Louisville City FC will take to the national spotlight Saturday when playing away to Hartford Athletic FC, with the matchup at Trinity Health Stadium airing at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
LouCity (9-3-3, 30 points) returned to form last weekend with a 3-1 victory over reigning USL Championship title winner Orange County SC. The result halted a rough stretch in which City dropped four of five matches after a club record 13-game unbeaten streak to start the season. The boys in purple currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind leader Memphis 901 FC.
Hartford Athletic (3-8-3, 12 points) also enters Saturday game fresh off a much-needed win. A 3-0 decision at Atlanta United 2 marked the club’s first victory since May 14. Coach Harry Watling’s side sits 11th on the Eastern Conference table, nine points from a playoff spot.
LouCity has never lost to Hartford, winning each of the previous three meetings between the clubs. City topped Hartford, 4-2, in a nationally televised win last year on ESPN2. This round represents just the second-ever regular season USL Championship game on main ESPN following last weekend’s Detroit City FC-El Paso Locomotive FC matchup.
Here’s more of what to watch for on Saturday…
Follow along
- In addition to ESPN’s TV broadcast, Saturday’s game will air locally on ESPN Louisville’s 680/105.7.
- For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.
Injury report
- Cameron Lancaster (Out)
- Kyle Morton (Out)
- Ian Soler (Out)
Story lines…
Form reversal: After losing four out of five games, the boys in purple returned to their winning ways with a convincing win over Orange County. The rough stretch tied City’s worst run of results since the club’s inaugural season in 2015, when it closed out the season in the same form. LouCity also went on a similar run in 2019, winning only one match in an eight-game stretch before closing out the season undefeated in 15 of its last 17 games, falling short to Real Monarchs SC in the USL Championship final.
Scoreboard watching: LouCity returned to the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 spot following its last win, but the stay was short-lived. Memphis 901 FC edged past City with a midweek victory over FC Tulsa. The boys in purple could vault back atop the table leaving this weekend should they defeat Hartford and Memphis drop points in its Saturday night showdown with Detroit City FC.
Attack is back: Enoch “Matiti” Mushagalusa netted Saturday’s opener with a curling shot in the 40th minute when Orange County failed to clear a corner. Sean Totsch and Wilson Harris also buried second-half penalties to put the game away. City’s multi-goal outing came after the side had been uncharacteristically shut out in two of its last three league games.
Man of the Match: Mushagalusa – a late addition to LouCity’s starting lineup with Cameron Lancaster scratched following warmups – still managed to score his third goal of the year, helping him earn Man of the Match honors. The 22-year-old winger totaled three crosses and six duels won in one of his top performances since signing this past offseason from Sporting KC II.
On the hunt: Harris, listed as questionable ahead of the match against Orange County, came on as a substitute and converted a penalty in the 85th minute, his eighth league goal on the season. The 2020 USL Championship Young Player of the Year is tied for second in the Golden Boot race, trailing Oakland Roots striker Óttar Magnús Karlsson, who has 10 goals on the year.
Between the posts: After making his USL Championship debut on June 5 as a substitute against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, goalkeeper Danny Faundez made his first start on Saturday with regular No. 1 keeper Kyle Morton in concussion protocol. Faundez made four saves and will once again challenge for selection along with Parker Siegfried going into the Hartford game.
Tucked in, locked in: Totsch remained perfect from the spot for City on Saturday night, scoring the go-ahead goal against Orange County with a 74th-minute penalty. He’s now 2-for-2 on penalty kicks this year – his other conversion came in April at San Diego Loyal. The center back also scored in open play in March when netting an equalizer in a draw with Indy Eleven. His three goals on the season are a career-high.
