The USL Championship playoffs begin on Friday night, but who really has a shot at going the distance?
There are a few factors that can help a club make a run. Past champions like Orange County in 2021 and Phoenix in 2023 had star forwards get hot at the right time. Rising paired their attacking play with a stellar defense, something that defined San Antonio’s title run in 2022. Clubs that are organized at the back and peaking at the right moment are set up for success.
Of course, the playoffs are fun because anything can happen. With that in mind, let’s go club-by-club to decide who’s a real threat, who could surprise, and who ought to be planning for the winter break.
The Favorite
Louisville City
Part of the point of this exercise is to pick multiple favorites, but there simply isn’t a club that can match LouCity in the top tier.
Louisville finished 12 points clear of every other team in the USL, and they scored 18 more goals than anyone else. A Players’ Shield win assures that Louisville will play at Lynn Family Stadium for the rest of the year, a place where they’ve won 16 of 17 matches in 2024. Danny Cruz’s 3-4-3 can tilt the pitch and control games, while the elite talent at Cruz’s disposal allows them to fight their way back into games after trailing. No matter the situation, this team is simply dominant.
