On a 15-match unbeaten streak, first-place Louisville City FC isn’t happy just to win a game. It’s how they win it that players picked at after Monday’s 2-0 victory over FC Montreal.
LouCity scored its goals in back-to-back minutes, the 11th and 12th, but failed to net another chance even as Montreal played most of the match down a man.
“I think that’s the issue,” said Louisville’s leading scorer, Chandler Hoffman. “We were a little complacent after we got those first two goals, so that’s something we’ve got to get better at. We’ve got to put teams away. Especially in the second half, it was back and forth, and there’s no reason it should’ve been like that.
“We should’ve put the game away.”
Of the club’s 25 shots, 14 of them came in the second half, after Montreal captain Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare was sent off with a red card for a hard collision with LouCity’s Kadeem Dacres in the 37th minute.
Coach James O’Connor spoke at length with players in the locker room after the match, then told reporters his club “clearly should have won the game by more.” FC Montreal goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made four saves, plus one of LouCity’s second half chances bounced off the post and the other the crossbar.
The earlier goals were scored by Hoffman and George Davis IV sixty seconds apart, when Davis created for himself in the middle of the field before Hoffman finished a header on a pass from right back Kyle Smith.
Hoffman said that it’s “always good to score,” but he would’ve “liked to have a couple more.” With a win in hand, he exited in the 65th minute Monday, making way for Ilija Ilic off the bench.
“When you get a situation like that, we need to try and manage minutes — give everyone some game time,” O’Connor said. “I thought the boys did well when they went on.”
The striker has plenty to gain if LouCity’s attack hits on point. With 11 goals just past the season’s midpoint, he’s second only to Jack McBean, who scored 12 before called up to the LA Galaxy.
O’Connor noted Hoffman’s “phenomenal record of scoring goals.” The Birmingham, Ala., native, who had his family in the stands Monday night, scored 13 goals in 17 appearances in 2014 while on loan to LA Galaxy II. In 2015, he converted four strikes in 10 matches while with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.
Hoffman could make it two straight Golden Boot winners for Louisville on the heels of Matt Fondy’s USL-record 22 goals in 28 regular-season matches last year.
“I think Chandler’s got that in him,” said O’Connor, whose club leads the USL with 32 goals in all from 14 of its players, spreading around the attack beyond Hoffman.
“He’s more than capable of scoring goals. His movement is good. He makes intelligent runs. He’s got great game understanding. Yeah, for us, it was great to see him back in the score sheet, but he’s not someone we worry about.”
