With 21 returners back from last year’s Eastern Conference title-winning squad, Louisville City FC entered a new season boasting a record amount of USL Championship staying power. So who better to propel the boys in purple than a duo that dates back to the club’s beginnings?
Niall McCabe and Cameron Lancaster both scored Saturday as LouCity defeated host Orange County SC, 3-1, in a late-night kickoff at Championship Soccer Stadium in California.
“It’s what you want,” McCabe said. “We’re away from home and on the west coast, there’s the time zone and other factors involved. To come here and get three goals on the road and a win, it’s a great start to the season.”
McCabe, on the return from a season-ending foot injury suffered last August, started and wore the captain’s armband. His impact was immediate with Brian Ownby looping a fourth-minute cross to the back post McCabe headed home.
Lancaster moved LouCity back in front during the second half, also thanks to some service from Ownby. In the 57th minute, Lancaster caught a grounded cross and cleverly flicked it past Orange County’s goalkeeper.
Ownby recorded assist Nos. 33 and 34 in purple, moving him to first on the club’s all-time list. In the process, he also missed a chunk of the first half, sidelined after a tackle that tore through his boot.
“We lost a little bit of momentum there when he goes down and has to go off the field,” said LouCity coach Danny Cruz. “Being down a man, I think that carried toward the rest of the half. But Brian had a massive gash on his foot. His cleat was broken. The fact that he was able to finish the game, it shows his mentality.”
LouCity’s Orange County opener coincided with playing the league’s first balanced schedule since conferences were introduced to the USL Championship. City will see every team from the east home and away and all clubs from the west once.
The 2021 title winners, Orange County looked much improved from 2022’s surprising last-place finish in the west.
The hosts equalized, at least for a bit, in the 40th minute after Kevin Partida finished some flashy combination play with Brent Richards. Orange County continued peppering LouCity after the go-ahead goal, namely as Ryan Doghman hit the cross bar on a narrowly missed shot.
The cross bar might have still been rattling at the other end when — against the run of play — Enoch Mushagalusa converted a sharply angled, 88th-minute shot to put the game away for LouCity.
“I look at the positives from it,” Cruz said. “There were guys constantly putting their bodies on the line trying to block shots. We were certainly under pressure. I think we fatigued a little bit toward the end. I would have liked for us to secure the ball a little bit better and make them do the running. But this is football, right? They hit the cross bar, we go down to the other end and put another goal in the back of the net.
“We’ll certainly look at the tape. There’s areas where we need to improve. I already said that to the group right after the game. But I do think it’s a result we should be really, really proud of with the travel, against a good opponent, with the time change. This is a moment for the group to be proud of and look to improve tomorrow.”
The boys in purple, who also started a pair of newcomers in defender Jordan Scarlett and midfielder Rasmus Thellufsen, absorbed pressure but moved their record to 1-0-0 nonetheless. They’ll remain on the west coast to prepare for next weekend’s game against Monterey Bay FC.
Game Summary: Orange County SC vs. Louisville City FC
Date: March 11, 2023
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium
Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET
Weather: 61 degrees, cloudy
Scoring
Orange County SC (1, 0, 1)
Louisville City FC (1, 2, 3)
Goals
Orange County SC:
40’ Kevin Partida (Brent Richards assist)
Louisville City FC:
4’ Niall McCabe (Brian Ownby assist)
57’ Cameron Lancaster (Brian Ownby assist)
88’ Enoch Mushagalusa (Amadou Dia assist)
Lineups
Orange County SC: 20 — Colin Shutler, 3 — Alex Villanueva, 30 — Markus Nakkim, 6 — Andrew Fox, 16 — Brent Richards, 12 — Daniel Pedersen, 26 — Kyle Scott (65’ 15 — Ashish Chattha), 19 — Kevin Partida (65’ 5 — Dillon Powers), 7 — Milan Iloski, 17 — Emil Nielsen (81’ 11 — Bryce Jamison), 18 — Korede Osundina (53’ 23 — Ryan Doghman)
Subs not used: 34 — Mark Hyan, 8 — Seth Casiple, 32 — Nico Ruiz
Head coach: Richard Chaplow
Louisville City FC: 1 — Kyle Morton, 15 — Manny Perez (87’ 19 — Oscar Jimenez), 30 — Jordan Scarlett, 4 — Sean Totsch, 13 — Amadou Dia, 12 — Tyler Gibson (70’ 8 — Carlos Moguel Jr.), 5 — Rasmus Thellufsen, 11 — Niall McCabe (70’ 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo), 77 — Enoch Mushagalusa, 10 — Brian Ownby (83’ 22 — Dylan Mares), 17 — Cameron Lancaster (83’ 23 — Elijah Wynder)
Subs not used: 28 — Oliver Semmle, 51 — Ramzi Qawasmy
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Stats Summary: Orange County SC / Louisville City FC
Shots: 14 / 8
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Possession: 48.9% / 51.1%
Fouls: 16 / 14
Offside: 1 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 5
Discipline Summary
Orange County SC:
37’ Brent Richards (yellow)
41’ Milan Iloski (yellow)
45’+ Kevin Partida (yellow)
Louisville City FC:
17’ Cameron Lancaster (yellow)
71’ Sean Totsch (yellow)
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
