2023 Louisville City FC season
The 2023 Louisville City FC season is the club's ninth season of competition. Louisville City competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.
| 2023 season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | John Neace |
| Manager | Danny Cruz |
| Stadium | Lynn Family Stadium |
| USL | Eastern Conf.: TBD |
| 2023 U.S. Open Cup | Third Round |
| USL Playoffs | TBD |
| Top goalscorer | League: Harris (2 goals) All: Totsch (3 goals) |
| Highest home attendance | 11,589 (4-15 vs. SAN) |
| Lowest home attendance | 9,548 (4-8 vs. DET) |
| Average home league attendance | 10,824 |
| Biggest win | 1–3 (3-11 at OCO) 3–1 (5-13 vs. MIA) |
| Biggest defeat | 0–5 (4-1 vs. SAC) |
Background
The previous season was first season to since 2019 not to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was full 34 match regular that did away with divisions. Instead opting for a single table for each conference. It was also the first season since 2019 in which the U.S. Open Cup was held.
The team won the Eastern Conference in the penultimate match of the season against Detroit City FC. Finishing the year with a club record 72 points and earning a bye into the Conference Semi-finals.[1] They advanced to the USL Championship match by defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Conference Finals. Avenging Conference Finals losses to Tampa Bay in the previous two seasons.[2] Losing the USL Championship match to San Antonio FC.[3] In the U.S. Open Cup the team reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 2018. Losing at home to MLS side Nashville SC.[4]
Kyle Morton and Elijah Wynder became the first Louisville City players to earn the league's Golden Glove[5] and Comeback Player of the Year[6] awards respectively. While Kyle Morton and Sean Totsch were both selected for all league teams.[7]
Summary
March and April
Louisville City opened the USL season with back to back matches in California. Defeating Orange County[8] and Monterey Bay[9] 1–3 and 0–1 on March 11 and 18 respectively. With Niall McCabe scoring the opening goal of the season. On March 25 they played their home opener against El Paso. A match they would lose 0–3 in front of record crowd for a opening match. This was also only the third multi-goal loss at Lynn Family Stadium.[10] They returned to California for their next match; this time against Sacramento. They would lose this match 5-0 which was the worst league loss in club history.[11] After giving up 8 goals over 2 matches reigning USL golden glove winner Kyle Morton was effectively replaced as first choice goal keeper by rookie Oliver Semmle.[12] Semmle would go on to post four consecutive clean sheets before giving up his first league goal in the 52nd minute against Memphis.[13]
This would be the start of a streak of four matches unbeaten. Beginning with a pair of 1–0 victories over Detroit[14] and San Antonio in a rematch of the previous season's USL Final.[15] Followed up by draws against Charleston[16] and Memphis.[13] During this opening stretch of the campaign goals were well distributed amongst team. Six different players scored across the first 8 league games. With only Harris scoring a second goal[15] giving Louisville City a total of 7 goals over that time frame. This gave Louisville an average of 0.875 goals per game. The lowest such rate to begin a season in club history.
