BRADENTON, Fla. — After a week and a day of preseason conditioning, Louisville City FC brought out the goals Tuesday during a 45-minute intrasquad scrimmage at IMG Academy, where the team is training ahead of 2017 United Soccer League opener.
LouCity’s 20 players split into even sides of 10, with the scrimmage contested on a slightly shortened field.
“We just wanted to get some minutes into their legs,” said coach James O’Connor. “It’s just part of what we do. I’m really pleased with how it went. I thought some of the guys looked sharp. I think for where we want to be, we can be happy with how it’s going.”
A number of other clubs, including Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire as as well as USL rivals FC Cincinnati and Saint Louis FC, are also at IMG on preseason trips. They play frequently at the campus’ main stadium, whereas O’Connor put his players through the paces on their regular training pitch.
• VIDEOS: More from O’Connor, players after the scrimmage
Conditioning is the emphasis of LouCity’s two weeks in Florida, as they’ll have four preseason games closer to home leading up to a March 25 opener against Saint Louis FC at Louisville Slugger Field. But O’Connor couldn’t ignore some other aspects of the scrimmage.
“To see the quality we saw at times was great — very encouraging,” he said.
Each of LouCity’s strikers — Cameron Lancaster, Ilija Ilic and Luke Spencer — scored. So too did midfielders George Davis IV and Brian Ownby, former Richmond Kickers teammates reunited this season in Louisville.
Ownby had other chances on goal but said “heavy legs” — two-a-days are routine during preseason — prevented him from capitalizing on them.
He wasn’t the only newcomer to stand out. Spencer, who spent last season with FC Cincinnati, showed authority at forward, and Devon “Speedy” Williams, formerly of the New York Red Bulls II, directed in the midfield.
“We played in some different formations for the first time, so I think that kept us on our toes,” said defender Sean Reynolds. “Overall, everyone did well. It showed the fitness is getting there.”
Players were due back on the pitch at 4 p.m. to begin talking tactics in the day’s second session.
