USL Championship Playoffs: The Expert Bracket is selected with Louisville City FC entering the postseason as favorites

On Saturday, the USL Championship Playoffs will begin, and you can watch select matches on CBS Sports, and once again, Danny Cruz’s Louisville City FC will be the team to beat as they claim to be one of the best teams in USL history. After the offseason departure of Elijah Winder and Wilson Harris, Louisville pulled out all the stops and reloaded the team to come back even better. Louisville set a league record with 73 points in just 30 games en route to winning the Players’ Shield for the second straight season.

Although having the best record in the league did not lead to an appearance in the USL Cup Final, things look different this season. They had an unbeaten record at home behind a balanced attack led by Philip Goodrum who scored 13 goals and nine assists for Taylor Davila. Allowing only eight goals in their home games, Lynn Family Stadium was a true fortress, and they would not have to leave the home confines for their entire playoff run.

Cruz (35 years old) also became the youngest coach to score 100 victories in the league, in only his 169th match, and the team ended the season undefeated in 16 consecutive matches. No team has done what Louisville did this season during the expanded 30-game season, and anything short of a championship would be a surprise at this point.

But while I’ve already given my hero a shot, what’s the path to get there? You can too Create your own bracket on the USL website here.

Conference quarterfinal schedule

All times Eastern

Saturday 1 November
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Hartford Athletic | 6:30 pm | ESPN+
Louisville City FC vs. Detroit City SC | 7 pm | CBS Sports Golazo
North Carolina FC vs. Loudoun United | 7:30 pm| ESPN+
tulsa club vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | 8 pm | ESPN+
New Mexico United vs San Antonio | 9 pm | ESPN+
El Paso Locomotive FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC | 9:30 pm | ESPN+

Sunday 2 November
charleston battery | 2 pm | CBS Sports Network
Sacramento Republic vs. Orange County SC | 9 pm | CBS Sports Network

Chuck Booth’s arc

Conference quarterfinals

In the West, things start out with FC Tulsa continuing their strong season with a home win, but then things get dicey. Phoenix finished the season with a strong performance, losing only one of their last 10 games, and while there were plenty of draws, they will have enough to get out of in the first round. New Mexico and Sacramento will have no problems in their home games.

In the East, the first round will also go mostly in chalk with Louisville winning its first game, but Ryan Martin’s Loudoun United is poised to pull off an upset, making the playoffs for the first time in club history when they defeat North Carolina FC. In Pittsburgh, the Riverhounds are still led by interim manager Rob Vincent as Bob Lilly remains on administrative leave. Under Vincent, the Riverhounds are unbeaten in their three games to close the regular season and can take that momentum into the playoffs.

Quarter-finals

To the surprise of no one, Pittsburgh’s run will end with a trip to Lane Family Stadium, while Charleston will also take on Loudoun United at home. The later rounds are when the chalk can go to the top, but that’s not always the case as New Mexico United takes on Sacramento, and Phoenix takes on number one seed Tulsa FC.

Semi-finals

Phoenix goes to New Mexico after a quarterfinal win over top-seeded Tulsa, and the visitors ride fan support to a spot in the Champions League final, while the East sees a battle between the top two seeds. Charleston will put up a fight, looking to hold off Louisville City, but it won’t be enough as Louisville reaches the Champions League final for the first time since 2022, losing to San Antonio.

last

Oddly enough, Louisville hasn’t won a USL Championship Final since 2018, but this is the season where the drought ends. They will host the final for the third time, with Louisville defeating New Mexico United to add to Cruz’s growing legacy.