LouCity Bows Out of 2023 Playoffs with Conference Final Loss
November 4, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC's Cameron Lancaster in action
(Louisville City FC, Credit: Henry Taylor)
Louisville City FC saw its season end Saturday a game earlier than the boys in purple had hoped as they fell in the USL Championship's Eastern Conference Final.
The host Charleston Battery converted set piece goals on either side of the half en route to a 2-1 victory at Patriots Point, advancing to the league final as a result.
For LouCity, it marked the end of a rocky season, yet one City overcame to catch fire in the playoffs and return to the conference final round for a ninth straight year.
"When you look at the season as a whole, a lot of ups and a lot of downs," said coach Danny Cruz. "I thought the group came together here at the end - certainly fought, battled and put ourselves in a position to play for a trophy, but fell short.
"I feel like I say it every year: I'm extremely grateful and thankful to be at a club like this. I certainly feel terrible at the moment for the players, for the club, for the fans, for our owners - for everybody who cares about Louisville City.
"All we can try to do is make sure we come back, and we're stronger going into 2024."
Cruz didn't make a change from a 4-0 conference semifinal win last weekend over Detroit City FC. But after a strong start a week ago, City played from behind almost immediately Saturday.
A transition foul set up Charleston's Arturo Rodriguez for a fifth-minute free kick he curled into the back of the net. On the other side of the half, the boys in purple conceded a 58th-minute penalty scored by Augustine Williams.
LouCity's answer arrived too late when Kyle Adams headed in a rebounding 90th-minute goal to halve the deficit. By then, the boys in purple were short of both time and players with Carlos Moguel Jr. dismissed for a second yellow card foul minutes prior.
"We pride ourselves on being difficult to break down - hard to concede goals (against)," said defender Sean Totsch. "To give up a goal early, our game plan goes out the window a little bit - not entirely. We have to be a little bit more aggressive. We've got to step a little higher. We have to chase, right?
"That's the hardest part. When we're tough to break down and get through that early stage of the game - get 20, 30 minutes on - we would have liked our chances. But it's tough when you're chasing in these playoff games, because you're not going to get many chances."
Charleston is on to the USL Championship Final on Sunday, Nov. 12, against the Western Conference Final winner - either Sacramento Republic FC or Phoenix Rising FC.
LouCity, meanwhile, heads into the offseason following a 14-12-8 campaign. It resulted in the club's lowest finish ever on the table, fifth, but preceded two playoff victories and a return to the conference final round.
"It'll be a busy offseason, for sure," Cruz said. "We'll talk more about that as the offseason goes on. For now, I think the focus is going to be on making some of those decisions and looking forward."
Game Summary: Charleston Battery vs. Louisville City FC
Date: Nov. 4, 2023
Venue: Patriots Point
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Weather: 61 degrees, clear
Scoring
Charleston Battery (1, 1, 2)
Louisville City FC (0, 1, 1)
Goals
Charleston Battery:
5' Arturo Rodriguez
58' Augustine Williams
Louisville City FC:
90' Kyle Adams
Lineups
Charleston Battery: 25 - Trey Muse, 96 - Mark Segbers, 23 - Sebastian Palma, 5 - Leland Archer, 14 - Derek Dodson, 4 - Chris Allan, 8 - Emilio Ycaza, 21 - Tristan Trager (66' 69 - Roberto Avila), 12 - Arturo Rodriguez (82' 19 - Robbie Crawford), 13 - Nick Markanich (87' 23 - Daniel Kuzemka), 9 - Augustine Williams
Subs not used: 2 - Pierre Reedy, 3 - Alex Cochran, 7 - Andrew Booth, 20 - Arthur Paterson
Head coach: Ben Pirmann
Louisville City FC: 28 - Oliver Semmle, 6 - Wes Charpie (65' 19 - Oscar Jimenez), 32 - Kyle Adams, 4 - Sean Totsch, 15 - Manny Perez, 12 - Tyler Gibson (65' 23 - Elijah Wynder), 8 - Carlos Moguel Jr., 36 - Paolo DelPiccolo (65' 14 - Wilson Harris), 9 - Jorge Gonzalez (85' 11 - Niall McCabe), 10 - Brian Ownby (65' 22 - Dylan Mares), 17 - Cameron Lancaster
Subs not used: 18 - Danny Faundez, 5 - Rasmus Thellufsen
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Stats Summary: Charleston Battery / Louisville City FC
Shots: 11 / 13
Shots on Goal: 2 / 3
Possession: 42.7% / 57.3%
Fouls: 16 / 26
Offside: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 7
Discipline Summary
Charleston Battery:
69' Arturo Rodriguez (yellow)
90'+ Chris Allan (yellow)
Louisville City FC:
4' Brian Ownby (yellow)
83' Carlos Moguel Jr. (yellow)
86' Carlos Moguel Jr. (second yellow)
90' Danny Cruz (yellow)
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
Images from this story
 Louisville City FC's Cameron Lancaster in action (Henry Taylor) |
United Soccer League Championship Stories from November 4, 2023
- Battery Win Eastern Conference Title, Punch Ticket to USL Final - Charleston Battery
- Sacramento Republic FC Downed by Phoenix Rising FC, 2-1 - Sacramento Republic FC
- Charleston Battery to Host Phoenix Rising FC in 2023 USL Championship Final - USL
- Rising Advances to the USL Championship Final - Phoenix Rising FC
- LouCity Bows Out of 2023 Playoffs with Conference Final Loss - Louisville City FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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