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In recent weeks, members of Louisville City FC’s locker room have likened feelings toward USL Championship Group E competition to playoff events. This matchup certainly fits the bill.

A big-game feeling surrounds the season’s third meeting between LouCity (5-3-2, 17 points) and rival Indy Eleven (6-3-1, 19 points) with kickoff at 7 p.m. Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

On a five-game unbeaten run, the boys in purple would leap into first place if they win. Meanwhile, Indy’s looking to right its form having dropped points in three of five games following an unbeaten start.

LouCity hasn’t lost in what’s known as the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest since May 5, 2018. Coincidentally, that was also Kentucky Derby day, with history getting the chance to repeat itself Saturday due to the race’s postponement to Sept. 5.

This season, the boys in purple are 1-0-1 against Indy. Those results — a 1-1 draw on Aug. 8 and 1-0 win on Aug. 26 — came at Lynn Family Stadium. After Saturday, the series concludes Sept. 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

For now, Indy and LouCity hold Group E’s pair of playoff spots with six games left to go. Saint Louis FC (4-3-3, 15 points) and Sporting KC II (4-5-1, 13 points) have made it a close race top to bottom in the pod.

Coach John Hackworth says…

“As a coach or a player, that’s what you live for is these kind of competitive moments. But it is strange because it keeps things in such a razor-thin margin of error. You don’t have any room to have a lapse and make it up. When you look at our division right now, clearly all four of us still have the opportunity to make the playoffs. Especially now getting toward the end, we don’t have any room for error.”

Key players

LouCity: Brian Ownby had knocked on the door of a goal scoring contribution all season. Last weekend against Saint Louis FC, he got it when whipping a 30th-minute cross into defender Sean Totsch for a headed goal on the road. Ownby, who has brought pace on both wings and the striker spot, ranks second on the team in shots (16) and shots on target (9). It seems only a matter of time before he puts a shot of his own in the back of the net.

Indy Eleven: Top striker Tyler Pasher missed on a few good looks the last time LouCity and the Eleven met. Helping supply the chances is Andrew Carleton, an Atlanta United loanee who has impressed on the wing. The 20-year-old, who knows Hackworth from his junior national team days, led Indy with three crosses and two key passes in that last meeting. He should be crucial to whether Pasher back in the scoring column Saturday.

Follow along

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.

On the WBKI (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Mike Watts (play by play) and Devon Kerr (color).

And for AM 790 WKRD on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Notes to know

Show of depth: It’s not just that Group E clubs are beating up on one another within the pod. In limited opportunities outside of it, clubs also including Saint Louis FC are a combined 9-4-1 with a +12 goal differential. That record includes a pair of Indy Eleven victories over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which leads Group F. To open the playoffs, Group E’s No. 1 seed will host Group F’s No. 2 and vice versa.

Diversified scoring: LouCity played six games this season before a player other than forward Cameron Lancaster or midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams scored a goal. New threats revealed themselves during August as midfielders Napo Matsoso, Corben Bone and Paolo DelPiccolo found the back of the net before defender Sean Totsch registered his first goal on a header Saturday at Saint Louis FC.

Shutout spree: Along with the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Evan Louro and El Paso Locomotive’s Logan Ketterer, LouCity goalkeeper Ben Lundt is tied atop the league with four clean sheets this season. That’s a credit to his club’s defense as a whole, as Lundt has been called upon to make 17 saves, ranking 26th of 33. Lundt’s contributions, however, are multifaceted. Hackworth has referred to the FC Cincinnati loanee as LouCity’s “first attacker” on a side that starts its offense at the back rather than lobbing long balls from its own box.

Stat stuffer: LouCity’s unbeaten run has coincided with a new role for Napo Matsoso, who shifted from the central midfield to right wing to rave reviews. The University of Kentucky product racked up two goals and just as many assists in August. Squad rotation left him out of the lineup on a short turnaround at Saint Louis FC, but Matsoso entered as a 69th-minute sub and figures to be back in the starting 11 Saturday.

Hitting the road: The USL Board of Governors allowed unbalanced scheduling at the USL’s restart, and by nature of LouCity’s plan to host fans at Lynn Family Stadium, the club wound up opening the new facility with eight straight home games. Saturday’s Indy Eleven matchup marks the only time the boys in purple play consecutive away games with Lucas Oil Stadium a unique challenge given the pitch will be lined with the Indianapolis Colts’ setup as well.

