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Highlights: Top plays from LouCity's 4-1 win at Wilmington
Video: O'Connor says LouCity delivered 'big performances'
Video: Quinn says training translates to LouCity wins
Replay: Watch LouCity's 4-1 win at Wilmington
LouCity sweeps three local ESPY categories in fan vote
The same week Louisville City FC received a pair of USL midseason recognitions via a fan vote, supporters propelled the club to three category victories in local ESPY Awards.
Presented by ESPN Louisville — found at AM 680 and FM 105.7 — ESPY results were announced this week. LouCity swept all three categories for which it was nominated: Best Team, Best Coach (James O’Connor) and Best Male Athlete (Matt Fondy).
A first-place club in just its second season, LouCity will take into Sunday’s game against Wilmington Hammerheads FC a 16-match unbeaten streak. Fans voted the soccer team to the Best Team award over Western Kentucky football, Indiana basketball, Louisville baseball and New Albany High School basketball.
O’Connor, a native of Ireland at his first head coaching job, beat out U of L baseball’s Dan McDonnell, WKU football’s Jeff Brohm, IU basketball’s Tom Crean, New Albany basketball’s Jim Shannon and Troy Williams, who coaches at Doss High School.
Fondy, who scored a USL-record 22 goals in 28 regular-season matches last year and was named league MVP, now plays for the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League. But his contributions counted on the ESPY calendar, good for a win over U of L football’s Sheldon Rankins, UK basketball’s Tyler Ulis, U of L baseball’s Drew Harrington, New Alban basketball’s Romeo Langford and WKU football’s Brandon Doughty.
In other recently announced awards, the USL named LouCity forward Chandler Hoffman its Midseason MVP and right back Kyle Smith the Midseason Rookie of the Year.
Preview: What to watch for with Wilmington-LouCity
WILMINGTON, N.C. — After four straight games at home, each of them contributing to Louisville City FC’s 16-match unbeaten streak, the first-place club returned to the road this weekend.
Game time with Wilmington Hammerheads FC is 6 p.m. Sunday at 6,000-seat Legion Stadium.
Team Records
LouCity: 11-1-6 (39 points) in 18 matches; 1st in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings.
Wilmington Hammerheads: 6-6-5 (23 points) in 17 matches; 10th in the USL’s East.
Follow Along
Sunday’s game will air, as with other regular-season LouCity matches, live on Youtube.
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc and @loucityespanol on Twitter, and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram and loucityfc on Snapchat.
Vote for LouCity’s Modelo Man of the Match starting at the 75th minute of Sunday’s game on Twitter.
Links
- LouCity turns up the heat before playing Wilmington
- Video: LouCity’s O’Connor expects ‘a very tough game’
- Know the foe: Wilmington Hammerheads FC
- Q&A: Get to know LouCity striker Chandler Hoffman
- LouCity ‘played better than to get a tie’ last time out
Notes
Top of the table: Three-fifths of the way through its season, LouCity carried into the weekend a four-point edge in the Eastern Conference standings over New York Red Bulls II. But New York has two games in hand and could pull closer Saturday whiel playing at the Charlotte Independence. Next week will be a big one for the championship picture. The Red Bulls play Wednesday against third-place FC Cincinnati before LouCity plays at Cincy on Saturday.
The unbeaten streak: While at 16 straight games without a loss in USL play, LouCity has a ways to go before setting a new league record. The Richmond Kickers opened the 2013 season by going undefeated for 22 matches before knocked off by the Battery. Louisville’s last defeat — and only one this season — came by a 2-0 score in its April 2 home opener against New York. LouCity’s longest unbeaten streak last season was six games.
Watch party: Louisville City FC fans will gather Sunday evening at the Great Flood Brewing Company, an official pub partner of the club, for the Wilmington game. Great Flood, at 2120 Bardstown Road, will discount its Unified Pale Ale by $1 during the watch party while playing the live stream on its projection screen. Additionally, LouCity will give away a T-shirt, scarf and tickets to an upcoming home game. Great Flood has for fans a T-shirt, glasses and the brewery’s stickers.
The goal: LouCity is reeling this week from a Charleston Battery 84th-minute equalizer last time out, July 9, at Louisville Slugger Field. When LouCity goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh appeared to have hold of the ball in both hands following a Charleston free kick, a Battery attacker dislodged it. Chris Tsonis then finished the visitors’ only shot on goal in a 1-1 draw at Louisville Slugger Field. Coach James O’Connor labeled it “a really poor call.”
