Louisville City FC hosts the Rochester Rhinos on Wednesday in the first of two games between the clubs this month. Kickoff’s set for 7:30 p.m. at Slugger Field, with the return game Sept. 30 in New York.
Call (502) 384-8799 for tickets, or click here to select your seats.
Here’s what to watch for…
Tune In
TV: WBNA TV-21 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 AM 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
• Smith making an impact on return from suspension
• Confident Jimenez leading USL in chances created
• Video: Coach O’Connor previews Wednesday’s game
Notes
Playoff picture: Thanks to other results Saturday around the United Soccer League, LouCity clinched a third straight trip to the USL Cup Playoffs, becoming the first team from the Eastern Conference to shore up a spot. The top eight teams from the East and West make the playoffs, with the top four guaranteed to host first-round postseason games.
Eastern Conference race: LouCity (15-5-6) has a three-point advantage on the second-place Charlotte Independence and can further extend that during a run of five games in 15 days. Rochester (11-5-10) sits in fourth with 43 points having steadily climbed the table the second half of the season. The Rhinos are just one point out of third place.
Resilient LouCity: The boys in purple rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 scores Friday to secure a draw against Bethlehem Steel, the latest of four comeback efforts this season. Two previous came away against the Charleston Battery with the June matchup a wild one in which LouCity trailed 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 before taking a point. The club also came back from an early deficit in July to top Saint Louis FC.
Scouting Rochester: Wednesday will mark the first meeting between LouCity and the Rhinos this season. Rochester comes to Louisville on an eight-game unbeaten streak, most recently earning a draw Saturday with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Rochester’s defense is its usual self having not conceded more than one goal since Aug. 5 and more than two since April 15. Wal Fall leads the Rhinos in scoring with eight goals.
Jimenez on the rise: Oscar Jimenez continued a breakout season Friday with an equalizer on a centrally located set piece. The left winger added five goal-scoring chances in all, upping his USL-leading total in that statistical category to 63. Jimenez, who spent last year in the Professional Development League, also paces LouCity in minutes played at 2,125.
Williams in the spotlight: Devon “Speedy” Williams posted another strong performance Friday, holding his starting job in the central midfield as captain Paolo DelPiccolo returned to the lineup. Williams completed 89.5 percent of his passes a game after scoring his first goal of the year on a penalty kick against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
Spencer remains efficient: Luke Spencer leads LouCity in both goals scored this season (nine) and in shots taken (41). However, he’s just 13th in minutes played, making the first-year striker the club’s most efficient scorer with one goal for every 119 minutes on the pitch. Spencer is averaging one goal for every 119 minutes of play while having started in less than half his team’s games.
Strength at Slugger: LouCity drew 8,303 last time out for its first-ever Friday night home game. With attendance up 22 percent over last year, results have improved likewise. The club is 8-2-3 in home games this year with three fixtures left to go at Slugger.
Injury report: Midfielder Niall McCabe is expected to return Wednesday after a strained quad kept him from LouCity’s last two games. Cameron Lancaster, playing through a broken toe, made the bench for Friday’s Bethlehem game and remains available for selection.
