Louisville City FC’s back line hasn’t conceded two goals in a game since July 29. Not so coincidentally, that’s the last time the boys in purple lost.
On a six-game unbeaten streak heading into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. meeting with Saint Louis FC at Lynn Family Stadium, the defensive corps theorized what’s been working in their own half of the pitch.
“Soccer is a game of relationships,” said defender Oscar Jimenez. “People in a certain area of the field have to have a good relationship to move properly.
“ …I think to see the first performance of the season to the most recent one, and you compare the defenses, there’s just a lot more unity and communication. You probably don’t realize that when you watch it on TV.”
Amid its undefeated run, LouCity has shut out opponents twice while allowing one goal in four other games — an average of .67 goals against per game since August began.
Dating back to the beginning of the season, points out coach John Hackworth, every defender on the roster has started for the club. More recently, the boys in purple have trotted out a veteran back line consisting of Jimenez at left back, Pat McMahon on the right and Alexis Souahy beside Sean Totsch in central defense.
“We’re just trying to be a good collective unit and it just takes relationships,” Hackworth said. “The more you understand the guy next to you, the guy behind you or in front of you — that’s what good teams do. Once you start finding that those relationships are working, you don’t want to change much from that, and it’s been a strong point for us.”
Totsch, whose arrival to LouCity in 2017 preceded the club’s first USL title, added to what his coach said, emphasizing communication.
“A lot of times it’s unspoken things,” Totsch said. “I know that if Oscar is coming here and he’s looking to get the ball there, he’s trying to get the ball on this foot.
“…Just building those relationships are huge. Even though we’ve played together for a long time, each year is different, and you really have to build those each year.”
That includes how far LouCity’s defenders have come this season.
Overall, the boys in purple have allowed just 10 goals in 11 games, but three of those hit the back of the net when the USL Championship restarted play. LouCity lost by a 3-1 score to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on an afternoon when a pair of turnovers in the defensive half transformed to goals for the opposing side.
“I think I eluded to it a couple weeks back: There’s bounces that needed to go our way and once they started to go our way the confidence started to grow,” Jimenez said, “and I think you’ve noticed that from the last couple performances from the club.
“It’s just being comfortable and understanding people’s approach or ways of communicating. Some people communicate with their mouths and others with their actions, so now you have a better understanding of your players and surroundings. I think that’s how the back line has gotten a lot better.”
Now, it’s on LouCity to deliver some repeat performances. Last Saturday, the club posted a 3-1 away win over Indy Eleven that vaulted the boys in purple to first place in Group E, at least until Indy topped Sporting KC II on Wednesday night.
Defeat Saint Louis FC on Saturday, and it’s back to the top of the table.
“The biggest thing for us, defensively, is just making things predictable,” Totsch said. “If we can force them into a certain area of the field and we can see it coming, it just makes our job easier, defensively.”
“We want to try to limit the unpredictably and give our keeper a chance on shots,” added Totsch, with Ben Lundt’s four clean sheets in 2020 good for second in the 35-team USL. “There’s a lot of times defenders try to make hero tackles and plays. They look really good, but when they don’t work out, you’re putting your back line and keeper in a tough spot.
“If we can force them one way and lower their percentage of scoring, that’s all we can do defensively.”
