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USL Louisville City FC

Preview: What to Watch for with LouCity at Saint Louis FC

August 28, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


To the 4,850 fans who have been attending Louisville City FC games this season: Please don't show up Saturday to Lynn Family Stadium.

For the first time since the USL Championship restarted play mid-July - eight games ago - the boys in purple are hitting the road to face Kings' Cup rival Saint Louis FC. Kickoff at West Community Stadium in Fenton, Mo., is set for 8 p.m. ET with coverage on WBKI/The CW, News Radio 840 WHAS and live streaming via ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app.

Earlier this year, the USL Board of Governors approved unbalanced scheduling, or an uneven distribution of home and away games. Given LouCity's ability to safely host fans in market amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the club wound up opening its new stadium with a spree of home dates.

After facing Saint Louis FC, LouCity also heads out of town on Sept. 5 - this year, also Kentucky Derby day - to meet Indy Eleven in what could be a battle for first place within the USL's Group E. On a four-game unbeaten streak, the boys in purple (5-3-1, 16 points) enter the weekend just three points back of Indy (6-3-1, 10 points) with a game in hand, while Saint Louis FC (4-3-2, 14 points) is also right in the race for a playoff spot.

At the end of the 16-game regular season, the top two from Group E advance to the postseason.

Saturday's contest will carry some extra meaning, as this week, on the heels of plans confirmed to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis, the unaffiliated USL side Saint Louis FC announced this season is its last. So will end a rivalry with LouCity known as the Kings' Cup - both clubs' cities are named after royalty - that began in on March 28, 2015, in their inaugural game.

LouCity boasted a 5-1-4 record against Saint Louis FC entering this season. In their only clash so far in 2020, Saint Louis FC earned a 1-0 victory July 18 at Lynn Family Stadium.

Saint Louis FC has improved under first-year coach Steve Trittschuh, former manager of Colorado Switchbacks SC. The club's roster includes two names plenty familiar to LouCity fans in midfielders Guy Abend and Kadeem Dacres.

Coach John Hackworth says...

"In talking to other coaches and players around the league, it's almost a relief to go on a road trip because everybody has been stuck inside for so long. It'll be new for us and we are going to have to manage it on a short turnaround. We are playing a very good, in-form Saint Louis team right now and it's another huge game for us. I have full confidence that we'll recover well, and we have a deep squad. We might have to rotate some guys depending on how we recover, but we'll certainly be ready."

Key players

LouCity: Held scoreless to start the season, midfielder Corben Bone has come alive in recent weeks. He took over the No. 10 spot for last year's leading scorer, Magnus Rasmussen, and broke through with a brace Aug. 19 against Sporting KC II. Bone nearly added to that two-goal total in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Indy Eleven when he put both his shots on frame, including a 66th-minute attempt when going on one with the opposing keeper. Bone tallied 81 touches and completed 91.4 percent of his passes in an all-around solid performance from the attacking midfield.

Saint Louis FC: On Wednesday, LouCity held Indy Eleven striker Tyler Pasher scoreless and, as a result, registered a 1-0 win. Saint Louis FC features a multifaceted attack, but it seems to start with Kyle Greig. The 30-year-old journeyman missed the start of the season as a safety precaution with his wife having given birth recently and has returned to the pitch by scoring two goals in six appearances. That includes a goal last out that got his side on the board in first half stoppage time of an eventual 2-2 draw against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

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: Sean Saint Jacques (play by play) and Wolde Harris (color).

And for AM 840 WHAS on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Notes to know

An awesome August: Since the calendar turned from July, when LouCity began the USL restart 1-3, the club hasn't lost, drawing with Indy Eleven on Aug. 8 before launching the current three-game winning streak. This continues a trend of strong Augusts under coach John Hackworth. Upon his hiring in 2018, the boys in purple went 3-1-3 en route to a USL title. In 2019, they were 4-1-0 in August and reached the championship game again, evidencing late-season improvement under Hackworth's direction.

Luuuuuuuke: For the first time this season, LouCity's leading scorer, Cameron Lancaster, didn't start on Wednesday. In stepped forward Luke Spencer, a larger, bullying type of player who wore down Indy Eleven's back line for 56 minutes, often playing with his back to the goal and distributing. Upon Spencer's exit, Antoine Hoppenot moved to the top of the attack and within five minutes delivered a game-winning assist to Paolo DelPiccolo.

Matsoso's the man: Coinciding with LouCity's unbeaten run, the University of Kentucky product Napo Matsoso shifted from central midfield to the right wing. He's tallied two goals and two assists in four games since. While Matsoso didn't pad his stats Wednesday against Indy Eleven, he did feed in a through ball to Hoppenot that led to the game-winning goal. In all, the shifty midfielder totaled 40 touches, also winning a pair of tackles.

New addition: Calling it a "unique opportunity," Hackworth this week announced the addition of forward Arda Bulut to LouCity's roster. A senior at Stanford University, Bulut is forgoing his final season of eligibility to sign as a professional given the Pac-12 Conference delayed its men's soccer season to the spring. Bulut was part of an NCAA championship-winning team in 2017, and the Cardinal returned to the College Cup in 2019.

Between the posts: LouCity has conceded just twice on its unbeaten run, a tribute both to the back line and to goalkeeper Ben Lundt. The loanee from Major League Soccer's FC Cincinnati posted his second clean sheet in three games and third overall against Indy Eleven, continuing to come up big in limited opportunities to make plays, saving Indy's lone shot on goal as Indy's Pasher - who entered with eight goals in nine games - went scoreless.

On target: LouCity has all season ranked highly in the USL in shots, now sitting third with 140 attempts. More recently, the boys in purple have managed to convert. They've flown from 33rd in the league in goals scored to a tie for 15th, much in part thanks to a 4-1 outburst of a victory Aug. 19 over Sporting KC II. That night, six of nine LouCity shots were on target. Wednesday against Indy, five of nine landed on frame.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 28, 2020


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