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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for with LouCity vs. Las Vegas Lights

June 23, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


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

Louisville City FC will celebrate Pride Night and send off star defender Josh Wynder in conjunction with Saturday's home game against Las Vegas Lights FC.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium, where the boys in purple will don their "All for XI" warmup tops, and the first 2,000 fans through the gates can pick up a matching rally towel. The campaign signifies the concurrence of 11 players on a soccer pitch and the 11 colors of the Progress Pride Flag.

LouCity's 2023 Pride beneficiaries include the Louisville Pride Foundation and Louisville Youth Group. Those organizations and others will have a presence at Saturday's game through concourse tabling and various other activations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. Visit LouCity.com/Pride for tickets and more information.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early to Lynn Family Stadium. Just after the player walkout, the club will recognize 18-year-old defender Josh Wynder, who recently completed the USL Championship's first seven-figure transfer. Wynder leaves next week for Portugal, where he'll play for Benfica, the nation's most successful club.

As for the game itself, LouCity (6-4-4, 22 points) is looking to make up ground on the Eastern Conference table amid some schedule congestion. The boys in purple sit sixth after last weekend's chaotic, 2-2 draw at Phoenix Rising FC. Coach Danny Cruz then rotated heavily in a midweek international friendly with Germany's FC Kaiserslautern.

Las Vegas (1-7-6, 9 points) enters last of 12 in the Western Conference, struggling to score goals with 13 on the season through 14 games. This marks LouCity's first meeting with Lights FC, which launched in 2018.

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.

Player availability report

Jorge Gonzalez (out)

Kyle Morton (out)

Brian Ownby (questionable)

Manny Perez (questionable)

Jordan Scarlett (out)

Elijah Wynder (questionable)

Story lines...

Strong support: Despite an average attendance of 10,906 through six league games, LouCity hasn't made Lynn Family Stadium its usual home fortress this season. City entered 2023 with a 24-4-2 record there in games since June of 2021, when capacity limits lifted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The boys in purple are 3-3-0, losing back-to-back home games May 24 vs. FC Tulsa and June 10 vs. Memphis 901 FC going into Saturday.

Standing tall: Rookie goalkeeper Oliver Semmle continues to look like a star in the making between the posts, beaten at Phoenix Rising only by an early set piece and penalty kick. When Phoenix stepped up for a second, potentially game-winning try from the spot, Semmle dove right to deny Rising FC's Danny Trejo and preserve an away draw. Semmle has saved 23 of 32 shots faced (71.9%) with six clean sheets in 11 league appearances.

From the spot: Sean Totsch assumed primary penalty kick duties for LouCity last year as the club's all-time leading scorer, Cameron Lancaster, sat due to injury. Totsch has proven just as lethal from the spot, making it 7-for-7 with a 42nd-minute conversation last weekend at Phoenix Rising. A pro since 2015, Totsch didn't attempt a penalty until 2022, and his shift led to a USL Championship-record nine goals for a defender in a single season.

Super subs: LouCity goals have been scored in consecutive games by players within seconds of entering the field. First, Wilson Harris tallied his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 70th minute against Memphis 901 FC. Dylan Mares equaled the feat with his second goal of the year scored in the 57th minute at Phoenix Rising. Both players hit the back of the net on their first touches of the game.

Back from injury: LouCity's midweek international friendly - with unlimited subs and no points on the line - made for the right spot to rotate in some key members of the roster. Midfielder Niall McCabe (foot) came on for his first minutes since March 25, and defender Manny Perez (groin) appeared after a hiatus dating back to May 27.

Academy addition: City's overall injury issues, however, remain. The club made a corresponding move to sign defender Jabari Rasheed to a USL Academy contract, allowing him to play for the first team while preserving amateur status. Rasheed, a rising senior at North Hardin High School, made his first team debut in the FC Kaiserslautern friendly. The First Team All-State selection is committed to play at the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2024.

Boys in purple: Along with Rasheed, LouCity saw three other academy standouts come on against FCK. Gio Chavez (Paul Laurence Dunbar), Dakota Hart (Floyd Central) and Jack Travis (Trinity) made their senior debuts to continue a big year. Each player was also rostered for the Dallas Cup played back in April, when the LouCity Academy became the first Kentucky-based club to bring home a trophy from the prestigious youth event as 19U champions.

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Louisville City FC in action
Louisville City FC in action
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 23, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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