Having built a six-point cushion atop the USL Championship standings,Louisville City FC returns to Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday to host Rhode Island FC for an 8 p.m. kickoff.
LouCity will debut its 2024 “Future Kit,” a third jersey revealed just this week that pairs the club’s traditional alternative black with light blue — a color symbolizing ambition, advancement and a determination to keep pushing forward.
That’s fitting given City (11-2-2, 32 points) has solidified a spot not only leading the Eastern Conference standings but also the whole league table, with 10 points separating the boys in purple from the Western Conference’s leader.
LouCity won two USL Championship titles (2017, 2018); it added two more Eastern Conference crowns (2019, 2022); and the club has never fallen short of advancing to the conference final round of the playoffs. But the boys in purple have yet to finish atop the league to finish the regular season, a goal that appears within reach this year.
On Wednesday, Danny Cruz’s men bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, using a 49th-minute wonder strike fromJansen Wilson to sink Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 1-0. The triumph extended LouCity’s unbeaten run at Highmark Stadium to 12 games all time across competitions.
In the fortress that has become Lynn Family Stadium, City holds a league-best 7-0 record to go along with a +23 goal differential in those games. LouCity’s 29 home goals are more than double the total of all but three clubs.
Saturday’s game will mark a rematch of the scoreless draw played May 25 when LouCity visited Rhode Island. Over a compact pitch, it was the only time this season City has failed to score. However, Louisville’s defense also proved impenetrable that day, preventing Rhode Island from registering a single shot on goal.
RIFC (1-4-9, 12 points) has drawn nine of its 14 matches, including three of its last four, to open its inaugural season in the USL Championship.Coach Khano Smith’s menare on track to record the most drawn games in a regular season, with the record currently held by five different clubs who each registered 14 draws.
Follow along
• The game will air live locally on WBKI/The CW and ESPN Louisville’s AM 680/FM 105.7.
• If streaming, download the free WDRB+ app to watch the local feed in Louisville. ESPN+ or Golazo Network also streams the home feed of all USL Championship games not selected for national TV.
• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow@loucityfcon Twitter. Also, find the club atlouisvillecityfc on InstagramandLouisville City FC on Facebook.
Player availability report
Adrien Perez (out)
Brian Ownby (out)
Story lines …
Responding from defeat:As coach Danny Cruz said after the win over the Riverhounds, “Good teams find a way to make sure that they respond the right way.” All three times LouCity lost this season, it followed up with a victory. That includes both defeats in USL Championship play along with a penalty kick shootout loss to Seattle Sounders FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Record pace:If LouCity continues at its current rate, the club would set the USL Championship’s single-season points record. Phoenix Rising FC’s 2019 squad holds the current for points in a season at 78 (2.29 points per game). City has so far collected 2.33 points in its 15 games.
Raining goals:LouCity also continues to score at a record-setting pace with 40 goals, a number that is at least double all but four of the USL Championship’s other 23 teams. At a rate of 2.60 goals per game, the boys in purple are also racing to match 2019’s Phoenix, which scored 89 goals, or 2.62 per game.
Jansen’s jolt:Jansen Wilson, a City rookie, provided the spark the boys in purple needed to sink Pittsburgh on the road. The Elizabethtown, Kentucky, native netted a one-timer from distance four minutes into the second half for his third goal of the campaign. The strike drew Wilson even with a quartet of teammates for third on the team in goals scored.
Holding it down:With a clean sheet on the road against the Riverhounds, goalkeeperDamian Las tied Sacramento Republic’s Danny Vitiello for the USL Championship lead in clean sheets at six. As a team, Louisville ranks second in the league in clean sheets with seven, trailing only the Charleston Battery in that category.
Debut up top:Forward Tola Showunmi made his first start in City colors against his former team, Pittsburgh, on Wednesday as Cruz made four lineup changes on a tight turnaround. The 23-year-old Englishman replaced Ray Serrano on the right flank, leading the team in chances created in his season-high 85 minutes on the pitch.
Midfield creator:Elijah Wynder picked up his second assist of the campaign on Wednesday, setting up Wilson at the top of the box for a game-winning goal. Both of Wynder’s assists have been crucial. His other set up Taylor Davila in an away draw to Las Vegas Lights FC back on May 18. Wynder has also scored three goals of his own in 2024.
Battling adversity:Saturday’s match against Rhode Island will mark the second instance this season where LouCity played three games in eight days. This packed schedule has created opportunities for player rotation in the starting lineup, and City will continue to be without two key attackers as both Adrien Perez and Brian Ownby are sidelined with injuries.
