo Matsoso (88’ 19 – Oscar Jimenez), 36 – Paolo DelPiccolo (82’ 8 – Akil Watts), 17 – Cameron Lancaster (70’ 21 – Kyle Greig)

Subs not used: 24 – Parker Siegfried, 66 – Joshua Wynder

Head Coach: Danny Cruz

Discipline Summary

Louisville City FC

43’ Paolo DelPiccolo (yellow card)

78’ Jonathan Gomez (yellow card)

82’ Niall McCabe (yellow card)

Indy Eleven

90+2’ Rece Buckmaster (yellow card)

Referee: Ricardo Fierro

In recent weeks, members of Louisville City FC’s locker room have likened feelings toward USL Championship Group E competition to playoff events. This matchup certainly fits the bill.

A big-game feeling surrounds the season’s third meeting between LouCity (5-3-2, 17 points) and rival Indy Eleven (6-3-1, 19 points) with kickoff at 7 p.m. Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

On a five-game unbeaten run, the boys in purple would leap into first place if they win. Meanwhile, Indy’s looking to right its form having dropped points in three of five games following an unbeaten start.

LouCity hasn’t lost in what’s known as the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest since May 5, 2018. Coincidentally, that was also Kentucky Derby day, with history getting the chance to repeat itself Saturday due to the race’s postponement to Sept. 5.

This season, the boys in purple are 1-0-1 against Indy. Those results — a 1-1 draw on Aug. 8 and 1-0 win on Aug. 26 — came at Lynn Family Stadium. After Saturday, the series concludes Sept. 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

For now, Indy and LouCity hold Group E’s pair of playoff spots with six games left to go. Saint Louis FC (4-3-3, 15 points) and Sporting KC II (4-5-1, 13 points) have made it a close race top to bottom in the pod.

Coach John Hackworth says…

“As a coach or a player, that’s what you live for is these kind of competitive moments. But it is strange because it keeps things in such a razor-thin margin of error. You don’t have any room to have a lapse and make it up. When you look at our division right now, clearly all four of us still have the opportunity to make the playoffs. Especially now getting toward the end, we don’t have any room for error.”

Key players

LouCity: Brian Ownby had knocked on the door of a goal scoring contribution all season. Last weekend against Saint Louis FC, he got it when whipping a 30th-minute cross into defender Sean Totsch for a headed goal on the road. Ownby, who has brought pace on both wings and the striker spot, ranks second on the team in shots (16) and shots on target (9). It seems only a matter of time before he puts a shot of his own in the back of the net.

Indy Eleven: Top striker Tyler Pasher missed on a few good looks the last time LouCity and the Eleven met. Helping supply the chances is Andrew Carleton, an Atlanta United loanee who has impressed on the wing. The 20-year-old, who knows Hackworth from his junior national team days, led Indy with three crosses and two key passes in that last meeting. He should be crucial to whether Pasher back in the scoring column Saturday.

Follow along

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.

On the WBKI (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Mike Watts (play by play) and Devon Kerr (color).

And for AM 790 WKRD on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Notes to know

Show of depth: It’s not just that Group E clubs are beating up on one another within the pod. In limited opportunities outside of it, clubs also including Saint Louis FC are a combined 9-4-1 with a +12 goal differential. That record includes a pair of Indy Eleven victories over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which leads Group F. To open the playoffs, Group E’s No. 1 seed will host Group F’s No. 2 and vice versa.

Diversified scoring: LouCity played six games this season before a player other than forward Cameron Lancaster or midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams scored a goal. New threats revealed themselves during August as midfielders Napo Matsoso, Corben Bone and Paolo DelPiccolo found the back of the net before defender Sean Totsch registered his first goal on a header Saturday at Saint Louis FC.

Shutout spree: Along with the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Evan Louro and El Paso Locomotive’s Logan Ketterer, LouCity goalkeeper Ben Lundt is tied atop the league with four clean sheets this season. That’s a credit to his club’s defense as a whole, as Lundt has been called upon to make 17 saves, ranking 26th of 33. Lundt’s contributions, however, are multifaceted. Hackworth has referred to the FC Cincinnati loanee as LouCity’s “first attacker” on a side that starts its offense at the back rather than lobbing long balls from its own box.

