By Andrew Bell
Louisville City FC defeated Eastern Conference rival Birmingham Legion FC by a 2-1 score Saturday evening in a heated game featuring eight yellow cards and two reds in front of 9,600 home supporters at Lynn Family Stadium.
LouCity barraged Legion FC with set pieces from the start, capitalizing on one in the 32nd minute when City center back Josh Wynder beat his man and flicked in Niall McCabe’s free kick, scoring his first USL Championship goal.
Birmingham’s equalizer came in the 52nd minute as Legion FC talisman Enzo Martinez netted from a near-impossible angle. After receiving the ball on the left side of the box, Martinez curled his attempt up and around purple shirts and into the top right corner.
Less than 30 minutes later, LouCity vet Brian Ownby appeared to just beat the Legion keeper to the ball and was taken down by an outstretched hand. On-form LouCity center-back Sean Totsch stepped up, burying the ensuing penalty and taking the lead for his team in the 83rd minute before visiting coach Tom Soehn was shown red for dissent.
“It was an exciting game—an entertaining game,” LouCity head coach Danny Cruz said afterward. “I was proud of the mentality of the group and I thought that the intensity was good. [Birmingham] is one of the best teams defensively in the league, and we created a lot of opportunities tonight. We’re winning in different ways and guys have to step up. We moved Brian [Ownby] up top, Ray [Serrano] came on, and I think the two of them did a great job. Ultimately, we kept our composure and the result speaks to that.”
The win lifted LouCity back to first in the Eastern Conference, a point clear over Memphis 901. City has won three straight overall and halted some of Birmingham’s momentum, with Legion FC having entered on a four-game winning streak. The visitors struggled to keep City at bay after midfielder Miguel Lopez was sent off with his second yellow in the 65th minute.
‘Winning in different ways’
That’s how Cruz put it after both center backs scoring in the same game. Totsch got on the scoresheet for the third time in as many games and posted 90% passing accuracy, a clearance, and two interceptions (tied for highest among both teams).
The 17-year-old Wynder put in an impressive 97-minute shift, earning himself the Man of the Match award. Besides scoring, the LouCity academy product registered six clearances, a tackle and interception, and dispossessed opponents seven times. Wynder has essentially secured a starting position since the beginning of the season in Cruz’s lineup and has more than 1,120 minutes under his belt in 2022.
Speaking on Wynder’s first USL goal, Cruz said, “I thought that Josh was fantastic tonight. He’s got a bright future. I hope our fans are enjoying watching him. It was a great finish and a great ball from Niall.”
Notably, preseason signing Ray Serrano made an impact against Birmingham after being subbed in for Wilson Harris, who suffered a 40th-minute rib injury. Serrano had three crosses, two shots (both coming from within the box), and won two fouls — one of them being Lopez’s second yellow while the other being won in a dangerous position right at the top of Legion’s box.
What we learned
While LouCity takes three points, the boys in purple had plenty of chances to kill the game off earlier. City outshot Legion FC, 17-5, but none of its goals came from an open-play strike. This could be due to LouCity missing a true No. 9 throughout the match, with Harris leaving the field early and Cameron Lancaster still recovering from an injury of his own.
“We missed some chances from three yards out that we can’t miss,” Cruz said. “If you leave a good team in the game like that, they’re going to create opportunities and Birmingham certainly did that. We need to be a bit better in the final third.”
As LouCity has reached the halfway point of the season, their record is one of the best in their eight-year history (11-3-3). Cruz appears to have greatly tightened up LouCity’s backline since last year. A common theme last season was late goals — City often conceded late in the first and/or second half. Yet, this season, the boys in purple have rarely dropped points due to late mishaps.
Additionally, LouCity’s scoring and defending are both second in the entire league based on goals for and against while boasting the best goal differential among both conferences (20). Finally, City’s flexibility to change formation and still defeat teams has proven essential to adjusting and adapting to opponents’ varying play styles.
“We just try to keep our heads,” Wynder said after a hectic game. “We focus on the next play. If we get scored on, we go score another one, so we did a great job tonight.”
