A budding rivalry will renew Wednesday when Louisville City FC hosts Detroit City FC for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium.
Both clubs boast solid fan support and find themselves near the top of the Eastern Conference table — LouCity in second and Detroit City fifth. A victory for either side could see a main contender emerge to catch the first-place Charleston Battery.
Louisville (7-1-2, 23 points) enters on a short turnaround from a 0-0 weekend draw at Rhode Island FC, where the boys in purple failed to score in a game for the first time this season but also kept their sixth clean sheet in 10 games. City’s riding a five-game unbeaten streak, its longest so far of the season.
Whereas LouCity has gotten its results behind a flashy offense, already numbering 28 goals, Detroit (5-1-2, 17 points) is a scrappier bunch. Wednesday’s visitors show only 11 goals for on the year but also only 7 against, fewest in the league. Detroit was idle over the weekend after getting knocked out of the Open Cup in the Round of 16 last Wednesday.
Charleston sits on 27 points but has played two more games than LouCity and four more than Detroit.
Tickets and promotions
Tickets are on sale via SeatGeek or by calling (502) LOU-CITY. The club’s $2 pregame happy hour opens at 6 p.m. and will feature hot dogs in addition to the regular beer, Pepsi products and water. Visit LouCity.com/promotions for special happenings throughout the 2024 season.
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
Kyle Adams (questionable)
Brian Ownby (out)
Adrien Perez (questionable)
Story lines…
Series history: LouCity has controlled the series since Detroit entered the USL Championship two seasons ago, winning the first three league meetings and prevailing in a penalty kick shootout in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup. Detroit got one back on the boys in purple last July, but City turned the tables with a dominant 4-0 victory to open the 2023 playoffs.
New gaffer: Detroit is thriving under coach Danny Dichio, a former assistant at Western Conference power Sacramento Republic FC. Dichio succeeded Trevor James, who led Detroit for five seasons, including its transition to the USL Championship. James remains on staff as the club’s sporting director.
Home form: LouCity is a perfect 5-0 in league play this season at Lynn Family Stadium, where the boys in purple have played to average crowds of more than 10,000 and out-scored opponents by 18 goals. Improvement here was a point of emphasis for City after posting an uncharacteristic home record of 8-6-3 in 2023.
Held scoreless: It happened to LouCity for the first time this season over the weekend. The boys in purple entered the draw at Rhode Island having scored 28 goals in nine games, matching 2020’s Phoenix Rising FC for the highest-scoring start to a year. A compact Beirne Stadium field played a part as RIFC played its third scoreless home draw of the year.
Lockdown defense: While LouCity didn’t score at Rhode Island, City didn’t concede so much as a shot on target to the hosts despite 65 final third entries and 24 touches in the box. It marked the second time already this season an opponent didn’t put a chance on frame following a 6-0 drubbing of Hartford Athletic back on April 27.
Squeaky clean: Damian Las didn’t need to make a save against Rhode Island to keep LouCity’s sixth clean sheet of the season, tied for the league lead. The total includes five shutouts for Las and one for teammate Danny Faundez. City’s nine goals conceded are two off the league’s best number held by Detroit; which has played two fewer games.
Ray’s rebound: A season after going without a goal, 22-year-old Ray Serrano has emerged as a key contributor for LouCity, numbering 5 goals and 3 assists as a regular starter. While Serrano didn’t break through for another goal at Rhode Island, he remained dangerous by trying 6 crosses, 3 shots and winning possession twice in the opponent’s final third.
Davila’s delivery: LouCity newcomer Taylor Davila remains in top form a season after making the All-League First Team for his former club, Rio Grande Valley FC. Davila’s 27 chances created are tied for third in the USL Championship after he registered a game-high 4 more of them at Rhode Island. The 23-year-old midfielder has also scored 3 goals.
