2023 Louisville City FC season

Louisville City FC

2023 season
Owner	John Neace
Manager	Danny Cruz
Stadium	Lynn Family Stadium
USL	Eastern Conf.: 5th
2023 U.S. Open Cup	Third Round
USL Playoffs	Eastern Conference Finals
Top goalscorer	League: Harris (9 goals) All: Lancaster (11 goals)
Highest home attendance	13,248 (7-29 vs. IND)
Lowest home attendance	7,285 (8-9 vs. CHS)
Average home league attendance	10,549
Biggest win	0–3 (8–1 at TUL)
Biggest defeat	0–5 (4–1 vs. SAC)
Home colors Away colors Third colors

The 2023 Louisville City FC season was the club's ninth season of competition. Louisville City competed in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.

Background

Main article: 2022 Louisville City FC season

The previous season was the first season since 2019 not to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was full 34 match regular that did away with divisions. Instead opting for a single table for each conference. It was also the first season since 2019 in which the U.S. Open Cup was held.

The team won the Eastern Conference in the penultimate match of the season against Detroit City FC, and finished the year with a club record 72 points and earning a bye into the Conference Semi-finals. They advanced to the USL Championship match by defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Conference Finals, avenging Conference Finals losses to Tampa Bay in the previous two seasons. They lost the USL Championship match to San Antonio FC. In the U.S. Open Cup the team reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 2018, losing at home to MLS side Nashville SC.

Kyle Morton and Elijah Wynder became the first Louisville City players to earn the league's Golden Glove and Comeback Player of the Year awards respectively, while Kyle Morton and Sean Totsch were both selected for all league teams.

Summary

March and April

Louisville City opened the USL season with back to back matches in California. Defeating Orange County and Monterey Bay 1–3 and 0–1 on March 11 and 18 respectively. With Niall McCabe scoring the opening goal of the season. On March 25 they played their home opener against El Paso. A match they would lose 0–3 in front of record crowd for an opening match. This was also only the third multi-goal loss at Lynn Family Stadium. They returned to California for their next match; this time against Sacramento. They would lose this match 5-0 which was the worst league loss in club history. After giving up 8 goals over 2 matches reigning USL golden glove winner Kyle Morton was effectively replaced as first choice goal keeper by rookie Oliver Semmle. Semmle would go on to post four consecutive clean sheets before giving up his first league goal in the 52nd minute against Memphis.

This would be the start of a streak of five matches unbeaten. Beginning with a pair of 1–0 victories over Detroit and San Antonio in a rematch of the previous seasons' USL Final. Followed up by draws against Charleston and Memphis. During this opening stretch of the campaign goals were well distributed amongst team. Six different players scored across the first 8 league games. With only Harris scoring a second goal giving Louisville City a total of 7 goals over that time frame. This gave Louisville an average of 0.875 goals per game. The lowest such rate to begin a season in club history. The Memphis match was also the last match where Joshua Wynder would appear before making a record breaking USL transfer to Benfica.

May and June

Following a break for the Kentucky Derby Louisville returned home to defeat Miami FC 3–1. Only the second multi-goal performance of the season and first since the opening match. For the following two matches returned to scoring only a single goal per match. With the first match being a 1–2 home loss in front of a record mid-week crowd to FC Tulsa with Phillip Goodrum scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute. Ending a 5 match streak of allowing no more than one goal per match. The second match was a 0–1 away victory in a rivalry match Indy Eleven. Louisville's first victory in LIPAFC since the 2021 season.

In the following match Semmle earned another clean sheet in a scoreless draw against Hartford. Not only did Louisville fail to score they also didn't have a shot on target. Louisville would then return home to face Memphis. Louisville would find the scoresheet again as Harris scored his team leading fourth league goal. However, Memphis went on the win the game 1–3. The first time since the pandemic shortened season of 2020 that Louisville would lose back-to-back home games. For the next match Louisville travelled on June 17 to western conference side Phoenix. In this match Louisville scored two goals. The first match since May 13 where Louisville scored multiple goals. Louisville was leading the match 1–2 until the 74th minute when Manuel Arteaga converted a penalty to draw Phoenix level. Phoenix was then awarded another penalty in 80th minute. This penalty, taken by Danny Trejo, was saved by Semmle preserving a 2–2 draw and marking the beginning of a four match unbeaten streak. In the next match Louisville played another western conference side. This time at home against Las Vegas in the first ever meeting between the two clubs. Semmle would earn his league leading seventh clean sheet with a Enoch Mushagalusa goal leading to a 1–0 for the home side. Mushagalusa's first goal since the opening match of the season and the beginning of three match clean sheet streak for Semmle.

July and August

Louisville City Corner Kick at Lynn Family Stadium against Pittsburgh Riverhounds

On July 1 Louisville travelled to Pittsburgh to play the conference leading Riverhounds. A match played to a goalless draw in the rain. Louisville would fail to have a shot on target but did have an Elijah Wynder shot cleared off the line by Dani Rovira. Next, Louisville returned home to play Loudoun United in Sean Totsch's 200th appearance for the club. This began a stretch of six home league matches out of eight. A match they won 1–0 as Cameron Lancaster scored his first goal since the opening match of the season. This marked the halfway point of the season. Over the first half of the season Louisville scored an average of 1 goal per game. The lowest such average to open the season in club history and second lowest in the conference. Eight different players scored with Harris being the club leader with four. On the defensive side of the field Louisville and Semmle lead the league with nine clean sheets; setting a club record for number of clean sheets in the opening half of a 34 match season. The club conceded 18 goals. The second lowest goals allowed in the conference; trailing Pittsburgh.

