LIPAFC

LIPAFC

Louisville City FC taking a free kick against the Indy Eleven
Other names	Louisville–Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest
Sport	Soccer
Location	Ohio Valley
Teams	Indy Eleven Louisville City
First meeting	May 27, 2015 U.S. Open Cup Indy Eleven 0–2 Louisville City
Latest meeting	October 5, 2024 USL Championship Indy Eleven 2–2 Louisville City
Next meeting	TBA
Stadiums	Carroll Stadium (Indy Eleven) Lynn Family Stadium (Louisville City)
Statistics
Meetings total	23
Most wins	Louisville City (11)
Most player appearances	Paolo DelPiccolo (17)
Top scorer	Tyler Pasher (5) Cameron Lancaster (5)
All-time series (USL Championship only)	Louisville City: 11 Drawn: 7 Indy Eleven: 5
Largest victory	Louisville City 4–1 Indy Eleven (October 20, 2018)
Largest goal scoring	Louisville City 5–3 Indy Eleven (April 6, 2024)
Longest win streak	Louisville City (3)
Longest unbeaten streak	Louisville City (10)
Current win streak	Louisville City (3)
Current unbeaten streak	Louisville City (4)

The Louisville–Indianapolis proximity association football contest (LIPAFC) ( /lɪpəˈɛfsi/ ) is a rivalry between American professional soccer clubs Louisville City FC and the Indy Eleven. ^[1] Louisville City play their home games at the Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, while the Indy Eleven play their home games at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Overall, Louisville have won the most matches in the rivalry's history, having won 11 times to Indy's 5 with 6 draws (as of April 6, 2024). Louisville's record win was a 4–1 victory in the USL Playoffs at their former stadium, Slugger Field, on October 20, 2018. ^[2] Indy has several 1 goal wins with the last of which being a 2–1 victory at Carroll Stadium on August 21, 2022. ^[3]

History

Early matches

The Indy Eleven began play in 2014 as a member of the NASL while Louisville City began play in 2015 as part of the USL. As they were members of different leagues they didn't play regularly. Their first competitive match came in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup on May 27, 2015. A match that Louisville City won at Carroll Stadium 0–2. ^[4] As the USL was officially a third-tier league at the time this was Louisville City's first victory over an opponent from a higher-tier league. Their second meeting was also third round U.S. Open Cup match at Carroll Stadium. A 2–1 victory for the Indy Eleven giving them their first win in the series. ^[5]

USL

With the NASL on the verge of financial collapse the Indy Eleven joined the USL in January 2018 making the Indy Eleven and Louisville City league rivals for the first time. ^[6] Both were placed in the USL's Eastern Conference where they remain to this day. ^[7] Their first league match took place on May 5, 2018, at Lucas Oil Stadium. A match the Indy Eleven won 1–0 after Ayoze García converted a penalty in the 78th-minute. Louisville City's first loss of the season. ^[8] This was the first of four matches during 2018 with second being a 2–2 draw at Slugger Field. ^[9] This began a ten-match unbeaten streak for Louisville. They would play one more match in the regular season before meeting in the USL Playoffs for the first time on October 20, 2018. Louisville City won this match 4–1 behind a Niall McCabe brace. The largest margin of victory in the rivalry to date. ^[2]

In 2019 the Indy Eleven and Louisville City played two 1–1 matches during the regular season and would again meet in the rebranded USL Championship Playoffs. This time the Eastern Conference final on November 9 at Carroll Stadium. The Indy Eleven came in on a 27 match home unbeaten streak and scored the opening 67th-minute off the foot of Tyler Pasher. Four minutes into stoppage time Antoine Hoppenot scored the tying goal sending the match in extra time. Four minutes into extra time Magnus Rasmussen put Louisville City ahead and a Luke Spencer in penalty in the 113th-minute lead to a final score line 1–3 as Louisville City advanced to the USL Championship Final. ^[10]

The next two seasons were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic causing the USL to modify its format. During both seasons the Eastern Conference was subdivided into multiple groups and divisions ^{[11] [12]} with the Indy Eleven and Louisville City being placed in the same subdivision each year. During both years the clubs would play a record four regular season matches against each other. The Indy Eleven would fail to win a match against Louisville City until May 29, 2021. When a pair of Jordan Hamilton penalties at Lynn Family Stadium lead to a 1–2 Indy Eleven victory. The result ended a three-match winning streak and ten-match unbeaten run in the rivalry for Louisville City. On October 16, 2021, the Indy Eleven would earn a 1–0 at Carroll Stadium which began a 3 match unbeaten streak. ^[13]

Louisville City's 5–3 victory over Indy Eleven on April 6, 2024, was the first USL Championship match to be nationally broadcast on network TV through CBS. ^[14] The match is also the highest-scoring LIPAFC game to date, surpassing the 3–3 draw on June 26, 2021. ^[15]