JoGo’s a regular: Youth international Jonathan Gomez, who turned 17 earlier this week, did so after making his third start and seventh appearance against Saint Louis FC. Last weekend, Gomez led LouCity with two key passes, four tackles and 19 passes in the opponent’s half of the field. Here on a professional contract, he arrived in Louisville after earning caps with the U.S. (U-16, U-17) and Mexico (U-17) national teams.

Louisville City FC has promoted from within to fill a pair of key positions on its first team and youth academy staffs.

Following the appointment of Danny Cruz as head coach, former LouCity academy director Simon Bird — who had been serving as Cruz’s top assistant on an interim basis — will take on the role full time moving forward.

Bird’s move up made way for club legend Luke Spencer to advance into the role of LouCity academy director less than a year after retiring after a decorated career on the pitch.

“Simon’s been extremely important to what we’re doing here since day one,” Cruz said. “I have full trust and faith in him. He’s done an excellent job with his roles and responsibilities. He connects well with the players. He’s an important part of the culture, and we’re excited to have him on staff.

“As for Luke,” Cruz added, “he and I still have a really close relationship. We’re constantly talking about the players who have the ability to come up from the academy, and that integration is really important. I’m proud of how this club believes in promoting its own, and I look forward to working more with him.”

A native of England, Bird starred collegiately from 2001-2004 at the University of Louisville, where he was named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2003. He went on to a six-year pro career abroad before returning to the United States to serve on the Cardinals’ staff from 2009-2012.

Bird became a fixture on the local soccer scene in recent years, working as the Oldham Soccer Club’s director of coaching and Kentucky Fire Juniors boys director before gravitating to LouCity’s academy for its launch.

Bird, who holds an A License from the U.S. Soccer Federation, will serve under Cruz alongside goalkeepers coach Scott Budnick.

“I really enjoyed my time helping build the academy from scratch,” Bird said. “Now I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with this group of guys. I have always had ambitions and dreams of coaching professionally. I’ve bounced around a bit, and those experiences have really helped build me as a coach.”

Spencer spent four years in purple, joining LouCity in 2017 as it won back-to-back USL Championship titles, scoring the lone goal in the 2018 final win. He numbered 28 goals and 11 assists overall in 104 club appearances.

Coaching always seemed inevitable for Spencer, who served as an assistant for alma mater Xavier University while healing up from a knee injury. He also helped run LouCity’s first team alongside teammates Paolo DelPiccolo and George Davis IV during a 2018 coaching transition.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the trust that this club continues to have in me,” Spencer said. “It’s a privilege to be able to lead and develop the coaches and players within our academy. While I will always miss competing with the LouCity first team, it’s been an enjoyable transition due to the special people in our organization. I’m looking forward to building on what has been an exciting and successful first year for our academy.”

A corresponding search for a new assistant LouCity academy director will begin immediately.

“As a club, we always want to provide a growth pathway for all of our members, and that includes our players and our staff,” said Mario Sanchez, who oversees both the LouCity and Racing Louisville FC academies. “We are excited for the new opportunities for Simon and Luke. Simon has played a huge part in the success of the boys academy, and now he gets the opportunity to continue his career with our first team.”

“We are very fortunate to have Luke become our boys academy director. Luke, who is LouCity through and through, has quickly proven himself to be a great leader both on and off the field. With Luke stepping into this role, we will not lose a beat and we will continue to provide our academy players a great experience and a pathway to our LouCity first team.” 

Louisville City FC has work to do when it comes to winning the USL Championship’s Central Division.

Memphis 901 FC scored a pair of unanswered goals Wednesday night to upset the boys in purple 2-1 at AutoZone Park while elsewhere around the league, a 3-1 victory by Birmingham Legion FC over the Austin Bold led to a change atop the table.

Birmingham’s 56 points are now one more than LouCity’s 55 as the pair contend for the division’s top playoff seed with three regular season games to go.

“The reality is that the loss tonight doesn’t change what we’ve done this season — doesn’t change the runs we’ve been on or the wins we’ve had,” said LouCity head coach Danny Cruz. “But we do need to continue to improve. I’ve said it over and over again to the group, but we cannot take any moment for granted. I felt tonight at times we looked a bit lethargic — a bit heavy-legged — and conceded two goals we shouldn’t concede.”