To begin the second half of the season Louisville played Pittsburgh for the second time in three matches. Louisville would again fail to score while a 68th goal by Albert Dikwa led to a 0–1 defeat. The following match Louisville played Detroit away. Detroit came into the match on a six-game winless streak and went ahead in the 5th minute on a Ben Morris goal. After halftime Totsch would score an own goal as Louisville failed to find the scoresheet for the second match in a row. Marking the first lose to Detroit in team history. Louisville then returned home to face Birmingham in a match that would mark McCabe's 200th appearance for the club. Louisville took the lead in the 34th minute on a Dylan Mares goal. However, Birmingham would score twice in the second half including a stoppage time goal by Alex Crognale. Leading to Louisville's third consecutive loss. The first three match losing streak since the club's inaugural season. Louisville ended the month of July against the Indy Eleven in the return leg of the LIPAFC rivalry. In front of the largest home crowd of the season to date Wynder and Lancaster both found the back of the net with Oscar Jimenez assisting on both goals. Winning the season series against Indy for the first time 2020. This marked only the third victory over the last 10 matches as Louisville only earned 12 points out of the 30 in June and July.

Louisville opened August on the road against FC Tulsa and turned in what Head Coach Danny Cruz called a true 'Louisville City performance'. Louisville would register three goals while recording a clean sheet for the largest victory of the season to date. This marked the first back-to-back wins of the season since early April as well as the first back-to-back multi goal performances of the season overall. With a goal in the 58th minute Lancaster's became the first Louisville player to score in consecutive games while Semmle set a USL Championship rookie record with his eleventh clean sheet. Louisville followed that performance with two consecutive draws at home. First 1–1 draw in the rain against Charleston followed by a 2–2 draw against Rio Grande. In both matches Louisville would take the lead only to allow game tying goals in the 80th minute. Lancaster scored the lone goal against Charleston creating a streak of three consecutive scoring matches. Against Rio Grande Elijah Wynder scored the Louisville's second goal marking the first time he registered multiple goals in a single season. The draws extended Louisville's unbeaten streak to four. A streak that ended the following on the road against Birmingham. Louisville allowed a goal by Enzo Martínez in the fifth minute followed by a Neco Brett penalty while failing to score goal. The first time Louisville lost multiple games to Birmingham during the same season. Louisville closed out the month of August at home in their first ever match against western conference side Oakland. A Johnny Rodriguez goal right before half time put Oakland ahead while Brian Ownby would score an equalizer in the 71st minute. Eight minutes into stoppage time Oscar Jimenez put Louisville ahead with his first goal of the season leading to a 2–1 victory. While Louisville won the game this marked the fourth consecutive game without a clean sheet. The longest streak of the season to date.

September and October

Louisville next travelled to Colorado Springs to play the Switchbacks which began a stretch of five matches out of six away from home. Louisville and Colorado exchanged goals in the first half as Gonzalez scored a header off of a corner in the 22nd minute while Romario Williams responded with a goal in the 41st. In the second half Louisville would regain the lead off of another header following a corner in the 49th minute. This time scored by Wynder. Louisville added to their lead in the 88th minute as midseason signing Maarten Pouwels scored his first goal for the club. This goal proved to be vital as Colorado earned a penalty in the 90th minute which was converted by Williams for his second goal of the game. This gave Louisville a 2–3 victory and their first ever victory over Colorado. Louisville then went to Florida to play Tampa Bay in a rematch of the previous three season's Eastern Conference's final as well as Paolo DelPiccolo's 250th appearance in the USL Championship. In this match Tampa Bay went ahead just before halftime while Louisville drew level in the 46th minute as Cal Jennings and Harris exchanged goals. Tampa Bay would regain the lead in the 61st minute when Jennings completed a brace giving Tampa a 2–1 victory. Louisville returned home on September 16 to play San Diego. Louisville's only home match in September. In this match Louisville would immediately take the lead as Harris scored off a rebound of Gonzalez's attempt in the fifth minute. This was only goal of the game as Semmle earned a clean sheet. His first in six matches. Louisville then returned to the road to play Miami FC in what would be the highest scoring match they played this season. The match was a back-and-forth event with Louisville taking one goal leads on three separate occasions only for Miami to score equalizers. Totsch earned a brace after scoring the Louisville's opening goal as well their closing goal when he converted a penalty in the 74th minute. With a goal by Harris sandwiched in between. Totsch would then give up a penalty by tripping Joaquín Rivas in box in the 86th minute. Rivas converted the penalty for his second goal of the game to give Miami a 4–3 victory. Louisville next travelled Leesburg, VA to play Loudoun United in the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia. In this match Louisville gave up the opening goal to Zach Ryan in the 20th minute and went into the half trailing 1–0. After the break they drew level as substitute Dylan Mares scored a goal 6 minutes after entering the pitch. Then in stoppage time Mares earned the assist on the game-winning goal by Harris to give Louisville a 1–2 win. With this win Louisville cliched a spot in the USL Playoffs for ninth consecutive season. It was also the 150 league win in club history. Only the third club in league history to reach that mark. Louisville ended September with a match against New Mexico United. Their last game of the season away from home and first ever match in New Mexico. Louisville's performance in the match was described by Head Coach Danny Cruz as a disgrace as Louisville was shut out for the first time in seven games. Ending Harris' four match goal scoring streak. New Mexico scored twice despite have two men sent off. Including a goal by Nicky Hernandez while playing with a one-man disadvantage.

