LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville City FC will begin its pursuit of a third USL Championship league title when it plays host to North Carolina FC on Saturday night in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix with the visitors entering in good form having clinched a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season. Kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, here’s what you need to know.

How They Got Here

Louisville City FC (24-6-4, 76pts) – LouCity put together one of the best regular seasons in the USL Championship’s history, equaling the single-season record for wins (24), recording the second-most goals in a regular season campaign (86), and smashing the mark for home wins (16) and goals (58) on its way to its first Players’ Shield. The side’s attack recorded four goals or more on 10 occasions in the regular season, eight of which came at home, as leading goalscorer Wilson Harris set an individual single-season best with 19 tallies and nine players recorded at least four goals in the regular season. Louisville was also stellar when it went behind, earning a league-high 23 points from losing positions in the campaign.

North Carolina FC (13-12-9, 48pts) – Returning to the USL Championship this season after a three-season absence, having claimed the 2023 USL League One title, North Carolina made a late push to reach the postseason on the final day of the regular season after an up-and-down campaign finally came good. NCFC won four of its last five outings, including a 2-1 win at home to Las Vegas Lights FC on the final day of the regular season, as its attack sparked into life late in the campaign. Oalex Anderson and Evan Conway each recorded 12 goals to lead the club as North Carolina finished fifth in the league with 54 goals in the regular season, while the side also tied for fourth in the league with 13 shutouts.

All-Time Series

Louisville City FC has won five out of seven prior contests with North Carolina FC in the USL Championship and swept the regular season series this year with a wild 6-4 victory at WakeMed Soccer Park in their most recent meeting on August 30. NCFC will be looking for its first win in the series since March 8, 2019, with Louisville having won four in a row since then.

Opta Says

17 – Louisville City FC led the league with 17 goals from corner kicks in the 2024 regular season, seven more than North Carolina FC, which ranked second in the league in that category.

26 & 28 – North Carolina FC recorded 26 goals before halftime and 28 goals after halftime, making it one of only four teams in the league to record at least 25 goals in either half of games this season.

Players to Watch

Louisville City FC – Taylor Davila: The central midfielder recorded seven goals and six assists in his first campaign for LouCity while also leading the club with 39 tackles won and sitting second with 1,421 passes attempted, positioning him one of the top two-way midfielders in the league.

North Carolina FC – Paco Craig: The English center back was part of Louisville’s two title-winning sides in 2017 and 2018 and is coming off a first season in North Carolina in which he led the club with 21 blocked shots and 101 clearances while ranking in the Top 15 among center backs with a +5.56 Goals Added mark per American Soccer Analysis.

Uniforms

Discipline Report

Louisville City FC – No suspensions

North Carolina FC – No suspensions

Officials
REF: Matthew Corrigan
AR1: Matthew Rodman
AR2: Rhett Hammil
4TH: Kyle Johnston