Paolo DelPiccolo opened scoring for City for the third straight game, flicking in a shrewd grounded corner by Oscar Jimenez in just the 12th minute. That made a career-high nine on the season for DelPiccolo, a central midfielder most of his career taking on a more advanced attacking role as of late.

But whereas the boys in purple went on to win their two prior fixtures sparked by DelPiccolo, the script deviated Wednesday.

901 FC equalized just before the half on a Michael Salazar header. The hosts later took the lead in the 78th minute on a fine team goal. Working outside to in, Memphis saw Mark Segbers slot a shot past LouCity Chris Hubbard that wound up the game winner.

“We spoke the last few days about being tuned in from the 35th minute to the 45th minute, so that’s unacceptable,” Cruz said. “I felt a few guys fell asleep in the moment, and that’s certainly an issue we need to solve. Ultimately, it’s not good enough. I take full responsibility for us.”

LouCity fell after Cruz — announced earlier this week as the club’s permanent head coach — elected to make five lineup changes given a pair of short turnarounds. This final midweek game of the season followed four days after a dramatic Saturday victory over Sporting KC II and precedes a trip to play rival Indy Eleven this weekend.

Among the new starters, forward Abdou Thiam played 70 minutes, his longest shift since 2019 after missing most of this season due to injury. Thiam had a golden chance in the 66th minute, but he couldn’t manage to get on the end of a Cameron Lancaster cross when left unmarked in the Memphis box.

Qualify opportunities were rare elsewhere for LouCity, which landed only a pair of shots on target despite firing 10 times from inside Memphis’ penalty area.

“Tonight, their chances and their goals came from us not making plays in critical moments,” said defender Sean Totsch, “whether it’s staying with our runner or marking in the box. We’ve done a lot better recently, but tonight we didn’t do good enough there.”

All, of course, is not lost for LouCity, which sits at 16-5-8 on the year, had gone seven games unbeaten into Wednesday and has already clinched a home opener for the playoff the first weekend of November.

The club will look to right itself with a 7 p.m. Saturday kickoff in Indianapolis. The Indy Eleven game will air on WBKI/The CW, ESPN 680/105.7 and via ESPN+ streaming.

“We all know this wasn’t good enough collectively,” Totsch said. “The group didn’t have our best performance tonight. The thing is, with short turnarounds we have the chance to right a wrong.”

Game Summary: Memphis 901 FC vs. Louisville City FC

Date: Oct. 13, 2021

Venue: AutoZone Park

Kickoff: 8 p.m.

Man of the Match: Paolo DelPiccolo

Scoring

Memphis 901 FC (1, 1, 2)

Louisville City FC (1, 0, 0)

Goals

Memphis 901 FC:

45’ Michael Salazar (Alan Winn)

78’ Mark Segbers (Andre Fortune)

Louisville City FC:

12’ Paolo DelPiccolo (Oscar Jimenez)

Lineups

Memphis 901 FC: 22 — Cody Cropper, 33 — Skylar Thomas, 50 — Niall Logue, 2 — Mark Segbers, 5 — Brecc Evans, 19 — Andre Fortune (88’ 3 — Zach Carroll), 18 — Dominic Odur (74’ 23 — Leston Paul ), 77 — Alan Winn (74’ 16 — Rashawn Dally), 30 — Laurent Kissiedou, 10 — Kadeem Dacres (68’ 20 — Roland Lamah), 11 — Michael Salazar (73’ 9 — Kyle Murphy)

Subs not used: 88 — John Talley, 28 — Brady Scott

Louisville City FC: 1 — Chris Hubbard, 19 — Oscar Jimenez (71’ 20 — Jimmy McLaughlin), 4 — Sean Totsch, 6 — Wes Charpie (60’ 3 — Alexis Souahy), 66 — Josh Wynder (83’ 15 — Pat McMahon), 8 — Akil Watts, 7 — Napo Matsoso, 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo (60’ 9 — Jorge Gonzalez), 17 — Cameron Lancaster, 14 — Abdou Thiam (71’ 29 — Antoine Hoppenot), 11 — Niall McCabe

