Coach Danny Cruz met with reporters Monday ahead of Louisville City FC’s season opener Saturday against Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium.
Here are five key points from his press briefing:
An update on Cameron Lancaster
LouCity’s all-time leading scorer suffered a leg injury in the second half of Saturday’s final preseason friendly at Saint Louis City SC, and it could keep the Englishman out for a while.
“We’re still waiting for the diagnosis, but it’s looking like it’s going to be a lengthy injury,” Cruz said. “I’m not 100% sure yet, but we’re hoping he can get back as soon as he can and feeling for him at the moment.”
Lancaster bagged 21 goals last year, surpassing the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career. New signing Wilson Harris, a 22-year-old striker with 25 goals in 66 USL Championship appearances, is the likeliest option to replace Lancaster up front.
Settling on an XI
Cruz said he hasn’t completely finalized City’s starting lineup ahead of Saturday’s match, with training sessions this week to determine spots. One job that does appear won is between the posts, with the coach saying newcomer Kyle Morton is poised to take over in goal.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve settled on it yet,” Cruz said of the rest of the lineup. “I make it clear to the players that every day in training matters, and it certainly does as we look to prepare for Atlanta, so we’ll have an important day (Tuesday) and an important day Wednesday and the lineup will become more clear. It’s up to the players to earn the spot.
“They’ve certainly been working throughout preseason, but there are definitely places that are still up for grabs.”
Versatility will be key
The additions of outside back Amadou Dia, wingers Manny Perez and Ray Serrano, attacker Enoch Mushagalusa and defender Ian Soler will give LouCity the flexibility to shapeshift from game to game — and even within matches. Cruz experimented with both three- and four-back systems through the course of the preseason, with the formation of choice against Atlanta United 2 a mystery.
“The ability to play multiple systems this year is going to be really important,” Cruz said. “We have guys who we know can play different roles whether that be as a wingback or an outside back.”
Style of play remains important
LouCity wants to once again rank among the top scoring and top defending teams in the USL Championship, and while a few faces and perhaps the setup might be different, Cruz told supporters to expect the same exciting, attractive brand of soccer from the boys in purple.
“While the shape may change, the style of play is not going to change,” Cruz said. “We’re going to be a high-pressing team. We want to be a team that builds out from the back in order to unbalance the opponent. At the same time, if we are isolated higher up the field with the guys we have who have pace, I have no problem with us making sure that we’re exploiting that space in behind.”
A defensive goal for this season
LouCity finished No. 2 across the USL Championship in expected goals against last season, but the number of actual goals conceded surpassed what Cruz would like. Ratcheting up City’s defending is a top priority, especially with Morton in the fold.
“It’s important that we’re limiting chances to the opponent, but those limited chances don’t turn into goals,” Cruz said. “That happened a little bit too often for us last year. We certainly addressed it in preseason this year. Again, I want us to be one of the best attacking teams in the league, but also one of the best defending teams in the league. That’s a recipe for success if you’re able to do both.”
