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Preview: What to Watch for with LouCity at Indy Eleven

September 4, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) - Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC in action
Louisville City FC in action
(Louisville City FC)

In recent weeks, members of Louisville City FC's locker room have likened feelings toward USL Championship Group E competition to playoff events. This matchup certainly fits the bill.

A big-game feeling surrounds the season's third meeting between LouCity (5-3-2, 17 points) and rival Indy Eleven (6-3-1, 19 points) with kickoff at 7 p.m. Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

On a five-game unbeaten run, the boys in purple would leap into first place if they win. Meanwhile, Indy's looking to right its form having dropped points in three of five games following an unbeaten start.

LouCity hasn't lost in what's known as the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest since May 5, 2018. Coincidentally, that was also Kentucky Derby day, with history getting the chance to repeat itself Saturday due to the race's postponement to Sept. 5.

This season, the boys in purple are 1-0-1 against Indy. Those results - a 1-1 draw on Aug. 8 and 1-0 win on Aug. 26 - came at Lynn Family Stadium. After Saturday, the series concludes Sept. 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

For now, Indy and LouCity hold Group E's pair of playoff spots with six games left to go. Saint Louis FC (4-3-3, 15 points) and Sporting KC II (4-5-1, 13 points) have made it a close race top to bottom in the pod.

Coach John Hackworth says...

"As a coach or a player, that's what you live for is these kind of competitive moments. But it is strange because it keeps things in such a razor-thin margin of error. You don't have any room to have a lapse and make it up. When you look at our division right now, clearly all four of us still have the opportunity to make the playoffs. Especially now getting toward the end, we don't have any room for error."

Key players

LouCity: Brian Ownby had knocked on the door of a goal scoring contribution all season. Last weekend against Saint Louis FC, he got it when whipping a 30th-minute cross into defender Sean Totsch for a headed goal on the road. Ownby, who has brought pace on both wings and the striker spot, ranks second on the team in shots (16) and shots on target (9). It seems only a matter of time before he puts a shot of his own in the back of the net.

Indy Eleven: Top striker Tyler Pasher missed on a few good looks the last time LouCity and the Eleven met. Helping supply the chances is Andrew Carleton, an Atlanta United loanee who has impressed on the wing. The 20-year-old, who knows Hackworth from his junior national team days, led Indy with three crosses and two key passes in that last meeting. He should be crucial to whether Pasher back in the scoring column Saturday.

Follow along

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook . Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram .

On the WBKI (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Mike Watts (play by play) and Devon Kerr (color).

And for AM 790 WKRD on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Notes to know

Show of depth: It's not just that Group E clubs are beating up on one another within the pod. In limited opportunities outside of it, clubs also including Saint Louis FC are a combined 9-4-1 with a +12 goal differential. That record includes a pair of Indy Eleven victories over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which leads Group F. To open the playoffs, Group E's No. 1 seed will host Group F's No. 2 and vice versa.

Diversified scoring: LouCity played six games this season before a player other than forward Cameron Lancaster or midfielder Devon "Speedy" Williams scored a goal. New threats revealed themselves during August as midfielders Napo Matsoso, Corben Bone and Paolo DelPiccolo found the back of the net before defender Sean Totsch registered his first goal on a header Saturday at Saint Louis FC.

Shutout spree: Along with the Tampa Bay Rowdies' Evan Louro and El Paso Locomotive's Logan Ketterer, LouCity goalkeeper Ben Lundt is tied atop the league with four clean sheets this season. That's a credit to his club's defense as a whole, as Lundt has been called upon to make 17 saves, ranking 26th of 33. Lundt's contributions, however, are multifaceted. Hackworth has referred to the FC Cincinnati loanee as LouCity's "first attacker" on a side that starts its offense at the back rather than lobbing long balls from its own box.

Stat stuffer: LouCity's unbeaten run has coincided with a new role for Napo Matsoso, who shifted from the central midfield to right wing to rave reviews. The University of Kentucky product racked up two goals and just as many assists in August. Squad rotation left him out of the lineup on a short turnaround at Saint Louis FC, but Matsoso entered as a 69th-minute sub and figures to be back in the starting 11 Saturday.

Hitting the road: The USL Board of Governors allowed unbalanced scheduling at the USL's restart, and by nature of LouCity's plan to host fans at Lynn Family Stadium, the club wound up opening the new facility with eight straight home games. Saturday's Indy Eleven matchup marks the only time the boys in purple play consecutive away games with Lucas Oil Stadium a unique challenge given the pitch will be lined with the Indianapolis Colts' setup as well.

JoGo's a regular: Youth international Jonathan Gomez, who turned 17 earlier this week, did so after making his third start and seventh appearance against Saint Louis FC. Last weekend, Gomez led LouCity with two key passes, four tackles and 19 passes in the opponent's half of the field. Here on a professional contract, he arrived in Louisville after earning caps with the U.S. (U-16, U-17) and Mexico (U-17) national teams.





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Louisville City FC in action
Louisville City FC in action

  

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