Current squad
- As of May 3, 2023[17]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Kyle Morton | |
| 3 | DF | Amadou Dia | |
| 4 | DF | Sean Totsch | |
| 5 | MF | Rasmus Thellufsen | |
| 6 | DF | Wesley Charpie | |
| 8 | MF | Carlos Jr. Moguel | |
| 9 | FW | Jorge González | |
| 10 | FW | Brian Ownby | |
| 11 | MF | Niall McCabe | |
| 12 | MF | Tyler Gibson | |
| 14 | FW | Wilson Harris | |
| 15 | DF | Manny Perez | |
| 17 | FW | Cameron Lancaster | |
| 18 | GK | Danny Faundez | |
| 19 | DF | Oscar Jimenez | |
| 21 | FW | Ray Serrano | |
| 22 | MF | Dylan Mares | |
| 23 | MF | Elijah Wynder | |
| 28 | GK | Oliver Semmle | |
| 30 | DF | Jordan Scarlett | |
| 36 | MF | Paolo DelPiccolo | |
| 51 | DF | Ramzi Qawasmy | |
| 66 | DF | Joshua Wynder | |
| 67 | MF | Owen Damm | |
| 70 | FW | Maarten Pouwels | |
| 70 | FW | Isaac Cano ([A]) | |
| 71 | FW | Colin Elder ([A]) | |
| 72 | DF | Travis Smith ([A]) | |
| 77 | FW | Enoch Mushagalusa |
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Out on loan
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | DF | Sebastian Sanchez (on loan to Union Omaha) |
Competitions
Preseason friendlies
| 30 January | Nashville SC | 0–0 | Louisville City | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Report | Stadium: Geodis Park |
| 4 February | Sporting Kansas City | 2–2 | Louisville City | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Walter |
Report | Gonzalez Harris |
Stadium: GCU Stadium |
| 6 February | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 0–3 | Louisville City | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Report | Ownby Damm Thellufsen |
Stadium: Kino Sports Complex Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) | ||
| Note: Part of FC Tucson’s Desert Showcase[18] | ||||
| 6 February | New Mexico United | 2–2 | Louisville City | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Hamilton Wehan |
Report | Harris Ownby |
Stadium: Kino Sports Complex Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) | |
| Note: Part of FC Tucson’s Desert Showcase[18] | ||||
| 11 February | Austin FC | 3–1 | Louisville City | Austin, TX |
| Zardes Driussi Fagúndez |
Report | Wynder |
Stadium: St. David’s Performance Center |
| 18 February | Seattle Sounders FC | 2–1 | Louisville City | Tukwila, Washington |
| Héber Roldan |
Report | Mares |
Stadium: Starfire Sports Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) |
| 25 February | Louisville City | 2–2 | One Knoxville SC | Louisville, KY |
| Harris Mushagalusa |
Report | Vowinkel Waldeck |
Stadium: Thurman-Hutchins Park |
| 4 March | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–0 | Louisville City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Report | Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
USL Championship
Standings — Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston Battery | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 18 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Louisville City FC | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 17 | |
| 3 | Birmingham Legion FC | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 16 | |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 14 | |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 14 | |
| 6 | Memphis 901 FC | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 12 | |
| 7 | Miami FC | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 11 | |
| 8 | Loudoun United FC | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 10 | |
| 9 | Indy Eleven | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 9 | |
| 10 | FC Tulsa | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 9 | |
| 11 | Hartford Athletic | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 20 | −8 | 5 | |
| 12 | Detroit City FC | 10 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 5 |
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 |
Last updated: May 14, 2023.
Source: Match reports
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
All times in regular season on Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00) unless otherwise noted
Match results
| 11 March 1 | Orange County SC | 1–3 | Louisville City | Irvine, California |
| 10:00 PM EST | Richards Iloski Partida |
Report | McCabe Lancaster Totsch Mushagalusa |
Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 4,267 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva Assistant referees: Seth Martin Matthew Schwartz Fourth official: Adrian Gonzalez |
| 18 March 2 | Monterey Bay FC | 0–1 | Louisville City | Seaside, California |
| 10:00 PM | Boone Dixon Murphy |
Report | Perez Ownby Del Piccolo |
Stadium: Cardinale Stadium Attendance: 3,019 Referee: Elton Garcia Assistant referees: Christian Clerc Bennett Savage Fourth official: Alexis Da Silva |
| 25 March 3 | Louisville City | 0–3 | El Paso Locomotive FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 3:00 PM | Moguel Gibson |
Report | Rose Navarro Zacarías Solignac Petrović |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 10,881 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Rhett Hammil Fourth official: Christopher Slane |
| 1 April 4 | Sacramento Republic FC | 5–0 | Louisville City | Sacramento, California |
| 10:00 PM | Felipe Gurr Cicerone Viader Vitiello Keko |
Report | Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 10,881 Referee: Ricardo Fierro Assistant referees: Bhavik Dutt Peter Hanson Fourth official: Adrian Gonzalez |
