In 2023, five USL teams finished with a goal difference of +15 or greater. That count was six in 2022. This season, only Charleston and Louisville are on pace to clear that bar. The Championship isn’t short on good teams; the level has never been higher on the pitch. This season, though, the league is simply high on parity. Almost the entire USL is a tough out, and blowouts are hard to come by.
The tight-run nature of the table has made the playoff race all the thornier. With just three weeks to play after this weekend’s action, who’s securing a place? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville (No change)
Result: 3-0 win v. Miami, 2-2 draw at Indy
LouCity came into the week with destiny in their hands: if they could beat Miami at home and get a result away to Indy, they would lock up the 2024 Players’ Shield. Not only is that trophy a point of pride, but it assures home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Given Louisville’s dominance at Lynn Family Stadium - they’ve got 15 wins and just one loss at home - the upside was clear.
Earning a victory over Miami was simple enough, and Danny Cruz clearly understood the assignment against a pesky opponent. Louisville threw numbers into the final third, but they weren’t reckless. Taylor Davila and Elijah Wynder (who combined for 13 recoveries) showed a heady sense of give-and-take in the pivot, with one center mid always ready to get back against the stray transition move. Defenders Sean Totsch and Kyle Adams sat off a shade rather than aggressively flying in to claim clearances and keep the attacking zone.
LouCity went up on an early set piece, their USL-best 11th corner goal of the year, and never looked back. That set up Saturday’s LIPAFC game, one in which Cruz's unit was dominant in second ball situations and consistently fruitful in the final third. With Sam Gleadle and Phillip Goodrum both starting up top, Louisville lacked some level of flow and chemistry, but they made up for it in the early going by the sheer will power of Davila and Wynder.
The second half was a more difficult proposition. Indy tends to attack with very narrow wingers and shiftier forwards, and that mix opened up space behind the Louisville wing backs. Cruz and co. still outshot their hosts by a colossal 18-shot margin in the back 45 minutes, but that fault was enough for the Eleven to earn a draw.
Not that it mattered. A point gave Louisville their first Players’ Shield in club history, an incredible achievement for a team that wins Eastern Conference finals for fun. Now, the aim is to cut out the errors and potentially cement this team’s status as the best team in the USL’s history.
2. Charleston (No change)
Result: 2-2 draw v. Detroit
Focus is a hard thing to maintain following a bye week, and Charleston took their foot off the gas too often against Detroit in a Saturday matinee this week. Ben Pirmann's side is chock full of good ideas and brilliant moments, but a draw against a 10-man visitor was a reminder of the need for 90 minutes of full attention.
Arturo Rodriguez was crucial for the Battery, bolstering their attack with clever side-to-side drifting into pockets behind the Detroit 5-2-3 press. The No. 10's movement allowed him to carve out line-breaking touches in the half spaces, and it permitted Nick Markanich and Juan David Torres to make aggressive runs at the opposing back line. Given that the guests marked tightly against the Battery pivot, skipping directly to Rodriguez was the best way to pay off patient build-up.
Aaron Molloy came off the bench at halftime for his longest post-injury runout, and his metronomic way of setting the tempo absolutely gave Charleston a firmer grasp of the midfield. Slicker build powered by Molloy was paid off by Juan David Torres, who moved to the right wing and was given free reign to piston up and down the half space to serve as a creator between the lines.
Yes, it took a Detroit red card before the Battery got on the board, but the ideas on show were solid. Given Louisville's standing atop the table, experimentation and the re-integration of Molloy are the primary prerogative now.
3. Las Vegas (+1)
Result: 1-1 draw v. Orange County
