After hosting OKC Energy FC twice already this year, Louisville City FC will visit the club’s Taft Stadium for the first time Sunday, beginning a stretch that will see the boys in purple away from Lynn Family Stadium most of the rest of the regular season.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET between a pair of sides with only a brief history. They met once in 2015 — a 6-2 LouCity victory at Louisville Slugger Field — before landing together in the USL Championship’s Central Division for 2021.
On July 14, the boys in purple prevailed 3-1 before a 2-1 victory over OKC Energy on July 31. Both of those games were played at Lynn Family Stadium. Now the series shifts to the road, where LouCity will play seven of its next eight games.
The club enters Sunday as hot as ever, going unbeaten in its last seven games, boasting a four-game winning streak and showing just one loss since June 12. A 13-3-3 record has LouCity atop the league on points and two games clear of second place in the division.
OKC, on the other hand, welcomes LouCity having won one of its last five. Energy FC is 5-7-7 overall and not too much better — 2-3-4 — on its home turf. Coach Leigh Viedman’s side hangs just outside playoff contention in sixth place.
After this meeting, one final regular season contest between Louisville and OKC remains on the schedule Sept. 12, also at Taft Stadium. First, here’s what to watch for on Sunday night…
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. Live stats can be found at www.loucity.com/match-center.
• And for ESPN 680/105.7 on the radio: Jeff Greer and Casey Whitfield
Notes to know
Away days: LouCity’s average of 9,865 fans per game is a league best and part of why Lynn Family Stadium has served as a fortress for the boys in purple, who haven’t dropped a game there since capacity upped to 100% in June. A schedule heavy early on home games has set LouCity to play the bulk of its remaining contests of the road. Those seven trips over eight games include jaunts to Oklahoma City, Birmingham, Hartford, Indianapolis, Memphis and Atlanta.
Race to the playoffs: LouCity (39 points) and second-place Birmingham Legion FC (33) have separated themselves from the rest of the Central Division. The battle has continued to rage at the middle of the table as clubs seek a top-four finish to secure a playoff bid. The boys in purple have much to play for beyond the Central Division given teams with higher point totals also get the right to host postseason games.
Uncharted territory: As two-time league champions and three-time Eastern Conference champions, LouCity has accomplished almost all there is to do in the USL Championship. Still on the list is a regular season title, and 18 games in the club is well on its way to checking that box in 2021. As it stands, the Western Conference’s division leaders, El Paso Locomotive (38 points) and Phoenix Rising (37) continue to nip at LouCity’s heels.
Entering the race: It may be a longshot to catch Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC forward Hadji Barry, who’s already on 18 goals this season. But Cameron Lancaster has stepped into the Golden Boot running nonetheless. He scored both goals in last weekend’s 2-1 win over FC Tulsa, raising his total on the year to 11. The Englishman has gotten it done on both sides of the ball, also winning all seven of his duels against Tulsa, numbering two tackles and twice earning possession back.
Late goal woes: Since coach Danny Cruz said LouCity was “leaking goals” in July, the boys in purple have shored up their defense, allowing no more than a single goal in their last seven fixtures. But it’s the manner in which most of those have been scored — all were in the second half, and four were after the 86th minute — that has irked Cruz. FC Tulsa continued the trend last weekend when scoring off a stoppage-time set piece that put LouCity’s three points in jeopardy.
The Best XI: Through Cruz’s first 16 games in charge, it wasn’t uncommon to see five, six and as many as seven lineup changes. However, his starting 11 against FC Tulsa included only one new face from the prior weekend with Niall McCabe slotting in for Corben Bone in the midfield. That could be a sign Cruz is finding some favorites to lead LouCity into a tough part of the schedule and, ultimately, the playoffs.
Moving up: A central midfielder in years past for LouCity, captain Paolo DelPiccolo has at times featured higher up the pitch than any player on the field given more freedom to roam in the attack this season. His three goals this season have already eclipsed 2020’s total, and DelPiccolo nearly added on against FC Tulsa when an eighth-minute strike unluckily hit off the post.
Stat stuffers: Defender Sean Totsch continues to pace the league in passes made with 1,178, while two other LouCity players have crept up the leaderboard as well. Winger Brian Ownby’s career-high seven assists have him tied for the USL Championship lead with Hartford’s Danny Barrera and Colorado’s Michee Nagalina. Meanwhile, defender Jonathan Gomez has top spot in crosses at 104, working a left back role that often sees him pushing up the field.
Injury report
- Oscar Jimenez (questionable)
- Abdou Thiam (questionable)
- Elijah Wynder (questionable)
