Louisville City had had quite the wild stretch of matches. Their previous league match was a seven-goal thriller in San Diego and the most recent encounter went to PKs ending with City advancing in the US Open Cup 9-8. Now, LouCity is back to league play and on the road to face the Charleston Battery. It’s been a while since these squads have faced off. Their last match was in August 2019. Louisville has won seven and drew four of the 13 total matches between the clubs and heading into their 14th meeting, one might expect the visitors to walk away with all three points.
Although it’s still relatively early in the season, it might be a safe bet that the Battery are not exactly a playoff team. They hover towards the bottom of the list in most statistical categories; 24th for shots on target per match, 23rd for goals per match, 25th for goals conceded per match, and 26th for average possession (38.3%!). They have lost four of five in league play and their sole US Open Cup appearance was a loss to a USL League One team. Not much is going right for them.
They don’t appear to have any world-beaters on the team, but a few do stand out above the rest. Augustine Williams, who has flirted with the MLS ranks, leads his team with two goals. Aidan Apodaca has racked up a goal and an assist. Brett St. Martin leads the Battery with two big chances created and is tied for first with the highest player rating (7.01). St. Martin is tied with Leland Archer, who averages a team-high 4.0 clearances per match. Matthew Sheldon had a good season with Tulsa last year, but he doesn’t have much going on statistically to brag about in 2022.
Not to be too overly confident, but if there is a team to face on short rest after a match that went to PKs, the Battery are probably the best choice. Despite the lack of rest, the travel, and the absence of Josh Wynder for international duty, FiveThirtyEight still has Louisville with a 55% chance to win and a 24% chance to draw. Anything other than three points is going to feel really bad. Sean Totsch earned a red card during SDvLOU so he is out of action so, between him and Josh missing, there could be a lot of changes on the backline. Manny Perez was helped off the pitch during the Open Cup match on Wednesday against St Louis, although he has been confirmed to be available (AKA not officially injured). Although there are many question marks, this is the deepest LouCity team we have ever seen and should still be able to manage.
This may be overkill but whatever... here are a few charts showcasing how far apart these two teams have been this season. Let’s hope the boys get the job done despite the adversity.
Parting Thoughts
The LouCityLadies are spearheading an effort to provide supplies to Free2Hope. Please consider helping by purchasing needed items off their wishlist.
The 2022 Coopers Kit is now available! Jump on this offer before the end of April!
For 2022, the LouCityLadies have partnered with the Louisville Coopers to create an all inclusive one of a kind Pride scarf. Proceeds will go to the Purple Family Prideraiser June charity (TBD). This is a pre-order and scarves will ship before first Racing game in June.
Want to do a little more reading on LouCity? Might I suggest The Tifos of Louisville City, Louisville City’s Pathway To The Pros, Louisville City's Preparations For The Future, What Are Expected Goals (xG)?, or What Are Goals Added (G+)?.
Have a friend just getting into LouCity soccer? Be sure to send them the Introduction To Louisville City link to give them a point of reference to learn about the club and league.
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