LouCity head coach Danny Cruz has made five changes to his lineup for Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. USL Jägermeister Cup clash with the Richmond Kickers at Lynn Family Stadium, including offering rookie Josh Jones his first career start. Meanwhile, club legend Brian Ownby is available off the bench for the first time in more than a year.
A center back, Jones has seen limited action this year but is preferred to Arturo Ordóñez for the cup game. The 6-foot-5 University of Louisville product has played just three minutes over two appearances, versus Loudoun United and at Sacramento Republic. Ordóñez is not in the game day squad with Cruz opting to rest the former USL Championship Defender of the Year ahead of a busy upcoming run of games.
Jones will have plenty of experience either side of him on the LouCity back line. Sean Totsch and Kyle Adams will flank Jones. The pair have played every minute of LouCity’s season thus far.
Sam Gleadle gets a second start of the season to lead the LouCity line as the center forward. The 29 year-old has scored in back-to-back games, including the winner at Tampa Bay last week. He also registered an assist in the win over the Rowdies.
Amadou Dia returns to the starting lineup for the first time since April 15, when he saw 58 minutes against Loudoun in the U.S. Open Cup. He’ll occupy the left wing back spot, while Manny Perez will play on the right. It’ll be his second-consecutive start, and sixth overall this season.
In the midfield, brothers Taylor and Evan Davila will pair for the second time to start a match this season. They started alongside one another at Sacramento on April 12. Taylor scored last time out against Tampa Bay and was named to the USL Team of the Week. For Evan, this will be his second start of the season and fourth of his career.
Ray Serrano returns to the starting eleven after a 32-minute appearance off the bench at Tampa Bay. He had started all six of LouCity’s previous games and will play in the front three. Jansen Wilson starts on the opposite wing. The match marks the first time Wilson has started consecutive games this season.
On the bench, Ownby is available for the first time in more than a calendar year. LouCity’s captain went down in March 2024 with a knee injury suffered in the preseason. The 34-year-old is LouCity’s all-time leader in assists and sits third on the club’s all-time scoring chart. This match could be Ownby’s first competitive appearance for LouCity since the 2023 playoffs.
Jake Morris is available for just the second time this season. He returned from injury to play seven minutes in the U.S. Open Cup victory over Loudoun.
Team Sheet vs. Richmond Kickers
1 – Damian Las
13 – Amadou Dia
32 – Kyle Adams (c)
24 – Josh Jones
4 – Sean Totsch
15 – Manny Perez
17 – Taylor Davila
27 – Evan Davila
7 – Ray Serrano
23 – Sam Gleadle
25 – Jansen Wilson
Substitutes: 12 – Danny Faundez; 3 – Jake Morris, 8 – Carlos Moguel Jr., 9 – Phillip Goodrum, 10 – Brian Ownby, 16 – Adrien Perez, 31 – Kevon Lambert