Louisville City closed out the USL season with two home matches. The first being against Hartford Athletic on October 7 and the second against Tampa Bay on October 14. In the match against bottom of the table Hartford both teams would go into the half time scoreless. After the break Rasmus Thellufsen would find the back of the net in the 58th minute. For his first goal both for Louisville City and for an American club. Despite having eight shots on target this was the Louisville's only goal of the game. Meanwhile, Hartford scored an equalizer in the 75th minute leading to the match ending in a 1–1 draw. The first point that Hartford had earned away from home since July 22. The in season finale against Tampa Bay, Louisville immediately fell behind as JJ Williams scored 28 seconds into the match. 18 minutes later Louisville drew level on a Tampa Bay own goal. Only to fall behind again as Cal Jennings scored twice in quick succession. His second brace in as many games against Louisville this season. Lancaster would score his eighth and Louisville final goal of the season in stoppage time. Louisville's only shot on target of the match. However it wasn't enough as Louisville lost 2–3.

Louisville finished the regular season with 50 points and a record of 14–12–8. The first time that they reached double digit losses in team history. Furthermore, their average points per game of 1.47 and goal differential of -3 were record lows for the club while they were shutout a record 9 times. The team finished 5th in their conference and 10th in the league overall. Both the worst such finishes in team history. For the second consecutive Harris was the top goal scorer with 9. The first time in club history that the Louisville failed to have a double-digit goal scorer. On the defensive side of the pitch Semmle set a USL Championship Rookie record with 12 clean sheets. Tied with Charleston's Trey Muse for the most clean sheets in the USL Championship this year as well as the second most clean sheets in team history. Despite these difficulties the team still set a new high in attendance averaging 10,549 fans a game. Besting the previous season's record of 10,465.

USL Cup Playoffs

Further information: 2023 USL Championship Playoffs

For the first time in club history Louisville began the playoffs away from home. Travelling to play a Memphis side who were missing their top two goal scorers in the Conference Quarterfinals. In a repeat of events from their final match of the regular season Louisville immediately fell behind. As Bruno Lapa scored 32 seconds into the match. 18 minutes later Louisville would score an equalizer when Lancaster found the back of the net off of a Moguel corner kick. The scoreline did not change for the rest of the game as the match went into extra time. Following two scoreless extra periods the match went to a Penalty shoot-out. In the shoot-out both Goalkeepers failed to save a penalty as both teams took all five kicks. On Memphis' fifth with Louisville leading by one and needing a conversion to extend the shoot-out Aiden McFadden miss the target as his shot went wide. Giving Louisville a 4–5 shoot-out victory. In the Conference Semi-finals Louisville returned home to play 8th seeded Detroit. Who defeated regular season champions, Pittsburgh, the round before. This match was a one-sided event led by veterans Ownby and Lancaster. In the 14th minutes Ownby was fouled in the box by Michael Bryant allowing Louisville to take the lead as Lancaster converted the ensuing penalty. Ownby himself was the next to find the scoresheet when scored in the 43rd minute despite calls for a handball. In the second half Lancaster and Ownby linked up again when Lancaster chested in an Ownby cross. 92 seconds later Lancaster contributed to another goal as he dispossessed Matt Lewis near midfield and passed it to Gonzalez for Louisville's fourth an final goal. The first time across all competitions this season that Louisville scored four goals. On the other side of the ball Detroit managed one shot on target on six attempts as Semmle earned his first cleansheet in the playoffs as Louisville won 4–0. This sent Louisville to the Eastern Conference finals for the ninth consecutive season. Every year since the formation of the club. For the final they travelled to play USL Championship founding member Charleston in their first ever Eastern Conference finals match. In the match, Louisville conceded the opening in the fifth minute. After Ownby fouled Nick Markanich outside the penalty area giving a Charleston a free kick. Which Arturo Rodríguez was able to put into the back of the net. Charleston would pull farther ahead when Markanich was fouled again. This time in the penalty area by Manny Perez giving Charleston a penalty kick which was successfully converted by Augustine Williams in the 58th minute. Already down two goals Louisville then went down a man when Moguel was shown two yellows in a span of three minutes. Louisville eventually found the score sheet when mid-season signing, Kyle Adams, scored his first goal for club in the 90th minute. However, this wasn't enough as Louisville lost 2–1. Ending their season.

