Sports stats



USL Louisville City FC

LouCity's Early Blitz Good for Win Over Monterey Bay, Return to First Place

July 27, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC celebrates win
Louisville City FC celebrates win
(Louisville City FC, Credit: Chris Carter)

An explosive first half Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium propelled Louisville City FC to a 4-1 win over Monterey Bay FC and a return to the top of the USL Championship table.

LouCity scored twice in the opening seven minutes en route to tallying four or more home goals for the fifth time this year. City's 2.6 goals per match are also far and away the best mark in the league.

The boys in purple improved to 14-4-2 on the season. At 44 points, they're a point ahead of the Charleston Battery with two games in hand.

"We talked to the group about getting back on a run," said Danny Cruz, with his side having rotated wins followed by losses dating back to early June - until Saturday, when LouCity won its second consecutive game.

"We were pretty tired of the wins and losses back and forth but in the end, it's about sticking to the progress. I thought we came out with the right mentality - the right energy."

Jake Morris and Wilson Harris combined to score two goals within the first seven minutes. And when Monterey Bay responded to halve the lead in the 24th minute, Elijah Wynder answered four minutes later when he hit the back of the net. To put a cap on the night, Sam Gleadle added a fourth goal against his former club in the 81st minute, knocking in a rebound.

It served as a strong setup for a massive occasion Tuesday when LouCity plays host to German power Eintracht Frankfurt for an international friendly.

"Yeah, the score is 4-1 but there's some areas that we can make sure that we're talking about even with a quick turnaround on Tuesday," Cruz said. "I'm proud of the group. We pushed them really hard with the time off. To come in here and get this result - score four goals - that's something to be proud of."

LouCity asked questions of Monterey Bay from the outset, with Jake Morris rocking a third-minute shot off the cross bar and in to mark the club's earliest goal of the season. Ray Serrano registered the assist, redirecting Aiden McFadden's cross with his head into Morris' path.

LouCity continued to play with urgency, putting the Monterey back line under constant pressure. Wilson Harris used a pinpoint Aiden McFadden cross from the right flank to calmly head home City's second goal of the night.

"Aiden got the ball out wide and served a perfect cross to my noggin and I headed it home far post," said Harris, who sits on 12 goals, ranking second in the USL Championship's Golden Boot race. "It felt good. We talked about doing that all year, and it finally happened."

Following Monterey Bay's lone goal, Taylor Davila swung in a free kick to set up Wynder for his career-high fifth goal of the season. It was also Davila's third goal contribution in as many home games.

Gleadle knocked in Dylan Mares' saved shot late to extend the lead. It was LouCity's 13th in the last 15 minutes of a game, more than any club in the league.

"Coming and getting two wins in a row at home, being back at home with the fans, the amazing atmosphere - we all love it," Morris said. "Best (home atmosphere) in the league, and we don't take it for granted."

Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Monterey Bay FC

Date: July 27, 2024

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET

Weather: 87 degrees, cloudy

Attendance: 9,701

Scoring

Louisville City FC (3, 1, 4)

Monterey Bay FC (1, 0, 1)

Goals

Louisville City FC:

3' Jake Morris (Ray Serrano)

7' Wilson Harris (Aiden McFadden)

28' Elijah Wynder (Taylor Davila)

81' Sam Gleadle

Monterey Bay FC:

24' Mobi Fehr (Tristan Trager)

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 18 - Damian Las, 3 - Jake Morris (62' 13 - Amadou Dia), 6 - Wes Charpie, 5 - Arturo Ordóñez, 4 - Sean Totsch, 2 - Aiden Morris (62' 25 - Jansen Wilson), 17 - Taylor Davila (72' 11 - Niall McCabe), 23 - Elijah Wynder (86' 8 - Carlos Moguel Jr.), 20 - Sam Gleadle, 7 - Ray Serrano, 14 - Wilson Harris (72' 22 - Dylan Mares)

Subs not used: 12 - Danny Faundez, 32 - Kyle Adams, 80 - Hayden Stamps

Head coach: Danny Cruz

Monterey Bay FC: 16 - Antony Siaha, 11 - Walmer Martinez, 4 - Alex Lara (86' 5 - Carlos Guzman), 30 - Kai Greene, 3 - Morey Doner, 10 - Rafael Baca, 13 - Mobi Fehr, 19 - Jesus "Chuy" Enriquez (72' 64 - Jerry Ayon), 7 - Adrian Rebollar (46' 99 - Xavi Gnaulati), 15 - Alex Dixon (63' 18 - Michael Gonzalez), 9 - Tristan Trager (86' 20 - Anthony Orendain)

Subs not used: 21 - Carlos Herrera, 32 - Pierce Gallaway

Head coach: Frank Yallop

Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / Monterey Bay FC

Shots: 16 / 7

Shots on Goal: 5 / 2

Possession: 50.3% / 49.7%

Fouls: 7 / 9

Offside: 1 / 3

Corner Kicks: 2 / 1

Discipline Summary

Monterey Bay FC:

27' Walmer Martinez (yellow)

Referee: Matthew Corrigan

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC celebrates win
Louisville City FC celebrates win
(Chris Carter)		   

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 27, 2024


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.

OurSports Central