In a Saturday afternoon showdown between the Eastern Conference’s top-two clubs, Louisville City FC claimed sole possession of first place with a 2-0 victory over Detroit City FC thanks to goals from Ray Serrano and Jansen Wilson at Lynn Family Stadium.
The in-form Serrano, for the second match running, gave the boys in purple their opener before Wilson capped off the victory with a second half strike.
Saturday’s result not only continued an unbeaten start to the season for LouCity (3-0-1, 10 points) but also vaulted Louisville over Detroit on the USL Championship table. City exited its game as one of just two Eastern Conference clubs without a loss alongside rival Indy Eleven.
“I thought the first half was where we wanted it to be,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “We put a lot of delivery in the box … created opportunities. I thought the second half was pretty poor. I didn’t think with the ball we were good enough. I thought we were turning it over way too easily. We really lost control in the second half.”
LouCity once again showed its discipline defensively, registering a second consecutive clean sheet against a team that had scored at least two goals in each of its three matches heading into the weekend. That’s in large part thanks to goalkeeper Damian Las, who recorded four saves on the afternoon.
“So far this year, I’ve definitely felt a lot more calm and more mature on the field and in my decision making,” said Las, an Austin FC loanee in his second LouCity season. “I think that shows from the past couple of games. From there, I just need to continue on working hard.”
From the opening kick, LouCity’s high press challenged Detroit’s ability to build out of the back. The approach paid off in the 20th minute when Zach Duncan made a brilliant line-breaking pass to Serrano, who punched in the opening goal. It marked the winger’s third goal in four games to open 2025.
The boys in purple continued to assert their dominance from there, nearly grabbing a second in the 37th minute when Phillip Goodrum struck the woodwork with a looping header.
While the second half was more of a grind for LouCity, organization in the back remained consistent. Louisville made the most of its one big chance over the final 45 minutes as two substitutes — Manny Perez and Wilson — combined to double the home side’s lead in the 77th minute.
Seven minutes later, the boys in purple went down to 10 men when Kevon Lambert received a red card for a tackle on Detroit’s Ryan Williams. Shorthanded City held the visitors to a single shot over the final six minutes plus stoppage time.
“I think the team has come together really well,” Serrano said. “We have the pieces that we have to win a championship — same as last year. I think this year we’re even more hungry since we lost in the playoffs. We want more. I think that hunger from the group and the togetherness has shown.”
After back-to-back wins at Lynn Family Stadium, LouCity travels next weekend for a 10 p.m. Saturday clash with Western Conference foe Sacramento Republic FC.
Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Detroit City FC
Date: March 29, 2025
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Weather: 76 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 9,004
Scoring
Louisville City FC (1, 1, 2)
Detroit City FC (0, 0, 0)
Goals
Louisville City FC:
20’ Ray Serrano (Zach Duncan)
77’ Jansen Wilson (Manny Perez)
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 1 – Damian Las; 13 – Amadou Dia, 32 – Kyle Adams (c), 5 – Arturo Ordóñez, 4 – Sean Totsch, 2 – Aiden McFadden (59’ 15 – Manny Perez), 6 – Zach Duncan (74’ 31 – Kevon Lambert), 17 – Taylor Davila (83’ 8 – Carlos Moguel Jr.), 16 – Adrien Perez (59’ 27 – Evan Davila), 7 – Ray Serrano, 9 – Phillip Goodrum (59’ 25 – Jansen Wilson)
Subs not used: 12 – Danny Faundez; 24 – Josh Jones, 80 – Hayden Stamps
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Detroit City FC: 21 – Carlos Herrera; 30 – Devon Amoo-Mensah, 5 – Stephen Carroll (c), 13 – Michael Bryant, 3 – Alex Villanueva (65’ 33 – Morey Doner), 45 – Marcello Polisi (71’ 23 – Sebastián Guenzatti), 6 – Jay Chapman (60’ 39 – Ryan Williams), 2 – Rhys Williams, 10 – Jeciel Cedeño (60’ 99 – Jordan Adebayo-Smith), 7 – Darren Smith (71’ 11 – Connor Rutz), 9 – Ben Morris
Subs not used: 16 – Tatenda Mkuruva; 4 – Shane Wiedt
Head coach: Danny Dichio
Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / Detroit City FC
Shots: 10 / 9
Shots on Goal: 5 / 4
Expected goals: 0.74 / 0.60
Possession: 41.1% / 58.9%
Fouls: 15 / 12
Offside: 3 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Discipline Summary
Louisville City FC:
41’ Phillip Goodrum (yellow)
50’ Zach Duncan (yellow)
67’ Taylor Davila (yellow)
84’ Kevon Lambert (red)
Detroit City FC:
37’ Rhys Williams (yellow)
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
