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Louisville City FC, the USL Championship’s most successful club since launching in 2015, has partnered with CollecTix on a new way to celebrate the team’s timeless moments — and honor those ahead in the future.

A series of commemorative tickets will launch next month with the limited-edition collectibles both physical tickets and interactive digital recaps storing highlights and other key game information. They can also be bought and sold similar to increasingly popular non-fungible token (NFT) trading cards.

Available first — at noon on Oct. 1 — will be Lynn Family Stadium’s Grand Opening game, a victory for the boys in purple back on June 12 in front of the venue’s initial 100% capacity crowd. Milestones such as LouCity’s 2017 and 2018 USL title wins will follow along with other memorable games.

“We are excited to partner with CollecTix to create a unique opportunity for our fans to own some of our most memorable Louisville City FC moments digitally,” said Mitch Ried, the club’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “The ticketing industry has gone digital, and the physical ticket many of us have collected in scrapbooks is now gone. Through CollecTix we feel we will keep the nostalgia of collecting tickets alive in a digital space.”

Carrying more value in the initial wave of commemorative digital tickets are a select few “gold and “platinum” editions. The club will reward those who discover these Rare Perk digital tickets with unique or signed team gear and early access to purchase the NFT versions.

Over the last year, NFTs have established themselves as yet another way for fans to engage with their favorite sports. The NBA’s Top Shot platform is an industry leader, while MLB has announced plans to build a similar marketplace and the English Premier League is reportedly exploring its options within the sector.

“We sought out to create the most engaging, fun fan experience when it comes to collecting game tickets,” said Ron Warner, founder of CollecTix. “Our data shows that fans still seek those physical nostalgic event tickets they can hang onto. Along with the physical ticket, we wanted to also incorporate this new world of digital collectibles, which is why we created the CollecTix ticket series. With the energy and vision from LouCity, we can’t wait to see where they go with the CollecTix platform.”

LouCity will be the first team in the USL Championship to offer the digital collectibles.

Louisville City FC drew to OKC Energy FC on Sunday night in a game that LouCity seemed to dominate but couldn’t finish its chances.  And though a point on the road is usually a good result, a team of this caliber will be disappointed.

The fixture marked LouCity’s final regular season game against Energy FC in a four-game series, two of which were draws and two of which were wins for LouCity. With this latest draw, LouCity has dropped points in four out of five of its last games.

The boys in purple still have a four-point cushion over second-place Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship’s Central Division, and OKC is a quality side, still holding the group’s fourth and final playoff spot. Bigger picture, LouCity hopes to post the league’s best overall record and sit five points off that with nine games to go.

“It’s obviously frustrating to only get a point, but I was proud of the effort from the group,” coach Danny Cruz said. “I think we created enough chances to win the game, but ultimately, I’m frustrated only coming away with a point. I did feel like the players executed the game plan but we just didn’t finish our chances.”

Here’s more of what we learned Sunday…

A force on the attack

LouCity captain Paolo DelPiccolo scored the equalizing goal thanks to some perfect positioning in a dangerous area. But his heat map shows an all-around, box-to-box effort for a midfielder who has taken on a more advanced role in the club’s attack this season.

DelPiccolo also accumulated game-highs in shots (5) and shots on target (2) on Sunday.

“It’s no secret how important he is to the way we want to play,” Cruz said. “I feel that he’s put himself in excellent positions this season. The way he leads this team is honestly like nothing I’ve never seen before.”

DelPiccolo won 100% of his aerial duels and two fouls for his team. The former University of Louisville standout also made notable defensive contributions against Energy FC, including 2 tackles while gaining possession from OKC on five occasions. DelPiccolo made his 22nd appearance, second-most on LouCity’s roster in 2021 behind defender Sean Totsch, who has played in every game.

Missing Lancaster

Cameron Lancaster was listed as questionable for the OKC game and didn’t end up on the team sheet at all. His presence and goal-scoring threat were clearly missing as LouCity put in 17 crosses, only one of which was converted when DelPiccolo got on the end of a ball deep into first half stoppage time.

The boys in purple tallied 15 shots, but only four were on target. That said, Lancaster’s replacement, Kyle Greig, was unlucky to not score given he had an early shot deflected off an Energy FC defender’s arm in the box, and another late chance off his interception near the OKC goal was saved.

Lancaster is third-highest scorer in the USL Championship with 12 goals, which he has poured in over the course of just 16 appearances. As for the players who rank ahead of Lancaster, Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC’s Hadji Barry has scored 21 goals in 23 appearances, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Russell Cicerone has 14 goals in 25 games.

A nice defensive shift

Despite dropping points against OKC, LouCity’s defense was solid throughout the game.

Energy FC’s goal arrived early against a unit that tends to leak goals late. This time, the boys in purple locked down after conceding, allowing the hosts only 4 shots collectively.

LouCity didn’t concede a corner and also limited OKC to just 6 crosses.

“I certainly feel that the group put in a shift tonight in tough conditions,” Cruz said. “We limited them to four shots on the day. We limited their opportunities, we created a lot of opportunities and if you continue to do that you’re going to win a lot of games. We’ll walk away with a point and we will look toward next week.”

Louisville City FC on Sunday played OKC Energy FC to a 1-1 away draw that will leave the boys in purple wishing they’d taken away more.

