The boys in purple returned to the comforts of home following a short road trip that saw some bizarre officiating and a memorable ten-goal thriller. The next one seemed likely to be more stable as it was against Loudoun, a team the club has only lost to once in their history. LouCity secured the win against them in April and would be looking to earn three more points against the former DC United affiliate.
The team did in fact get the win, replicating the same 1-0 scoreline from their previous meeting. Despite the average scoreline (low by 2024 LouCity standards), it was still a performance worthy of praise. What they lacked in goals they made up for with defense. “We’ve been harping the last month, month and a half, about the fact that we haven’t been doing a good enough job keeping the zero on the board,” said Coach Danny Cruz. “We’ve worked a lot on it in training, and I was extremely proud of what the group put together tonight on the field for 90 minutes.” By halftime, LDN had not managed a shot against and had only one touch in Louisville’s box. They ended the match with a paltry 0.18 xG.
The other factor worthy of celebration is that the team officially clinched the playoffs. Louisville City is the first Championship club to clinch this season. “This is obviously the first step,” defender Kyle Adams said of City’s playoff bid. “We’ve got a lot more steps to go that we want to achieve. It’s nice to get this one done, especially so early and at home in front of our fans. Now we just keep moving forward. It’s one step at a time, and (we’ve got to) make sure we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves.” No one was really questioning if this squad would make the playoffs. However, it is a nice milestone to make it official. With 59 points from 26 matches (19 wins and counting), LouCity maintains a lead over the Charleston Battery. Three points separate the two sides with Louisville still holding two games in hand over Eastern Conference foes.
This match saw Louisville City not only without the red-hot Jansen Wilson but also GK1 Damian Las and GK2 Danny Faundez. The team’s depth and resiliency continue to be tested, with the team rarely missing a beat. They are in great form heading down the home stretch. Still a fair number of matches before the playoffs, but so far there seems to be little reason to bet against Coach Cruz’s elite squad.
Parting Thoughts
Want more reading on LouCity? Check out the following:
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