By Andrew Bell
Louisville City FC drew Hartford Athletic, 1-1, Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium in a game where LouCity displayed improved offensive hunger but lacked quality in the final third.
Rasmus Thellufsen gave City the lead in the 58th minute when he received a long ball on the right wing, drove at a defender, cut back on his left foot, and curled in a wonderfully-struck finesse shot for his first LouCity goal.
Against the run of play, Hartford equalized in the 75th minute when midfielder Luke Merrill received the ball just inside of City’s 18-yard-box and drove the ball low past goalkeeper Oliver Semmle.
For the rest of the match, LouCity hunted for the winner, coming close on a few occasions but faltering when trying to find the final pass or shot.
“[I] walk away really disappointed,” head coach Danny Cruz said about Saturday’s result. “I certainly felt that the group left everything on the field. I thought we created a ton of chances, I thought our energy was good. Our lack of quality in finishing tonight was there tonight.”
“But I thought the intensity was right. I think there’s some positives to take away from it building toward next week and then building toward playoffs. Where we’re at right now is not ideal. I think we have to make sure we’re doing everything that we can to work on some of those areas that need to be better in between both boxes.”
LouCity will be especially disappointed with the result for a few reasons. First, as City gears up for another playoff run, struggling to score against Hartford, the defensively weakest side in the USL (74 goals against), is certainly problematic. Additionally, dropping points on Saturday allows Memphis 901 FC a two-point cushion in fourth place in the USL’s Eastern Conference with its win over El Paso on the same night.
City and Memphis have been fighting for fourth in the East, as finishing there would guarantee a home game to start postseason play. LouCity now needs to beat the Tampa Bay Rowdies and have Memphis lose next weekend to take the four seed on the last day of the regular season.
Thellufsen hits the mark
After LouCity’s shocking loss at New Mexico last weekend, Cruz promised changes. Against Hartford, Cruz started a completely different midfield than last time out, with Tyler Gibson at the heart, Niall McCabe and Dylan Mares more advanced, and Thellufsen the furthest forward. But Thellufsen wasn’t just further up the pitch on Saturday. He played wider as well.
Signed in the preseason, Thellufsen started the majority of matches in a box-to-box central midfielder role where he acted as a median between a defensive and attacking mid with responsibilities on both sides of the ball.
As of late, Thellufsen hasn’t been favored on the selection sheet but started on Saturday. In his new role on the flank, the Dane thrived. On the night, he posted three shots, three crosses, and three chances created. Thellufsen’s goal was that of an experienced winger, one with a deep bag of tricks and unmatched confidence. Receiving the ball on the move, faking the initial shot, cutting inside, and burying the strike was a play that might give Cruz a selection headache moving into playoffs.
“I had been feeling pretty good the last two weeks in training,” Thellufsen said about earning back a starting spot on Saturday. “Danny gave me an opportunity to start today, and I felt like I grabbed my opportunity.”
Thellufsen’s combination play was arguably the most beneficial aspect of his performance on Saturday. Stats Perform also shows that just under 50% of LouCity’s attacks came down Thellufsen’s side of the pitch. Constantly creating triangles on the wing with Wilson Harris and McCabe, or Harris and Mares, allowed Thellufsen to advance down the touchline without needing explosive pace. These movements led to eight final third entries and a team-high seven touches in the opponent’s box for the 26-year-old.
Thellufsen, Saturday’s Man of the Match, and McCabe, who played a big role against Hartford despite missing recent game time, demonstrate LouCity has dangerous pieces throughout — a vital part of a team that wants success in the postseason. On the night, McCabe topped multiple categories, including chances created (4), crosses (5), and interceptions (2). Although they couldn’t win it for their team, Thellufsen and McCabe stepped up when they were called upon.
What we learned
LouCity’s performance against Hartford Athletic showcased a few other strengths, such as increased offensive production, a squad that has a quality starting 11 no matter who’s picked, and an overall better mentality compared to last time out.
However, drawing to Hartford brings to light some glaring problems and trends for the boys in purple. Against New Mexico United last weekend and Hartford Athletic on Saturday, LouCity started each match with electricity, immediately putting its opponents on the ropes. Against Hartford, in the first 10 minutes alone, City put up five shots, some of which came from just outside the six-yard box, but none finding the net. Without capitalizing on its fast starts, City allowed its last two opponents to settle into games that could have been dominated by the boys in purple.
This could come down to City’s habit to do less with more. When LouCity gains a significant possession advantage, it tends to become impatient and squander its chances. On Saturday, for example, LouCity saw 62% of the ball in the second half, shot the ball 14 times, and scored once. Hartford in the same half took just two shots and scored once. This is strikingly similar to City’s second half at New Mexico, where the boys in purple enjoyed 68% possession, took nine shots but failed to score while their opponent took four shots and found a goal.
When LouCity allows a team any sort of momentum, the pendulum seems to swing from control to impatience, including forced attacks and more turnovers. Over the course of the 2023 campaign, City has lost 19 points from winning positions, only better across the USL Championship than Hartford Athletic (27) and Las Vegas Lights (21), both of which sit last in their respective conference.
At times, LouCity looks offensively unstoppable. Recently, City went on a six-game scoring streak, netting 12 times in that span before being shut out against New Mexico. On Saturday, LouCity got into all of the right spaces but lacked clinical finishing. Harris, City’s top scorer on nine, wasn’t fed the ball as much as he would have liked. His 20-touch total on the night was half of the amount he received in the last game he scored in, which came against Loudoun two outings ago. Moving into the playoffs, the 23-year-old will hope to get on the ball more to influence the game.
Amid schedule congestion, injury problems and other adversity, LouCity has demonstrated glimpses, even spans, of greatness against some of the best teams in the USL. Next weekend, City will face another juggernaut of the East as it welcomes Tampa Bay to Lynn Family Stadium. The boys in purple will look to avenge its previous loss to the Rowdies back in early September, take all three points in its last game of the regular season, and garner momentum heading into the playoffs.