Current squad

As of July 27, 2023

No.	Pos.	Player	Nation
1	GK	Kyle Morton	United States
3	DF	Amadou Dia	United States
4	DF	Sean Totsch	United States
5	MF	Rasmus Thellufsen	Denmark
6	DF	Wesley Charpie	United States
8	MF	Carlos Jr. Moguel	United States
9	FW	Jorge González	Spain
10	FW	Brian Ownby	United States
11	MF	Niall McCabe	Republic of Ireland
12	MF	Tyler Gibson	United States
14	FW	Wilson Harris	United States
15	DF	Manny Perez	United States
17	FW	Cameron Lancaster	England
18	GK	Danny Faundez	United States
19	DF	Oscar Jimenez	United States
21	FW	Ray Serrano	United States
22	MF	Dylan Mares	United States
23	MF	Elijah Wynder	United States
28	GK	Oliver Semmle	Germany
30	DF	Jordan Scarlett	Jamaica
32	DF	Kyle Adams	New Zealand
36	MF	Paolo DelPiccolo	United States
51	DF	Ramzi Qawasmy	United States
66	DF	Joshua Wynder	United States
67	MF	Owen Damm	United States
70	FW	Maarten Pouwels	Denmark
70	FW	Isaac Cano ()	United States
71	FW	Colin Elder ()	United States
72	DF	Travis Smith ()	United States

Out on loan

No.	Pos.	Player	Nation
63	DF	Sebastian Sanchez (on loan to Union Omaha)	United States

Competitions

Preseason friendlies

Nashville SC v Louisville City

January 30	Nashville SC	0–0	Louisville City	Nashville, Tennessee
		Report		Stadium: Geodis Park

Sporting Kansas City v Louisville City

February 4	Sporting Kansas City	2–2	Louisville City	Phoenix, Arizona
	Walter 75' (pen.), 90'	Report	Gonzalez 54' Harris 67'	Stadium: GCU Stadium

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC v Louisville City

February 6	Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC	0–3	Louisville City	Phoenix, Arizona
		Report	Ownby 13' Damm Thellufsen	Stadium: Kino Sports Complex Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)
Note: Part of FC Tucson’s Desert Showcase

New Mexico United v Louisville City

February 6	New Mexico United	2–2	Louisville City	Phoenix, Arizona
	Hamilton 32' Wehan 51'	Report	Harris 1' Ownby 74'	Stadium: Kino Sports Complex Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)
Note: Part of FC Tucson’s Desert Showcase

Austin FC v Louisville City

February 11	Austin FC	3–1	Louisville City	Austin, TX
	Zardes 17' Driussi 24' Fagúndez 90'	Report	Wynder 64'	Stadium: St. David’s Performance Center

Seattle Sounders FC v Louisville City

February 18	Seattle Sounders FC	2–1	Louisville City	Tukwila, Washington
	Héber 6' Roldan 21'	Report	Mares 70'	Stadium: Starfire Sports Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)

Louisville City v One Knoxville SC

February 25	Louisville City	2–2	One Knoxville SC	Louisville, KY
	Harris 7' Mushagalusa 20'	Report	Vowinkel 34' Waldeck 90'	Stadium: Thurman-Hutchins Park

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Louisville City

March 4	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	0–0	Louisville City	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
		Report		Stadium: Highmark Stadium

USL Championship

Main article: 2023 USL Championship season

Standings — Eastern Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (S)	34	19	5	10	50	29	+21	67	Playoffs
2	Tampa Bay Rowdies	34	19	9	6	60	39	+21	63
3	Charleston Battery	34	17	9	8	47	43	+4	59
4	Memphis 901 FC	34	14	10	10	59	53	+6	52
5	Louisville City FC	34	14	12	8	41	44	−3	50
6	Indy Eleven	34	13	11	10	46	38	+8	49
7	Birmingham Legion FC	34	14	16	4	44	53	−9	46
8	Detroit City FC	34	11	15	8	30	39	−9	41
9	Miami FC	34	11	15	8	43	44	−1	41
10	FC Tulsa	34	10	15	9	43	55	−12	39
11	Loudoun United FC	34	7	23	4	36	61	−25	25
12	Hartford Athletic	34	4	24	6	40	79	−39	18

Source: USL Championship Standings
(S) Players' Shield winner

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
34	14	8	12	41	44	−3	50	8	3	6	21	20	+1	6	5	6	20	24	−4

Last updated: October 16, 2023.
Source: Match reports

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Stadium	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	A	H	H
Result	W	W	L	L	W	W	D	D	W	L	W	D	L	D	W	D	W	L	L	L	W	W	D	D	L	W	W	L	W	L	W	L	D	L

Updated to match(es) played on October 16, 2023. Source: Match reports
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

All times in regular season on Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00) unless otherwise noted

Match results

Orange County SC v Louisville City

March 11 1	Orange County SC	1–3	Louisville City	Irvine, California
10:00 PM EST	Richards  37' Iloski 40',  45+3' Partida  41'	Report	McCabe 4' Lancaster  19', 57' Totsch  71' Mushagalusa 88'	Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 4,267 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva Assistant referees: Seth Martin Assistant referees: Matthew Schwartz Fourth official: Adrian Gonzalez

Monterey Bay FC v Louisville City

March 18 2	Monterey Bay FC	0–1	Louisville City	Seaside, California
10:00 PM	Boone  22' Dixon  34' Murphy  65'	Report	Perez  33' Ownby 48',  55'  67' Del Piccolo  68'	Stadium: Cardinale Stadium Attendance: 3,019 Referee: Elton Garcia Assistant referees: Christian Clerc Assistant referees: Bennett Savage Fourth official: Alexis Da Silva

