Overview: MIA @ LOU
- Date: Saturday, March 14
- Kickoff: 4:00 P.M. ET
- Venue: Lynn Family Stadium (Louisville, Kentucky)
- Forecast: 63 degrees with partly cloudy skies at kickoff
- How to Watch: ESPN+ (USA), ESPN LATAM, YouTube (International)
KNOW YOUR CLUB – Miami FC
After months of new signings and a pending move to a new stadium on the horizon, Miami FC will finally take the field against Louisville City FC, Saturday afternoon in Kentucky to kick off its 2026 USL Championship campaign.
Miami is coming off a 2025 season that saw marked improvement from its 2024 season, but fell 7 points away from a playoff spot. Head Coach Gaston Maddoni returns for his second season with the club, while Miami brought in General Manager, Todd Eason to help build a roster keen to compete for the 2026 playoffs.
The club will have an enormous test in their first match, visiting the fortress of Lynn Family Stadium where Lou City did not lose a regular season match in 2025.
Eason and Maddoni combined to create a new look roster that is noticeably different from 2025. In for 2026 is a younger, more physical group that showcases significantly more diversity with both USL Championship and USL League One experience. Miami needed to replace the 14 goals from USLC Second Team All-League forward Francisco Bonfiglio who signed with Uruguayan 1st Divison CA Boston River in the offseason. The answer was Curaçao International Jürgen Locadia who will represent his nation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. To support Locadia, the club also brought in the services of 19 year old Cameroonian talent Mathieu Ndongo with the hopes of a 1-2 punch of firepower for its attack.
The back line also has been bolstered to help Miami FC veteran and Miami FC Captain, Daltyn Knutson. Eloy Room begins his first season with the club in goal, as he also prepares to lead his country Curaçao in the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. Newcomers Alessandro Milesi, Arthur Rogers and Angelo Calfo bring skill and solidarity in the back along with Tulu who returns fully healthy after a preseason injury sidelined him for much of the 2025 season.
Midfield will bring another new look with a diverse group of young and veteran talent. USL Championship veteran Rodrigo da Costa comes over from North Carolina FC and joins returnees Matias Romero and Gerald Diaz with an exciting new group of talent looking to make its impact known early. With preseason now in the rear-view mirror, the group is eager to take on an enormous first challenge on Saturday in Kentucky.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – LOU CITY
That challenge in Kentucky is Louisville City FC. One of the most successful home sides in USL Championship history, Lou City has a different kind of agenda on its mind for the 2026 season. After a regular season record in 2025 that helped them achieve the USLC Players Shield, Lou City again was left with a bitter taste in its mouth after an upset defeat by Detroit City FC in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
While losing Phillip Goodrum their leading goal scorer in 2025 to rival Lexington, Lou City added Tola Showunmi, Chris Donovan and Mukwelle Akale for 2026 to help complete the missing pieces to Head Coach Danny Cruz’s squad.
That group started off with a bang against their rival last week in their season opener with a come from behind 2-1 victory. Down a goal, Lou City rallied in the second half. Newcomer Akale made an instant impact cancelling out Lexington captain Aaron Molloy’s earlier strike. Then with time winding down, it was Lou City’s Aiden McFadden playing the villain, silencing the sell-out Lexington crowd to lift Lou City to victory.
Head-to-Head
Louisville has taken advantage of the recent years in its head-to-head with Miami, having a 7-2-0 record against the Aqua and Orange of Miami FC. The clubs last met on October 11, 2025 with Lou City edging out Miami 1-0 at Pitbull Stadium.
