Louisville City FC took an important 3-1 win at Indy Eleven on Saturday night to supplant the Group E leaders on their own turf. The performance had quite a few positive notes that I will address, along with a few token shortcomings that pale in comparison to what went right at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here’s what we learned…
Good: Finding and taking advantage of space
In the first 15 or so minutes, Napo Matoso looked like he had a pretty bad matchup against Neveal Hackshaw, who stands at 6-foot-1, down the right wing. The LouCity midfielder tried going up against Hackshaw one-on-one a few times to no avail. As the game started opening up, City created space for Matososo to run into when the Indy back line came forward. The second goal was partially created this way, and another terrific reading of the game by Matsoso meant that he was in the right place to finish up the third goal of the first half for City as well.
Good: Composure, focus paying dividends on both ends
Too many times I have wrapped these articles writing something like, “We still have yet to see a complete performance from this team.” Although there were moments that may have been lacking, this was probably the best game that City has played so far this season. The opening goal, where Devon “Speedy” Williams sat on the back post and waited on Sean Totsch to serve the ball back in, was a great example of a chance that very easily could have been missed had everyone not been on the same page. The entire Indy Eleven team was caught staring at the ball after the corner failed to be cleared.
The second goal arose from a similar situation. With Matsoso streaming down the right and going for goal on his own, everyone had focused on the ball rather than midfielder Corben Bone, who was following the chance up like a power forward cutting in for a rebound. Staying with the chances while Indy did not is what made the difference, and that is simple focus and anticipation.
While there was a brief lapse I will cover in a moment, the combination of defenders Pat McMahon, Sean Totsch, Alexis Souahy, and Oscar Jimenez looks like the best defensive line LouCity has started. His penalty conversion aside, Indy Eleven’s top striker Tyler Pasher was again contained, and no other serious appeared as a result.
Good: Making for easy finishes
Exceptional goals might make for top highlights, but good teams make life simple for themselves. Creating chances from your own run of play reliably can totally nullify the game plan for the opposition, and LouCity strung together lots of great passages of possession and distribution to earn themselves easy finishes. By holding possession at the right moments and striking when the time was right, they exploited shortcomings in the Indy back three. A trio of relatively easy conversions from Saturday night are a sign that things are clicking in other phases of play, too.
Good: Scoring on open chances
Despite scoring three times — the first time someone has hit the back of that net on Indy over 90 minutes in nearly a year — City had a number of opportunities for a fourth. A counterattack chance in the 41st minute in the form of a ball from Corben Bone to Antoine Hoppenot had Indy goalkeeper Evan Newton 15 yards off his line. At that point it would have made the score 3-0; luckily, Napo Matsoso followed through moments later to earn the third tally. A bit more patience and a step to the side, and perhaps it would be a simple finish the first time.
Again, it was Hoppenot who could have extended the lead for City in the second half when he missed a wide open chance in the 72nd minute after Newton repelled a Paolo DelPiccolo chance for Indy. It may or may not have been offside, but it would have stood had he hit the target. Luckily it did not impinge upon the result. Everyone knows that Hoppenot has a lethal concoction of pace, technical ability and vision. He will have known that he can do better. Perhaps this can assure he will not be left shaking his head after a closer game.
Bad: Allowing too much in the second half
City owned the edge in possession for the first 10 minutes of the game, holding the ball for over six and a half minutes of the opening stanza. The club almost always starts strongly in possession terms, and it has worked well for them, scoring in the first 30 minutes six times in the last six games. But then there’s also the tendency to back off in phases. The first 15 minutes after halftime springs to mind, when Indy tallied five of their 16 total shots. After a goal from the spot going into the locker room, conceding right after the intermission may have derailed designs on all three points.
Speaking of the penalty, that was an example of a brain-neutral moment from the defender Souahy. It is really just a head scratcher wondering what his arms are doing up above his head in that situation. Again, we can only be thankful that it did not hurt City in the end.
At 16 shots apiece, LouCity did not limit Indy to any fewer attempts than they took themselves. What they did limit was the quality of chances, letting the likes of Carl Haworth and Jeremy Rafanello take their shots from distance rather than Tyler Pasher run rampant, which should make any coach happy.
In conclusion…
As John Hackworth put it in his postgame comments, the result “made a statement around the league,” and it assures a winning record against rival Indy Eleven for another season. The win was a huge step back in the right direction after a one-all draw last weekend versus Saint Louis FC.
While Louisville City has taken over top spot, Indy’s just a point behind with Saint Louis a singular point behind them. Someone that deserves to be there will be left out of the playoff party, but for now, LouCity is in full control of how it finishes with five games to play.