Louisville City v El Paso Locomotive FC

March 25 3	Louisville City	0–3	El Paso Locomotive FC	Louisville, Kentucky
3:00 PM	Moguel  41' Gibson  90+1'	Report	Rose  23' Navarro 39' Zacarías 45' Solignac  52' Petrović 57'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 10,881 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Assistant referees: Rhett Hammil Fourth official: Christopher Slane

Sacramento Republic FC v Louisville City

April 1 4	Sacramento Republic FC	5–0	Louisville City	Sacramento, California
10:00 PM	Felipe 5' Gurr 24' Cicerone 28', 71' Viader  40' Vitiello  57' Keko 90+1' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 10,881 Referee: Ricardo Fierro Assistant referees: Bhavik Dutt Assistant referees: Peter Hanson Fourth official: Adrian Gonzalez

Louisville City v Detroit City FC

April 8 5	Louisville City	1–0	Detroit City FC	Louisville, Kentucky
3:00 PM	Harris 80'	Report	Rodriguez  45+2'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,548 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk Assistant referees: Tom Felice Assistant referees: Brian Marshall Fourth official: Jervis Atagana

Louisville City v San Antonio FC

April 15 6	Louisville City	1–0	San Antonio FC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM	Harris 23' Lancaster  78' Jimenez  90' Wynder  90+4'	Report	Parano  3' Bailey  20' Gomez  58' Batista  71' Marcina  76'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 11,589 Referee: Malik Badawi Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Assistant referees: Nicholas Balcer Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

Charleston Battery v Louisville City

April 22 7	Charleston Battery	0–0	Louisville City	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
7:30 PM	Williams  7'  90' Allan  81' Dodson  84' Trager  86'	Report	Thellufsen  66' Moguel  88'	Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Referee: Calin Radosav Assistant referees: Jeffrey Skinker Assistant referees: Marcus Moss Fourth official: John Rush
Note: Kick off was delayed to 8:06 PM due to weather.

Memphis 901 FC v Louisville City

April 29 8	Memphis 901 FC	1–1	Louisville City	Memphis, Tennessee
8:00 PM	Fernando 52'	Report	Totsch 9'	Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,644 Referee: Matt Thompson Assistant referees: Nick Goyette Assistant referees: Michael Mysiewicz Fourth official: Albert Kyei-Mensah

Louisville City v Miami FC

May 13 9	Louisville City	3–1	Miami FC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:00 PM	Mares 7',  33' Cruz  24' Jimenez  31' Ownby 62' Totsch 70' (pen.)	Report	Murphy 11' (pen.) Chapman-Page  43' Akinyode  77'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 11,279 Referee: Elijio Arreguin Assistant referees: Ethan Buege Assistant referees: Jackson Krauser Fourth official: Patricia McCracken

Louisville City v FC Tulsa

May 24 10	Louisville City	1–2	FC Tulsa	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM	Gonzalez 29' Del Piccolo  33' Charpie  78' Dia  90+5'	Report	Fernandez  23' Bird 77' Goodrum 89' Suárez  90+1' Dyer  90+5'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 11,434 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye Assistant referees: Jeffrey Skinker Assistant referees: Tom Felice Fourth official: Benjamin Meyer

Indy Eleven v Louisville City

May 27 11	Indy Eleven	0–1	Louisville City	Indianapolis, Indiana
7:00 PM	Lindley  11' Vázquez  29' Jérôme  77' Martínez  84'	Report	Harris 20' Pouwels  90+3'	Stadium: Carroll Stadium Attendance: 9,532 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Assistant referees: Eric Del Rosario Fourth official: Jackson Krauser

Hartford Athletic v Louisville City

June 3 12	Hartford Athletic	0–0	Louisville City	Hartford, Connecticut
7:00 PM	Hoppenot  76'	Report	Mushagalusa  72' Gibson  82'	Stadium: Trinity Health Stadium Attendance: 5,098 Referee: Luis Diego Arroyo Assistant referees: Mike Nickerson Assistant referees: Patrick Casey Fourth official: Christian Centeno

Louisville City v Memphis 901 FC

June 10 13	Louisville City	1–3	Memphis 901 FC	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Damm  17' Thellufsen  25' Gibson  55' Harris 71'	Report	Pickering 45+2' Ward  60' Damm 69' (o.g.) Glass  73' da Costa 74'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 10,706 Referee: Eric Tattersall Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Assistant referees: Jacob Little Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

Phoenix Rising FC v Louisville City

June 17 14	Phoenix Rising FC	2–2	Louisville City	Phoenix, Arizona
10:30 PM	Harvey 5' Krutzen  45+2' Armenakas  53' Arteaga 74' (pen.)	Report	Totsch 42' (pen.) Mares 57' Dia  73' Cruz  90+4'	Stadium: Sky Harbor Stadium Referee: Sergii Demianchuk Assistant referees: Matt Trotter Assistant referees: Noah Kenyawani Fourth official: Killian Richardson

Louisville City v Las Vegas Lights FC

June 24 15	Louisville City	1–0	Las Vegas Lights FC	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Serrano  28' Mares  35' Mushagalusa 77'	Report	Ledesma  60' Ingram  65' Díaz  87'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 10,653 Referee: Melvin Rivas Assistant referees: Eric Burton Assistant referees: Christian Little Fourth official: Benjamin Meyer

