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USL Louisville City FC

Preview: What to Watch for with LouCity vs. Sporting KC II

July 24, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC vs. Saint Louis FC
Louisville City FC vs. Saint Louis FC
(Louisville City FC)

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced Louisville City FC's 2020 campaign a number of ways, including this upcoming scheduling quirk.

The boys in purple are set to host Sporting KC II at 8 p.m. on Saturday and Wednesday at Lynn Family Stadium, continuing "Group E" play during the USL Championship's restart.

Both clubs enter off two straight losses and could use a boost within the pod led by Indy Eleven and Saint Louis FC. The top-two finishers in each of the USL's eight groups advance to the playoffs in October upon conclusion of a 16-game regular season.

Paulo Nagamura, a former standout for Sporting KC's Major League Soccer side, is in his third season coaching the feeder team formerly known as the Swope Park Rangers. They have a history with LouCity after meeting in the 2017 USL final.

LouCity and Sporting KC II will also clash on Aug. 12 and Oct. 3 at Lynn Family Stadium during their four-game season series.

Coach John Hackworth says...

"We are in a strange situation of having to face an opponent twice in four days. We need to concentrate just on Saturday and try to get a positive result for us - continue to build on our performance from last Saturday and see where we go from there.

"... We're a really good team, and in a couple of games we didn't become a bad team. These players - I said it earlier in the week - they're really good. They're some of the best professionals that I've had the pleasure of working with, and I believe in them. I know that collectively we will sort this out. Our thought is that will be Saturday, but it's sports. There's no guarantees, so we got to go out and do it."

Key players

LouCity: Were it not for a few inches, forward Cameron Lancaster might have led an explosive attack for the boys in purple last weekend. He had first half shots carom off the post and the cross bar in a 1-0 loss to Saint Louis FC. Should the former Golden Boot winner begin converting, LouCity figures to improve its record.

Sporting KC II: An academy product, 20-year-old forward Wilson Harris scored his 11th goal in 13 USL Championship appearances dating back to last season in his side's 2-1 defeat last weekend to Group E-leading Indy Eleven. He's the one to stop as Sporting eyes its first points of the 2020 season.

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-TV/ESPN+ streaming call: Mike Watts (play by play) and Thomas Rongen (color)

And for News Radio 840 WHAS: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color)

LouCity links - McMahon gives off the right 'vibes' for SKC II doubleheader

- Watch: Hackworth, players preview Saturday's game

- Crawford: No panic buttons needed (yet) in new stadium

Notes to know

Group E update: With a victory Saturday, LouCity would pull even with Saint Louis FC for second in a regional pod also including leader Indy Eleven and Sporting KC II, which enters Lynn Family Stadium 0-2 in 2020. Sporting sticks around for back-to-back games against the boys in purple in this unique, COVID-19-influenced season with the other meeting Wednesday.

Quite a home stand: LouCity's amidst an eight-game run of home dates at Lynn Family Stadium with league's Board of Governors previously approving unbalanced scheduling. Overall, 11 of the club's 16 regular-season games are scheduled to be played at Lynn Family Stadium, which has been reaching attendance of about 30% its maximum capacity.

History on the line: The wrong side of history, that is. LouCity hasn't lost three straight USL home games in its existence dating back to the inaugural 2015 season. Once in club history has it dropped three straight USL games regardless of location. That was to end the 2015 regular season at New York Red Bulls II, at Charleston Battery and at Saint Louis FC.

Hot starts: LouCity has performed decisively better in the first half of its two games since the USL restart. On July 12, the boys in purple opened Lynn Family Stadium with an 18th-minute goal while, according to Opta statistics, lobbing 13 open play crosses to set up their chances compared to the opposition. Then last Saturday against Saint Louis FC, LouCity out-shot its rival 10-3 in the first half, didn't concede a shot on goal but also couldn't convert into a goal itself.

The century mark: Lancaster's start last Saturday equated to his 100th regular season appearance in the USL Championship. Among the 100 players to reach this mark, the 2018 Golden Boot winner's one goal per every 117.2 minutes entering the last game ranked No. 1 by a wide margin. Next on the list is former LouCity man Lucky Mkosana at 42 goals in 105 appearances, good for 147.1 mins per goal.

Man of the Match: One of six changes from Game 1 to 2 of the USL restart included adding defender Pat McMahon to LouCity's lineup. Voted Man of the Match against Saint Louis FC, McMahon registered a team-high five tackles and three key passes. The veteran also gained possession 10 times for LouCity, including a give-and-take exchange in his own half near the start of the game that accounted for three of those in a matter of seconds.

A Sporting standout: Kansas City's goalkeeper is making this next week a homecoming with 18-year-old Brooks Thompson from southern Indiana. Thompson was key in a 2-1 loss last weekend at Indy Eleven as he made nine saves, tying for the most in a USL Championship game this season. Signed two years ago, he has also already trained with Sporting KC's Major League Soccer side.

In the stands: LouCity's attendance of 4,850 in its first two games back have marked the highest number of people to attend team sporting events in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic put sports on pause. Club officials are following local government guidances and the Venue Shield plan devised by stadium operator ASM Global that calls for wearing masks in the stadium, physical distancing and temperature checks, among other measures to keep fans safe.

JoGo's debut: Youth international Jonathan Gomez, who has represented both the United States and Mexico, checked in during the 83rd minute of the July 12 Pittsburgh game to mark his LouCity unveiling. The 16-year-old left back - in Louisville on a professional contract - is a player to watch bringing in some first team experience with FC Dallas system and with USL League One side North Texas SC.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC vs. Saint Louis FC
Louisville City FC vs. Saint Louis FC
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 24, 2020


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