Before training Thursday, Louisville City FC coach James O’Connor gathered his players for a film session designed to show that the club’s next opponent is more of a threat than the USL standings suggest.
FC Montreal will enter Monday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Louisville Slugger Field last of 14 in the Eastern Conference. But the matches O’Connor scouted – a recent run in which Montreal has had a number of players back from injury – “would suggest to me they’re a better team at the moment than their performances and results they’ve had,” the coach said.
On Independence Day, and with fireworks set to pop after the game, LouCity will work to prevent a result similar to last year’s Montreal meeting at Slugger. Louisville saw its six-game winning streak snapped in a stunning, 4-0 loss.
Defender Sean Reynolds pointed to the nature of FC Montreal’s franchise as reason not to overlook the visitors. Created in 2015, it’s a proving ground for budding products of Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact’s youth system.
“They’re Montreal 2, so to speak, so a lot of these guys are like, ‘I want to make MLS. I want to make that first team roster,’” Reynolds said. “So every game they go in trying to prove a point. You have to be ready for that.”
LouCity (10-1-5, 36 points) remains atop the USL table while on a 14-match unbeaten streak, the longest in the club’s year-plus history. O’Connor’s roster hasn’t lost since April 2, that day falling to New York Red Bulls II, another MLS-backed team chasing LouCity in the Eastern Conference standings.
FC Montreal (2-12-1, 7 points) has yet to go more than two matches this season without a loss. But recently, the club welcomed back Anthony Jackson-Hamel, who has aided in the club’s attack with three goals in the last four matches. Alessandro Riggi secured a brace last season at Slugger and remains on the roster.
“It’s another big game,” said LouCity striker Chandler Hoffman. “You look at Montreal, and they’re at the bottom of the table, but for us it’s an opportunity to get three points, and to get three points at home is big for us. Training for us this week has been intense. We’re treating it like any other game.”
Louisville played three matches in a matter of eight days, capping the spree with a scoreless draw June 25 with FC Cincinnati. Players received multiple days off from training in the interim, resting up for the second half of the season.
Now back as a heavy favorite against FC Montreal in the third of four straight home games, Hoffman said, “James does a great job, and he’s not going to let anyone take them lightly.”
“They’ve had some good chances, and their performances have deserved a lot more,” O’Connor added. “They’ve been in a lot of games where they’ve been very unfortunate to lose. They’ve got some real attacking threats. They’ve got some real pace on the team. We’ll need to go in with our eyes wide open.”
