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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for with LouCity at Indy Eleven

May 26, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC in action
Louisville City FC in action
(Louisville City FC, Credit: EM Dash Photography)

Louisville City FC will have little time to dwell on a midweek loss - and so often in this game, that's preferable off a defeat - with a trip to play Indy Eleven on tap.

The boys in purple kick off against their top rival for the first time this year at 7 p.m. Saturday at Michael A. Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.

LouCity (5-3-2, 17 points) saw its momentum squelched Wednesday when a 1-0 lead evaporated in a home loss to FC Tulsa. City entered on a five-game USL Championship unbeaten streak and had an opportunity to climb within a point of first place in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand.

Indy Eleven (3-4-3, 12 points) plays for the second straight time at home Saturday after a weekend win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC. The boys in blue, in their second season under coach Mark Lowry, are seventh on the table and in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

LouCity is 7-4-6 in its prior USL Championship meetings with Indy Eleven, which joined the league in 2018. That includes a memorable postseason meeting between the two, when City equalized in stoppage time of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final and went on to win in extra time.

A rivalry that has leaned slightly in favor of the purple side swung in Indy Eleven's direction last year when the clubs drew their first meeting before Indy won the return game, taking the season series over LouCity for the first time.

Follow along

- The game will air live locally on WBKI/The CW and ESPN Louisville's 680/105.7.

- If streaming, download the free WDRB Now app to watch the local feed in Louisville. ESPN+ also streams the home feed of all USL Championship games not selected for national TV.

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

Availability report

- Tyler Gibson (questionable)

- Niall McCabe (out)

Story lines

Mares' homecoming: Offseason LouCity signing Dylan Mares grew up in the Indianapolis suburb Zionsville, finished his collegiate career at Indiana University and played twice for Indy Eleven, from 2014-2016 and again in 2018. He'll be a familiar face Saturday now in purple. Mares scored his first LouCity goal May 13 vs. Miami FC and ranks among the club's top chance creators with eight on the season.

Former skipper: On the other side, Aodhan Quinn is a name memorable for LouCity fans. Since captaining the boys in purple in 2016, Quinn has gone on to face City with FC Cincinnati, Phoenix Rising FC and now Indy Eleven, which he newly joined this season. Quinn has scored a goal, registered an assist and generated nine chances - second on his team - so far in blue.

Streak snapped: LouCity led 1-0 at halftime Wednesday against FC Tulsa before falling by a 2-1 score. That ended a run of 14 games - dating back to the Eastern Conference Final in November of 2021 - that City went unbeaten when leading at the break. At home, the streak measured 16 games going back to a May 2021 meeting with, coincidentally, Indy Eleven.

Gonzalez's goal: Before collapsing against FC Tulsa, LouCity dominated the opening 45 minutes. Deservedly, the boys in purple hit the back of the net in the 29th minute on a strike from Jorge Gonzalez. The Spanish midfielder, who missed the end of the 2022 season with a knee injury, made it his first goal since July 30 of last year. It was a long time coming for a player who's tied for the team lead in shots at 14 with striker Wilson Harris.

Injury list dwindles: LouCity had as many as six players listed on its availability report - questionable or out - in the season's opening month. That list has shrunk with time, creating competition just to make the 18-man team sheet. Cruz made two changes from May 13 to the FC Tulsa game, one of them being the scorer Gonzalez and the other the return of outside back Manny Perez, who assisted the goal. Perez played for the first time since straining his groin in an April 29 draw at Memphis 901 FC.

A finishing touch: LouCity went a club-record nine games across all competitions - from its opener in March until the Miami game - without scoring multiple goals. After the corner appeared turned earlier this month in a 3-1 win over Miami, City again lacked what it needed in the final third against FC Tulsa. Chances were there, however, with 1.92 expected goals, seven shots on four big chances registered through Stats Perform.

Conceding two: It had been a run of six games without LouCity's defense allowing multiple goals, too, and City's defense remained stingy in defeat. FC Tulsa didn't attempt a shot until the 38th minute and only tried two total in the first half Wednesday. The visitors also scored on two of their three shots on target in the second half, though neither were counted as big chances. Tulsa's total expected goals for the game were 0.66.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC in action
Louisville City FC in action
(EM Dash Photography)		   

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 26, 2023


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