Louisville City FC edged Birmingham Legion FC 2–1 at home on Wednesday night, with Kevon Lambert scoring both goals to secure all three points in the USL Championship.
Lambert needed just six minutes to open the scoring, finishing from an Aiden McFadden delivery to put Louisville ahead early. The hosts controlled much of the opening half hour, though the match grew increasingly scrappy. Peter-Lee Vassell and Seth Antwi picked up yellows for Birmingham in quick succession in the 32nd and 34th minutes, and the visitors channeled that combative energy into an equalizer before the break. Samuel Shashoua leveled in the 42nd minute, converting a chance created by Gevork Diarbian to send the teams into halftime at 1–1.
The second half followed a similar pattern of physical play. McFadden was booked in the 54th minute — his second caution-worthy moment after providing the assist on Louisville's opener — and Diarbian joined the card count a minute later. But it was Lambert who settled the contest in the 74th minute, striking again off a Taylor Davila feed to restore Louisville's lead. This time, there was no Birmingham response.
The Legion pushed late but couldn't find a second equalizer, and tempers frayed down the stretch. Ray Serrano was cautioned in the 88th minute for Louisville, while Sebastián Saucedo received a yellow in stoppage time for Birmingham. Seven bookings in total reflected a hard-fought, at times ill-tempered affair.
The win keeps Louisville City FC firmly in the mix in the Championship standings as the season heads toward its final stretch.
USL Championship