Quick Look:
Date: August 26, 2023
Time: 4:30 PM PT
Location: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
How to Watch:
- KTVU Plus (Linear)
- TeleXitos (Spanish Linear)
Watch Party: Line 51, 303 Castro St, Oakland, California, 94607
Match Preview:
Oakland Roots SC will look to maintain their upward momentum on Saturday afternoon in Kentucky when they face Louisville City FC.
Wednesday’s road victory over New Mexico United moved Roots SC back above Orange County SC and into 3rd place in the Western Conference standings. Goals from Anuar Peláez and Trayvone Reid secured all three points in Albuquerque, though Danny Barbir stole the show on Wednesday night with two beautiful assists from center-back. Only Charleston Battery have picked up more points away from home than Oakland so far this USL Championship season, and Noah Delgado will be hoping for yet another stout performance from his team at the beautiful Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts, Louisville City FC, are also in the midst of a heated playoff race in the Eastern Conference. They sit just one point behind 4th-place Memphis 901 FC and are looking to once again bring the playoffs to Kentucky. Last season, head coach Danny Cruz led the club to a 1st place regular season finish and a run to the 2022 USL Championship Final where they were defeated by current title-holders San Antonio FC. Although Louisville City have not looked quite so unstoppable this season, there is no question about the quality their team possesses. Former Sporting Kansas City starlet Wilson Harris notched 15 goals for “Los Morados” last season, while goalkeeper Kyle Morton won the USL Championship Golden Glove after keeping 13 clean sheets and conceding just 0.74 goals per game.
Roots have stars of their own, however, such as Paul “The Wall” Blanchette, who leads the league in saves with 89. Defenders Neveal Hackshaw and Bryan Tamacas both played crucial roles for their nations in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July and have been equally important and impressive while wearing a Roots kit this year. Oakland’s top goalscorer, Johnny Rodriguez, made his return from injury on Wednesday as a substitute and will be looking to add to his 9 goals so far this season.
It’s safe to say that Saturday’s match will be a game of high quality, intensity, and importance. You won’t want to miss it!
