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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for with LouCity at San Antonio FC

October 18, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC forward Ray Serrano
Louisville City FC forward Ray Serrano
(Louisville City FC, Credit: EM Dash Photography)

Louisville City FC will receive a reminder of its Players' Shield's importance this Saturday when traveling to play San Antonio FC.

Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. at Toyota Field, site of the 2022 USL Championship Final that LouCity lost by a 3-1 score. That season, the boys in purple finished atop the Eastern Conference standings, but San Antonio claimed the shield and along with it home field advantage for the title game.

Should the boys in purple make it back to the final this year, they're in line to host it at Lynn Family Stadium.

City (23-6-3, 72 points) goes to San Antonio for just the second time ever while continuing to roll toward the playoffs. The club has won 11 of its last 14 games, most recently using a rallying Arturo Ordóñez goal six minutes into second half stoppage time to defeat the rival Tampa Bay Rowdies.

San Antonio (10-14-8, 38 points) has fallen off since its championship season. Saturday's foe is in a battle to make the playoffs, sitting two points behind Orange County SC and the eighth-place cut line. However, San Antonio has shown improved form, going unbeaten in its last three games.

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. 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 @loucityfc on Twitter. Also, find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram and Louisville City FC on Facebook.

Player availability report

Jorge Gonzalez (out)

Brian Ownby (out)

Manny Perez (out)

Ryan Troutman (out)

Story lines...

Playoff picture: LouCity hosts Phoenix Rising FC in its October 26 regular season finale before the playoffs open Saturday, November 2, at Lynn Family Stadium. As the postseason's No. 1 overall seed, City will match up against the Eastern Conference's eighth-place finisher in the first round, the conference quarterfinals.

Adding to the case: LouCity celebrated its club-first Players' Shield, lifting the silverware after the Tampa Bay win. It was the final USL Championship trophy missing from the club's case that has grown over the years to feature two league titles (2017, 2018) and two more Eastern Conference championships (2019, 2022).

Record season: A victory over the Rowdies pushed LouCity to 23 wins on the season, most ever to surpass the 22 matches won by the 2022 squad. The boys in purple have also won 15 home games - a single-season USL Championship record - and their 81 goals scored are also a club-high. Seventy-two points earned match the 2022 team for best in club history, while City is also a victory away from matching 2022 San Antonio FC's 24 wins for most in a USLC regular season.

Comeback City: LouCity trailed 1-0 to Tampa Bay in the second half before clawing back to win, 2-1. City has recovered a league-high 20 points this season from losing positions thanks to 20 of its goals coming after the 75th minute. The boys in purple have also scored to win or draw in stoppage time on four occasions, including back-to-back games.

Spreading scoring: Ordóñez, with a scissor-kick winner off a late corner kick, netted his first goal since May 29 and second of the season last Saturday. He became LouCity's 14th multi-goal scorer of the season - more than half the roster - while the club features eight four-goal scorers, one off the league record.

From the spot: Sean Totsch remains reliable on penalty kicks. After Amadou Dia earned a foul in the box against the Rowdies, Totsch stepped up to improve his USL Championship penalty kick form to 13-for-13. Totsch's 27 career goals are most by a defender in league history.

Defenders strike: By getting goals from both Ordóñez and Totsch against Tampa Bay, LouCity saw multiple center backs score in the same game last Saturday for the first time since an April 16, 2022, victory at San Diego Loyal FC. Totsch and Wes Charpie both hit the back of the net in that wild 5-2 game on the west coast.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC forward Ray Serrano
Louisville City FC forward Ray Serrano
(EM Dash Photography)		   

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 18, 2024


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