LouCity hosts New York Red Bulls II for the USL Cup Playoffs Finals this Saturday, Nov. 4th at 7:30 p.m E.T.
Here’s what to watch for…
Tune In
TV: WBKI-TV will air the game live and in high definition locally.
Radio: TJ Walker (play-by-play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) will voice the action on Radio 790 WKRD with pregame coverage starting at 7:15 p.m.
Streaming: Watch at www.loucity.com.
Follow Along
For Starting XI information and in-game updates, check us out on social media. It’s @loucityfc on Twitter, Louisville City FC on Facebook and louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Live stats are available at the USL Match Center. Vote for the Modelo Man of the Match on Twitter starting in the 75th minute.
Links
•Ownby makes huge impact off the bench
• Column: Second half substitutions make difference again
Notes
LouCity Playoff History: In their third season as a club, Louisville City FC is making their third consecutive appearance in the Eastern Conference finals. In the past two seasons, both times coming in at the two seed, LouCity met the end of their season in the Eastern Conference finals. They look to change that this year, heading in as the one seed.
Scouting NYRBII: New York comes to Louisville for their third road game of the USL Cup Playoffs. Stefano Bonomo leads the playoff scoring for the Red Bulls with three goals in two games. Goalkeeper Evan Louro has been holding strong in the net for the Red Bulls II, with 8 saves through the first two playoff matches.
Last time against NYRBII: Both meetings against New York this season have seen LouCity emerge victorious. The first meeting saw Louisville City break their 6-game losing streak to the Red Bulls II in a 3-0 win on the road. The next meeting at Slugger had LouCity score on two set pieces to nab the 2-1 win.
Conference Finals rematch: In a repeat of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, Louisville City FC and the New York Red Bulls II will face off for a rematch. After jumping to a 1-0 first half lead, LouCity fell to the eventual USL cup champions in penalty kicks on the road. This year, the seeds are reversed and LouCity takes their home field for the rematch.
Ranjitsingh’s clean sheets: Two clean sheets in two games is how goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh opened up the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs. Those two clean sheets brings him to a total of 10 for the 2017 season, which is third in the USL. His past two outings have seen Ranjitsingh accumulate five saves, bolstering himself as a strong presence between the pipes.
Home Field Advantage: While making it to the Eastern Conference finals in the past two years, LouCity went into those games as the two seed playing the one seed. Now that they are the one, the Eastern Conference finals make their way to Slugger Field for the first time in club history. As LouCity is the highest seed remaining in the tournament, a win Saturday would see the USL Cup Finals at Slugger Field as well.
Williams returns to the finals: Devon “Speedy” Williams is no stranger to the Eastern Conference finals. In 2016, the Jamaica native was a member of the USL Champion New York Red Bulls II. This year, Speedy looks to repeat his success with the boys in purple against his former team.
Goals in the playoffs: After opening the playoffs with a four-goal performance, including a brace by Tarek Morad, Louisville’s offense was a bit quieter in the 1-0 win over Rochester. The club set their personal record for most goals scored in a playoff match against Bethlehem in the 2017 playoff opener. Three of LouCity’s five playoff goals of 2017 have come in the second half. Two of the second half goals have come from players off the bench.
Ownby hot off the bench: Saturday saw Brian Ownby score his sixth goal of the season. Despite not getting the opportunity to start every game, Ownby has shown his patience and ability to study the game by being productive and bringing a new energy to the field. Ownby has scored twice in LouCity’s two playoff matches, one goal in each game. Both scoring opportunities came in back half of the 70th minutes.
