Riding high after a thrilling win over the Oakland Roots, Louisville City was heading west for the second-ever meeting between LouCity and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. While LOU was pushing to secure home playoffs, COS was more looking to secure their spot in the postseason rather than vying for a match at home. With the regular season beginning to wind down, both teams had something to play for and three points would help their cause.
Lineup
Match Highlights
22’ – Gonzalez
49’ – Wynder
88’ – Pouwels
By The Numbers
Full-Time Thoughts
“I was really proud of the fight and mentality for sure for 90-plus,” said Coach Danny Cruz. The three points did not come easy. It was a gutsy performance for the boys in purple. Injuries and absences limited Coach Cruz’s hand and the US’s most elevated pitch tested the endurance of the squad, but they got the job done. With an expected goals against (xGA) of a whopping 4.12, it was the second highest of the season for Morados (4.53 xGA at SAC). It was the biggest gap in actual goals conceded and xGA at -2.12 (-1.35 GA-xGA at TUL). It pays to be lucky and after how some of the previous matches have transpired against LouCity’s best interests, I’ll take it.
A few players had particularly big nights. Jorge Gonzalez got his first goal since coming back from injury. Elijah Wynder scored his third of the season. And Carlos Moguel bagged two assists. Set pieces have not been the team’s strong suit this season, however, it worked well for them during this big road test. And let’s not forget Maarten Pouwels. Pouwels was in a tough position. He joined the team mid-season when goals were in desperate need, and he received a lot of criticism for not being the instant impact many were hoping for. Having gotten past the acclimation stage of coming to a new country and league, he had some promising performances in the lead-up to this match, which netted him his first USL goal. He only needed a few minutes to bag it, too. A nice boost of confidence heading into the most important stretch of the season.
“The group’s obviously in good spirits. The confidence is good, and it starts there,” Coach Cruz said. “But then it’s making sure that you continue to have the mentality week to week that we’ve had the last two weeks.” The last two results have been big, but the team must keep the momentum going. Beating COS and MEM dropping points has put Morados back into a position to control their own destiny. But a big factor in how things pan out for Louisville will be the outcome of the Tampa Bay matches. The next match is TBR away and the last match of the season is TBR at home. Wins in those matches would give LOU a shot at overtaking the Rowdies, not to mention helping them secure their current 4th place standing. There is still a lot of soccer left but the team has done well as of late to set themselves up for postseason success.
Parting Thoughts
Want to do a little more reading on LouCity? I suggest the following:
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