What to Watch for with LouCity vs. Sacramento Republic FC

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Louisville City FC

What to Watch for with LouCity vs. Sacramento Republic FC

August 9, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


"The Fortress" could have a different feel to it Saturday night when first-place Louisville City FC hosts Sacramento Republic FC.

This matchup of traditional USL Championship powers will play out on ESPN2 with kickoff at Lynn Family Stadium set for 9 p.m. - the latest opening whistle yet for LouCity at its Butchertown neighborhood home.

It comes amid a defining stretch of the season for LouCity, which enters at 15-4-2. Forty-seven points are good for one clear atop the league.

Last Saturday, LouCity traveled to defeat Western Conference leader New Mexico United. Sacramento sits second on the West table. And next weekend, Charleston, which the boys in purple have dueled for first place in the Eastern Conference all season, visits Lynn Family Stadium.

Emerge from this gauntlet with the right amount of points, and LouCity could start dreaming about a Players' Shield. City has raised two league trophies and secured four Eastern Conference titles. But the silverware for best regular season record - and the No. 1 playoffs seed that comes with it - has proven elusive over the club's 10-year history.

Coach Danny Cruz often reiterates that his team is taking things one game at a time. As far as what's ahead Saturday, LouCity and its league-leading 53 goals will square off against a Sacramento side that has conceded a league-fewest 16 of them.

Goalkeeper Danny Vitiello's 10 clean sheets lead the USL Championship, and Sacramento has gone 11 straight away games without a loss - one short of tying the USL Championship record. The Republic also affirmed their class when advancing to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup's Quarterfinal Round this summer two years after making it all the way to the final.

Follow along

- The game will air live on ESPN2 and ESPN Louisville's AM 680/FM 105.7.

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

Player availability report

Sam Gleadle (out)

Jorge Gonzalez (out)

Brian Ownby (out)

Adrien Perez (questionable)

Story lines...

Added motivation: LouCity this week signed 15-year-old Ethan Wright to a one-game contract in partnership with Norton Children's. Wright, who was diagnosed last year with Type 1 diabetes, continues to play high school and club soccer while managing the condition. The sophomore will be close to the team Saturday on Norton Children's Super Kid Night, an annual celebration of kids living life to the fullest despite some obstacles in their way.

Revenge factor: LouCity and Sacramento Republic have met just twice, with both teams winning their home matchup. Sacramento scored just five minutes into an eventual 5-0 victory back on April 1, 2023. That remains the most lopsided loss in club history. A year prior, the boys in purple beat Sacramento in September of 2022 en route to their Eastern Conference title.

Record pace: LouCity continues to rival the best marks in USL Championship history - both set by Phoenix Rising FC's 2019 team - for points and goals. Phoenix tallied 78 points (2.29 per game) and scored 89 goals (2.62 per game). After the New Mexico win, City is pacing at 2.23 points and 2.52 goals per game. Additionally, the boys in purple just surpassed their win total for all of last season still with 13 games to play.

Stacking wins: LouCity has won at least three games in a row four times this season. With another victory, the boys in purple would match their longest winning streak of the year that spanned from the March 16 season opener at El Paso Locomotive FC through match day four against rival Indy Eleven.

A top team: LouCity has excelled on both sides of the ball in 2024. A shutout at New Mexico went down as City's eighth clean sheet of the season, ranking third in the USL Championship. The boys in purple have also scored at an unmatched pace. Their 53 goals lead the league, and no other club has managed to score in 19 of its first 21 games.

Wilson wins it: Moved up the pitch and into a forward's role for the first time last Saturday, rookie winger Jansen Wilson hit the back of the net in the 39th minute for the game's lone goal at New Mexico. It was the fourth of the year for Wilson, who's from nearby Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and grew up attending LouCity games.

Midfield maestro: Taylor Davila created another pair of chances in the New Mexico win, upping his season total to 46, good for third in the league. An All-League First Team selection last year at Rio Grande Valley FC, Davila has looked the part for LouCity, also leading the team against New Mexico in accurate passes (27) and possession won (7).

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