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A jam-packed Soccer City radio show, presented by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers, on Saturday took a look at the big picture.

Heading into Saturday night’s Louisville City FC-Saint Louis FC showdown at Lynn Family Stadium, only a handful of points separate first from third on the USL Championship’s Group E table.

One of Indy Eleven, LouCity or Saint Louis won’t make the playoffs, with only the top two moving on. So what are the various scenarios? Host Lance McGarvey, along with co-hosts Casey Whitfield and Kevin Kernen, discussed from the Lynn Family Stadium radio booth.

The crew also welcomed Tyler Tetzlaff, communications manager for Saint Louis FC, to preview Saturday’s game.

Catch Soccer City live from 9-10 a.m. each Saturday on AM 790 WKRD, plus follow via iHeart Radio and subscribe for new editions through Apple Podcasts. Saturday’s edition can be heard below:

Louisville City FC’s back line hasn’t conceded two goals in a game since July 29. Not so coincidentally, that’s the last time the boys in purple lost.

On a six-game unbeaten streak heading into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. meeting with Saint Louis FC at Lynn Family Stadium, the defensive corps theorized what’s been working in their own half of the pitch.

“Soccer is a game of relationships,” said defender Oscar Jimenez. “People in a certain area of the field have to have a good relationship to move properly.

“ …I think to see the first performance of the season to the most recent one, and you compare the defenses, there’s just a lot more unity and communication. You probably don’t realize that when you watch it on TV.”

Amid its undefeated run, LouCity has shut out opponents twice while allowing one goal in four other games — an average of .67 goals against per game since August began.

Dating back to the beginning of the season, points out coach John Hackworth, every defender on the roster has started for the club. More recently, the boys in purple have trotted out a veteran back line consisting of Jimenez at left back, Pat McMahon on the right and Alexis Souahy beside Sean Totsch in central defense.

“We’re just trying to be a good collective unit and it just takes relationships,” Hackworth said. “The more you understand the guy next to you, the guy behind you or in front of you — that’s what good teams do. Once you start finding that those relationships are working, you don’t want to change much from that, and it’s been a strong point for us.”

Totsch, whose arrival to LouCity in 2017 preceded the club’s first USL title, added to what his coach said, emphasizing communication.

“A lot of times it’s unspoken things,” Totsch said. “I know that if Oscar is coming here and he’s looking to get the ball there, he’s trying to get the ball on this foot.

“…Just building those relationships are huge. Even though we’ve played together for a long time, each year is different, and you really have to build those each year.”

That includes how far LouCity’s defenders have come this season.

Overall, the boys in purple have allowed just 10 goals in 11 games, but three of those hit the back of the net when the USL Championship restarted play. LouCity lost by a 3-1 score to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on an afternoon when a pair of turnovers in the defensive half transformed to goals for the opposing side.

“I think I eluded to it a couple weeks back: There’s bounces that needed to go our way and once they started to go our way the confidence started to grow,” Jimenez said, “and I think you’ve noticed that from the last couple performances from the club.

“It’s just being comfortable and understanding people’s approach or ways of communicating. Some people communicate with their mouths and others with their actions, so now you have a better understanding of your players and surroundings. I think that’s how the back line has gotten a lot better.”

Now, it’s on LouCity to deliver some repeat performances. Last Saturday, the club posted a 3-1 away win over Indy Eleven that vaulted the boys in purple to first place in Group E, at least until Indy topped Sporting KC II on Wednesday night.

Defeat Saint Louis FC on Saturday, and it’s back to the top of the table.

“The biggest thing for us, defensively, is just making things predictable,” Totsch said. “If we can force them into a certain area of the field and we can see it coming, it just makes our job easier, defensively.”

“We want to try to limit the unpredictably and give our keeper a chance on shots,” added Totsch, with Ben Lundt’s four clean sheets in 2020 good for second in the 35-team USL. “There’s a lot of times defenders try to make hero tackles and plays. They look really good, but when they don’t work out, you’re putting your back line and keeper in a tough spot.

“If we can force them one way and lower their percentage of scoring, that’s all we can do defensively.”

Soccer Holdings, LLC, announced Thursday the extension of its partnership with SeatGeek following a successful initial term with Louisville City FC that prompted positive feedback from fans and club personnel alike. In addition to continuing with LouCity, SeatGeek will also serve as ticket partner for Racing Louisville FC when it begins NWSL play in 2021. 

