Seeking a season sweep of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Louisville City FC’s back on the road this weekend for a 7 p.m. Saturday start at Highmark Stadium.
Here’s what to watch for…
Tune In
TV: WBNA TV-21 will air the game live and in high definition locally with Mike Watts, voice of the USL, on the call.
Radio: TJ Walker (play-by-play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) will voice the action on NewsRadio 840 WHAS, with pregame coverage starting at 6:45 p.m.
Streaming: Watch 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. Live stats are available at the USL Match Center. Vote for the Modelo Man of the Match on Twitter starting in the 75th minute.
Links
• Abend renews attacking mentality late in season
• Videos: O’Connor, players preview Saturday’s game
• Squad management has LouCity peaking at right time
Notes
Eastern Conference race: LouCity heads into Saturday atop the USL table for the third week in a row. Even with the Charlotte Independence at 47 points, the boys in purple sport a better goal differential, the tiebreaker. The Riverhounds sit 10th but just one point from moving into the top eight, the playoff cut line.
Playoff Picture: With eight games left, LouCity is seven points from clinching a playoff spot, and that number could drop further with favorable results around the league. Additionally, the club will push for a top-four finish that guarantees LouCity would host its opening-round playoff game.
Scouting Pittsburgh: The Riverhounds enter Saturday on a five-game unbeaten streak that has them within reach of the playoffs despite a lowly first half of the season. Forward Corey Hertzog has four goals in the last three games, and he’ll look to break through against LouCity, which hasn’t conceded to Pittsburgh in two previous meetings.
The season series: On May 20, Luke Spencer’s seventh-minute tap-in goal made the difference in a 1-0 LouCity win at Highmark Stadium. Similarly, Cameron Lancaster opened scoring in the eighth minute in the June 17 return game at Slugger Field. Lancaster went on to record a brace in LouCity’s 3-0 win.
Abend honored: Midfielder Guy Abend, who scored the only goal in last Saturday’s win over the Charleston Battery, earned a USL Team of the Week spot for his effort. It was Abend’s first goal of the year and came on top of a performance in which he completed 67 of 77 passes and didn’t commit a foul in the victory.
Squad at full strength: Defender Kyle Smith, who for most of this season led the club in minutes played, is eligible again Saturday after finishing out a three-game suspension. Smith received the penalty following a red card Aug. 20. Additionally, midfielder Brian Ownby made his first start in a month last weekend, while internationals Mark-Anthony Kaye (Canada) and Devon “Speedy” Williams (Jamaica) will be available for selection in Pittsburgh.
Bounce-back trend: The boys in purple made it five straight wins immediately following a loss this season with their 1-0 victory over Charleston. It has been more than a year — since July 30, 2016 — that LouCity has dropped consecutive games. So far this season, the side has tallied a trio of three-game winning streaks.
Top-ranked form: Along with sitting at the top of the USL Eastern Conference standings, LouCity this week took over the No. 1 spot in the league’s Power Rankings. The boys in purple are tied for first with the Western Conference’s Reno 1868 FC. Overall, LouCity has won six of its last eight games to climb the rankings.
Ranjitsingh solidifies role: With five consecutive starts, goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh has staked his claim between the posts. Ranjitsingh made two notable saves against the Battery, which came in the 11th and 16th minutes, to hold the shutout. He has totaled six clean sheets this season to go with the three by Tim Dobrowolski.
Injury/discipline report: Coach James O’Connor said this week that forward Cameron Lancaster has played through a broken a toe, the only notable ailment on the roster. Midfielder George Davis IV and Defender Paco Craig both sit on four yellow cards, with the fifth resulting in a one-game suspension for accumulation.
