For the first time in a while, a host of new faces shined for Louisville City FC in the club’s home opener as the boys in purple defeated Atlanta United 2, 1-0, last Saturday.
Six players – Amadou Dia, Wilson Harris, Kyle Morton, Enoch “Matiti” Mushagalusa, Manny Perez and Ray Serrano – all made their debuts in the victory, with Dia, Harris, Perez and Morton earning spots in head coach Danny Cruz’s starting lineup.
That group of six will have a second opportunity to impress this Saturday as City faces Miami FC at 7:30 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium.
All four newcomers who earned starting roles stepped up in a big way for the boys in purple, competing a full 90 minutes. This included left back Amadou Dia filling the shoes of USL Championship Young Player of the Year Jonathan Gomez; Wilson Harris’s first goal in purple and City’s first of the season; a Team of the Week performance from right back Manny Perez; and a game-saving stop from goalkeeper Kyle Morton.
Meanwhile, the two who came on as super subs filled that role perfectly, as Serrano’s interception and pinpoint pass to Mushagalusa set up Harris for the game-winner.
“I thought some of the relationships between our new guys and obviously the returning players was good,” Cruz said. “I started to see some melding of the group. Really, really happy with that.”
And while Cruz was pleased with his team’s performance last week, he noted that the sky is the limit for this group after his first full offseason as LouCity’s head coach.
“We still have so much room for growth,” Cruz said last weekend. “Tonight was a win – an important win – but there’s a lot to improve on still. As everybody continues to get on the same page and we have all the cylinders firing, I walk away from this game very excited about what this season holds.”
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.
• Visit our Match Center for everything you should know before you go to Lynn Family Stadium.
• Can’t make it? Saturday’s game will air on WDRB and stream via ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app. Listen to live radio coverage from Jeff Milby and Casey Whitfield on ESPN 680/105.7 or at ESPNLouisville.com.
