By Chris Mattingly
After a hamstring strain forced Brian Ownby out of Louisville City FC’s June 4 game at Hartford Athletic, he made a high-impact return to the pitch Saturday. The second half substitute needed only eight minutes to bag his third assist of the season, crossing to Enoch Mushagalusa for the game-winning goal against Las Vegas Lights FC.
LouCity took all three points for the first time since May 27, gaining both Ownby’s superior pace up the right side and the confidence that comes with having the winger available.
Coach Danny Cruz said Ownby “changes the game” — something 10,000-plus fans at Lynn Family Stadium can certainly echo. Ownby received an ovation simply for walking to the corner flag to warm up in the first half. A roaring ovation greeted the 32-year-old when he actually entered the game in the 68th minute, his squad locked in a scoreless stalemate.
“I think you saw when he came on, the mentality changed,” Cruz said. “He was trying to grab the game by the reins, and I thought he did an excellent job when he came in. He wanted the ball. He was strong in his runs. You could see real intent in what he was trying to do, and I think it gave the rest of the group a lift as well. We’re happy to have him back.
“We have to make sure his body stays healthy, obviously. We’ll manage that. But he did an excellent job tonight.”
Even on a minutes limit, Ownby created three chances — second-most of any player Saturday behind Dylan Mares’ four. His 35 assists in purple are good for the club’s all-time lead.
Still, Ownby is no stranger to injury throughout his career and said that returning from hamstring ailments presents a “big mental block” to start trusting it won’t pull again.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks for me,” he said. “It hurts me not to be out there for the guys.”
Ownby was one of three returners Saturday for LouCity, which saw Manny Perez (groin) back in the starting lineup and Niall McCabe (foot) log his first USL Championship minutes since March 25. That duo also appeared in the club’s midweek international friendly against Germany’s FC Kaiserslautern.
“Any time we have health on the roster it makes everybody better because they have to compete,” Cruz said. “They know that there is a guy right behind them, and I think tonight you saw guys that came in and made a difference for sure.”
LouCity will go from a close call against the Western Conference’s last-place team to face the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 club, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, away next Saturday.
“We know where we can improve and continue to improve, but right now it’s about getting results,” Ownby said. “I think we’ve got to get back to taking it one by one each day in practice and each weekend not looking far ahead. This is a good first step we will enjoy.”
