What to Watch for as LouCity Heads West for Season's Final Road Trip
USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for as LouCity Heads West for Season's Final Road Trip

Published on October 17, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC hopes to make even more history as it hits the road for the final away match of the regular season, traveling to Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, Calif. to face Orange County SC at 10 p.m. ET.

With a tough 1-0 home win over Miami FC last weekend, LouCity (21-1-6, 69 points) became the first team since Orlando City SC in 2012 to win the Players' Shield in back-to-back seasons - but there are even more records within reach in the final two regular-season matches.

A win on Saturday would make the 2025 LouCity team the best in USL Championship history, in terms of points per game. The club has attained an astounding 2.46 points per game so far this season. A win would push the group past that 2012 Orlando team and its 2.38 points average - earned across a much shorter season of just 24 matches, compared to LouCity's 30-game campaign this year.

Building off that, if the boys in purple manage to avoid defeat over the final two games of the season they would become the fourth side in modern USL Championship history - and the first in a decade - to complete a campaign with just one loss. Saturday's trip to California will be followed up by a home date with the USL Jägermeister Cup champions, Hartford Athletic.

History is on LouCity's side, at least this weekend. Saturday's opponent, OCSC, has never managed to get the better of Louisville since the two first met in 2022. The boys in purple are 3-0-0 against the SoCal club, with a 9-2 cumulative advantage on the scoreboard.

Unlike LouCity, Orange County (9-11-8, 35 points) has yet to solidify its postseason plans. However, the club did take a massive step toward a playoff spot mid-week.

The California side vaulted itself from ninth place - one spot below the playoff line - into seventh with a thrilling 1-0 win Wednesday night over San Antonio FC. Senegalese substitute Ousmane Sylla bagged the winner in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to put an end to the club's nine match winless run, which dated back to Aug. 16.

Led by head coach Danny Stone, Orange County also now sits just two points back a spot in the West's top-five places. The club has made it to at least the Conference Semifinals in each of the last two campaigns. It also notably has finished outside the Western Conference's top-six just once across the last four seasons.

Follow Along

- The match will air live on Antenna TV 41.2, Spectrum 187 and ESPN Louisville's 93.9 The Ville.

- If streaming, download the free WDRB+ app to watch the local feed in Louisville or watch the national feed on the CBS Sports Golazo Network.

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

Story Lines...

Make that seven: With the playoffs quickly approaching, LouCity is continuing to gain steam by the week. Its one-goal triumph over Miami was its seventh consecutive win, the club's longest regular season winning streak ever. Across all competitions, it is the longest streak since a run of eight games in 2020 across September and October, which ended in the Eastern Conference Final.

Couldn't have scripted it better: You can't make this stuff up. One City legend to another to seal the USL Championship's regular-season crown. The over 10,200 fans at Lynn Family Stadium witnessed quite a moment Saturday, as Cameron Lancaster and Brian Ownby teamed up to capture the positive result needed to win the Shield. Lancaster, Louisville's all-time goals leader, slipped Ownby, the club's all-time assists leader, in behind for an 88th-minute match-winner. City's No. 10, who has battled injuries since the beginning of last season, recorded his first goal in league play since Aug. 2023.

Locking it up: It's been clear from the start: defense keys LouCity's success. The numbers show a glaring defensive improvement by the boys in purple from last season. The group has leaked just 19 goals in 28 games this year (0.7 goals per game). Only one other side has allowed fewer than 25 (Sacramento Republic). In contrast, five Eastern Conference teams in 2024 conceded fewer goals than Louisville. Impressively, LouCity has picked up a clean sheet in five out of its last six games - a feat the club hasn't achieved in three years.

Getting over the line: Sometimes it's not about how you do it, but whether you get it done. That defined the hosts' performance versus Miami last week, as it gutted out a big-time result to ensure the playoffs ran through Lynn Family Stadium. The visitors from South Beach held the now back-to-back Shield winners much more in check compared to their last meeting, when City put four past the Florida outfit. "On nights when you're not at your best, good teams find ways to win," said head coach Danny Cruz. Though, not at the standard, as Cruz also said, the match prepared it well for the postseason - a time of year often decided by small margins.

Down the stretch impact: The versatile wide threat Aiden McFadden has played a crucial part in LouCity's recent success. The 27-year-old is doing it on both ends, he's top-three on the team in both chances created and duels won since the beginning of August. McFadden, who finished tied for the team lead in both of those categories last week versus Miami, has started the last 15 games in which he has played.

California love: Orange County has seen a majority of its success in 2025 at Saturday's venue - Championship Soccer Stadium. Seven of its nine wins have come at a place they call "The Champ," in addition to a little over 66% of its overall total goals. Only FC Tulsa has amassed more points in home matches out West than OCSC this season.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 17, 2025


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