Paco Craig played the most minutes of any Louisville City FC player during the 2016 postseason but hadn’t seen the field this year until Saturday night. The defender made a swap on the back line worth it, going the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw where coach James O’Connor described the only goal allowed as “cheap.”
Yes, LouCity will want it back. But with the 6-foot-2 Craig back in center defense, the club limited a tall Cincinnati front line’s aerial looks on goal. Craig went the full 90 minutes and helped his side tally 21 clearances. The FC Cincinnati defense needed just six.
Tarek Morad filled in at left back in the first game of the season where newcomer Oscar Jimenez didn’t appear. Also, Guy Abend made his first start of the year in the midfield, also going the distance.
Here’s more of what we took away from LouCity at FC Cincinnati:
• FC Cincinnati star Djiby Fall – who entered having scored six of his side’s seven goals so far this year — was held to just one shot attempt Saturday and 20 total touches on the ball. Eventually, Djiby was sent off in the 87th minute after a studs-up tackle on Kyle Smith and confrontation with Niall McCabe.
• Brian Ownby finally received the goal he’d been hunting for weeks. The former Richmond Kickers standout had seen multiple opportunities early this season and found the back of the net in the 20th minute, rocketing a left-footed strike past FC Cincinnati’s goalkeeper.
• LouCity took a group to Cincinnati with many ties to the Queen City. Smith, a second-year player, was born there, and backup goalkeeper Micah Bledsoe grew up there. Another Cincinnati product — and former FC Cincy striker — Luke Spencer came on in the second half.
• In its first five games of 2016, LouCity won four games and lost one, totaling 12 points. This year, the club has three wins and a pair of draws, marking its longest unbeaten streak to start a season.
