Louisville City FC will meet the Harrisburg City Islanders for the second time this season and fourth in club history Wednesday, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Slugger Field.
Here’s what to know about the Islanders…
Record: 6-14-3 (21 points) in 23 matches
Conference: Eastern
Standings: 12th
Coach: Bill Becher
History: Founded in 2003, the Islanders have won one USL title and played for two others, all under the highly successful Becher, Harrisburg’s coach from the start. The club previously held an affiliation with the Philadelphia Union before Bethlehem Steel began play this year.
Series with LouCity: Louisville City FC has won each of its meetings with the Islanders, though the most-recent matchup was the closest. After 5-1 and 4-0 drubbings in 2015, Harrisburg nearly played LouCity to a draw April 22. Mark-Anthony Kaye’s 90th-minute header made the difference in a 3-2 game in Pennsylvania.
Current form: Before a 5-0 loss to New York Red Bulls II last time out, the Islanders had pieced together three straight games unbeaten, their longest streak of the season. While two wins came against teams near the bottom of the table, Harrisburg also managed to play the sixth-place Rochester Rhinos to a draw.
Style of play: The Islanders have conceded 44 goals in 2016, one off the USL-high 45 by Toronto FC II. It’s the product of a fast-paced approach that at times pays dividends but also leaves Harrisburg vulnerable to attacks. Against the Red Bulls, the Islanders opened with quality chances before conceding a season-high number of goals.
Player to watch: Brett Jankouskas, a California native who played at Syracuse before finishing up at South Carolina’s Division II Lander University, has come on strong in his first season with the Islanders. The forward has scored Harrisburg’s last two goals over a span of three games, moving his USL total this year to three.
