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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for as LouCity Hosts San Diego Loyal

May 21, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC's first cross-conference matchup of the season will bring with it potential for a historic night inside Lynn Family Stadium.

The boys in purple, gunning for their first win under leadership of head coach Danny Cruz, host Landon Donovan-led San Diego Loyal at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

LouCity sits at 1-0-1 following a season-opening victory over Atlanta United 2. More recently, the club played Birmingham Legion FC to a 1-1 draw on May 8. This go around, a few newly announced injuries and suspension for winger Brian Ownby will test the side's depth.

San Diego Loyal and Donovan, the U.S. Men's National Team legend in his second year as a coach, are seeking their first win of the season following a surprising 0-3 start. The Loyal have played all those games on the road, but Saturday they'll see their largest away crowd yet with a 50% capacity crowd of 7,652 expected.

This game is the first of four on LouCity's 2021 schedule against teams outside of the Eastern Conference's Central Division - the teams they'll see twice home and away in pursuit of a playoff spot. Other non-division matchups include trips to Colorado Switchbacks SC (July 23) and the Hartford Athletic (Sept. 7) before a visit from New Mexico United (Oct. 3).

Here's what to watch for Saturday night...

Head coach Danny Cruz says...

"(Donovan's) a good friend of mine. We had a good conversation in the offseason about this opportunity. Ultimately, both clubs felt that this would be good for a lot of different reasons. He's excited to come here. Obviously, they're a good opponent who hasn't started as well as they have liked. They have some dangerous pieces, but our guys are going to be prepared for it."

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 . Live stats can be found at LouCity.com/match-center .

- On the WBKI-TV (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Mike Watts (play by play) and Lloyd Sam (color).

- And for ESPN 680/105.7 on the radio: Jeff Greer and Casey Whitfield.

Notes to know

A new foe: While the bulk of this season's schedule contains meeting after meeting against Central Division opponents, the Loyal and LouCity have never met. San Diego, which launched in 2020, has on its roster three familiar names with goalkeeper Trey Muse, a Louisville native, on loan from Seattle Sounders FC; defender Morgan Hackworth, son of former LouCity coach John Hackworth; and forward Charlie Adams, a member of LouCity's inaugural team in 2015.

In the stands: Adhering to guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and mirrored by Kentucky, Lynn Family Stadium is allowing fully vaccinated fans to go without a mask at games. Aside from that, COVID-19 protocols such as cashless concessions and regular sanitizing remain in place. Capacity will rise to 75% for a May 29 game against Indy Eleven and 100% on June 12 as LouCity hosts Memphis 901 FC.

To LouCity's depths: A combination of injuries and a suspension will leave the boys in purple without two regular starters Saturday. Outside back Oscar Jimenez will sit due to a recent knee cartilage injury counting him out until the summer. Brian Ownby was handed a two-game suspension by the USL Championship exiting the Birmingham game earlier this month.

Rise to the occasion: LouCity's list of unavailable players also includes forward Abdou Thiam (leg) and midfielder Jorge Gonzalez (groin). The absences should clear the way for changes in Danny Cruz's starting lineup, where defender Pat McMahon featured last out in Oscar Jimenez's absence. Forward Jimmy McLaughlin looks like another favorite to earn additional minutes under the circumstances.

Bolstering the attack: Freshly signed this week and available for selection Saturday is forward Kyle Greig, expected to back up striker Cameron Lancaster and push for minutes. The 31-year-old spent the last three seasons competing with LouCity's former USL Championship rival, Saint Louis FC, until the club folded. In his final season at Saint Louis, Greig netted 3 goals across 15 appearances.

Tucked in, locked in: Through two games, defender Sean Totsch is right back in the form that last year earned him USL Championship All-League First Team recognition. The veteran center back has totaled a team-leading 11 clearances, won 12 duels and made 5 interceptions while tallying a 88.2 percent passing accuracy.

Heads up play: Defender Pat McMahon's first goal since 2019 helped LouCity earn a point in its last outing as he capitalized on one of three set pieces earned by the club in the opening three minutes against Birmingham. Midfielder Corben Bone played a corner kick into the box, with some top-class movements freeing up McMahon for a headed goal, kickstarting the Danny Cruz era.

Unavailable for selection * Jorge Gonzalez (injury) * Oscar Jimenez (injury) * Brian Ownby (suspension) * Abdou Thiam (injury) * Elijah Wynder (injury)

Milestone watch * Niall McCabe is six appearances away from his 150th USL Championship appearance and two goals away from 20. * George Davis IV is one appearance away from his 130th overall appearance in purple. * Pat McMahon is four appearances away from his 50th USL Championship appearance. * Sean Totsch is four appearances away from his 120th USL Championship appearance.

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