Mythology

The name "LIPAFC", used in an unofficial capacity by the clubs' supporter groups, is a tongue-in-cheek parody of rivalries manufactured through geographic proximity as opposed to on-field action. ^[16] Satirical pseudohistorical stories color the rivalry, such as an 1865 match in which Indy Eleven played in infantry uniforms after returning from combat in the American Civil War, an 1868 match in which a Civil War veteran assaulted a referee with his prosthetic leg, and 1926 match which ended in a 36–35 penalty shootout. ^[17] Internet memes and In-jokes also bolster the satirical nature of the rivalry, such as Indy Eleven supporters opposing Kentucky Fried Chicken, and claiming Louisville City are Nickelback fans. ^{[18] [19]} The overall winner of the two LIPAFC games each season are presented with the fan-made LIPFAC Barrel Trophy — a construction barrel with an Interstate 65 sign stuck on top, and a small plastic trophy taped on the side. Fans claim the trophy was partly made with pieces of the mythological Trojan Horse. ^{[20] [21]}

Results

Summary

As of October 5, 2024 ^[20]

	Matches	IND wins	Draws	LOU wins	IND goals	LOU goals
USL regular season	19	4	7	8	21	30
USL Cup Playoffs	2	0	0	2	2	7
U.S. Open Cup	2	1	0	1	2	3
Total	23	5	7	11	25	40

Matches

Season	Date	Competition	Stadium	Home team	Result	Away team	Attendance	Series	Ref
2015	May 27	U.S. Open Cup	Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	0–2	Louisville City FC	7,134	LOU 1–0–0
2016	June 1	U.S. Open Cup	Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	2–1	Louisville City FC	2,145	Tied 1–1–0
2018	May 5	USL	Lucas Oil Stadium	Indy Eleven	1–0	Louisville City FC	9,008	IND 2–1–0
	August 5		Louisville Slugger Field	Louisville City FC	2–2	Indy Eleven	8,437	IND 2–1–1
	October 13		Louisville Slugger Field	Louisville City FC	1–0	Indy Eleven	10,686	Tied 2–2–1
	October 20	USL Playoffs	Louisville Slugger Field	Louisville City FC	4–1	Indy Eleven	6,763	LOU 3–2–1
2019	June 29	USL Championship	Lucas Oil Stadium	Indy Eleven	1–1	Louisville City FC	10,584	LOU 3–2–2
	August 30		Louisville Slugger Field	Louisville City FC	1–1	Indy Eleven	9,211	LOU 3–2–3
	November 9	USL Championship Playoffs	Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	1–3	Louisville City FC	7,171	LOU 4–2–3
2020	August 8	USL Championship	Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	1–1	Indy Eleven	4,850†	LOU 4–2–4
	August 26		Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	1–0	Indy Eleven	4,851†	LOU 5–2–4
	September 5		Lucas Oil Stadium	Indy Eleven	1–3	Louisville City FC	6,778†	LOU 6–2–4
	September 16		Lucas Oil Stadium	Indy Eleven	0–2	Louisville City FC	2,500†	LOU 7–2–4
2021	May 29	USL Championship	Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	1–2	Indy Eleven	10,731	LOU 7–3–4
	June 26		Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	3–3	Indy Eleven	10,927	LOU 7–3–5
	September 18		Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	0–2	Louisville City FC	6,499	LOU 8–3–5
	October 16		Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	1–0	Louisville City FC	6,499	LOU 8–4–5
2022	March 26	USL Championship	Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	1–1	Indy Eleven	8,551	LOU 8–4–6
	August 31		Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	1–0	Louisville City FC	8,275	LOU 8–5–6
2023	May 27	USL Championship	Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	0–1	Louisville City FC	9,532	LOU 9–5–6
	July 29		Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	2–0	Indy Eleven	13,248	LOU 10–5–6
2024	April 6	USL Championship	Lynn Family Stadium	Louisville City FC	5–3	Indy Eleven	11,330	LOU 11–5–6
	October 5		Carroll Stadium	Indy Eleven	2–2	Louisville City FC	10,780	LOU 11–5–7

† Matches played at reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eastern Conference standings finishes

  IND  LOU

P.	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
1			1		1
2	2			2
3		3
4		4
5						5
6						6
7	7
8
9			9		9
10
11
12				12

• Total: Louisville City with 5 higher finishes, Indy Eleven with 1.

Top goalscorers

As of October 5, 2024

Position	Nation	Name	Team	Goals
1	CAN	Tyler Pasher	Indy Eleven	5
1	ENG	Cameron Lancaster	Louisville City FC	5
2	USA	Corben Bone	Louisville City FC	4
4	USA	Paolo DelPiccolo	Louisville City FC	3
4	USA	Wilson Harris	Louisville City FC	3
4	BRA	Stefano Pinho	Indy Eleven	3
6	SLE	Augustine Williams	Indy Eleven	2
6	SCO	Jack Blake	Indy Eleven	2
6	FRA	Antoine Hoppenot	Louisville City FC	2
6	JAM	Devon Williams	Louisville City FC	2
6	IRL	Niall McCabe	Louisville City FC	2
6	USA	Jack McInerney	Indy Eleven	2
6	CAN	Jordan Hamilton	Indy Eleven	2
6	VEN	Manuel Arteaga	Indy Eleven	2

Honors

Table correct as of 2024 season.