Paolo DelPiccolo equalized in first half stoppage time, but LouCity couldn’t capitalize on myriad other chances. OKC had earlier led a counter to score on one of its two shots on target all game.

The result improved LouCity to 13-5-5 on the season, moving the club four points clear of Birmingham Legion FC atop the USL Championship’s Central Division standings.

“It’s obviously frustrating to only get a point,” said coach Danny Cruz whose side tried 15 shots. “But I was proud of the effort from the group — the mentality. We limited them to four shots, collectively, with our press, and we obviously changed our shape tonight with the field and what we knew we would see here.

“I thought we created enough chances to win the game.”

LouCity’s offensive barrage included a controversial 11th-minute moment when forward Kyle Greig’s shot from just outside the box caromed off an OKC defender’s arm in the box. Appeals for a penalty weren’t successful.

Energy FC goalkeeper C.J. Cochran made three saves, including a key denial in the 70th minute when a turnover near the goal led to another dangerous look for Greig.

“When you look at the performance (Greig) had and the shift he puts in, it’s certainly contagious,” Cruz said. “He is somebody who’s honest — who’s going to do the work and obviously wants to score goals. But more importantly, he tries to put in a complete game on both sides of the ball. I felt he was really important for us tonight.”

The goals were well struck, as in the 25th minute OKC’s Villyan Bijev rifled in a deflected shot that landed conveniently to Zach Ellis-Hayden at the back post. LouCity leveled just before the halftime whistle when a lengthy possession finished with Niall McCabe crossing to Greig, whose header fell to DelPiccolo at the face of goal.

DelPiccolo — the midfielder and team captain playing higher up the field this season — made it his career-high fifth goal of the campaign.

“I’m obviously playing in a more advanced position and trying to find space in the box,” DelPiccolo said. “That’s a huge individual thing I need to improve, because in my opinion five is not nearly enough or where it needs to be. I need to clean that way up and be able to do a lot more tactics-wise.”

Central Division rivals see each other four times apiece in 2021, and this marked the last meeting between LouCity and OKC Energy FC. The boys in purple went an unbeaten 2-0-2, prevailing in both games at Lynn Family Stadium.

That, however, is a friendly fortress LouCity won’t see until October. Next is a trip to play at Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. Saturday before jaunts to Memphis 901 FC on Sept. 25 and Atlanta United 2 on Sept. 29.

Cruz has accordingly rotated his lineup and continued to get results. Three of four goal scorers from last Tuesday’s victory at Hartford Athletic FC were out of the 11 Sunday as LouCity looks to remain fresh in pursuit of its goal to finish the season with the USL Championship’s best record.

“To be where we are with this group — the injuries that we’ve had — I feel constantly proud of the group I get to be with,” Cruz said. “We’ll continue to push forward. Everybody in that locker room knows the expectation, and from here, we continue to progress the remainder of the season and push for a championship.”

With the OKC draw, the boys in purple sit on 44 points, five behind a fellow Eastern Conference side, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Game Summary: OKC Energy FC vs. Louisville City FC

Venue: Taft Stadium

Kickoff: 6 p.m.

Man of the Match: Paolo DelPiccolo

Scoring

OKC Energy FC (1, 0, 1)

Louisville City FC (1, 0, 1)

Scoring Summary

OKC Energy FC:

25’ Zach Ellis-Hayden

Louisville City FC:

45’+ Paolo DelPiccolo (Kyle Greig)

Stats Summary: OKC Energy FC / Louisville City FC

Shots: 4 / 15

Shots on Goal: 4 / 2

Fouls: 13 / 16

Offside: 4 / 4

Corner Kicks: 0 / 9

Saves: 3 / 1

Lineups

OKC Energy FC: 1 — C.J. Cochran, 15 — Lamar Batista, 20 — Conor Donovan, 4 — Mitchell Osmond, 22 — Zach Ellis-Hayden, 14 — Charlie Ward, 18 — Tucker Stephenson, 8 — Hiroki Kurimoto, 21 — Villyan Bijev, 13 — Aidan Daniels (62’ 10 — Arun Basuljevic), 9 — Jaime Chavez

Subs not used: 17 — Jonathan Brown, 24 — Kodai Iida, 19 — Muengnenshime Goshit, 28 Deklan Wynne, 23 — Sam Howard, 6 — Brad Dunwell

Louisville City FC: 1 — Chris Hubbard, 66 — Josh Wynder, 4 — Sean Totsch, 3 — Alexis Souahy (87’ 14 — Abdou Thiam), 22 — George Davis IV (69’ 10 — Brian Ownby), 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo (69’ 29 — Antoine Hoppenot), 7 — Napo Matsoso, 42 — Jonathan Gomez, 9 — Jorge Gonzalez, 21 — Kyle Greig (85’ 8 — Akil Watts), 11 — Niall McCabe (68’ 12 — Tyler Gibson)

Subs not used: 24 — Parker Siegfried, 20 — Jimmy McLaughlin

Discipline Summary

Louisville City FC: 62’ Paolo DelPiccolo (yellow)

Louisville City FC: 63’ George Davis IV (yellow)

OKC Energy FC: 65’ Lamar Batista (yellow)

Referee: Matthew Thompson

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)