News

Louisville City FC didn’t need a match last week to hold its post atop the United Soccer League’s power rankings, taking advantage of Saturday’s scoreless draw between the New York Red Bulls II and Rochester Rhinos while idle.

New York narrowed its gap in the standings by only a point and, as the USL office’s Nicholas Murray wrote, “Louisville will kick off Week 16 with the knowledge it can extend its lead at the top of the Eastern Conference with a win against FC Montreal.”

Game time between LouCity and FC Montreal is 7:30 p.m. Monday at Louisville Slugger Field. It’s the first match for the home club since playing FC Cincinnati to a draw on June 25.

In the league table, Red Bulls II have tallied 32 points having played one fewer match than Louisville, which enters Monday with 35. The two clubs sport the same goal differential of +15 with New York defensive-minded and LouCity the USL’s scoring leader.

“The Red Bulls II were on the back foot for good portions of the game against the Rhinos, who held a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal, but defensively the side remained solid as it kept its best defensive record in the league intact,” Murray wrote.

Still, New York dropped from No. 2 to 4 in Murray’s power rankings, passed by the Western Conference’s Sacramento Republic and FC Cincinnati, which notched a 1-0 win over Bethlehem Steel FC.

The red-hot Charleston Battery, winners of their past three and on their way to Slugger Field for a meeting Saturday with LouCity, also advanced a spot this week to No. 7 in the power rankings.

Week 15 USL Power Rankings

1. Louisville City FC

2. Sacramento Rebublic

3. FC Cincinnati

4. New York Red Bulls II

5. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

6. LA Galaxy II

7. Charleston Battery

8. OKC Energy FC

9. San Antonio FC

10. Orlando City B

On his way from interview room to locker room Monday night, Scott Goodwin passed by Louisville City FC coach James O’Connor, who asked whether he’d see the goalkeeper again. No, Goodwin guessed, because he’d be leaving early Tuesday for Boston and enrollment in Harvard Medical School.

The two embraced. There was little left to say after plenty of buildup to Goodwin’s final game. Still, both said plenty after LouCity knocked off FC Montreal, 2-0, before fireworks popped over Louisville Slugger Field.

Goodwin reflected most on fans: “I’ll miss everything about our supporters group. We have the best fans in the league. These guys are incredible, and it’s not just showing up on game day and the smoke bombs and the chants and all that. That goes off the field as well. I can’t tell you how many times my wife and I have even just gone out to dinner with our supporters. They’ve become really good friends of ours, and I think that speaks a lot to this club. It’s well-rounded in the fact that it’s not just the players separated off. Everybody’s really together, and that goes from the players to the coaching staff and the supporters and just the city in general. You have the mayor out here all the time. I think that’s really what’s going to lead this club to a lot of success in the future.” 

Striker Chandler Hoffman on Goodwin’s goodbye: “Scott has been a great teammate and a great player. I think the way the club has handled him leaving has been tremendous and he deserves all the credit. He’s a great guy and he’s going to be a successful doctor. We’re all happy to be a part of his journey.”

Hoffman said players weren’t happy with only 2-0: “That’s what I love about this group and this locker room. We win 2-0, but no one’s satisfied with the performance tonight. It’s good to win, but we felt like-especially when we went up a man and the way we dictated the game in the first half, that we should finish more chances and really put them away. “

So, why no more scoring? Hoffman’s explanation: “We were a little complacent after we got those first two goals, so that’s something we’ve got to get better at. We’ve got to put teams away. Especially in the second half, it was back and forth and there’s no reason it should’ve been like that. We should’ve put the game away.”

O’Connor echoed that: “I thought at times we played some really good football. Especially the first half, I thought we played some quick, incisive football. We created a number of opportunities tonight and should have won the game by more. I think Montreal deserves a lot of credit for the way they played in the second half. I think when they went down to 10 men, they stayed in the game and still managed to cause us problems, which from our point of view we’d be disappointed with. But second half, it was a case where we had a lot of opportunities and clearly should have won the game by more.”

And the coach offered some thoughts on Goodwin: “He’s been a role model for us since he first arrived. He’s led his life correctly off the field. He’s always supported his team. Since he’s made the decision to go, he’s pushed himself even harder in training. And even for tonight, I’m sure he was disappointed he didn’t start the game. He masked it. He was really professional, and when he went on, he really did well. And we needed him, you know? It wasn’t as if we just put him on there and just waved him off. We needed him to make a big save for us. He’s someone who’s very reliable — very trustworthy and is an all-around good guy.”

By Caitlin Ladd

Scott Goodwin doesn’t see himself leaving soccer altogether upon retirement because, as the Louisville City FC goalkeeper said this week, “I’ve devoted twenty years of my life to it.”

At least professionally, Monday’s July 4 game against FC Montreal will be the last for Goodwin before he departs to attend Harvard Medical School, an acceptance he announced in May and this week called “a dream come true.”

“I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to have a career giving back and helping people,” said Goodwin, who has more immediate plans to return to the pitch, only in a recreational league and perhaps at a different position.

“Maybe a striker this time,” he said with a smile.

Goodwin has used his year-plus with LouCity giving back to fans and a community that has given him “so many opportunities.” He calls signing autographs and parting with his goalie gloves a “no-brainer” given the support received by LouCity’s players, who on Saturday performed in front of a club record 10,062 fans at Louisville Slugger Field.

Goodwin last logged minutes in a United Soccer League match in April. But going back to 2015, his goals-against average ranked second-best in the USL, and he started 30 games across all competitions, including the U.S. Open Cup.

“I’m never going to make up for all that soccer has given me and what this city’s given me,” Goodwin said, “but I’m at least going to try.”

The University of North Carolina graduate, who led the Tar Heels to a College Cup and four regular-season ACC titles, played professionally in Iceland and for his home state Carolina RailHawks before signing with LouCity.

He watched the club grow over the past year and a half and thinks the “sky’s the limit” for LouCity, citing committed ownership, staff and supporters for the early success. He’ll leave a first-place club that in 2015 finished second in the USL standings in its inaugural season.

“I’m sad that I’ll be leaving that, but I think I’ll always be a part of the family here and have strong ties to the city,” Goodwin said.

The 25-year-old started his application process to Harvard last year, keeping it strictly between himself and his family. The process was “extremely competitive” and there were no “guarantees of getting in anywhere.”

Goodwin wanted to be sure of his acceptance before sharing the news with his team. The first thing coach James O’Connor said to him?

“‘If you had come in here and told me you turned down that opportunity, I would’ve told you to get on the phone right now and call them back,’” Goodwin shared.

Although he hasn’t decided specifically which field to go into, Goodwin figures skills needed while between the post will transfer to a medical setting. There are “split-second decisions under pressure” necessity for leadership “and having to organize things and try to prevent problems before they arise.”

O’Connor and LouCity’s players have sent Goodwin off with team lunches this week. The coach said, obviously, they’re “disappointed to lose Scott.”

“He’s someone we all have tremendous respect for,” O’Connor added. “He’s played a huge part both on and off the field. He’s been a leader in the changing room for us. He’s led his life correctly. He’s been a role model for the other players, and he epitomizes everything we’re about.”

LouCity’s leading scorer, striker Chandler Hoffman, said players are “sad to see Scott go. He’s a great guy and a great player, but it’s a tremendous opportunity for him. He’s going to have a great career as a doctor now, and we’re all excited for him.”