| 8 April 5 | Louisville City | 1–0 | Detroit City FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 3:00 PM | Wilson Harris |
Report | Rodriguez |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,548 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk Assistant referees: Tom Felice Brian Marshall Fourth official: Jervis Atagana |
| 15 April 6 | Louisville City | 1–0 | San Antonio FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 PM | Wilson Harris Lancaster Jimenez Wynder |
Report | Parano Bailey Gomez Batista Alen Marcina |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 11,589 Referee: Malik Badawi Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Nicholas Balcer Fourth official: Kevin Fikar |
| 22 April 7 | Charleston Battery | 0–0 | Louisville City | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | Williams Allan Dodson Trager |
Report | Thellufsen Moguel |
Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Referee: Calin Radosav Assistant referees: Jeffrey Skinker Marcus Moss Fourth official: John Rush |
| Note: Kick off was delayed to 8:06 PM due to weather.[19] | ||||
| 29 April 8 | Memphis 901 FC | 1–1 | Louisville City | Memphis, Tennessee |
| 8:00 PM | Fernando |
Report | Totsch |
Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,644 Referee: Matt Thompson Assistant referees: Nick Goyette Michael Mysiewicz Fourth official: Albert Kyei-Mensah |
| 13 May 9 | Louisville City | 3–1 | Miami FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:00 PM | Mares Cruz Jimenez Ownby Totsch |
Report | Murphy Chapman-Page Akinyode |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 11,279 Referee: Elijio Arreguin Assistant referees: Ethan Buege Jackson Krauser Fourth official: Patricia McCracken |
| 24 May 10 | Louisville City | v | FC Tulsa | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 27 May 11 | Indy Eleven | v | Louisville City | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 7:00 PM | Stadium: Carroll Stadium |
| 3 June 12 | Hartford Athletic | v | Louisville City | Hartford, Connecticut |
| 7:00 PM | Stadium: Trinity Health Stadium |
| 10 June 13 | Louisville City | v | Memphis 901 FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 3 June 14 | Phoenix Rising FC | v | Louisville City | Phoenix, Arizona |
| 9:30 PM | Stadium: Sky Harbor Stadium |
| 24 June 15 | Louisville City | v | Las Vegas Lights FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 1 July 16 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | v | Louisville City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 7:00 PM | Stadium: Highmark Stadium |
| 8 July 17 | Louisville City | v | Loudoun United FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 12 July 18 | Louisville City | v | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 19 July 19 | Detroit City FC | v | Louisville City | Detriot, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM | Stadium: Keyworth Stadium |
| 22 July 20 | Louisville City | v | Birmingham Legion FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 29 July 21 | Louisville City | v | Indy Eleven | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 4 August 22 | FC Tulsa | v | Louisville City | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 9:00 PM | Stadium: ONEOK Field |
| 9 August 23 | Louisville City | v | Charleston Battery | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 12 August 24 | Louisville City | v | Rio Grande Valley FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
| 4 August 25 | Birmingham Legion FC | v | Louisville City | Birmingham, Alabama |
| 7:30 PM | Stadium: Legion Field |
| 26 August 26 | Louisville City | v | Oakland Roots SC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 PM | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium |
U.S. Open Cup
As a member of the USL Championship, Louisville City entered the tournament in the Second Round, with their Cup opener played on April 5, 2023. They opened the competition against Lexington SC. The first competitive match against follow club from the state of Kentucky.[20] Following their second round win they advanced to play MLS side FC Cincinnati. The first River Cities Cup derby since the 2019.[21] A match they lost 1–0.[22]
| April 5 2nd | Louisville City | 1–0 | | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:00 PM | Totsch DelPiccolo |
Report | Dlamini Mohammed James Robertson |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 4,205 Referee: Nabil Bensalah Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Jackson Krauser Fourth official: Kevin Kernen |
| April 26 3rd | FC Cincinnati | 1–0 | | Cincinnati, OH |
| 7:00 PM | Jimenez Ordóñez |
Report | Stadium: TQL Stadium Attendance: 10,062 Referee: Calin Radosav Assistant referees: Michael Nickerson Zach Mcwhorter Fourth official: Luke Sobota |
Player statistics
Goals
| Place | Pos. | No. | Name | USL | USOC | USL Playoffs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DF | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 2 | FW | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 | MF | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | MF | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | FW | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | FW | 77 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | MF | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |||