Subs not used: 24 — Parker Siegfried, 22 — George Davis, IV

Stats Summary: Memphis 901 FC / Louisville City FC

Shots: 12 / 14

Shots on Goal: 5 / 2

Possession: 48.8% / 51.2%

Corner Kicks: 5 / 4

Fouls: 18 / 12

Offside: 2 / 1

Discipline

Memphis 901 FC: 25’ Dominic Oduro

Louisville City FC: 30’ Wes Charpie (yellow)

Louisville City FC: 35’ Josh Wynder (yellow)

Memphis 901 FC: 57’ Laurent Kissiedou (yellow)

Memphis 901 FC: 61’ Andre Fortune (yellow)

Referee: Jonathan Bilinski

The heat has broken locally, and the arrival of sweater weather served as a reminder this week around the Louisville City FC training pitch: It’s almost playoff time.

A scenario also exists for the boys in purple to clinch their postseason USL Championship spot pending the next round results, with the magic number now only four points.

A LouCity win at Memphis 901 FC — the game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday at AutoZone Park — would account for three of those points. The other could be realized should OKC Energy FC and Indy Eleven play to a draw in their 6 p.m. ET Sunday matchup.

With the USL Championship split into divisions this season, the top-four from the Atlantic, Central, Mountain and Pacific wild qualify for the playoffs. According to FiveThirtyEight.com’s predictions, LouCity has a greater than 99% chance of making the postseason — and then it’s a matter of seeing how high the boys in purple finish.

At 14-5-5, LouCity has accumulated 47 points to sit a full game up atop the Central Division. Memphis is 8-8-7, on 31 points and a victory of its own away from moving into a playoff spot.

Finishing order within divisions will determine seeds, with the better seed hosting opening-round playoff games. Beyond that, higher point totals will determine home sides in playoff games, further motivation for LouCity to finish strong in its final eight games.

Here’s more of what to watch for on Saturday night…

Head coach Danny Cruz says…

“I’ve said it before that goal is to make sure that we’re continuing to progress every week and that we’re able to host as many (playoff) games as we can. But, we still have a task at hand. We continue to week i and week out. If we keep doing the things that we’ve been doing and progressing in the ways that we have been, I’m confident we’ll put ourselves in a position to host.”

Follow along…

• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Live stats can be found at www.loucity.com/match-center.

• On the WBKI-TV (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Spencer Siegel (play-by-play) and Thomas Rongen (color). 

• And for ESPN 680/105.7 on the radio: Jeff Greer and Casey Whitfield.

Notes to know

Away days: LouCity at Memphis marks the fourth of five straight road games for the boys in purple to finish out September before a highly anticipated arrival home to Lynn Family Stadium, where on Oct. 3 LouCity hosts New Mexico United. The 3 p.m. kickoff between clubs that rank first and second in the USL Championship in attendance will be broadcast on ESPN2. LouCity averages 9,953 a game with New Mexico at 8,337.

About the offense: LouCity has been known to put one, two or more goals in the back of the net per game — and that’s reflective of what they deserve. The boys in purple sit second in the league in expected goals for at 1.91 per game. The prolific Phoenix Rising FC leads the USL Championship at 2.42 xGA per game. LouCity’s 47 goals on the season are also third behind Phoenix (56) and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (52).

And the defense: While LouCity’s high-pressing scheme has produced just six clean sheets, it’s fair to consider the club unlucky in that respect. The boys in purple rank second in the league in expected goals against — 0.93 per game — a number only one-hundredth off 0.92 for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who are on a run of eight straight shutouts. LouCity boasts a +20 goal differential, best in its division.

Season series: LouCity’s first trip of the season to AutoZone Park arrives more than three months after the boys in purple put up a 3-0 victory during Lynn Family Stadium’s “Grand Opening” celebration. That victory kickstarted a midseason run of 13 games unbeaten in 14 that elevated LouCity atop the Central Division table. Games remain between Memphis and Louisville on Oct. 13 and Oct. 23.

Hoppenot’s heroics: With the Indy Eleven shifting home games this year back to Carroll Stadium, site of Antoine Hoppenot’s 2019 Eastern Conference Final stoppage-time equalizer, the forward was influential in another meeting between the rivals last weekend. Hoppenot both fired home a 41st-minute goal and assisted on Cameron Lancaster’s scoring 69th-minute header in a 2-0 victory.