For the past two-plus seasons LouCity fans have enjoyed the SeatGeek ticketing experience, allowing them to easily purchase, transfer and scan tickets all from their mobile device. In addition, during these uncertain times the club and SeatGeek have worked closely together to continue providing a top-notch fan experience, with LouCity being one of the first clubs to use parts of SeatGeek Adapt, a toolbox of products and services focused on return events in a world impacted by COVID-19.

LouCity and SeatGeek started their partnership in 2018. Following two successful seasons and a move to the new Lynn Family Stadium, both sides were interested in extending and expanding the relationship. In addition to now ticketing Racing Louisville FC, SeatGeek will take on the naming rights of the Lynn Family Stadium box office. 

“The support that we have received from SeatGeek over the years has been second to none, and we are pleased to extend our partnership with them,” said Mitch Ried, Soccer Holdings’ vice president of sales and marketing. “They share our common vision of innovating the ticketing process for our fans and patrons of Lynn Family Stadium and we are excited to have them as we expand with Racing Louisville FC in 2021.”

Since originally beginning their deal, both LouCity and SeatGeek have seen great success in their respective industries. LouCity took home a second straight title in 2018 and finished as the USL Championship’s runner-up in 2019. Meanwhile, SeatGeek has signed a number of additional clients, including NFL franchises such as the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, MLS sides FC Cincinnati and Austin FC, and Premier League teams Liverpool FC and Manchester City. 

“LouCity is a top-class organization, and we are excited to continue to work with them as they move into a new stadium and launch their NWSL team,” said SeatGeek’s executive vice president of client partnerships, Jeff Ianello. “Louisville has proven to be one of the best soccer cities in America, and we will be constantly working to delight them and improve their game day experience.”

ABOUT SEATGEEK

SeatGeek is the leading mobile-focused ticket platform that enables fans to buy and sell tickets for sports, concert, and theater events. With industry-leading mobile ticketing apps, a fan-friendly user experience and its proprietary Deal Score™ technology that helps fans identify the best ticket values for a given event, SeatGeek is transforming the way that fans buy and sell tickets to their favorite events. SeatGeek Enterprise – the company’s primary ticketing platform – is used by many Premier League clubs, as well as the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. Headquartered in New York, SeatGeek also has international offices in the U.K., Israel, Netherlands, and Italy.

Knowing his side’s stay atop the USL Championship’s Group E standings could be short, Louisville City FC coach John Hackworth said this week that “we can’t look too far ahead.”

“We can’t sit here and be satisfied at all,” Hackworth added in his latest Yackin’ with Hack conversation with WDRB.

The boys in purple are unbeaten in their last six games, most recently defeating Indy Eleven by a 3-1 score last Saturday. But the Eleven are back on Wednesday evening hosting Sporting KC II.

LouCity (20 points), Indy Eleven (19) and this weekend’s foe, Saint Louis FC (18), are clustered atop the group with five games to go. Only the top-two finishers advance to the playoffs in what Hackworth called “a crazy finish to a crazy year.”

“The hard part is that we have a lot of work to still do — five really tough games as we close out this abbreviated season,” he said. “We need to make sure that we stay humble, stay focused on the next opponent and the fact that we still have a lot of work to do.”

See Yackin’ with Hack in full above and look for a new edition each Tuesday on WDRB.

The race for the USL Championship playoffs is winding down with Louisville City FC in control of its destiny.

The boys in purple over the weekend jumped atop the Group E table with a victory at rival Indy Eleven, pushing their unbeaten streak to six games since the month of August began.

Likewise, LouCity is also rising up the USL’s Power Rankings, advancing to fourth. Before commencing this undefeated run, the club had fallen as far as 19th of 35.

“LouCity is 5-0-4 against Indy Eleven in the Championship’s regular season and postseason since Indy won their first meeting on May 5, 2018,” the Power Rankings read. “No wonder the Indianapolis Star is calling them the Big Brother to the Boys in Blue.”

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, in third, is the highest-ranked Eastern Conference side. The Riverhounds hail from Group F, which will match with Group E to open the playoffs next month when respective No. 1 seeds play the 2s from both pods.

As for the chase for a postseason spot, LouCity’s in the best possible position, but margins remain thin. The boys in purple have accumulated 20 points with five games remaining, one better than Indy Eleven and two more than Saint Louis FC.

