What to Watch for as LouCity Hosts the Tampa Bay Rowdies

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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for as LouCity Hosts the Tampa Bay Rowdies

June 6, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Saturday night starts a vital three-game home stand for Louisville City FC as the boys in purple host the Tampa Bay Rowdies for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium.

Louisville will play three games at home within a week, hosting Rhode Island FC on Wednesday and Birmingham Legion FC next Saturday following the Tampa Bay matchup.

The stretch also represents a bounce-back opportunity after LouCity fell at Loudoun United last weekend 2-1 in a USL Jägermeister Cup group stage game - just the second loss of the season for Louisville across all competitions.

On Saturday, LouCity (6-0-4, 22 points) will put its unbeaten regular season USL Championship record on the line with the chance to retake first place. The Charleston Battery lead Louisville by two points and play just twice over the week, meaning LouCity could overtake that rival for top honors in both the Eastern Conference and overall league standings.

Typically, Tampa Bay has also been a factor near the top of the table, but not this season. The Rowdies (1-7-2, 5 points) are bringing up the USL Championship's rear with the fewest wins and points, plus the joint-worst goal differential (-9), in the league. The club fired head coach Robbie Neilson in April, replacing him with interim boss Steve Coleman.

Saturday's game also marks Louisville City's Pride Night, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The first 2,000 fans in the gates will receive a Pride-themed folding fan giveaway, and a ticket to the game is good for free admission at the official after party at Play Louisville (1101 E. Washington St.). For tickets and more information, visit LouCity.com/pride.

Follow Along

- The game will air live locally on MyTV 58 and ESPN Louisville's AM 680/FM 105.7.

- If streaming, download the free WDRB+ app to watch the local feed in Louisville or ESPN+ for national coverage.

- 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...

Unbeaten: Despite the USL Jägermeister Cup loss, Louisville City remains undefeated in USL Championship regular season play at 6-0-4. That equals the longest unbeaten run to start a league season in club history. In 2022, LouCity went 7-0-3 over its first 10 league games before losing in its 11th. If the boys in purple can avoid defeat Saturday against Tampa Bay, they would set a new club record.

Following a loss: LouCity has only lost back-to-back games just 15 times in its history across all competitions. Under Danny Cruz, LouCity is 23-9-3 after a defeat.

(Un)expected goals: Louisville City FC produced 2.34 expected goals in the loss at Loudoun, the club's second-highest total of the season. The statistic measures the probability that an individual scoring chance will result in a goal. LouCity only performed better in xG versus Loudoun in the home opener at Lynn Family Stadium, a USL Championship regular season game on March 22, with 2.35.

M*A*S*H: Injuries are playing a role for LouCity right now, particularly higher up the field. The newly re-acquired Cameron Lancaster missed the loss at Loudoun with an illness. Phillip Goodrum hasn't played since May 17. Sam Gleadle hasn't seen action since May 1 due to a hamstring injury. That's in addition to injury spells for midfielder Zach Duncan and wingback Jake Morris.

Adrien's cup run: LouCity's Adrien Perez found the back of the net in Saturday's loss at Loudoun. It was his fourth goal of the 2025 campaign, but he's only scored once in the USL Championship regular season. His last regular season goal came in the season opener at Charleston on March 8. He's other goals were versus Loudoun United in the U.S. Open Cup and versus the Richmond Kickers in the USL Jägermeister Cup.

Series history: The series between Louisville City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies is perhaps the most competitive in American men's professional soccer. The two clubs met in the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, including three-straight meetings in the Eastern Conference Final from 2020 to 2022. Overall, LouCity leads the series by the slimmest of margins: 8-7-2 with an even goal differential at 24 goals scored apiece. With a win, however, LouCity could defeat Tampa Bay in three-consecutive meetings for the first time, following a victory at Lynn Family Stadium last October and a another in 2025's first meeting at Al Lang Stadium in April.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 6, 2025


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