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC v Louisville City

July 1 16	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	0–0	Louisville City	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
7:00 PM	Etou  51' Forbes  51'	Report	Harris  49' Wynder  64' Charpie  76' Lancaster  85'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 4,435 Referee: Austin Saini Assistant referees: Nicholas Balcer Assistant referees: Eric Del Rosario Fourth official: Gary Gutierrez

Louisville City v Loudoun United FC

July 8 17	Louisville City	1–0	Loudoun United FC	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Lancaster 53' McCabe  79' Dia  90+4' DelPiccolo  90+6'	Report	Morris  49' Leerman  71' Hopkins  81' Chica  90'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,709 Referee: John Matto Assistant referees: Ethan Buege Assistant referees: Christopher Slane Fourth official: Rebecca Luther
Note: Kick off was delayed to 9:00 PM due to weather.

Louisville City v Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

July 12 18	Louisville City	0–1	Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Moguel  60'	Report	Griffin  51' Dikwa 68'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 8,882 Referee: Greg Dopka Assistant referees: Jeremy Smith Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Fourth official: Jackson Krauser

Detroit City FC v Louisville City

July 19 19	Detroit City FC	2–0	Louisville City	Detroit, Michigan
7:00 PM	Morris 5',  84' Bryant  45' Totsch 60' (o.g.) Rodriguez  79' Steinwascher  90+6'	Report	Jimenez  78' Charpie  82' Pouwels  90+6'	Stadium: Keyworth Stadium Attendance: 6,382 Referee: Alexis Da Silva Assistant referees: Mike Nickerson Assistant referees: Matthew Seem Fourth official: Jacob Little

Louisville City v Birmingham Legion FC

July 22 20	Louisville City	1–2	Birmingham Legion FC	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Mares 35',  70' McCabe  57' Ownby  67'	Report	Smith  14' Crognale  19', 90+2' Agudelo 55' Rufe  77'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,584 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye Assistant referees: Austin Holt Assistant referees: Jeffrey Skinker Fourth official: Alex Beehler

Louisville City v Indy Eleven

July 29 21	Louisville City	2–0	Indy Eleven	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Wynder 28' Lancaster 65'	Report	Dambrot  61' Quinn  67' Diz  86' Boudadi  90+4'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 13,248 Referee: Ricardo Fierro Assistant referees: Matthew Rodman Assistant referees: Stephen Milhoan Fourth official: Zach McWhorter

FC Tulsa v Louisville City

August 4 22	FC Tulsa	0–3	Louisville City	Tulsa, Oklahoma
9:00 PM	Ruxi  45+7' Bird  57' Dyer  68'	Report	Totsch 31',  741' Thellufsen  45+6' Lancaster 58' Charpie  68' Harris 80'	Stadium: ONEOK Field Attendance: 4,277 Referee: Joshua Encarnacion Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Assistant referees: Jason Guillen Fourth official: Brandon Queri

Louisville City v Charleston Battery

August 9 23	Louisville City	1–1	Charleston Battery	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Lancaster 67'	Report	Palma  73' Ycaza 80'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 7,285 Referee: Brandon Stevis Assistant referees: Nicholas Balcer Assistant referees: Eric Burton Fourth official: Benjamin Meyer

Louisville City v Rio Grande Valley FC

August 12 24	Louisville City	2–2	Rio Grande Valley FC	Louisville, Kentucky
8:00 PM	Perez  29' Mares 42',  58' Wynder 72'	Report	Cabezas 50' Galindrez 80' Ackwei  90+7'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 10,678 Referee: Elton Garcia Assistant referees: Ben Rigel Assistant referees: Jackson Krauser Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

Birmingham Legion FC v Louisville City

August 19 25	Birmingham Legion FC	2–0	Louisville City	Birmingham, Alabama
7:30 PM	Martínez 5' Brett 24' (pen.) Crognale  46' Mensah  81'	Report	Jimenez  45+4' Lancaster  59' Charpie  90+6'	Stadium: Legion Field Referee: Matthew Corrigan Assistant referees: Jeremy Smith Assistant referees: Ethan Buege Fourth official: Wes Caouette

Louisville City v Oakland Roots SC

August 26 26	Louisville City	2–1	Oakland Roots SC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM	Cruz  45+5' Ownby 71' Jimenez 90+8'	Report	Rodriguez 45+6' Morad  45' Hackshaw  81' Blanchette  87'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 10,584 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye Assistant referees: Tiffini Turpin Assistant referees: Christopher Slane Fourth official: Matt Geringer

Colorado Springs Switchbacks v Louisville City

September 2 27	Colorado Springs Switchbacks	2–3	Louisville City	Colorado Springs, Colorado
9:00 PM	Williams 41', 90' (pen.),  59' Beckford  73' Skundrich  79' Hogan  83'	Report	Moguel  4' Gonzalez 22' Del Piccolo  42' Wynder 49' Serrano  62' Pouwels 88' Lancaster  90+3'	Stadium: Weidner Field Attendance: 7,457 Referee: Gerald Flores Assistant referees: Ricardo Ocampo Assistant referees: William Aten Fourth official: Marcelo Soto

