By the time Mark-Anthony Kaye substituted out of Saturday’s Louisville City FC game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the midfielder have proven why he received a call earlier this year to represent Canada at the U-23 level.
Making his first start for LouCity, Kaye hammered a shot off the post in the first half, earned multiple fouls and showcased nifty work with the ball at his feet. His 65 minutes were the most played in a game since Kaye went the full 90 for Canada in the Aspire U-23 tournament in March.
Kaye thanked his coaches, James O’Connor and Daniel Byrd, for the opportunity to start — especially in this spot. LouCity eventually fell 2-0 to the Rowdies in a matchup of the USL Eastern Conference’s Nos. 2 and 3 sides.
“It’s good to be in pressure situations against very good teams,” he said. “I think it will only help my character and help me build as a player.”
“We’re really pleased for Mark,” O’Connor added. “I think he’s had to be patient and wait for his chance. Especially the first half, I thought he was a real threat. I thought his energy was good. I just thought as the game went on, we had to be mindful he hadn’t had 90 minutes.”
Here’s more of what we took away from Saturday’s game…
• Kaye’s opportunity came in part because midfielder Niall McCabe wasn’t with the club for the weekend — but for good reason. He welcomed his first son, Luca Emmet McCabe, on Saturday and watch from the hospital in Louisville.
• Goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski conceded twice, but his effort to stop five other shots didn’t go unnoticed as fans voted him their Modelo Man of the Match. He came up particularly big in the 55th minute, making consecutive saves off a Tampa Bay corner kick.
• The rematch split the series between the two clubs on the season – both home teams walking away with a win – with LouCity winning the previous matchup 2-1 at Louisville Slugger Field. The two squads won’t see each other the rest of the season unless they meet in the playoffs.
