What to Watch for as LouCity Travels to South Beach to Face Miami FC
USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for as LouCity Travels to South Beach to Face Miami FC

Published on August 15, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC forward Jansen Wilson
Louisville City FC forward Jansen Wilson
(Louisville City FC, Credit: Connor Cunningham)

After winning the most important game of its season last week, Louisville City FC is headed to South Beach - but not for a vacation.

Having seized sole possession of first place with a dominant 4-1 win over the Charleston Battery before a season-high crowd of 13,611 at Lynn Family Stadium, LouCity (13-1-5, 44 points) travels to Florida to face Miami FC (5-9-5, 20 points) at Pitbull Stadium Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

For Louisville, Saturday's contest poses the threat of an emotional letdown. Last week's home tilt with Charleston was by far the biggest game of the year - two teams tied on points atop the standings before a packed house in Butchertown, the second-largest crowd in stadium history.

Saturday's game, meanwhile, will pose a stark contrast. Miami FC averages just 1,114 fans per game, turning the 20,000-seat Pitbull Stadium - home of the FIU Panthers football program - into a librarian's paradise.

Throw in the expected 90-degree temperatures, chance of precipitation and the artificial turf and it's clear: LouCity is going from an ideal environment in which to play its best to one that's clearly less than that.

LouCity coach Danny Cruz, though, has has built a 'no excuses' team culture, and his team echoed that mentality in their pregame comments regarding the turf: "Both teams have to play on it."

And despite last week's triumph, which gave Louisville the leg up for the Players' Shield and the No. 1 overall playoff seed, a slip-up in the season's final weeks against a team outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture would be like the vacationers' sunburn - a reminder that not all trips to South Florida are purely for fun and games.

Follow Along

- The match 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 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...

Do it again, Davila: With a goal and an assist in last week's 4-1 win over Charleston, the USL Championship named LouCity midfielder Taylor Davila as its Player of the Week. It was the first time the league bestowed the honor on the 25-year-old Californian. Forward Jansen Wilson joined him on the Team of the Week after depositing two goals into the back of Charleston's net last week.

The 'stache is in (form): The aforementioned Wilson is in fine form right now. He's scored four goals in his last five league games. Throw in a goal against both CD Leganés and Eintracht Frankfurt in international club friendlies, and Wilson has scored six goals since June 25.

One-sided: Like most matchups in the USL Championship, LouCity has owned the series with Miami FC. In seven all-time meetings, Louisville holds a 5-2-0 record.

The possession game: Louisville City FC dominated the scoreline against Charleston last week, but did not dominate the ball. LouCity had just 29.5% possession in the win, the second-lowest mark of the season. The club defeated Loudoun United 4-1 on June 25, a game in which the boys in purple had just 24% possession.

Messi's not alone in South Beach: There's no doubt that Miami's most famous soccer resident is Lionel Messi, of Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer - but he's not the only Argentine that calls South Florida home. Miami FC, not to be confused with Messi's pink-clad club, features nine players from Argentina on its roster, as well as an Argentinian coach, Gastόn Maddoni.

Old heads: Critics view Major League Soccer as a retirement league for European stars of yesteryear. Miami FC is a retirement club for the retirement league. Their roster features former MLS stars Bill Hamid, Sebastián Blanco and Lucas Melano. Miami has the second-oldest team in the USL Championship at an average age of 28.7.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics

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Images from this story

Louisville City FC forward Jansen Wilson
Louisville City FC forward Jansen Wilson
(Connor Cunningham)		   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 15, 2025


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