In its first-ever look at Spanish opposition, Louisville City FC struck first, but suffered defeat as LaLiga 2’s CD Leganés found the net twice in the opening half for a 2-1 finish Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium in an international friendly.
Louisville, which entered the weekend sitting atop the USL Championship, impressed in the beginning stages against a team that was recently relegated from Spain’s top flight: LaLiga. It was rewarded for its pressure through Jansen Wilson, who smashed home the opener with great poise in the 17th minute. Los Pepineros — as Leganés is affectionately known — responded with two goals within a 14-minute span. Miguel de la Fuente equalized from distance just seven minutes after Wilson’s goal, then young defender Said Imigene found the scrappy winner from a set piece opportunity.
It was Leganés’ proficiency in the final third that made all the difference despite losing the total shots battle 15-9. Both of the visitors’ shots on goal in the opening period found the back of the net.
After a first half where both teams showed off pieces of offensive quality, the number of changes resulted in a relatively cagey final period.
“I thought we started the game really, really well — created a lot of chances,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “… We looked like a team there for about 30 to 45 (minutes) that had a few days off to try to get our bodies right and all those things. But all in all, it’s a great event for the city. It’s a great event for our fans. And a great event for the players as well.
“… Really happy with how the night went. Want to make sure obviously we didn’t get injuries, that’s the biggest thing — I think we’re okay there. But, ultimately, (I’m) really, really happy with the evening.”
Competing against a team that is based in central Spain, City was met with a contrasting approach to what it typically encounters in league play — one centered around the technical side of the game.
“It’s really nice to see different kinds of styles of play,” said “… They rarely went in behind and they try to break lines, play good soccer, so I think it’s to see and play against a team like that.”
The friendly — the first of this month’s Global Games Series — gave Cruz an opportunity to rotate his side while offering youngsters a chance to compete in a competitive game environment. Eight of the nine LouCity Academy players who started on the bench received minutes. Four players age 22 or younger also earned starts, including 16-year-old Brandon Dayes in defense and 21-year-old Issac Cano up front, who made his first start of 2025.
Moguel Jr., a graduate of the LouCity Academy, spoke on the influx of youth onto the pitch: “It’s amazing. … It was really nice to see. The biggest thing that we can do, personally, as someone who does come from the Academy … is encourage them.
“… For them, it’s a nice experience for sure. And I’m glad that the guys that came on came on and had a nice moment that they’ll remember for a long time.”
One more European outfit still awaits the boys in purple later this summer. UEFA Champions League-bound Eintracht Frankfurt will meet LouCity Tuesday, July 29, in a friendly for the second year running.
However, Cruz’s team has two matches before Frankfurt’s visit, beginning next Saturday in the league when FC Tulsa travels to Lynn Family Stadium. The contest is Super Kid Night, with the first 1,000 kids receiving a cape thanks to Norton Children’s. For tickets and further information, visit LouCity.com/superkids.
Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. CD Leganés
Date: July 12, 2025
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: 84 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 6,354
Scoring
Louisville City FC (1, 0, 1)
CD Leganés (2, 0, 2)
Goals
Louisville City FC:
17’ Jansen Wilson (Ray Serrano)
CD Leganés:
24’ Miguel de la Fuente (Roberto López)
38’ Said Imigene
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 1 – Damian Las (31’ 0 – Ryan Troutman / 61’ 12 – Danny Faundez); 3 – Jake Morris (67’ 80 – Hayden Stamps), 32 – Kyle Adams (c) (31’ 4 – Sean Totsch / 61’ 13 – Amadou Dia / 86’ 94 – Cohen Havill), 24 – Josh Jones (46’ 5 – Arturo Ordóñez / 86’ 89 – Luke Petter), 83 – Brandon Dayes (72’ 87 – Grayson Travis), 17 – Taylor Davila (31’ 11 – Niall McCabe / 46’ 31 – Kevon Lambert), 8 – Carlos Moguel Jr. (86’ 93 – Aidan Garmestani), 25 – Jansen Wilson (46’ 23 – Sam Gleadle / 86’ 85 – Dominic Del Negro), 70 – Isaac Cano (77’ 96 – Silas Damm), 7 – Ray Serrano (46’ 10 – Brian Ownby / 61’ 27 – Evan Davila), 53 – Cameron Lancaster (61’ 9 – Phillip Goodrum / 86’ 86 – Evan Woodward)
Subs not used: 92 – Crew Hartlage
Head coach: Danny Cruz
CD Leganés: 1 – Juan Soriano (52’ 31 – Javi Garrido); 20 – Javi Hernández (46’ 5 – Ignasi Miquel), 27 – Said Imigene, 3 – Jorge Sáenz (c) (46’ 6 – Lalo Aguilar), 7 – Rubén Peña (46’ 28 – Lucas Macazaga), 21 – Andrés Campos (46’ 23 – Álex Millán), 8 – Seydouba Cissé (63’ 29 – Álvaro González), 14 – Roberto López (77’ 32 – Sergio Fernández), 11 – Duk, 19 – Diego García (46’ 26 – Carlos Guirao), 9 – Miguel de la Fuente (46’ 17 – Naim García / 64’ 33 – Gift Siame)
Subs not used: 36 – Alvin Abajas; 30 – Yan Diomande
Head coach: Paco López
Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / CD Leganés
Shots: 15 / 9
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Expected goals: 1.11 / 0.55
Possession: 39.2% / 60.8%
Fouls: 10 / 16
Offside: 6 / 2
Corner Kicks: 3 / 7
Discipline Summary
Louisville City FC:
41’ Niall McCabe (yellow)
82’ Grayson Travis (yellow)
CD Leganés:
67’ Carlos Guirao (yellow)
Referee: Muhammad Kaleia
