May Struggles - A Review Of Louisville City’s 2025 Season – Part 3
- Benton
- Jun 3
- 6 min read
Louisville City has remained a force to be reckoned with, but the journey to retain the status of a USL powerhouse has not been without its challenges. Draws against BHM (Pt1) and SAC (Pt2) were the only results keeping Louisville from having a perfect record. Following the 1-1 draw with Sacramento on 04/05, LouCity went on to beat Loudoun in the Open Cup and secure a comeback win in Tampa, a feat they had not done since 2018. Stringing together wins against the Richmond Kickers in the Jagermeister Cup and against Lexington produced the longest win streak of 2025.
04/26/2025 – LOUvRIC (Jagermeister Cup) – 4-1 WIN
This match marked not only the start of their longest win streak in the young 2025 season but also their biggest win to date. It was a result you may have expected walking in, but the lack of clinical finishing seen prior to this match made scoring 4 a big ask. Ray Serrano’s 4th goal of the campaign, a Manny Perez brace, and Sam Gleadle’s 3rd straight game with a goal showed fans that this team still has the potential to produce a result like that of the previous season.
05/01/2025 – LOUvLEX – 2-0 WIN
Louisville made it 4 straight wins with a big victory in the inaugural Commonwealth Cup. The first meeting between Louisville and Lexington in USLC league play asserted LOU’s status as Kentucky’s team. It was a competitive showing from LEX until an unnecessary red card at 49’ tipped the match in LouCity’s favor. Forster Ajago kicking Aiden McFadden’s head didn’t exactly give the referee much of a choice. It may have begun as a rivalry purely of proximity, but events like that will add to the tension in future meetings.
05/07/2025 – LOUvMIN (US Open Cup) – 0-1 LOSS
LouCity’s Open Cup exit was a disappointment. Not only was it the club’s first loss, but it was a very winnable match. On paper, a MLS club beating a USLC club is the more likely result for a multitude of reasons. However, it was not a proper MLS side that Louisville faced. The lineup was largely MLS2 players. The most disappointing part was that Morados was the better team for most of the match, but could not take the lead. They allowed MIN to stay in the match and ultimately, they were the team who found the back of the net. A missed opportunity for Louisville to make a statement in the larger American soccer landscape.
05/10/2025 – LOUvPIT – 0-0 DRAW
The midweek malpractice that was the team’s Open Cup exit was followed by an uninspiring home performance against a struggling Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Despite 58% possession and 13 total shots, they only managed a 1.11 xG in route to their draw. Bob Lilley’s unexciting defensive style was enough to keep Louisville’s attack quiet. Quite enough to hear the groans of fans frustrated by a missed opportunity to secure two more points while rebounding from the Minnesota United loss.
05/17/2025 – HFDvLOU – 1-1 DRAW
Surely this was going to be the rebound fans were expecting the week prior against PIT. The Hartford Athletic has been as bad as ever! A first-half goal from Phil Goodrum provided hope. An ensuing 67’ red card to HFD positioned LouCity for all three points until an equalizer at 88’ provided a harsh reminder about putting together a complete game. Keeping the ball out of their net for 20 minutes while up a man was all the boys in purple had to do. It stings even more knowing the Athletic only managed 6 shots (one on target). “I don’t think we showed enough fire and passion in that second half in the last 30 minutes,” Goodrum shared after the match. “Feels like a loss.”
05/24/2025 – MBvLOU – 0-2 WIN
It was a trip to the West Coast that got Louisville City back on track. “We asked them to put together a full 90 minutes,” said Coach Danny Cruz. “We felt the last few games, we hadn’t done that. I thought the group responded and was excellent in every phase of the game. I thought our mentality was excellent. I thought we created a lot of chances and limited chances. It’s a testament to the work the group did. Ultimately, I’m really happy with the three points — really happy with the shutout — and this is certainly a night we should be proud of.” It was one of the most complete performances of the season. If it were not for outstanding goalkeeping from the home side, LouCity would have won by more. They amassed a shot-on-target count of 10 along with 4 big chances created. The right side of the pitch shined with both Sean Totsch (RCB) and Manny Perez (RWB) finding the back of the net. “That was a complete performance from the guys,” Perez said.
05/31/2025 – LDNvLOU (Jagermeister Cup) – 2-1 LOSS
The Monterey Bay match was a step forward, but the following match saw the boys in purple regress once more. In the third meeting with Loudoun in 2025, outshooting the home side 18 to 15 was not enough to win the match. However, an uncharacteristically subpar defensive performance was the bigger issue in their Jagermeister Cup. “I thought we were really, really poor in a phase of the game we’re usually excellent in,” said Coach Cruz, “and that’s our ability to suffocate the opponent and to manage transition. We didn’t do that at all today. I thought we were poor with the ball in those moments.” A missed Arturo Ordonez header led to the first goal with LouCity quickly responding with one of the easiest set-piece goals you’ll see. Loudoun found their winner in the second half and managed to withstand a flurry of shots from Louisville to close out the match. “There was a lot of fight, and we’re never going to give up,” Taylor Davila said. “We never feel like we’re out of the game. But still, we feel like we could have had a better mentality and could have given more.”
Inconsistency has recently plagued Louisville City, but one of the bigger issues seen this year with the squad is the attack. Their goals for per match has dropped from 1.6 with 5 regular season matches played down to 1.4. That is more than a full goal per match less than in 2024 and only 0.1 above the league average. Average has never been acceptable for Louisville City. Their shot count is up to nearly 9.5 a match, but the expected goals per shot (xGF/ShtF) is below the league average and what they have produced in previous successful seasons. Speaking of xG, that has remained relatively flat; 1.44 xGF/G compared to the 1.43 in the previous review and the 1.34 league average.
Something needed to change with the attack. Following the win at MB, LouCity announced that club legend Cameron Lancaster would be returning on loan from Lexington. It remains to be seen if we will be getting the Cam of old or an aging legend. Regardless, Coach Cruz and his staff now have a new option up top. An option much needed due to the current lack of striker depth with the likes of Sam Gleadle and Brian Ownby out and Phil Goodrum still struggling to string together successful outings.
While the offensive woes weigh heavy on the minds of Louisville City fans, the defense has been good. Great, in fact. 0.5 goals against per match is the best in the league! The opposition is only scoring on roughly 1 in 21 shots with just 1.01 xGA/G generated! Damian Las, Kyle Adams, Arturo Ordonez, and Sean Totsch, as well the remainder of the field as Louisville cleans up their area of opportunity from the season before. So long as the defense continues to perform, it buys time for the team to figure out the changes needed for the offense to begin firing on all cylinders.
While the outlook for the club's first Jagermeister Cup run is not ideal, LOU at 3 points trailing Loudoun (6 pts) and Charlotte (5 pts), LouCity still has an opportunity to snag one of the two group spots to advance in the tournament. While another trophy would be nice, the league remains a priority. At 22 points (2.20 Pts/G), Louisville finds themselves second in both the league and Eastern Conference. Their old foes, the Charleston Battery, hold the top spot with 24 points (2.4 Pts/G). If LouCity can get the attack going and can maintain their defensive successes, there is no reason why Louisville can’t close that 4-point gap. There is still a lot of soccer to be played. Five of the next six are at home, which should help the team rediscover themselves and channel their full potential as we exit the first third of the regular season and head towards the halfway point.
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