Counting on Cam: Back in the starting lineup after a game away, Lancaster made his acrobatic flick to the back post his 13th goal of the season and 64th in his regular season USL Championship career. That figure ranks him as the league’s No. 5 scorer all time, four off former LouCity striker Chandler Hoffman’s 68 goals.

Defensive shutdown: While Hoppenot and Lancaster shined in the final third, at the other end of the formation LouCity’s back line put forth one of its best efforts this season against Indy. The Eleven attempted five shots. While two landed on target, they were saved by goalkeeper Chris Hubbard. Only one attempt was made from inside LouCity’s box.

Gibson’s good form: Indy Eleven’s leader last season in minutes played now wears purple, and Tyler Gibson made the most of his time on the pitch Saturday versus his former club. The midfielder tallied a team-high 22 passes in the opposition’s half, won possession back six times and prevailed in three duels. Gibson has played a key role since his offseason signing with LouCity, tasked with filling the void of all-league midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams.

Stat stuffers: As he has all season, Sean Totsch ranks atop the entire USL Championship in passes made with 1,587 – 200 more than second place on the list. Outside back Jonathan Gomez shares the top spot for crosses made at 136 with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Kendardo Forbes, while midfielder Brian Ownby’s in a three-way tie for second in the assists race at eight on the year.

Injury report

• Wes Charpie (out)
• Pat McMahon (questionable)

Milestones to watch

• Paolo DelPiccolo is two game away from 150 appearances in purple. 

Louisville City FC and Danny Cruz have agreed to a new multi-year contract establishing Cruz as the club’s permanent head coach.

On interim duty since late April, the 31-year-old has the boys in purple sitting atop the USL Championship’s Central Division standings at 16-5-7 on the season. Four games remain before a playoff push with Cruz’s goal squarely on adding to LouCity’s 2017 and 2018 league titles.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be the head coach at Louisville City FC,” Cruz said. “I am fortunate that I am able to work with an incredible group of men in that locker room every day. They are the biggest reason this is possible, and I am grateful for that.

“I want to thank John Neace, Chris Harding and the entire board for putting their trust in me to lead this group. Brad (Estes) and James (O’Connor) have done nothing but support me this season, and I am thankful for the work that they do on a daily basis as well.

“While this is a special day, my focus has been and will continue to be on one thing — and that is bringing another championship to Louisville. I understand the expectations at a club of this stature and won’t ever take that for granted.

“Lastly, I want to thank my wife, Brittany, and my son, Santiago. Their love and support is what continues to drive me to want to be the best that I can every day.”

Under Cruz’s leadership, LouCity has fielded one of the USL Championship’s most potent attacks, tied for second in the 32-team league in scoring with 56 goals this season. The boys in purple have also sported a potent defense, with its expected goals against of 0.95 per game, best in the USL Championship.

As a result, LouCity holds +23 goal differential and has established its home Lynn Family Stadium as a fortress, losing there just once in 11 games since capacity moved to 100% in mid-June.

“We have been delighted with how Danny has handled the team since taking on the interim position,” said O’Connor, the club’s executive vice president of development. “On a personal level I have also really enjoyed working with him. Danny is developing into one of the brightest young coaches in the country, and we are thrilled to have secured his position here.”

From Petersburg, Va., Cruz attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, before launching a nine-year professional career, the bulk of it played at the Major League Soccer level.

Cruz finished playing for the USL Championship’s Real Monarchs SLC in 2017 and in 2018 shifted to the club’s coaching staff. Later that same year, he moved to Louisville as the top assistant to head coach John Hackworth and took over the interim role following Hackworth’s departure earlier this year.

LouCity has continued to play its traditional fast-paced, high-pressing style with Cruz in charge, navigating most of an injury-riddled season in first place.

“For me personally I am absolutely thrilled for Danny,” said LouCity midfielder and team captain Paolo DelPiccolo. “He is the hardest working person I’ve ever seen in my life. He understands the game and the players so well. I don’t think anyone is surprised that he was given the job because of the work we see him put in every single day. There is no question he fits the Louisville City culture, and I know the players are excited to play for him.”