Tampa Bay Rowdies v Louisville City

September 9 28	Tampa Bay Rowdies	2–1	Louisville City	St. Petersburg, Florida
7:30 PM	Lasso  37' Jennings 39', 61' Williams  86'	Report	Moguel  5' Del Piccolo  21' Charpie  43' Harris 46' Wynder  72' Adams  77'	Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Referee: Elijio Arreguin Assistant referees: Zeno Cho Assistant referees: Diego Lucio Fourth official: JJ Bilinski

Louisville City v San Diego Loyal SC

September 16 29	Louisville City	1–0	San Diego Loyal SC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM	Harris 5' Charpie  22' Gibson  73' Serrano  75' Perez  87'	Report	Conway  78'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 11,121 Referee: Nabil Bensalah Assistant referees: Nicholas Balcer Assistant referees: Jacob Little Fourth official: Noah Matos

Miami FC v Louisville City

September 20 30	Miami FC	4–3	Louisville City	Miami, Florida
7:00 PM	Sorto 32' Segbers  35' Rivas 62', 86' (pen.) de Freitas 78' Repetto  90+3'	Report	Totsch 15', 74' (pen.) Wynder  30' Harris 48' Charpie  79'	Stadium: Riccardo Silva Stadium Attendance: 1,007 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic Assistant referees: Art Arustamyan Assistant referees: Rhett Hammil Fourth official: John Ocampo

Loudoun United FC v Louisville City

September 23 31	Loudoun United FC	1–2	Louisville City	Leesburg, Virginia
6:30 PM	Ryan 20' Turner  32' Rocha  40'	Report	Adams  39' Harris  56', 90+1' Mares  79', 74'	Stadium: Segra Field Attendance: 1,271 Referee: Kyle Johnston Assistant referees: Amilcar Sicaju Assistant referees: Max Smith Fourth official: Nick Karnovsky

New Mexico United v Louisville City

September 30 32	New Mexico United	2–0	Louisville City	Albuquerque, New Mexico
9:00 PM	Borgelin  15'  53' Swartz 32' Portillo  59' Hernandez 74',  70'  75'	Report	Moguel  49'	Stadium: Isotopes Park Attendance: 11,102 Referee: Corbyn May Assistant referees: Cameron Siler Assistant referees: Benjamin Davis Fourth official: Osvaldo Delgado Landeros

Louisville City v Hartford Athletic

October 7 33	Louisville City	1–1	Hartford Athletic	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM	Mares  37' Ownby  45+2' Thellufsen 58' Charpie  74'	Report	Makangila  25' Merrill 75' Rice  90+4' Barrera  90+7'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,927 Referee: Benjamin Meyer Assistant referees: Eric Burton Assistant referees: Christian Little Fourth official: Kevin Fikar

Louisville City v Tampa Bay Rowdies

October 14 34	Louisville City	2–3	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM	Kleemann 19' (o.g.) Ownby  26' Adams  57' Lancaster  78', 90+2'	Report	Williams 1' Ekra  29' Jennings 36', 38' Kleemann  43' Antley  43' Areman  82'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 12,230 Referee: Nabil Bensalah Assistant referees: Eric Del Rosario Assistant referees: Stephen Milhoan Fourth official: Jackson Krauser

USL Cup Playoffs

Further information: 2023 USL Championship Playoffs

The top eight teams in each USL Championship conference advanced to the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs. Louisville City entered the playoffs as the fifth seed out of the Eastern Conference.

Conference Quarterfinals October 21–22

Conference Semifinals October 27–28

Conference Finals November 4

USL Championship Final November 12

E1

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

0

E8

Detroit City FC

1

E8

Detroit City FC

0

E5

Louisville City FC

4

E4

Memphis 901 FC

1 (4)

E5

Louisville City FC (p)

1 (5)

E5

Louisville City FC

1

Eastern Conference

E3

Charleston Battery

2

E3

Charleston Battery

5

E6

Indy Eleven

0

E3

Charleston Battery

2

E7

Birmingham Legion FC

1

E2

Tampa Bay Rowdies

0

E7

Birmingham Legion FC

3

E3

Charleston Battery

1 (2)

W6

Phoenix Rising FC (p)

1 (3)

W1

Sacramento Republic FC

1

W8

New Mexico United

0

W1

Sacramento Republic FC

3

W4

San Antonio FC

1

W4

San Antonio FC

1

W5

Colorado Springs Switchbacks

0

W1

Sacramento Republic FC

1

Western Conference

W6

Phoenix Rising FC

2

W3

San Diego Loyal SC

3

W6

Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.)

4

W6

Phoenix Rising FC (a.e.t.)

