OFFICIAL MATCH NOTES
HARRISBURG, Penn. — Entering Match Day 5 atop the USL Eastern Conference table, Louisville City FC (3-1-0, 9 points) is buzzing after outscoring opponents 7-3 in their past two matches. A new challenge awaits in the form of the Harrisburg City Islanders (1-2-0, 3 points) on Friday (7 p.m. | WATCH) at FNB Field.
“We’re only focused on one thing: The next game,” Louisville City FC coach James O’Connor said. “We know that Harrisburg is a dangerous team that produces dangerous moments and they’re also coming off a win in the last game. It’s not something we’ll take lightly, but we have trained well and are prepared for the game on Friday. We’re looking forward to it.”
Three things to watch
1. Hoffman is so Hot Right Now: LouCity forward Chandler Hoffman is laser focused on finding the back of the net. With an 18-minute hat trick in Louisville City’s 3-2 victory at FC Cincinnati last week and the opening goal in the Club’s 4-1 victory over Orlando City B a week before, Hoffman — the USL Player of the Week — is tied atop the USL goal-scoring charts with four.
2. Into the Deep End: LouCity’s historic success in 2015 was missing just one thing: Roster depth. That isn’t an issue in year two thanks to O’Connor’s expanded 23-man roster. With central defender Sean Reynolds serving a 1-game ban against Harrisburg, the defensive depth will be forced into the forefront. Any combination of Tarek Morad, Conor Shanosky, Paco Craig, Enrique Montano, Jonghyun Son, Kyle Smith and Ben Newnam can step in to stand as stalwarts against a Harrisburg City Islanders side that’s scored just three goals so far.
3. Road Warriors: LouCity is in one of the toughest stretches 2016 has to offer. With six of the next games coming away from home, Louisville City is entering a proving ground of sorts. Claiming maximum points throughout the end of April and all of May could set the league-leaders even further apart before a home-heavy second half of the regular season. Games will be coming fast as the Club enters the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in May as well.
Following Friday’s showdown in Harrisburg, Louisville City FC will return to Slugger Field on April 27 to host Pittsburgh Riverhounds (7:30 p.m. | TICKETS). A limited number of LouCity Match Packs (4 tickets | 4 shirts | On-field VIP experience) are available now for $60 with promo code 4FOR60 when selecting the Group Zone.
