Two clubs that know each other well are set for an early season USL Eastern Conference matchup Saturday when Louisville City FC plays away against the Richmond Kickers.
Game time is 5 p.m. at City Stadium in Richmond, Va., where the Kickers drew a club-record 8,000 fans to their home opener last month.
Tune In
TV: WBNA-21 will air the game live and in high definition locally. Mike Watts (play by play) and Albert Munoz (color) have the call.
Radio: Pregame coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. on 840 WHAS and the iHeartRadio app with T.J. Walker (play by play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) at the mic.
Streaming: Watch live on the USL Match Center.
Follow Along
For Starting XI information and in-game updates, check us out on social media. It’s @loucityfc on Twitter, Louisville City FC on Facebook and louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Vote for the Modelo Man of the Match on Twitter starting in the 75th minute.
Links
• Videos: O’Connor, Jimenez preview Richmond game
• Kaye working back into lineup after international stint
• Coach says ‘there’s no makeshift back line’ at LouCity
• LouCity’s Davis IV named to USL Team of the Week
• Watch Coach O’Connor’s weekly press conference
Notes
• Unbeaten start: LouCity enters the weekend third on the USL’s Eastern Conference table, behind only the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Charleston Battery. With a draw and win so far, the club is looking to match a five-game unbeaten streak to open its inaugural 2015 season. Last year, LouCity fell to eventual USL champion New York Red Bulls II in its second game.
• Richmond roots: A pair of LouCity’s attacking midfielders — both former Richmond Kickers teammates — will return to the Kickers’ City Stadium on Saturday. Richmond native Brian Ownby played for his hometown club for parts of 2013 and 2014 while on loan, then signed with the Kickers for the 2015-2016 seasons. George Davis IV suited up for the team from 2014-2015.
• Shanosky shining: Conor Shanosky, a former LouCity defender who signed with the Richmond Kickers late last season, has taken over the role of team captain with his new club. Shanosky scored the only goal in a Week 1 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders. This is Shanosky’s second stint with the Kickers; he also played there on loan from the DC United in 2013 and 2014.
• Revenge rematch: LouCity drew last May in Richmond before winning its other two matchups with the Kickers. After notching a 2-0 result on Sept. 10 at Louisville Slugger Field, LouCity hosted Richmond in the opening round of the USL Cup Playoffs, scoring two goals in extra time to advance. The boys in purple registered clean sheets in all three meetings.
• Spencer breaks through: Former MLS SuperDraft pick Luke Spencer put multiple knee surgeries behind him last Thursday with a 76th-minute goal against Orlando City B, his first as a professional. Spencer, who came on as an early substitute, totaled six shots in a breakout performance, placing three of them on goal. He could be in line to start after relieving Cameron Lancaster, who left the Orlando game as a precaution.
• Spreading the scoring: In addition to Spencer’s goal, Lancaster and George Davis IV scored in Orlando. Afterward, Davis IV hinted that this LouCity team may not rely on a single striker. In 2015, Matt Fondy delivered a USL-record 22 goals in 28 games, and in 2016 Chandler Hoffman scored 14 goals, most of them in the first half of the season.
• Hometown hero: Louisville native Richard Ballard, a recent graduate of Indiana University, has started on the right wing in both of LouCity’s games so far and flashed plenty of potential. He went the full 90 minutes in the opener against Saint Louis FC and subbed out of the Orlando game after assisting George Davis IV’s 57th-minute goal.
• Defense stands tall: Missing starting 2016 center backs Sean Reynolds and Paco Craig due to red card suspensions, LouCity’s defense hasn’t missed a bit. Through 180 minutes, the only ball scored on the unit was an own goal. Newcomer Sean Totsch, formerly of the Rochester Rhinos, has featured as a center back alongside of Tarek Morad. Oscar Jimenez switched to left back from his former position in the midfield, while Kyle Smith again has right back locked down.
• Injury, discipline: Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh will continue to sit out this weekend due to a hip flexor strain suffered in LouCity’s season opener. Expect Tim Dobrowolski, a second-year player out of Loyola-Chicago, to get the start in Richmond. Saturday’s game will mark the last of three that defender Sean Reynolds has to sit out due to a red card suspension from 2016.
