Head Of The Table - A Review Of Louisville City’s 2025 Season – Part 6

With international friendlies and the Jägermeister Cup in the rear-view mirror, the regular season takes front and center. With the number of games beginning to dwindle, success in each match becomes more and more critical. As of the last review, Louisville City and the Charleston Battery were nearly even on all measures. LouCity owned the tiebreaker (by way of the win against the Battery at the beginning of the season), but that thin margin leaves neither party sitting comfortably. What perfect timing for these two USL titans to square off heading into the latter stages of the regular season.

• 08/09 – LOUvCHS (#FillTheFam) – 4-1 WIN

• 08/16 – MIAvLOU – 4-2 WIN

• 08/23 – LOUvNM – 0-0 DRAW

• 08/30 – INDvLOU (LIPAFC) – 3-1 WIN

• 09/09 – RIvLOU – 1-0 WIN

• 09/13 – PITvLOU – 2-0 WIN

• 09/20 – LOUvLV – 3-1 WIN

Photo Credit: Ben Johnson

The Fill The Fam match against Charleston ended up being shockingly lopsided. Both teams opted to forgo a slow, conservative start and immediately laid on the gas with aggressive box-to-box play. Damian Las made a big save early in the match, and it was quickly followed by a Phillip Goodrum goal. LouCity never looked back after that. By halftime, the boys in purple had put a whopping four balls in the Battery’s net. The visitors would scrape one back in the second half, but the match was already essentially over. Brian Ownby made his first league appearance since 2023 in the final minutes, putting a bow on a perfect night for Louisville City fans. After that win, LOU was in control of their own destiny. Keep the lead over Charleston, and the Players’ Shield would be theirs.

Photo Credit: Connor Cunningham

LouCity would go on to beat a less-bad-than-normal Miami team. Scoring four for a third straight match was nice, but conceding two to one of the league’s least potent offenses wasn’t exactly something you want to see from a championship contender. The following match at home against New Mexico would, unfortunately, be worse. Danny Faundez, in for an injured Damian Las, did keep a clean sheet. However, Louisville’s attack could not break through the New Mexico defense. NM were not out to play attractive soccer. They were completely content with a draw and got their wish. After 12 goals in their last three matches, LouCity’s attack apparently ran out of steam. Adrian Perez did make his return to the pitch after being absent since mid-June, but otherwise, it was a forgettable affair.

Photo Credit: Ben Johnson

Next up for LouCity was a trip up the road to Indianapolis. The home team did get an early lead, but three straight by Morados showed that they are still not worth our time. This match did feature a start and assist by Niall McCabe. Both are things that we do not get much of anymore from the man who's been with the squad since the beginning in 2015. Phillip Goordum did exit the match injured. A cause for concern, considering the playoffs are approaching soon. His absence didn’t keep the boys in purple from securing a win a Rhode Island’s new Centreville Bank Stadium. RI were defensively adept, but a ridiculous Aiden McFadden goal secured all three points and reminded them we are still upset about last season’s playoff exit.

Photo Credit: Connor Cunningham

Louisville City was then off to Pittsburgh. Damian Las returned from injury and helped keep a clean sheet as LouCity’s second half cracked the code of the PIT defense. This performance would be followed by a strange home win over Las Vegas. Louisville secured an early goal, which was followed later in the first half by a red card shown to the visitors. Going up a man at home to one of the league's weaker teams should have turned into a bloodbath. However, Vegas found a goal of their own before halftime. Louisville did score twice in the second half, but it took a while. 26 total shots. A stopped PK in there, too. Not exactly the squad’s finest hour on offense, but they got the victory at the end of the day. Sam Gleadle scored his first since April, Adrian Perez scored in his second straight match, and Josh Jones closed out the match with his first professional goal.

Along this stretch, Charleston failed to keep the pace and, as of this writing, are six points behind Louisville. With only five matches remaining in the regular season, things are looking good. Poised to win their second straight Players’ Shield. Through 25 matches, the 2025 team has their most goals following last season's performance and has only allowed two more goals against than the 2022 side. With the offensive prowess of 2024 and the defensive sensibilities of 2022, the 2025 squad has averaged a staggering 2.4 points per match. They won’t eclipse 2024’s total points only due to there being fewer regular-season matches. But as it stands, they are averaging nearly 0.2 more points per match. It may not sound like a lot, but to improve upon last season is a huge accomplishment.

I won’t bore you with a review of the offensive and defensive averages. By this point, they are holding fairly steady, as you can see below. I do want to shout out Kevon Lambert. The start of his LouCity career was fine. It wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t take the world by storm either. As he has gotten more acquainted with the tactics and style of the two-time USL champs, he has begun to blossom. His performances continue to improve, and he is becoming a name that is hard to justify excluding from the starting eleven. He could be a critical piece of the puzzle for Louisville navigating the playoffs, and is one to watch.

Only five matches remain before playoff time. Two are on the road (DET and OC) and three are at home (IND, MIA, and HFD). All are mid to lower table teams, except Hartford (who would have thought?), which bodes well for LouCity. Should the team perform at the level they have operated at for the majority of the season, then there will be at least one trophy awaiting them. Hopefully, the squad is mentally prepared for the grind of the playoffs. It's not a time for off-nights. And after last season's premature exit, fan expectations are high. We will soon find out if this squad will be able to solidify their place in history and earn the club’s third star.