Louisville City vs Cancun FC - International Friendly
09/10/2024
The club’s second international friendly for the season was pushed back from its original summer scheduling but ultimately was played in following the home win against Loudoun. A Tuesday evening match shortly after students returned to school wasn’t good for crowd size, however, those that did make it were treated to a surprisingly entertaining match with several unique elements. Louisville City’s lineup featured a handful of players who haven’t been featured regularly like Carlos Moguel, Adrien Perez (returning from injury), and Manny Perez (who recently rejoined the team). Brandon Dayes, a promising academy player, was included in the starting eleven for his professional debut. “I wanted to get guys minutes and push them and see where they were at,” Coach Cruz stated after the match. “For some guys, it went well. And for some guys, it needed to be better.”
The first half of action saw no goals from either squad but the altered LouCity lineup against a completely unknown opponent produced a back-and-forth affair. Entertaining for fans but frustrating for the coaching staffs’. Coach Cruz “wasn’t happy with the first half in any way, shape or form." The second half is when things got more wacky and eventful. Evan Davila broke the stalemate at 51’ (first professional goal) with Adrien Perez adding to the lead at 60’. The visitors responded with one of their own at 71’ with Jansen Wilson responding with one of his own, making the scoreline 3-1. Cancun made it interesting with their second goal at 86’ but just one minute later, Wilson Harris scored LouCity’s fourth goal just a minute later from a ridiculous angle.
Aside from simply being a celebration of the beautiful game, it was a unique opportunity for the coaching staff to assess players in a competitive context without any league implications. As Coach Cruz mentioned after the match, it was a good showing for some but not for others. With the regular season creeping towards its end, any additional opportunities for the team to refine their play is welcomed as one bad game can end a season come playoff time.
Tulsa FC vs Louisville City
09/14/2024
Just days following the Cancun friendly, it was off to Tulsa for the boys in purple. The two teams entered this one with unique connections to one another. Phillip Goodrum earned his first LouCity start in this match against the club he departed from over a month prior. On the flip side, Tulsa has been under the guidance of Mario Sanchez. Mario had been deeply entrenched with Soccer Holdings before taking the role having served as Academy Director and interim manager for Racing Louisville. His right-hand man, Luke Spencer, is a legend with Louisville for being an integral part of the two championships the club has won. Tulsa’s roster includes both of Mario’s sons, Sebastian and Santiago (who have LouCity academy experience), Owen Damm (on loan), and former Louisville defender Alexis Souhay.
Despite the inside knowledge that Tulsa had on the visitors, it was Louisville City’s game from the starting whistle. Coach Danny Cruz’s team suffocated Tulsa in their own half and fired off 17 shots (five on target) to the home team’s three (with zero on target). Jansen Wilson was the only goalscorer of the half despite the heavy volume. Lack of scoring aside, LouCity fans could not have asked for more. The team looked terrific and as terrifying as ever. Unfortunately, the second half was incredibly quiet in comparison. LouCity still outshot Tulsa, but the home side was a more noticeable presence. Even with more influence in the match, they were not any more threatening and failed to find a shot on target for the entirety of the match. The inability to continue the first-half onslaught was disappointing but the defense held off the opposition to see out the win.
“We knew this game would be more of a battle, less about football,” Coach Cruz shared following the win, “and I feel like the players rose to the occasion tonight.” He continued, “This is a very difficult field to play on the way we want to play. We had to adjust from that aspect, and I was really proud of the grind from the group — another shutout.”
Detroit City vs Louisville City
09/22/2024
Louisville City was riding high following recent results but going away to 4th place Detroit is always an unpredictable affair. A Sunday afternoon match featured on ESPN 2 was extra motivation for an already passionate Detroit crowd to make themselves a factor in the match.
It’s hard to say if Keyworth’s turf or the hostile fanbase were legitimate factors, regardless, it was Detroit City who struck first off a set piece play at 17’. But thanks to a questionable goalkeeping call late in the first half, Wilson Harris earned a PK with Sean Totsch burying it. Things went awry for LouCity early in the second half. Phillip Goodrum, already on a yellow card, was shown a second card at 49’ for his physical challenge. Down to just ten men, it became an uphill battle for the visitors. The man-up Detroit showed a renewed fight and a more threatening attack. Interestingly enough, Louisville’s attack seemed to look better following the sending-off. But the defense struggled with the disadvantage. At 67’ Detroit had a breakaway and Damian Las, miles out of the box, missed the stop allowing for an easy goal. Louisville went down swinging and had at least four close calls late that could have tied things up. “I don’t think our execution in the final third was of the level that we’re capable of,” Coach Cruz stated on his team’s performance.
The 2-1 loss stings. Losing to Detroit stings. But, Louisville City had put themselves in a position where dropping those points was not a critical miss. To the opposition's credit, it’s a hostile place to play. It’s a venue where dropping points is not out of the question. Who's to say if the result would have differed with a full eleven but it’s a a tough pill to swallow. “I think the motivation is the understanding that when we’ve had 11 players on the field, it’s been quite a long time since we lost a game,” Coach Cruz said. “We’ve got to be more disciplined when the playoffs come. It becomes about discipline. It becomes about making sure that you leave emotion in the locker room.”
Coach Cruz shared his plan to sub out Goodrum at 60’. He knew he had to keep his cool and play cautious and was unable to do so. Hopefully, a moment Goodrum learns from. Coach Cruz’s decision to not sub him out at halftime has come into question. While the logic of taking a player like Goodrum out after the one yellow against a physical Detroit makes sense, however, I can see the case for relying on the player to do the right thing and keep himself out of trouble. These are moments that could happen in a playoff context. Better now than then. Let’s hope the team as a whole grows from this.
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