Team	USL Cup	Supporters' Shield	U.S. Open Cup	Total
Indy Eleven	0	1†	0	1
Louisville City FC	2	1	0	3
Combined	2	2	0	4

†Includes 2016 NASL Spring Championship. ^[22]

Players who have played for both clubs

Louisville City, then Indy Eleven

• Ilija Ilić
• Aodhan Quinn

Indy Eleven, then Louisville City

• Tyler Gibson
• Dylan Mares
• Kenney Walker (loan between the two clubs ^[23] )

References

Sources

1. Hindle, Thomas (April 6, 2024). "Civil War uniforms, 36-35 shootouts and Nickelback: The USL's LIPAFC rivalry is the best derby you have never heard of". Goal.com . Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.

Citations

1. Murray, Nicholas (April 1, 2024). "What makes the Louisville City-Indy Eleven rivalry special". USL Championship. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
2. Johnston, Kevin (October 20, 2018). "Overmatched Indy Eleven ousted from USL playoffs by defending champs" . The Indianapolis Star . Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
3. "LouCity defeated by Indy Eleven to mark second straight loss". Louisville City FC. August 31, 2022. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
4. Gee, Brandon (May 29, 2015). "2015 US Open Cup round 3: Louisville City scores two late OT goals to pull off sloppy road upset of Indy Eleven (video)". TheCup.us. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
5. Carney, Mike (June 12, 2016). "2016 US Open Cup round 3: Indy Eleven rally to avenge last year's loss to Louisville City". TheCup.us. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
6. Crawford, Dakota (January 10, 2018). "Indy Eleven (officially) announces move to USL, plans to remain at Carroll Stadium" . The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
7. "USL Announces 2018 Conference Alignment". soccerstadiumdigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
8. White, Chris (May 5, 2018). "Louisville City FC's unbeaten start ends in loss at Indy Eleven" . Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
9. Harten, David (August 5, 2018). "Louisville City FC earns draw with Indy Eleven on second half goal" . Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
10. Johnston, Kevin (November 9, 2019). "Louisville City through to 3rd-straight USL Cup final after topping Indy Eleven in thriller" . The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
11. Lenard, John (June 26, 2020). "USL Championship announces Eastern Conference groups". 3rddegree.net. 3rd Degree. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
12. "USL Championship Releases 2021 League Alignment, Republic FC in Pacific Division". Sacramento Republic FC. March 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
13. Hartnett, Mike (May 29, 2021). "Penalties hurt Lou City in loss to Indy Eleven". Louisville: Wave 3. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
14. Nalton, James (April 9, 2024). "A relegation push and CBS: USL's quest to become America's go-to league". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
15. "Recap – LOU 5:3 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
16. Newman, Benton (2022). "An Introduction To Louisville City FC". 502 Pros. stateoflouisville.com. State of Louisville. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023. This matchup has earned the comical name, the Louisville Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest (LIPAFC) poking fun at other location-based rivalry match names
17. Hindle 2024 , "The Eleven squad, recently returning from the Civil War, had their trip down to Kentucky delayed [and] had to play all 90 minutes in their infantry uniforms [...] Fans have claimed [...] that a Civil War veteran used a prosthetic leg to beat up a referee in 1868, and that a 1926 contest between the two sides was decided by a 36-35 penalty shootout win."
18. Scoble, Kyle (April 22, 2020). "Descending the Pyramid: The Fan-First Structure Behind Indy Eleven". urbanpitch.com. Urban Hype. Urban Pitch. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
19. Hindle 2024 , "Indy were quick to make fun of Louisville in 2022, paying for a flyover before a meeting between the two sides with a trailing banner that read 'Louisville City FC loves Nickelback.'"
20. "The Louisville-Indianapolis proximity association football contest". www.lipafc.com. 2022. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
21. Hindle 2024 , "It's a janky thing, a I-65 sign jutting awkwardly out of a traffic barrel with a broken plastic trophy taped awkwardly on the side. [...] the rivalry site claims that the original trophy was made from pieces of the Trojan Horse."
22. "Indy Eleven win NASL Spring season" . The Indianapolis Star. June 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023. A victory in April proved pivotal in helping the Indy Eleven win the NASL Spring season.
23. Saxon, Jonathan (September 21, 2020). "Louisville City FC welcomes former Louisville soccer midfielder for rest of the season" . Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2023. Another former Cardinal is returning to the nest as Louisville City FC announced the arrival of midfielder Kenney Walker on Monday.

External links

• Official website
• Louisville City FC
• Indy Eleven