LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Wilson Harris scored twice, three of his teammates hit the back of the net, and Louisville City FC delivered a sublime performance in front of its home fans Saturday while routing Birmingham Legion FC.
Ray Serrano’s goal provided an 82nd-minute exclamation point to a memorable afternoon at Lynn Family Stadium as LouCity prevailed by a 5-0 score — the largest margin of victory for the club since July of 2022.
The victory continued a perfect start to City’s 10th anniversary season. The boys in purple are 3-0 to sit atop the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference standings.
“I thought we started the game on the front foot,” said coach Danny Cruz. “There were some fantastic individual performances and a fantastic collective performance. We got a shutout, which the players know is important to me. It’s not just about the goals. But I thought it was a good night from the players’ performance to the atmosphere to the weather — tremendous.
“But I’ll say this, because I’m going to say the same thing to them in about five minutes: We don’t get complacent. We make sure that we come back to work next week ready to go.”
LouCity converted five of six shots on target Saturday, and its 18 attempts amounted to 2.93 expected goals, according to Stats Perform. In other words, when you’re on, you’re on.
Harris has scored four goals in three games to start the year, hitting the back of the net on either side of the halftime whistle. He used some nifty footwork in the box to pull possession back and strike in the 35th minute, then later knocked in a 66th-minute Serrano cross.
“We have a group that wants to get better and a group that’s together,” Harris said of City’s start. “That’s the most important thing. We’re pushing each other in training — Wednesdays, when we scrimmage — and I think we just make each other better.”
Other highlights from LouCity’s scoring avalanche included two players opening their club accounts. Jake Morris volleyed in a 13th-minute opener from Taylor Davila, who registered a goal of his own in the 73rd minute.
Serrano’s goal marked his second in as many weeks.
“We work hard every week to have performances like that,” Morris said. “When we come out and do it, it’s just that much better. It makes us want to go back next week and do the same thing over and over to get these results.
“The crowd was amazing, and we do it for them. We come here to do it for them and put on a show.”
A big day offensively paired with a LouCity clean sheet. Goalkeeper Damian Las stopped three shots, most notably a diving 69th-minute save off league veteran Enzo Martinez.
LouCity has twice before this year started seasons 3-0. In 2018, the boys in purple went on to win back-to-back USL Championship titles. In 2022, they went on to set club records for wins and points.
Should LouCity win next week, it would match 2018 for best-ever start. That could happen on the biggest of stages with rival Indy Eleven visiting for a 4 p.m. kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium. The game will air on CBS, a broadcast television first for the USL Championship.
Cruz’s pitch to fill the stadium: “When this place is full, this is a difficult place for teams to come and get a result. The weather, hopefully is going to be good — I’m sure it will be — and your support continues to mean the world to this group of players and this organization. It’s a good opportunity to show what Louisville City’s about to the country on a big channel.”
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