A goal from Adrien Perez punctuated a strong second half performance for Louisville City FC in the team’s final preseason match, a 1-0 victory Saturday over One Knoxville SC at Lynn Family Stadium.
Played on a sunny but cold and windy day, the game proved to be a hard-fought and chippy affair — a proper test for LouCity ahead of its regular season opener next weekend at the Charleston Battery. Despite the win, coach Danny Cruz came away disappointed with his team’s performance against the USL League One side.
“We have a group with the ability to certainly play better than this. I think that’s the biggest frustration,” Cruz said. “The players are going to have to look at it, reflect on it, and come back next week to compete for spots going into Charleston.”
After an hour of even play, LouCity seized control of the action over the final 30 minutes. Perez appeared to open scoring in the 64th minute, but the referee blew his whistle as the ball hit the back of the net to disallow the goal.
Just a minute later, a City corner kick found its way to Perez atop the Knoxville penalty area. The 29-year-old used his left foot to drive the ball through a crowd of players from around 20 yards away. Knoxville’s goalkeeper, Sean Lewis, stood flat-footed as the ball fizzed past him.
“The ball came right to me, and after getting a chance before that, I was really focused on hitting the goal,” Perez said. “Luckily it got through the traffic.”
The game featured several hard fouls, and the referee showed multiple cards to both sides. Knoxville was forced to play the final 10 minutes of the match down a man after an un-rostered player received a second yellow card.
“I think the intensity and the bite from both teams was there,” Perez said. “It was a good last game to get before the regular season.”
With the man advantage, LouCity nearly doubled the lead multiple times in the closing moments. Aiden McFadden was denied by Lewis on a point-blank save in the 84th minute, and Carlos Moguel Jr.’s volley sailed a yard over the Knoxville crossbar in the 87th.
The best Knoxville chance to score came in the first half, which featured an even run of play.
In back-to-back sequences, Louisville City defenders blocked two Knoxville shots in the 24th minute. Then, in the 25th minute, City defender Amadou Dia cleared an initial Knoxville effort off the goal line before goalkeeper Damian Las made a comfortable standing save after Knoxville directed the rebound toward goal.
In all, 17 players saw action for Louisville City on the day as the boys in purple closed preseason with back-to-back victories following last Sunday’s win over Lexington SC.
“I’m proud of the work the group, the staff and everybody has put in to this point,” Cruz said. “But I don’t think today went the way we wanted it to go. I wasn’t happy with the performance in any capacity. The reality is, the season starts next week, and we need to be ready to come back in on Monday to work and get better and prepare for a really good opponent on the road.”
Kickoff for LouCity at Charleston is set for 7:30 p.m. next Saturday at Patriots Point Soccer Complex in South Carolina. The match features the top-two finishers from the USL Championship’s 2024 Eastern Conference standings.
Two weeks later, LouCity’s home opener kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 22, against Loudoun United FC. Tickets are available at LouCity.com/opener or by calling (502) LOU-CITY.
2025 Louisville City FC Preseason Schedule
February 1 at Austin FC (L, 3-1)
February 5 vs. New Mexico United (D, 0-0)
February 9 vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (D, 2-2)
February 12 at Seattle Sounders FC (L, 4-0)
February 22 vs. Lexington SC (W, 3-2)
March 1 vs. Knoxville SC (W, 1-0)