Super subs: At halftime of the Battery draw, Cameron Lancaster came on for Niall McCabe and Kadeem Dacres for Andrew Lubahn. Their impact was immediate. Dacres controlled the right side, while Lancaster, playing just underneath Hoffman, assisted the 62nd-minute goal that moved LouCity ahead at home. It was the latest showing for O’Connor’s club’s depth, as the only starters continually locked in are the goalkeeper Ranjitsingh, defender Smith, captain Aodhan Quinn and Hoffman.
Midseason nods: Louisville City FC claimed two-thirds of the United Soccer League’s midseason awards announced Monday, as fans overwhelmingly voted Chandler Hoffman the USL’s Midseason Most Valuable Player and Kyle Smith the Midseason Rookie of the Year for their contributions. The striker Hoffman is second in the league in goals with 12 and right back Smith second in assists with 5.
Spreading the scoring: With 14 LouCity players having netted a goal so far this season, the club has already passed last year’s total. Behind Hoffman, both Lubahn and George Davis IV have three apiece; Guy Abend, Lancaster and McCabe have two apiece; and eight other players have finished at least one chance. Behind Smith in the assists column is also McCabe, with 4, tied for the third-highest total in the league.
More awards: Presented by ESPN Louisville — found at AM 680 and FM 105.7 — local ESPY results were announced this week. LouCity swept all three categories for which it was nominated: Best Team, Best Coach (James O’Connor) and Best Male Athlete (Matt Fondy). Fondy, named league MVP last year after scoring 22 goals in 28 games, now plays for the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League.
A new name: With Scott Goodwin off to Harvard Medical School, his replacement on the roster, Tim Dobrowolski, is expected to from now on appear on the lineup card as the backup to Ranjitsingh. The backup to Greg Ranjitsingh is a Loyola University of Chicago product twice named Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year.
LouCity turns up the heat before playing Wilmington
Louisville City FC’s schedule shows 9 a.m. starts for training this week, with early sessions designed to get players off the pitch during the heat of the day.
But coach James O’Connor hasn’t forgotten about the last time his club played Wilmington Hammerheads FC, allowing a stoppage time equalizer on a night when “we really struggled with the heat.”
With game time set for 6 p.m. Sunday in North Carolina, O’Connor pushed training back to 10 a.m. leading up to it, turning up the temperature again.
“I think we’re trying to take advantage of that,” O’Connor said. “The intensity has been good and what we’re looking for.”
Highs Sunday in North Carolina should touch the upper 80s. A chance of rain exists, but that could either cool off the beach town or spike humidity.
O’Connor doesn’t want a repeat of LouCity’s first meeting with the Hammerheads.
“We’re expecting a very difficult game,” he said. “When you look at their grounds, their pitch, the heat and the humidity — lots of factors we need to consider — and make sure to be ready for what should be a very tough game.”
LouCity’s trip to Wilmington marks the end of a four-game home stand, during which club beat Toronto FC II and FC Montreal and drew with FC Cincinnati and the Charleston Battery. On a 16-match unbeaten streak, first-place Louisville sits four points up on the New York Red Bulls II in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings.
The streak isn’t something players often mention.
“I don’t even know how many games it’s been,” said goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh. “We don’t even think about that. We take it one game at a time, and right now we’re just focused on Wilmington and getting a result up there.”
Wilmington, meanwhile, will deal with more than the heat Sunday. The club saw the momentum of two straight wins squelched Thursday by a 3-0 loss at Bethlehem Steel. Now comes a quick turnaround.
LouCity took an extra day off from training this week, returning to the pitch Thursday. Along with players, O’Connor looked the part of a rested coach.
“I’m always animated,” he said. “I think they’ll all tell you I’m very passionate about my job, so I like things to be done well all the time. It could come across as, or people could think, ‘Coach is angry.’ If that’s what you think, I’m going to be angry every day and every minute of every day.
“I’m just very passionate, and I like things to be done right.”
Added Ranjitisngh: “We got a little rest, and back at it again — high intensity, pushing forward so we can get a good result at Wilmington…We have a deep roster with guys fighting for spots on the team. Big competition. I think every time we go out to training, it’s going to be high-intensity, no matter what time of the season it is.”
Official LouCity-Wilmington watch party set for Great Flood
Louisville City FC fans will gather Sunday evening at the Great Flood Brewing Company, an official pub partner of the club, to watch LouCity’s upcoming road match against Wilmington Hammerheads FC.
Game time is 6 p.m. in North Carolina, where LouCity carries in a first-place standing and 16-match unbeaten streak.
Great Flood, at 2120 Bardstown Road, will discount its Unified Pale Ale by $1 during the watch party while playing the live stream on its projection screen.
Additionally, LouCity will give away a T-shirt, scarf and tickets to an upcoming home game. Great Flood has for fans a T-shirt, glasses and the brewery’s stickers.
Other team merchandise is available for purchase at watch parties, and members of the club’s ticketing department will be on hand as well.
