The second edition of the Kings’ Cup series comes to an end this weekend when Louisville City FC travels to play Saint Louis FC.
While a victory — or possibly even less — would solidify the USL Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed for LouCity, this one’s a must-win for Saint Louis FC to remain in contention for a playoff bid.
Here’s what to know about the rival club.
Record: 8-11-9 (33 points) in 28 matches
Conference: Western
Standings: 13th
Coach: Tim Leonard (interm)
History: Saint Louis FC and LouCity opened their inaugural seasons against each other in 2015, then both as members of the Eastern Conference. The green and navy blue-clad club moved to the West for 2016, off a ninth-place finish, and retains and outside shot of making its first postseason appearance.
Series with LouCity: Saint Louis and Louisville played their inaugural openers against each other in a game won 2-0 by LouCity at Slugger Field. The boys in purple then went on to claim the first Kings’ Cup on goal differential and are in line for another after defeating Saint Louis 2-0 at home on May 14.
Current form: Saint Louis has been deceptively good in its last two games. While a 2-1 loser at FC Cincinnati, the club equalized at Nippert Stadium late before allowing the game-winner on a penalty for a hand ball in extra time. Saint Louis bounced back last Saturday to beat San Antonio FC by a 3-1 score.
What to know: Saint Louis FC on Aug. 15 announced a new coach, moving away from Dale Schilly while promoting Tim Leonard, an assistant coach, on an interim basis. The club started this season by going 6-5-4 but then went 1-4-3 in Schilly’s final eight games. The club is 1-2-2 since the change.
Player to watch: Irving Herrera moved himself back into the USL’s Golden Boot race by registering a hat trick against San Antonio. The forward from El Salvador has scored as many as four goals in a single game this season while totaling 14 of them. Herrera, the reigning USL Player of the Week, sits one off league leaders Sean Okoli and Jack McBean.
Another to know: Forward Jordan Roberts has scored his three goals this season in limited playing time, doing so in games when he appeared for 30, 32 and 52 minutes. Since Saint Louis’ coaching change, Roberts has seen a boost in minutes, going the full 90 in two of the last three games. In the other, he remained on for 89 minutes before subbed out.
