A big crowd is expected Wednesday at Louisville Slugger Field, where Louisville City FC will host the Charlotte Independence. School’s out, and the weather forecast is positive for the 7:30 p.m. matchup.
Tickets remain available. Call (502) 384-8799 or email tickets@louisvillecityfc.com.
Here’s what to watch for…
Tune In
TV: WMYO-TV (channel 58) will air the game live and in high definition locally with Mike Watts, voice of the USL, on the call along with Morgan Conklin.
Radio: TJ Walker (play-by-play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) will voice the action from Slugger on AM 1080 WKJK, with pregame coverage starting at 7:15 p.m.
Streaming: Watch live via the USL Match Center or at www.loucity.com.
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
• Resilient LouCity draws at league-leading Charleston
• Conditioning key to comeback against the Battery
• LouCity returns support in visit to GE Appliances
Notes
Glance at the table: LouCity rallied to a 4-4 draw Saturday at first-place Charleston but, with games in hand on most of the Eastern Conference, fell one spot in standings to fourth. The club has tallied 16 points by way of a 4-1-4 record. The Independence sit in the bottom half of the table with 12 points and a 3-2-3 record, though they’re in a nice run of form. Charlotte has won three of its last five games and enters off a draw with Tampa Bay.
Visit from VAR: Video Assistant Referee technology will be in place during LouCity’s game Wednesday at Slugger Field. This year, VAR will visit each USL venue once in a continued test of officiating that allows for review of certain calls, including goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents and cases of mistaken identity. A referee in the press box will have available all camera angles and direct communication to the head referee on the field.
Conflicting styles: Charlotte is one of just two USL clubs, joining Phoenix Rising FC, to have not recorded a shutout so far this season. Its 1.63 goals against average is the highest in the league. But aside from a four-goal breakout in Charleston, LouCity has generally struggled to score, before that knocking in eight goals in as many USL games. The boys in purple have moved near the top of the table thanks more to stingy defense.
Busy stretch continued: LouCity is amid a string of five games in two and a half weeks, the most congested portion of the 2017 schedule. It started with a U.S. Open Cup matchup at FC Cincinnati and continued at Charleston. After Wednesday’s Charlotte game, its back on the road to play defending USL champion New York Red Bulls II.
DelPiccolo returns: LouCity captain and midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo will suit up again after serving a one-game suspension for a red card issued on May 20 in the club’s 1-0 win in Pittsburgh. DelPiccolo received the disciple for a two-footed tackle against the Riverhounds. The University of Louisville graduate ranks as one of LouCity’s most efficient passers having completed 80.8 percent of his team-leading 437 attempts.
Ranjitsingh starting again: Having recovered from a hip flexor injury suffered in LouCity’s season opener, goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh started last week in the Open Cup game, then returned between the posts to play all 90 minutes in Charleston. Not that LouCity’s other option is a poor one. In Ranjitsingh’s absence, Tim Dobrowolski twice earned USL Save of the Week honors.
Short rest: Neither side of the LouCity-Charlotte game goes into Wednesday with much time to prepare. LouCity will have four days between games and the Independence just three, though the boys in purple were on the road Saturday and Charlotte at home.
Kaye in Canada: Midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye, a Toronto native, last week received his first call up to the Canadian National Team for a camp that will help determine the nation’s CONCACAF Gold Cup roster. Kaye is one of 27 players in the camp and will get the opportunity to compete in an intra-squad scrimmage before the squad is whittled down. A team of 18-20 will move on to play June 13 in a friendly against Curaçao.
New addition for Charlotte: The Independence signed former Seattle Sounders and Wilimington Hammerheads defender Ashani Fairclough last week. Fairclough joined the Sounders in 2015 following a four-year career at the University of South Florida, but never saw playing time and signed with Wilmington the following year. Fairclough featured at the U-17 level for Jamaica, his home country, before moving to the United States to continue his playing career.
Injury report: Forward Luke Spencer missed Saturday’s game in Charleston following what coach James O’Connor called a hamstring “tweak” in the Open Cup game at Cincinnati. He has returned to training. Ilija Ilic made his first start at striker, and Cameron Lancaster moved to the midfield for the draw at Charleston.