Tracking the USL

Finishing the game tonight after it got postponed from Saturday.

What a mess that was. I've never really stood outside with hurricane-level rainfall, so that was something. It was impossible to keep dry. I was wearing a waterproof suit and it still got in. My shoes are still wet.

Louisville's defense has been miserable the last couple weeks as Hackworth moved to a four-man back but plays two outside backs that like to get forward. Got caught out again in the first half Saturday to go behind. It was basically identical to goals scored on Louisville by both Toronto and Charleston last week.

Unless he shores up that back, it's looking like a quick postseason for Louisville this year.

Essentially impossible for anyone to catch FCC at this point. They're the top seed. Good sign for FCC fans: the top seed in the Eastern Conference has ultimately hoisted the USL Cup at the end of the playoffs for four years running.

Better sign for MJ haha! I really hope they don't lay an egg in the playoffs like other Cincy sports franchises. Could be a very lucrative October.

Louisville City FC just signed St. Francis High School and University of Kentucky product Napo Matsoso. Just under the deadline for the roster freeze ahead of the playoffs.

Will join DuPont Manual’s Richard Ballard as the second Louisville high school player to be signed to a professional contract for the hometown team.

Congrats to him. Plays defensive midfield, a position of need in the system Coach Hackworth is trying to get going in Louisville.

2nd place Pittsburgh is closer in points to 9th place than they are to Cincy. That’s crazy.

FC Cincinnati clinched the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference last night with a 2-1 comeback victory over Penn FC. FCC is on an 8 match winning streak and 19 match unbeaten streak.

Louisville clinched a playoff spot last night. Beat Ottawa 4-0. Still battling with Pittsburgh and Charleston for the No. 2 seed.

It’s going to be a battle down the stretch for those positions with home games.

FCC’s propensity to slog through a game and then continually get the winner late is a testament to the bench they’ve built. The first couple years, FCC was good at spending money, but not at spending it well. This year they’ve spent even more money and spent it on pieces that work really well together.

It’s going to take a really special effort from a team — and probably getting on the end of a mistake or two by Cincy — for anyone else to win the East at this point.