2

W2

Orange County SC

1

W2

Orange County SC

1

W7

El Paso Locomotive FC

0

Memphis 901 FC v Louisville City FC

October 21, 2023 (2023-10-21) Conference Quarter-finals	Memphis 901 FC	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	Louisville City FC	Memphis, Tennessee
6:30 PM EDT	Lapa 1' Paul  24' Ward  62' Kissiedou  73' Careaga  118'	Report	Lancaster 18' Semmle  24' Perez  90+5' McCabe  117'	Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,587 Referee: Elton García Assistant referees: Nicholas Balcer Assistant referees: Zach McWhorter Fourth official: Kevin Broadley
	Penalties
	Hyndman Molloy Smith Careaga McFadden		Totsch Harris Mares McCabe Jimenez

Louisville City FC v Detroit City FC

October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) Conference Semi-finals	Louisville City FC	4–0	Detroit City FC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EDT	Lancaster 14' (pen.), 59' Ownby 43' Gonzalez 60'	Report	Bryant  14'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 7,959 Referee: Ricardo Fierro Assistant referees: Ben Rigel Assistant referees: Ricardo Ocampo Fourth official: Jeremy Scheer

Charleston Battery v Louisville City FC

November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) Conference Finals	Charleston Battery	2–1	Louisville City FC	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
7:30 PM EDT	Rodríguez 5'  69' Williams 58' (pen.) Allan  90+4'	Report	Ownby  4' Moguel  83'  86' Adams 90' Cruz  90+1'	Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 4,438 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic Assistant referees: Seth Barton Assistant referees: Darren Bandy Fourth official: Matt Thompson

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2023 U.S. Open Cup

As a member of the USL Championship, Louisville City entered the tournament in the Second Round, with their Cup opener played on April 5, 2023. They opened the competition against Lexington SC. The first competitive match against a fellow club from the state of Kentucky. Following their second round win they advanced to play MLS side FC Cincinnati. The first River Cities Cup derby since the 2019. A match they lost 1–0.

Louisville City v Lexington SC

April 5 2nd	Louisville City	1–0	Lexington SC	Louisville, Kentucky
7:00 PM	Totsch 69' DelPiccolo  71'	Report	Dlamini  39' Mohammed  67' James  80' Robertson  90+4'	Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 4,205 Referee: Nabil Bensalah Assistant referees: Chris Schurfranz Assistant referees: Jackson Krauser Fourth official: Kevin Kernen

FC Cincinnati v Louisville City

April 26 3rd	FC Cincinnati	1–0	Louisville City	Cincinnati, OH
7:00 PM	Jimenez  40' Ordóñez 85'	Report		Stadium: TQL Stadium Attendance: 10,062 Referee: Calin Radosav Assistant referees: Michael Nickerson Assistant referees: Zach Mcwhorter Fourth official: Luke Sobota

Player statistics

Goals

Place	Pos.	No.	Name	USL	USOC	USL Playoffs	Total
1	FW	17	Cameron Lancaster	8	0	3	11
2	FW	14	Wilson Harris	9	0	0	9
3	MF	22	Dylan Mares	5	0	0	5
3	DF	4	Sean Totsch	4	1	0	5
3	MF	10	Brian Ownby	3	0	1	5
6	MF	23	Elijah Wynder	3	0	0	3
6	FW	9	Jorge Gonzalez	2	0	1	3
8	FW	77	Enoch Mushagalusa	2	0	0	2
9	MF	11	Niall McCabe	1	0	0	1
9	MF	19	Oscar Jimenez	1	0	0	1
9	FW	70	Maarten Pouwels	1	0	0	1
9	MF	5	Rasmus Thellufsen	1	0	0	1
9	DF	32	Kyle Adams	0	0	1	1
Total				40	1	6	47

Assists

Place	Pos.	No.	Name	USL	USOC	USL Playoffs	Total
1	MF	10	Brian Ownby	4	0	1	5
2	FW	21	Ray Serrano	4	0	0	4
2	FW	8	Carlos Moguel Jr.	3	0	1	4
4	DF	3	Amadou Dia	3	0	0	3
4	DF	15	Manny Perez	3	0	0	3
6	MF	19	Oscar Jimenez	2	0	0	2
6	FW	14	Wilson Harris	2	0	0	2
6	MF	12	Tyler Gibson	2	0	0	2
6	MF	22	Dylan Mares	2	0	0	2
6	FW	17	Cameron Lancaster	1	0	1	2
11	FW	77	Enoch Mushagalusa	1	0	0	1
11	MF	67	Owen Damm	1	0	0	1
11	MF	23	Elijah Wynder	1	0	0	1
11	MF	36	Paolo DelPiccolo	0	1	0	1
11	MF	11	Niall McCabe	1	0	0	1
Total				30	1	3	34

Clean sheets

Place	Pos.	No.	Name	USL	USOC	USL Playoffs	Total
1	GK	28	Oliver Semmle	12	1	1	14
Total				12	1	1	14

Disciplinary

No.	Pos.	Name	USL		U.S. Open Cup		USL Cup		Total
8	MF	Carlos Moguel Jr.	6	0	0	0	0	1	6	1
10	MF	Brian Ownby	3	1	0	0	1	0	4	1
6	DF	Wesley Charpie	9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
17	FW	Cameron Lancaster	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
22	MF	Dylan Mares	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
36	MF	Paolo DelPiccolo	5	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
19	DF	Oscar Jimenez	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
12	MF	Tyler Gibson	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
23	MF	Elijah Wynder	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
3	DF	Amadou Dia	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
70	FW	Maarten Pouwels	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
15	MF	Manny Perez	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
21	FW	Ray Serrano	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
32	DF	Kyle Adams	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
11	MF	Niall McCabe	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
4	DF	Sean Totsch	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
5	MF	Rasmus Thellufsen	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
14	FW	Wilson Harris	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
77	FW	Enoch Mushagalusa	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
4	MF	Owen Damm	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
28	GK	Oliver Semmle	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Total			72	1	1	0	4	1	77	2

External links

• Louisville City