In just about 40 days, the USL Championship’s regular season will be over. Only one team is out of the playoff mix, and only two have booked their ticket to the postseason. Everything is still to play for in the race for eighth place and the shootout for invaluable hosting rights.
With all 24 clubs in action on Saturday, there was plenty of movement in the table to raise the stakes that much higher. Who’s up and who’s down after Week 28? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville (No change)
Result: 1-0 win at Tulsa
Between former assistant Mario Sanchez, ex-striker Luke Spencer, and two current loan players in the form of Owen Damm and Sebastian Sanchez, LouCity shares a surprising amount of DNA with FC Tulsa. Of course, that connection grew ever deeper a few short weeks ago when Phillip Goodrum was signed from Tulsa for a six-digit fee. This weekend's match proved that even institutional familiarity can't stop Louisville in 2024.
Goodrum was clearly up for the match, starting in place of Wilson Harris at his old stomping grounds. Though he didn’t score on four shots, Goodrum created two chances and was characteristically spirited pursuing any and every loose ball. His movement was a boon for LouCity, dragging Tulsa tight and allowing for combination play down the right.
No coach utilizes defenders as weapons quite like Danny Cruz, and the freedom he allotted Sean Totsch on the right side of his back three set the tone in Oklahoma. Totsch could step high into the half space in the 3-2-5, giving his side a crucial connective anchor on the edge of the area. The veteran defender got more adventurous, too, as seen when he overlapped on the sideline, beat a man on the dribble to move into the box, and cut a sharp pass back to get a hockey assist on Louisville’s winner.
Even away against a motivated opponent, LouCity make it look easy. They outshot Tulsa three times over, dictated the terms, and ended the weekend three points further ahead of Charleston in the all-but-decided race for the East’s top seed.
2. Colorado Springs (+5)
Result: 2-0 win v. Charleston
Colorado Springs is masterful at overloading specific areas of the pitch, and Yosuke Hanya seems to be involved every time they do so.
The winger, on loan from the Colorado Rapids, is an extremely inspired presser who never gives opponents easy angles and usually bends his closing runs to cause maximal trouble. In possession, he can slink up like a second striker or choose to hug wider. No matter what, Hanya is relying on his preternatural eye for space to get the job done, and that skillset shone against Charleston on Saturday.
