Louisville City FC rounds out a two-game road trip on Saturday night when they head to Richmond to face the Kickers in a rematch of the 2-1 thriller that took place in May of this season.
When & Where
The match will take place on Saturday, August 25 at City Stadium in Richmond, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m.
The match will be aired on WDRB as well as streamed on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the match on 840 WHAS. Fans can also follow #RICvLOU on Twitter & Instagram.
TV: WDRB
RADIO: 840 WHAS
STREAM: ESPN+
DOWNLOAD: LouCity app for iOS | LouCity app for Android
Where They Stand
Louisville City FC:
12-4-7, 43 points – 3rd in EC
Richmond Kickers:
6-25-3, 21 points – 14th in EC
Last Time Out
Louisville City FC defeated the Charlotte Independence, 0-3, following a resounding performance that saw forward Cameron Lancaster bag a brace with fellow attacker Luke Spencer finding the back of the net in just his second appearance since recovering from injury.
Twelve minutes in, persistence paid off as City drew a penalty on ‘keeper Andrew Dykstra. Stepping up to the spot, Cameron Lancaster made no mistake despite Dykstra’s correct guess and the visitors held an early advantage, 0-1. The goal was Lancaster’s 14th in league play, elevating him to T-1 in the USL Golden Boot race.
In the 30th minute, as the “Boys in Purple” developed a counter attack, Lancaster struck another beautiful ball with a shot far-post around Charlotte’s Owundi and out of the reach of Dykstra. His brace makes him the league’s leading goal scorer heading into the weekend.
Following several attempts from a depleted Independence side, one of City’s latest signs in James Sands recorded his first assist with his new club as veteran Luke Spencer scored his first goal since returning from knee surgery and giving the visitors the 3-0 lead.
Neither side would add to the scoring sheet the rest of the evening as Ranjitsingh recorded his eighth clean sheet on the year.
HIGHLIGHTS: City smashes Charlotte
Rewind against Richmond Kickers
Louisville City FC last took on the Kickers in the team’s fourth game of the season back on April 14 at Slugger Field.
The Kickers took an unexpected lead in the 18th minute when Brian Shriver spun on a dime to fire a shot past Ranjitsingh from a tight angle.
In the 64th minute, the tide turned for City as they were awarded a penalty. Defender Kyle Smith stepped up to take and slotted the spot kick in to equalize.
WATCH: A 2-1 thriller ends in favor of LouCity thanks to George Davis IV
In the dying moments of the match, City continued to press and their resiliency paid off once again, this time in the form of a George Davis IV winner. Going from end-to-end, City countered quickly as they ran at the Kickers well into stoppage time.
Forward Ilija Ilic ended up with the ball just outside the 18-yard-box, but the Serbian sniper displayed his keen ability to pick a pass, finding George Davis IV making a run from a wide position. Producing a poised but powerful finish, Davis IV scored his first of the year in the form of a last-gasp winner to see City keep all three points in Louisville.
KY Lottery Kees to the Game
Louisville City FC takes on the Richmond Kickers for the final meeting between the pair in the regular season.
Here are the KY Lottery Kees to the Game for #RICvLOU:
- Be aware of Shriver’s presence
- Take advantage of the conditions
- Draw pressure and hit them on the break
Coach John Hackworth’s pre-match comments
On if the team is adjusting to his style:
“Yeah, I think we’re getting there. I thought we were excellent in our build-up play, I thought our possession really wore Charlotte down in both halves and that opened up a lot of space. I think the players are adapting a little bit and I think that’s great to see. I still think we can get better at it in moments. We made some mistakes that allowed their team a chance, but at the same time I’m proud of the way we performed and the willingness of the guys to go do it. To come on the road is never easy.”
On Luke Spencer’s return:
“I don’t know when the last time he scored was… I know I wasn’t here. Long time coming. I’m happy for him. Anytime a guy is coming back and now is contributing and hitting the back of the net, that’s fantastic.”
On the key to a quick turnaround with Richmond on Saturday:
“The key is that all the guys in the locker room and our training staff do the best job possible of trying to recover and re-gen from this result to be ready for another tough road game after another day of travel. Those are all cumulative factors. So, we need the guys who were on the bench to be ready. The guys that didn’t play tonight might have an opportunity and I expressed that in the locker room so we’ll hopefully get these guys rested and see what we can do about going out and doing the same thing again.”
Team News
QUESTIONABLE – Ilija Ilic (Groin)
QUESTIONABLE – Richard Ballard (Stress Fracture)
OUT – Magnus Rasmussen (Knee Sprain)
OUT – Brian Ownby (Concussion)
