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USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for with LouCity vs. OKC Energy FC.

July 30, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC has over the years sported different crests, played in different facilities and featured different personnel. But one thing has never wavered: an expectation that at the end of the USL Championship season, the boys in purple will be hoisting a trophy.

This year's squad appears on track to challenge for more hardware entering Saturday's 7:30 p.m. kickoff against OKC Energy FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

The game will mark the midpoint of a season that has seen LouCity measure up well to its championship-winning teams of the past.

Through 15 fixtures in 2017, LouCity sat at 8-2-5 (29 points) with a +10 goal differential; in 2018 it was 7-3-5 (26 points) with a +6 goal differential; and this season the numbers are 9-3-3 (30 points) with a +13 goal differential.

That record has the club entering this weekend with more points than any across the league, meaning an elusive regular season championship could be in the mix. The boys in purple did finish with the USL Championship's best record in 2020, but the league didn't award a title in a truncated season due to COVID-19.

LouCity has gone unbeaten in nine of its last 10 games, including a 3-1 victory July 14 over OKC Energy. Saturday's opponent has won and drawn in contests since then to hold fourth on the Central Division table, the crucial final playoff position.

Here's what to watch for Saturday...

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.

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

Notes to know:

Beast of the East: With Wednesday's win, the boys in purple have created space both at the top of the Central Division, edging five points clear of Birmingham Legion FC, and the Eastern Conference by sitting three points up on the Atlantic Division's Tampa Bay Rowdies. Overall, LouCity is also the first club to hit 30 points earned in the league this season, though the Western Conference's Phoenix Rising FC is one back with a pair of games in hand.

Record pace: Few teams in the league can light up a scoreboard like LouCity. Louisville's net-scorching offense isn't just out-pacing the entire league but also blazing a trail for the club itself. The team's 31 goals through 15 games are a record, just ending out the 2015 and 2016 squads that netted 29 and 30 goals, respectively, at this point in the year.

Sharing the wealth: LouCity's offense gives opposing teams headaches for several reasons, but at the top of the list is balance. The club has had a league-high 13 goal scorers this season. Star striker Cameron Lancaster leads the way with seven goals despite having played only sporadically due to injury.

Multi-goal maniacs: You don't become one of the league's premier offenses by scoring a goal a game. In nine of the last 10 games, LouCity has netted multiple goals. The boys in purple have been held to a single goal three times and been shut out just once. The club's 2.06 goals per game ranks second in the USL Championship.

The delivery man: Winger Brian Ownby continues to be an offensive catalyst for LouCity this season, reaching a new career-high of six assists on the season Wednesday night. Repeating recent history of LouCity's last trip to Children's Mercy Park, Ownby's passes led to two goals finished by Jorge Gonzalez and Kyle Greig. His assist total is also good for second in the USL Championship.

Feels good to be home: Nobody in USL Championship history has scored more goals against Sporting KC II than Kyle Greig. And that was before he tacked on a 56th-minute tap in Wednesday night for his eighth against what's essentially his hometown club. Greig, who signed with LouCity in May, upped his season total to five goals, marking the sixth time in eight years in the league he's reached that number.

Goal Gonzalez: Forward Jorge Gonzalez, on loan from MLS' Portland Timbers, has battled through injury since arriving in Louisville. In recent weeks, Gonzalez has returned to the field and added another weapon in the scoring attack. The 23-year-old opened his account in the 46th minute Wednesday, seconds after he came on as a halftime substitute, with a smooth finish across the goalkeeper's body.

Priming for Parker? Parker Siegfried has elevated LouCity's competition between the posts. Having made his second start of the season and against Sporting KC II, the former trialist now looks to be pushing for the starting job, working alongside of Louisville native Chris Hubbard for the role. The Ohio State product Siegfried, who has made three saves across his pair of appearances, came up through MLS franchise Columbus Crew's academy.

Injury report:

Oscar Jimenez (out)

Abdou Thiam (out)

Elijah Wynder (out)

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 30, 2021


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