Cup finals are a special thing, allowing a team to cement their place in history. Hartford Athletic did just that on Saturday night, traveling to California and downing the Sacramento Republic in the first expanded edition of the Jagermeister Cup. In front of nearly 12,000 supporters, a historically snakebit Hartford club made it clear that they’re a contender.
Now, it’s time to fully lock in for the USL Championship’s home stretch. 22 clubs played league games this week, and the table continued to grow ever dicier. Who’s up and who’s down after a jam-packed Week 31? Let’s dig in.
1. Louisville City
Trending: No change
Result: 2-0 win v. Indy
The Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football contest – the rivalry between LouCity and Indy Eleven – is as one-sided as a feud can be. Louisville hadn’t lost to their Midwest rivals since 2022 entering this weekend, and Danny Cruz’s team made sure that wouldn’t change on Saturday.
The relationship between Kyle Adams and Josh Jones in the left and central roles of Louisville's back line was definitional. Indy used one of their forwards in an explicitly cherry-picking role aimed at Adams, so the New Zealand international had his hands full. While Adams did extremely well – see 10 duel wins on 12 attempts – Jones still needed to provide support behind him. That came in two ways: central coverage against potential crosses and rotational marking if a runner were to streak behind Adams’ back.
I respect the simplicity of Indy's "maybe we can cherry-pick Bruno Rendon" offense
— John Morrissey (@usltactics.com) 2025-10-04T23:55:00.949Z
Now, when your recourse in a match is “target the guys who might be all-USL defenders,” you probably aren’t in good shape. Louisville is so organized and flaw-free that they represent a tactical impossibility for many opponents. Indy needed to pick something to target, and they unsuccessfully deemed the Adams-Jones axis to be their route toward goal.