LouCity hosts Saint Louis FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. As of now, according to the USL, the club has a 48% chance of finishing atop the group and 37% chance of finishing second. Overall, there’s an 85% chance of making the playoffs.

“Look at your new favorite to finish on top of Group E,” the league site reads. “LouCity’s victory against Indy Eleven flipped the top two around, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to get things wrapped up with Saint Louis only two points back. The Kings’ Cup rivals meet on Saturday night in Louisville, and it should be a corker.”

After Saturday, LouCity goes back to Indy on Sept, 16, hosts Memphis 901 FC on Sept. 19, plays at Saint Louis FC on Sept. 26 and closes the regular season against Sporting KC II on Oct. 3 at Lynn Family Stadium. The single-elimination playoffs then follow.

Having played a key role in a weekend win over rival Indy Eleven, Louisville City FC midfielder Corben Bone was on Tuesday named to the USL Championship’s Team of the Week.

Bone, a 31-year-old from Texas, was waiting at the back post in the 27th minute of a 3-1 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium when teammate Devon “Speedy” Williams attempted to chip the rival goalkeeper. The try caromed off the cross bar and straight to Bone, who headed home LouCity’s second goal on the evening.

In addition to the goal, Bone tallied two key passes, completed 23 of 29 passes overall, won 5 of 7 duels and 4 of 5 tackles during a 90-minute performance in the attacking midfield.

Bone, who arrived to LouCity this season from Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati, also made Team of the Week in late August after he registered a brace in a win over Sporting KC II. He now totals three goals on the season with the boys in purple having supplanted Indy in first place atop the USL’s Group E table.

Here’s a full look at the best 11 from Week 11 in the USL…

GK – Brandon Miller, Charlotte Independence: Miller recorded six saves across two contests, including a key penalty save against Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night, as the Independence took victories against Memphis and North Carolina FC during the week.

D – Gabriel Torres, Hartford Athletic: Torres recorded a goal and assist, including the game-winning goal, while completing 30 of 37 passes, winning 6 of 9 duels and making nine recoveries in a 2-1 win against Loudoun United FC.

D – Jordan Scarlett, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Scarlett scored in the Rowdies’ victory against Miami FC on Wednesday night, and across two games completed 112 of 136 passes, won 7 of 8 duels and 4 of 4 aerials as Tampa Bay recorded two shutout wins.

D – Matt Mahoney, Sacramento Republic FC: Mahoney recorded one assist, completed 73 of 85 passes overall and won 9 of 11 duels and 5 of 6 aerial duels in Sacramento’s 2-1 victory against the Portland Timbers 2 on Wednesday.

M – Corben Bone, Louisville City FC: Bone scored once, had two key passes and completed 23 of 29 passes overall, and won 5 of 7 duels and 4 of 5 tackles as LouCity earned a 3-1 victory against Indy Eleven on Saturday night.

M – Robbie Mertz, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Mertz scored once and recorded four key passes across two Hounds victories against Loudoun United FC and the New York Red Bulls II, while also completing 69 of 80 passes.

M – Dylan Mares, El Paso Locomotive FC: Mares recorded a goal and assist, including the late game-winner, while recording six shots, three key passes and 28 of 35 passes overall in Locomotive FC’s 3-2 win against New Mexico United, its first in the series between the clubs.

M – Tucker Bone, Reno 1868 FC: Bone scored the opening two goals of the game, finished with four shots on target overall, and completed 26 of 32 passes as 1868 FC recorded the most goals in a game this season against the Portland Timbers 2 in its 7-1 win.

F – Sean Okoli, Orange County SC: Okoli had two goals and one assist in two games, including a brace in OCSC’s 2-1 win against the LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night, and had seven shots, three chances created while completing 27 of 38 passes.

F – Dario Suarez, FC Tulsa: Suarez scored three goals across two games, recording five shots overall and four on target while completing 33 of 40 passes as Tulsa earned victory against Rio Grande Valley FC and a draw with Austin Bold FC.

F – Dane Kelly, Charlotte Independence: Kelly recorded the fourth hat trick of his career, had five shots overall and completed 18 of 22 passes as the Independence took a 3-1 victory against North Carolina FC on Saturday night.

Bench: Danny Vitiello (PIT), Wilson Harris (SKC), Dre Fortune (NC), Ariel Martinez (TUL), Sam Gleadle (RNO), Sebastian Guenzatti (TBR), Jonathan Perez (LA).