LouCity hosts Rochester Rhinos for the USL Cup Playoffs Semifinals this Saturday, Oct. 28th at 7:30 p.m E.T.
Here’s what to watch for…
Tune In
TV: WBKI-TV will air the game live and in high definition locally.
Radio: TJ Walker (play-by-play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) will voice the action on Radio 790 WKRD with pregame coverage starting at 7:15 p.m.
Streaming: Watch at www.loucity.com.
Follow Along
For Starting XI information and in-game updates, check us out on social media. It’s @loucityfc on Twitter, Louisville City FC on Facebook and louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Live stats are available at the USL Match Center. Vote for the Modelo Man of the Match on Twitter starting in the 75th minute.
Links
•Morad steps up for USL Cup Playoffs
• Takeways: Trusting the process advances LouCity to Eastern Conference Semifinals
Notes
Scouting Rochester: Rochester travels to face Louisville City for the third time in less than six weeks. Rochester comes in on a four-game unbeaten streak, which includes an Eastern Conference quarterfinals victory in extra time last Saturday. Jochen Graf and Wal Fall lead the scoring for the Rhinos, at 11 and 9 goals, respectively.
Last time against Rochester: Louisville has matched up against Rochester twice in the regular season, both matches occurring in a ten-day span in September. Their first meeting resulted in a LouCity victory at home when Luke Spencer took a penalty kick in stoppage time. The second meeting occurred in Rochester that resulted in a 0-0 draw with a strong defensive performance from the boys in purple.
Playoff picture: The Tampa Bay Rowdies prevailed over FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls II defeated the Charleston Battery in the remaining Eastern Conference quarterfinal matches last Saturday. The winner of Louisville/Rochester will play the winner of Tampa Bay/New York in the Eastern Conference finals.
Home field advantage: Clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference came with its perks, as Louisville is guaranteed to host all Eastern Conference match rounds. With the fall of Real Monarchs SLC in the Western Conference playoffs, LouCity could also host the USL Cup final on November 13th.
Goals in the playoffs: After opening the season with seven goals in seven games, LouCity opened their third playoff appearance with a four-goal performance at Slugger Field. Four goals are the most Louisville has tallied in a playoff match in club history.
Morad on fire: Midfielder Tarek Morad has been performing well for Louisville all year, but in only the last two weeks has he gotten recognition for it. He became the final LouCity field player to score a goal in 2017, earning him a USL Team of the Week honor. Morad followed his goal-scoring performance by earning a brace in LouCity’s Eastern Conference quarterfinal match against Bethlehem.
Jimenez finding his niche: Oscar Jimenez finished the regular season tied with Tulsa’s Juan Caffa for most chances created, at 73. Jimenez, who has three goals on the season, leads the team in minutes played at 2,678. He has also started 30 of 31 games played, showcasing what a valuable addition he has been to the team since signing before the 2017 season.
LouCity playoff history: In the club’s third season of playing in the USL, Louisville has captured the Eastern Conference title for the first time. In both prior seasons, Louisville has made it to the Eastern Conference finals. Both 2015 and 2016 seasons saw Louisville enter the playoff bracket as the two-seed.
Ranjitsingh between the pipes: Starting keeper Greg Ranjitsingh posted another clean sheet in the opening match of the USL cup playoffs against Bethlehem, bringing his total clean sheets in 2017 to nine. In a season that has seen Ranjitsingh called up for International Duty, the keeper has posted a 65.5% save rate, and conceded 20 goals in 22 appearances.
