Louisville City has tallied another win to their record after a dominant win over Loudoun United. Their next match will be a true test. City is taking a cross-country flight to California where they will take on the San Diego Loyal. Morados’ has played the Loyal before, however, this iteration of Coach Landon Donovan’s squad has been just as successful as LouCity in 2022. As of this writing (before OAKvSD), the Loyal have won five of six, with their only loss being a tight contest with a decent FC Tulsa team.
The SD Loyal’s success stems from their solid offense. They score 2.3 goals per match (4th) on 4.5 shots on target per match (8th) with a total of 12 big chances created (4th). All of those categories are competitive with Louisville’s numbers; 1.3 goals per match (11th), 5.5 shots on target (4th), and 14 big chances created (1st). Their defense is respectable as well. They’ve conceded 1.2 goals per match (11th) with one clean sheet (9th), and they find 22.0 clearances per match (3rd). Louisville has the better track record, defensively. And like City, the Loyal also like to have the ball at their feet. They average 54.5% possession (7th) to Louisville’s 52.4% (11th). A small sample size could be helping/hurting both teams, but regardless, it appears this will be a fairly even battle.
Landon Donovan has several quality components on his roster. Kyle Vassell, who has played at various levels in the English system, leads his team with four goals and the 2nd most shots on target per match (1.0). Alejandro Guido has a team-leading player rating of 7.64 with 2.8 successful dribbles per match (1st) and an average of 1.0 key passes per match (3rd). Robinson Moshobane has a pair of goals and assists (tied for 2nd in both categories) and a team-high of 2.3 key passes per match and the 3rd highest player rating (7.60). And finally, there is Collin Martin who leads the team with 53.7 accurate passes per match and has the 2nd highest player rating of 7.62. A lot of quality spread throughout the pitch.
Between the close matchup and the Loyal’s home advantage, FiveThirtyEight has LouCity as the underdog with only a 32% chance to win compared to the SD Loyal’s 41%. But Louisville will have the upper hand as the Loyal will be partaking in a midweek match against the Oakland Roots. Perhaps schedule congestion will play in City’s favor. Regardless, it is not a team to take lightly and will be a big test for the promising Louisville City. The team flew out to Cali straight from VA after the Loudoun match, so travel/time difference shouldn’t be a factor for them. We will see what the team can accomplish in this heavyweight fight. Perhaps we can get another memorable goal out of it.
Parting Thoughts
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.
Be sure to check out the Vamos Morados Podcast featuring me, Benton, and Zach Allen-Kelly. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Audible, and Spotify. Everything you need to listen can be found on the Podcast page. Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!
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