Louisville City FC leading scorer Jansen Wilson will start Wednesday at the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
The Prinx Tires USL Cup quarterfinal matchup will kick off at 7 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. ESPN+ will carry streaming coverage of the game, with local radio coverage airing on ESPN Louisville’s 680 AM and 105.7 FM.
Wilson has scored 12 goals this season in all competitions, leading LouCity, including five tallies in the Prinx Tires USL Cup, which leads all players in the competition.
The Elizabethtown, Ky., native missed the 1-1 tie with San Antonio FC in a regular season game last weekend due to injury.
Wilson’s return to the lineup is one of two changes from the team that faced San Antonio. The other move sees Zach Duncan supplant Evan Davila. The 26-year-old Australian missed the Aug. 1 trip to Tampa Bay for a regular season game, and came off the bench to play 23 minutes versus San Antonio.
Interim head coach Simon Bird has opted for consistency elsewhere, keeping the remaining starters unchanged from Saturday.
Hugo Fauroux will continue his recent run of starts, making his fourth consecutive start across competitions. The Frenchman, who will turn 30 later this month, has made seven saves on 15 shots faced over the run, finishing with a 1-1-1 record.
The backline in front of him remains the same, with Jake Morris and Manny Perez occupying the flanks as wingbacks, while Kyle Adams, Sean Totsch and Aiden McFadden take up the central defensive positions.
That back five limited San Antonio FC to just three shots on target and a 0.61 expected goals value in last week’s draw.
Earlier this month, Morris notably scored a brace at Tampa Bay in a 5-4 loss on Aug. 1.
Taylor Davila, the reigning USL Championship Player of the Year, complements Duncan in the midfield. The 26-year-old Californian has tallied seven assists over 26 games in all competitions this season.
Saturday’s goalscorer, Mukwelle Akale, retains his place in the attack on the wing. The 29-year-old also led LouCity in the game with three chances created.
Chris Donovan, who has scored eight goals in all competitions, second only to Wilson, will start at center forward for the 18th time this season.
Ray Serrano, who assisted Mukwelle Akale’s goal against San Antonio, headlines the available substitutes. Like Serrano, Evan Davila was also dropped from the starting lineup but is available from the bench.
Team sheet at Tampa Bay Rowdies
1 – Hugo Fauroux
3 – Jake Morris
32 – Kyle Adams (c)
4 – Sean Totsch
2 – Aiden McFadden
15 – Manny Perez
8 – Taylor Davila
6 – Zach Duncan
25 – Jansen Wilson
47 – Mukwelle Akale
9 – Chris Donovan
Available substitutes: 12 – Danny Faundez; 7 – Ray Serrano, 13 – Amadou Dia, 14 – Tola Showunmi, 21 – Quenzi Huerman, 23 – Sam Gleadle, 27 – Evan Davila
