What to Watch for as LouCity Visits Hartford Athletic

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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for as LouCity Visits Hartford Athletic

May 16, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC begins a three-game road swing on Saturday, paying visit to Hartford Athletic for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Trinity Health Stadium in Connecticut.

LouCity is in search of a spark to its attack after a scoreless tie last out with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Louisville's offense has sputtered in the last two games, including a 1-0 loss to Minnesota United in the U.S. Open Cup, having been shut out with just five shots on target out of 27 total attempts.

Still, LouCity continues to cruise (Cruz?) along unbeaten in league play, with a 5-0-3 (18 points) record in the USL Championship and a 7-1-3 mark overall in 2025. City is the only one in the Championship to avoid a league defeat thus far.

For Hartford, unlike LouCity, it's not a matter of finishing, but rather getting started. The club sits in dead last, not only in the Eastern Conference but across the entire USL Championship. The team has just one league win.

Last time out, Hartford took 10 shots in a 2-0 loss to Detroit City. That was a season-high. For comparison, LouCity has registered more than 10 shots in all but one game this season across competitions - truly Fiats versus Ferraris, in attacking terms, anyway.

This stretch marks the longest Louisville will go without a home game, tied with a three-game run that begins in late August. Saturday's trek to New England will be followed by a West Coast flight to face Monterey Bay FC in California. LouCity will then head to Virginia to face Loudoun United FC in the USL Jägermeister Cup to round out May.

LouCity finally returns home on Saturday, June 7, hosting the Tampa Bay Rowdies in an Eastern Conference rivalry clash. The game is LouCity's Pride Night, a celebration of the local LGBTQ+ community. Various recognitions are planned for the night, team-branded gear will raise funds for local nonprofits, and fans can show their game ticket for free admission to the official after party at Play Louisville (1101 E. Washington Street).

For tickets and more information, visit LouCity.com/pride.

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 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...

Squeaky clean (sheets): LouCity goalkeeper Damian Las recorded his fourth shutout of the season in Saturday's tie with Pittsburgh. All four have come in league play. That total is tied for second in the USL Championship behind five for Raiko Arozarena of the Las Vegas Lights. Las has saved 83.3% of the shots he's faced in the league this season, the top mark in the USL Championship.

The half century, nearly: LouCity forward Phillip Goodrum is one goal away from 50 career USL Championship regular season goals. Goodrum has scored five goals for LouCity, six goals for Atlanta United 2, 17 goals for FC Tulsa and 21 goals for Memphis 901 FC. The 27-year-old joined LouCity last August in a high-profile transfer from Tulsa.

Seeing red: The referee for Saturday's game will be J.C. Griggs. If the name sounds familiar, it's because he was in charge of LouCity's last trip to Hartford, a 2-1 loss in August 2024. Adrien Perez was shown the only red card of his career in that game, and coach Danny Cruz was later sent off. Since 2021, Griggs has had the whistle for five LouCity contests, and the boys in purple are 2-1-2 in those games. Hartford, meanwhile, is 3-3-0 in games with Griggs at the controls.

Series history: This will be the 10th meeting between the two Eastern Conference clubs. LouCity holds a 6-1-2 advantage in the series, with Hartford's lone victory coming in LouCity's last visit to Trinity Health Stadium in August of 2024. In all, LouCity has outscored Hartford 19-7.

A game of keepgive away: Hartford is one of seven teams with less average possession per game than LouCity in the USL Championship. On average, LouCity has 46.1% of the ball, while Hartford has 44%. LouCity has not won this season when it has had an equal or greater share of possession than its opponents, going 0-3-1 in those games.

Mamadou can do it: Despite Hartford's offensive woes, Senegalese forward Mamadou Dieng is a weapon worth keeping an eye on. The 20-year-old has 11 goals last season while still a teenager, and while he's tallied just once in 2025, he leads Hartford with nine shots. Dieng scored both goals in Hartford's win over LouCity last year.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 16, 2025


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