By Andrew Bell
Louisville City FC defeated Birmingham Legion by a 4-1 score Saturday night in an away game marked by City’s ability to exploit its opponent’s weaknesses — and marred by a scary-looking injury.
In the 36th minute, the ball was chipped over top of Birmingham’s defense and to Jorge Gonzalez, who extended to reach it just as Legion goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert was coming off his line to grab it. The two collided, and Gonzalez’s leg planted awkwardly underneath the keeper. The LouCity forward had to be taken off the field in an ambulance following the incident, with Sam Gleadle substituting on to replace him.
After an onslaught of chances for the boys in purple, LouCity found its first goal of the evening in the 51st minute when Wilson Harris delivered a perfect cross to the back post, where Gleadle nodded it into an open net.
In the 58th minute, LouCity scored again when Ray Serrano’s corner kick slipped through the hands of the Birmingham goalkeeper, leaving Harris just a tap-in to double his team’s lead.
City found the net in the 80th minute as well thanks to Serrano scoring a fantastic, curling free kick from outside the left corner of Birmingham’s box. Just two minutes later, the home side pulled one back as Legion forward Tabort Etaka Preston crossed the ball to the middle of City’s box, where an unfortunate defensive deflection gave possession right back to Preston in front of goal.
LouCity’s Tola Showunmi closed the door on the game in the 87th minute. He received the ball at the top of the box and fired low into the bottom left corner.
“I thought the players were absolutely brilliant in the second half,” head coach Danny Cruz said after the game. “Every phase of it, for me, was quality. They have a lot to be proud of. We talk a ton about how great teams find a way to respond, whether you’re on the road or you’re at home, and I thought the players certainly did that tonight.”
LouCity has lost just three times this season, and after each one, the boys in purple have followed up with a win. Last weekend, Rhode Island FC handed City its first home loss, but against Birmingham on Saturday, the boys in purple didn’t miss a step in getting back into form. City is five points clear of second-place Charleston Battery in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference standing and seven points clear of the Western Conference leader New Mexico United.
Challenging the keeper
Birmingham’s usual first-choice goalkeeper, Matt Van Oekel, was on the bench Saturday night, presumably out with an injury. The 6-foot-4 shot stopper commands his box well and is one of the best in the USL Championship when healthy. On Saturday, Birmingham started 19-year-old Hibbert between the sticks, where the Jamaica native has made just three other appearances this season.
In the first half alone, LouCity recorded six corner kicks. Of the ones that dropped around Birmingham’s six-yard-box, the young Legion keeper struggled to clear his lines. Cruz clearly noted this and adjusted accordingly at the break. All five of City’s second half corner kicks were sent directly above the six-yard box, continually applying pressure to the Birmingham goalkeeper.
On one clever occasion, Serrano’s 58th-minute inswinging corner kick sailed right into the keeper’s hands but not before outside back Jake Morris leaped in front of him, causing the goalie to fumble the ball right where Harris could nudge the ball over the line.
LouCity also utilized crosses from open play to force mistakes from Birmingham. City’s 24 crosses on the night, higher than its average of 20, mostly came from wide players Morris (7), Serrano (7) and Aiden McFadden (4), along with midfielder Taylor Davila, who recorded five crosses on the night.
Gonzalez’s injury also forced Cruz to make adjustments in the middle of the match. LouCity appeared to switch to a two-striker formation with Harris and Gleadle working in tandem up top. Gleadle stayed more central, while Harris was able to roam around the flank as well, which led to City’s opening goal where Harris’s cross found Gleadle’s back-post run. Gleadle also finished the night with three shots each on target and from within the box.
“I thought we suffocated the opponent well in the attacking third, so when the ball did turn over we were in better spots to re-win it and go again,” Cruz said about what the team did differently to dominate the second half so well. “I felt we made sure that Birmingham couldn’t get out there for the first 15 to 20 minutes.”
Squad staples
Seventeen games into the 2024 campaign, Harris and Serrano have established themselves as crucial players in Cruz’s starting 11 — almost impossible to leave out when healthy. Last season, Harris and Serrano were fighting for minutes but have now shown why they are top choice in their respective positions. The pair showed their value again on Saturday.
Serrano delivered a perfect corner kick to set up his team’s second goal and whipped in his fantastic free kick goal from outside the box. The 22-year-old finished the night with four shots, seven crosses, and three chances created. He totals six goals and three assists at the season’s halfway point after going without a goal in 2023.
Harris added to his season tally on the night with his 58th-minute finish, bringing his total up to 11, just two behind league leader Nick Markanich of the Charleston Battery. He also picked up his second assist of the season with his pinpoint cross to Gleadle for LouCity’s first goal of the night. On Saturday, Harris registered three shots on target and two chances created.
Implications for City
Gonzalez’s injury is a huge blow to LouCity, as the forward had scored three goals, assisted three, and created 11 chances in his 14 appearances this season. City is already shorthanded on attackers with Adrien Perez and Brian Ownby both out for the time being with their own injuries. LouCity’s squad depth will certainly be tested in the attacking department, but Gleadle has looked up to the task in recent games, having netted a crucial goal against North Carolina three weeks ago and again on Saturday against Birmingham.
“We’ve got a lot of injuries at the moment,” Cruz said about the team’s situation. “Players have opportunities. For the first probably 10 or 12 games, there wasn’t a lot of rotation. Obviously we stayed healthy, guys were performing well and players had to wait for their chance. We’ve got an injury again tonight and I think it shows the depth that we have. It shows the importance of every single player in the locker room, and when your number is called, performing at the level that we expect of one another.”
LouCity will travel to the West coast next weekend to face Oakland Roots SC, where City will look to win its fifth away game since June 1 before returning to Lynn Family Stadium the following week.