Stat stuffer: LouCity’s unbeaten run has coincided with a new role for Napo Matsoso, who shifted from the central midfield to right wing to rave reviews. The University of Kentucky product racked up two goals and just as many assists in August. Squad rotation left him out of the lineup on a short turnaround at Saint Louis FC, but Matsoso entered as a 69th-minute sub and figures to be back in the starting 11 Saturday.

Hitting the road: The USL Board of Governors allowed unbalanced scheduling at the USL’s restart, and by nature of LouCity’s plan to host fans at Lynn Family Stadium, the club wound up opening the new facility with eight straight home games. Saturday’s Indy Eleven matchup marks the only time the boys in purple play consecutive away games with Lucas Oil Stadium a unique challenge given the pitch will be lined with the Indianapolis Colts’ setup as well.

JoGo’s a regular: Youth international Jonathan Gomez, who turned 17 earlier this week, did so after making his third start and seventh appearance against Saint Louis FC. Last weekend, Gomez led LouCity with two key passes, four tackles and 19 passes in the opponent’s half of the field. Here on a professional contract, he arrived in Louisville after earning caps with the U.S. (U-16, U-17) and Mexico (U-17) national teams.

Louisville City FC has promoted from within to fill a pair of key positions on its first team and youth academy staffs.

Following the appointment of Danny Cruz as head coach, former LouCity academy director Simon Bird — who had been serving as Cruz’s top assistant on an interim basis — will take on the role full time moving forward.

Bird’s move up made way for club legend Luke Spencer to advance into the role of LouCity academy director less than a year after retiring after a decorated career on the pitch.

“Simon’s been extremely important to what we’re doing here since day one,” Cruz said. “I have full trust and faith in him. He’s done an excellent job with his roles and responsibilities. He connects well with the players. He’s an important part of the culture, and we’re excited to have him on staff.

“As for Luke,” Cruz added, “he and I still have a really close relationship. We’re constantly talking about the players who have the ability to come up from the academy, and that integration is really important. I’m proud of how this club believes in promoting its own, and I look forward to working more with him.”

A native of England, Bird starred collegiately from 2001-2004 at the University of Louisville, where he was named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2003. He went on to a six-year pro career abroad before returning to the United States to serve on the Cardinals’ staff from 2009-2012.

Bird became a fixture on the local soccer scene in recent years, working as the Oldham Soccer Club’s director of coaching and Kentucky Fire Juniors boys director before gravitating to LouCity’s academy for its launch.

Bird, who holds an A License from the U.S. Soccer Federation, will serve under Cruz alongside goalkeepers coach Scott Budnick.

“I really enjoyed my time helping build the academy from scratch,” Bird said. “Now I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with this group of guys. I have always had ambitions and dreams of coaching professionally. I’ve bounced around a bit, and those experiences have really helped build me as a coach.”

Spencer spent four years in purple, joining LouCity in 2017 as it won back-to-back USL Championship titles, scoring the lone goal in the 2018 final win. He numbered 28 goals and 11 assists overall in 104 club appearances.

Coaching always seemed inevitable for Spencer, who served as an assistant for alma mater Xavier University while healing up from a knee injury. He also helped run LouCity’s first team alongside teammates Paolo DelPiccolo and George Davis IV during a 2018 coaching transition.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the trust that this club continues to have in me,” Spencer said. “It’s a privilege to be able to lead and develop the coaches and players within our academy. While I will always miss competing with the LouCity first team, it’s been an enjoyable transition due to the special people in our organization. I’m looking forward to building on what has been an exciting and successful first year for our academy.”

A corresponding search for a new assistant LouCity academy director will begin immediately.

“As a club, we always want to provide a growth pathway for all of our members, and that includes our players and our staff,” said Mario Sanchez, who oversees both the LouCity and Racing Louisville FC academies. “We are excited for the new opportunities for Simon and Luke. Simon has played a huge part in the success of the boys academy, and now he gets the opportunity to continue his career with our first team.”

“We are very fortunate to have Luke become our boys academy director. Luke, who is LouCity through and through, has quickly proven himself to be a great leader both on and off the field. With Luke stepping into this role, we will not lose a beat and we will continue to provide our academy players a great experience and a pathway to our LouCity first team.”