Assists
| Place | Pos. | No. | Name | USL | USOC | USL Playoffs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DF | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1 | MF | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | MF | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | FW | 77 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | FW | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | MF | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | FW | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |||
Clean sheets
| Place | Pos. | No. | Name | USL | USOC | USL Playoffs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
Disciplinary
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | U.S. Open Cup | USL Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | MF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | FW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 19 | DF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 36 | MF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 4 | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 12 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 23 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 22 | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | ||
References
- Holton, Brooks (October 28, 2022). "5 things to know as Louisville City FC begins USL Championship Playoffs". www.courier-journal.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- "Saturday's highlights: LouCity 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 0". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City FC. November 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- Holton, Brooks (November 14, 2022). "Louisville City FC's season ends with 3-1 loss to San Antonio FC in USL Championship Final". www.courier-journal.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- Wright, Ben (May 25, 2022). "Recap: Nashville SC beat Louisville City late to advance in US Open Cup". broadwaysportsmedia.com. Broadway Sports Media. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- "Orange County SC's Milan Iloski wins 2022 USL Championship Golden Boot". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL Championship. October 16, 2022. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Louisville City FC's Elijah Wynder voted USL Championship Comeback Player of the Year presented by Shift4". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL. December 6, 2022. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- "USL Championship Announces 2022 All-League Teams". www.uslchampionship.com. Tampa, FL: USL. November 1, 2022. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- Crawford, Eric (March 12, 2023). "Experience pays in LouCity's 3-1 season-opening win at Orange County". www.wdrb.com. Louisville, KY: WDRB. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- Crawford, Eric (March 19, 2023). "LouCity goes a man down, still shuts down Monterey Bay 1-0". www.wdrb.com. Louisville, KY: WDRB. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- Kennedy, Brandon (March 25, 2023). "Louisville City FC falls to El Paso in home opener". www.wlky.com. Louisville, KY: WLKY. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- "LouCity shut out against Sacramento, second straight loss". www.wdrb.com. Louisville, KY: WDRB. April 2, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- McDonald, William (April 13, 2023). "Rookie Keeper Proving His Worth for Louisville City FC". lastwordonsports.com. LWOS. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- "LouCity extends unbeaten streak with draw at Memphis 901 FC". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City FC. April 29, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- Murray, Nicholas (April 8, 2023). "Three Things we took away from Louisville City's victory against Detroit City". uslchampionship.com. USL. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- Bennefield Jr, Sye (April 16, 2023). "San Antonio FC's unbeaten streak comes to an end in 1-0 loss to Louisville". Sports. www.mysanantonio.com. San Antonio, TX: My San Antonio. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- "LouCity, Charleston Battery held scoreless in table-topping draw". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City, FC. April 22, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- "Roster". loucity.com. Louisville City FC. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- Barr, Jason (January 12, 2023). "FC Tucson to host 2023 Desert Showcase at Kino Stadium". www.kgun9.com. Tucson, AZ: KGUN 9. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- Charleston Battery [@Chas_Battery] (April 22, 2023). "#CHSvLOU Update" (Tweet). Charleston, SC. Retrieved April 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Date, time set for LouCity's Open Cup clash with Lexington SC". www.loucity.com. Louisville, KY: Louisville City FC. February 24, 2023. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- "FC Cincinnati to host Louisville City FC in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round". www.fccincinnati.com. Cincinnati, OH: FC Cincinnati. April 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- Keel, Fletcher (April 27, 2023). "FC Cincinnati down Louisville City, 1-0, in third round of U.S. Open Cup". www.wlwt.com. Cincinnati, OH: WLWT 5. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.