One week down, 33 to go. The USL Championship season is back, and Week One set the tone for what’s already setting up to be a wild 2025 season. From powerhouse matchups featuring top-of-the-table contenders from both the Eastern and Western Conference to surprisingly strong showings from a few dark-horse upstarts, the weekend was full of storylines.
Who stood out, what tactical decisions mattered, and where does your club sit? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville City
Result: 2-1 win at Charleston
Can Louisville make a go at a second consecutive Players' Shield? Time will tell, but you could've looked at their lineup against Charleston this weekend and hardly clocked that Danny Cruz had turned the page on the calendar. Zach Duncan was the only new player to start, and just two new players made the bench.
Continuity paid off. Duncan, who went a mere 10-for-17 on passes but racked up 10 defensive actions, tended to take on a defensive stance, allowing Taylor Davila to do Taylor Davila things. The all-league midfielder was a perennial threat in the right halfspace, where he constantly created triangular overloads with wingback Manny Perez and sophomore winger Jansen Wilson. All three were spirited in the counter press – hence why LouCity put up six final-third takeaways while Charleston posted just one.
Tight marking across the board helped Louisville to control the match. Aaron Molloy was essentially man-marked in the high press. The ageless Amadou Dia took up the responsibility of shadowing potential MVP candidate Juan David Torres; though the Colombian winger took eight shots, seven of those tries came from either outside the box or from an improbably wide angle. The guests brought superior intensity, and they were eventually rewarded for it.
@loucity.com strikes first eight minutes into the second half as Ray Serrano scores his first goal of the campaign. Good energy from both #USLChampionship contenders so far in this one. #CHSvLOU
— Nicholas Murray (@njemurray.bsky.social) 2025-03-09T01:52:58.939Z
The go-ahead goal was defined by that fire. Philip Goodrum, who has huge expectations on his shoulders, battled alongside Dia and eventual goalscorer Ray Serrano to force the ball over the line. It was a masterpiece of pressure and a deserved finish.
Though Louisville conceded somewhat unluckily, they were the better side. Charleston going down a man allowed Cruz to put the Battery to the screws late, but his side didn’t miss a beat for 90 minutes. It’s going to be another season to remember at Lynn Family Stadium.
