Only a year old, the rivalry between Louisville City FC and FC Cincinnati picked up steam in the offseason with player movement between the sides. They’ll meet at 7 p.m. Saturday with both clubs on a good run of recent form.
LouCity’s unbeaten to start 2017, entering on the heels of three straight wins. FC Cincinnati reversed a slow start away by winning its home opener, then earned a midweek point to move back to the top half of the USL Eastern Conference table.
Here’s what to watch for this weekend…
Tune In
TV: WDRB, Louisville’s FOX affiliate, will air the game live and in high definition locally. Mike Watts, voice of the USL. has the call.
Radio: Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 790 WKRD and the iHeartRadio app with T.J. Walker (play by play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) at the mic.
Streaming: Watch live via 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
• Spencer ready for homecoming at FC Cincinnati
• LouCity coach praises Davis IV’s early efforts
• Videos: O’Connor, players preview Saturday’s game
• LouCity players Morad, McCabe join Playing for Pride
• Cincy, Louisville measure up on attendance charts
Notes
Top of the table: LouCity’s 2-1 win last weekend over the previously unbeaten Tampa Bay Rowdies moved the boys in purple to the No. 1 spot in the USL’s Eastern Conference with 10 points earned in four games. Since then, the Rowdies went on to notch a 10th point of their own in a midweek draw with FC Cincinnati and hold the tiebreaker advantage on goal differential.
Davis IV on a tear: Midfielder George Davis IV, with three goals in the club’s last three games, moved into third place on the all-time USL scoring list at 41 goals. The University of Kentucky graduate has placed nine of his 10 shots this year on goal and last Saturday won 10 duels against the Rowdies in a Man of the Match performance.
Team of the Week: For his efforts, Davis IV received a second USL Team of the Week nod. LouCity has had at least one member on all four editions this season between the Best XI and bench. The two weeks Davis IV didn’t represent, midfielder Richard Ballard, a Louisville native, and defender Sean Totsch were present on the bench.
Near-perfect start: LouCity has taken points from all four of its games this season, with the scoreless draw against Saint Louis FC in the opener the only result that wasn’t a win. The 10 points in four games are more than the club tallied in its previous two seasons, when the boys in purple tallied six (2015) and nine (2016).
River Cities Cup: Call it what you will — supporters prefer the “Dirty River Derby” — but LouCity’s rivalry with FC Cincinnati has proven a good one just a year into it. Last season, the clubs split their games at Nippert Stadium and played to a draw at Slugger Field in front of 10,062, LouCity’s record crowd. After Saturday, Cincy comes to Louisville July 15 and Aug. 12.
Dacres to sit: Midfielder Kadeem Dacres, one of two players to make the move from LouCity to FC Cincinnati during the offseason, will not be available Saturday after shown a red card Wednesday against the Rowdies for a studs-up tackle. Aodhan Quinn, the former LouCity captain, is expected to feature for Cincy after resting during the midweek game.
Finally conceded: It took nearly 360 minutes for an opponent to score a goal this season on LouCity, a streak that ended in the 89th minute of the Tampa Bay game on a Martin Paterson strike in the box. Previously, LouCity’s only goal allowed was an own goal March 30 at Orlando City B. Opponents have totaled only eight shots on goal through four games.
Lineup consistency: LouCity coach James O’Connor’s changes to the Starting XI have been minimal to open the year, particularly in the defensive half. The same back four of Oscar Jimenez, Tarek Morad, Sean Totsch and Kyle Smith have featured. Key position battles remain at striker (Luke Spencer, Cameron Lancaster) and the right wing (Ballard, Niall McCabe).
Injury report: Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh will miss a fourth straight game after suffering a hip flexor injury in the first half of LouCity’s opener. He is receiving treatment and transitioning back into training. Devon “Speedy” Williams returned to training after subbing out of the Rowdies game. O’Connor said the midfielder experience pain in his glute.
