Seatgeek Ticket Link: LouCity vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Louisville City FC hosts Tampa Bay Saturday night at Slugger Field in a matchup of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. LouCity is the hottest team in the East, going unbeaten since July 28 and having won six of its last eight matches.
The Rowdies are currently 3rd in the East, one point behind league-leading New York Red Bulls II. Tampa Bay leads LouCity by six points in the Eastern Conference table with three points on the line Saturday night.
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“It is going to be a different challenge for us against Tampa than it was against the Red Bulls,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “Both teams have played well this season, but they have very different styles. How we adjust what we do is going to be critical this week.”
Louisville City has been playing its best soccer of the season the last eight weeks.
“I said it in the post-game interview on Saturday, I thought that finally beating (New York) would get us that respect — that recognition,” Hackworth said. “But reality is you look around the league and some national media who cover us, I still don’t think they’re giving us any respect. That just motivates all of us in the locker room. We’re two-time defending champions. We think we’ve earned the right to have a little more respect than we’re getting nationally. The only way we can do that is to keep beating top teams like Tampa.”
And over the last two weeks, the club has regained the service of several players who have been out for extended periods of time this season like forward Brian Ownby and midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo.
“We have always maintained very competitive training sessions. That’s one of the things that hasn’t changed about this group all year long,” Hackworth said. “When you have more guys healthy, it helps keep the competition level high in training.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Slugger Field. The game will be broadcast locally on WBKI TV and the radio broadcast is on 790 KRD. The game will also be streamed by ESPN+.
Gates at Slugger Field open at 5:30 p.m. and music by Me and You, an acoustic duo, will begin at 5:45 on the Overlook Deck. Drink specials provided by Lunazul Tequila will highlight the pregame program with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
