Louisville City FC travels to the Lone Star State this weekend to face El Paso Locomotive FC at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Southwest University Park on the Texas-Mexico border.
LouCity (13-3-4, 43 points) is back in first place coming into the match, which kicks off 10 days after a 0-0 draw against Phoenix Rising in the inaugural USL Summer Showcase. The boys in purple are on a six-game unbeaten run and off to their highest point total through 20 games in club history.
El Paso (9-8-6, 33 points) is in playoff position in the Western Conference, but the fifth-place Locomotive has played three more games than most of its peers. San Antonio topped El Paso, 1-0, over the weekend.
It’s the first regular-season meeting between City and the Locomotive, with a preseason friendly this spring standing as the only time the teams have met. Forwards Cameron Lancaster and Jorge Gonzalez recorded braces and Brian Ownby added a fifth goal in a 5-2 City win.
El Paso has been a playoff team each year since joining the USL Championship in 2019, reaching back-to-back Western Conference finals in 2019 and 2020. Last year, after winning the Mountain Division, El Paso lost a first-round stunner to Oakland Roots SC.
Follow along
- The game will air live locally on My58 TV and ESPN Louisville’s 680/105.7, with streaming via ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app.
- 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
- Corben Bone (Out)
- Cameron Lancaster (Out)
- Ian Soler (Out)
- Josh Wynder (Out)
Story lines…
Bigger picture: In form and riding a six-game unbeaten streak, LouCity has posted the club’s best record through 20 games. City’s 13-3-4 record and 43 points edge out the 42 points in 20 matches earned by the 2016 squad and 40 points in 20 from last season. LouCity accomplished this even after experiencing an uncharacteristic dip in form in late May into early June.
The big reveal: Fans will get their first look at City’s much-anticipated third kit Saturday when it’s unveiled during the game’s halftime show on My58 TV or through the WDRB Now App. The release will not be shown on the ESPN+ feed. The kits will be available for purchase following the unveiling in person at the club’s watch party at Gold Bar in the Butchertown neighborhood, online at shop.loucity.com and starting the following Monday at the stadium team store.
Race to the top: The battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference remains tight with just one point separating first-place LouCity and the second-place Tampa Bay Rowdies. Tampa Bay is currently on an 11-game unbeaten streak and recently passed Memphis 901 in the standings, setting up a potential 1-2 show down when the Rowdies visit Louisville on Aug. 13.
Away days: Head coach Danny Cruz scheduled five preseason road games to help achieve one of his 2022 goals: Be better away from home. The early lessons learned have paid off with LouCity boasting a 5-2-2 record outside of Lynn Family Stadium, only six points away from matching last year’s total in 16 away games. The club also has a plus-12 goal differential in road games.
Bagel factory: The 10 clean sheets put together by goalkeepers Kyle Morton and Danny Faundez share the top spot in the USL Championship. Despite missing five matches while in concussion protocol earlier this summer, Morton’s eight clean sheets still lead the league’s Golden Glove race.
Top form: With strikers Cameron Lancaster and Wilson Harris injured, midfielder Brian Ownby has excelled moving from his normal winger role to center forward. Of Ownby’s five league goals, four of them have come while playing as a striker. He registered back-to-back braces in wins this month over New York Red Bulls II and Memphis 901 FC.
Assist kings: Ownby is now tied with Oscar Jimenez with a club-record 32 career assists, tallying four so far in 2022. Niall McCabe sits third with 28 assists, adding to his total in the Memphis win.
Threats aplenty: LouCity has four players with at least five goals this year: Harris (eight), Enoch Mushagalusa (six), Ownby (five) and Sean Totsch (five). Lancaster, McCabe, Paolo DelPiccolo, Ray Serrano and Jorge Gonzalez all have multiple goals on the season.
Amadou’s in: Defender Amadou Dia will be back in the lineup after a sitting out the July 20 contest against his former club, Phoenix Rising, while serving a one-game suspension for a red card he earned in the prior win at Memphis 901 FC. An important offseason signee from Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City, Dia has started in all 16 of his appearances this season and leads the team with 18 tackles won.
Midseason honor: Defender Josh Wynder was recently voted the USL Championship’s midseason Young Player of the Year. At 17 years old, he was the youngest player in the race. The LouCity Academy graduate is a regular starter at center back for first-place City, leading the boys in purple in both clearances (36) and blocks (8). If Wynder claims the USL Championship Young Player of the Year award, he will follow in the footsteps of former LouCity standout Jonathan Gomez, who earned the recognition in 2021 before his transfer to La Liga club Real Sociedad.
