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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for with LouCity vs. the Tampa Bay Rowdies

October 11, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC defender Kyle Adams
Louisville City FC defender Kyle Adams
(Louisville City FC, Credit: Connor Cunningham)

Having clinched the Players' Shield with three regular season games to go, Louisville City FC will look to sharpen up for the USL Championship Playoffs when hosting the Tampa Bay Rowdies at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The matchup will continue a rivalry born from competitiveness, not proximity. LouCity and the Rowdies have met 15 times since Tampa Bay joined the league back in 2017 - four times in the playoffs - and only one of those contests was decided by more than a single goal.

Appropriately, a promotion-packed night is set for Lynn Family Stadium. The first 2,500 fans will receive a rally towel. And after the final whistle, LouCity will officially recognize its club-first Players' Shield on the field before a postgame fireworks show.

City (22-6-3, 69 points) locked up the regular season title - and No. 1 overall playoffs seed - last out when Jake Morris' stoppage time goal equalized at Indy Eleven. The boys in purple are nine points clear of second-place Charleston Battery and own the tiebreaker.

Tampa Bay (13-10-7, 46 points) is battling down the stretch to improve its own playoff positioning. The Rowdies sit fifth on the Eastern Conference table.

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)

Dylan Mares (out)

Brian Ownby (out)

Manny Perez (out)

Story lines...

The trophy case: A Players' Shield was the last piece of USL Championship silverware missing for LouCity. The club won back-to-back league titles in 2017 and 2018, putting a pair of stars above their crest, plus won Eastern Conference crowns again in 2019 and 2022.

Playoff picture: With a first-place finish secured, LouCity is set to host the Eastern Conference's eighth-place finisher in its playoff opener on Saturday, November 2. It's a jumble at that end of the table with seventh through 11th places separated by just six points.

Record season: LouCity's already made some history - and more could be on the way. City has won a single-season league record 14 home games so far, and its 79 goals are the best in club history. With one more victory, the boys in purple would surpass their 2022 squad's 22 wins for most in a regular season.

Solid form: Over the summer, LouCity hit a rocky run that saw them rotate wins with losses over a six-game stretch. Since then, City has pulled away from its competition by winning 10 of its last 13 games. Both losses over that span happened when the boys in purple had a player sent off. The Indy draw marked the only other time they dropped points.

Dia does it: Nearly three full seasons into his LouCity tenure, Amadou Dia scored his first club goal Saturday. Dia got on the end of a redirected Sam Gleadle cross in the 12th minute for an early opener. The strike was a long time coming for the veteran wingback, who last scored in 2019 during his days at Phoenix Rising FC.

Morris' heroics: An 81st-minute substitute at Indy Eleven, Jake Morris found himself hobbled by a collision shortly after checking into the game. But LouCity was out of subs, and the wingback had to press forward. The injury didn't stop Morris from getting on the end of a 94th-minute goal - his fifth of the year - that clinched the Players' Shield.

Comeback City: Louisville, which back on September 28 rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Memphis 901 FC, again rebounded to secure the Indy Eleven draw. The never-say-die boys in purple have now earned 17 points this season from losing positions, ranking third in the league.

Scoring streak: The Indy draw continued a run of 13 straight games in which LouCity has netted a goal dating back to July 6. Overall, the boys in purple have hit the back of the net in 29 of 31 games, best in the league, and Dia became the 16th City player to score this season. The team's 79 goals scored are the second-most all time in league history behind 89 scored in 2019 by Phoenix Rising FC.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC defender Kyle Adams
Louisville City FC defender Kyle Adams
(Connor Cunningham)		   

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 11, 2024


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