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goalscorer Brian Ownby speaks to the media following city’s 3-2 win over the New England Revolution:

GOALSCORER Oscar Jimenez SPEAKS TO THE MEDIA FOLLOWING CITY’S 3-2 WIN OVER THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION:

coach James O’Connor addresses the media after city’s 3-2 win over the New England Revolution

A 3-2 win over the New England Revolution in the Fourth Round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup does not even begin to tell the tale of City’s incredible USOC performance against Major League opposition. Yet, three goals—one from Oscar Jimenez, one from Cameron Lancaster, and one from Brian Ownby—set the city ablaze with cheers as the “Boys in Purple” advanced to a coveted place in the USOC Round of 16.

What Happened?

In front of over 5,000 fans at Lynn Stadium, Louisville City FC dominated the New England Revolution in the club’s first-ever competitive meeting with Major League Soccer opposition. 

Conceding just five minutes in, City was quick to respond as the attack continued to pile pressure on the Revs goal. After narrowly missing high minutes earlier, midfielder Oscar Jimenez would put the equalizer in the back of the net after 11 minutes. Serving from a wide position, midfielder Brian Ownby—one of many sparkplugs in City’s attack—served in a cross on a platter for Jimenez, who hit the ball at the first time of asking to beat Revs ‘keeper Brad Knighton.

In keeping the ball high up the pitch, opportunities would then fall for forward Cameron Lancaster, Brian Ownby, and George Davis IV, though none would convert to put City ahead. Just before the half-hour mark, the Revs found their second goal via a LouCity own goal. However, still not to be deterred, City’s press paid off as they would find a second equalizer before 40 minutes thanks to Lancaster. Settling a pass from Jimenez, the Englishman darted between a pair of defenders and produced an untouchable finish at the far post.

At the break, the pair shared the spoils.

Into the second half, City would not relent and continued to ask questions of the Revs’ defense. Shots from Devon “Speedy” Williams and George Davis IV would both end up just high of the crossbar and out, but only for a moment…

In the 63rdminute, Brian Ownby produced a world-class effort to put City ahead for good. Turning inside off a pass from Davis IV, Ownby darted around potential challenges before ripping an effort that found its way inside the top left corner of the goal. City wasn’t done, either, as substitutes Luke Spencer and Niall McCabe both had chances fall at their feet, though neither one managed to hit the net.

At the final whistle, Louisville City FC advanced to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 for the first time in club history, defeating the New England Revolution, 3-2.

The Round of 16 draw will be streamed live on Thursday, June 7 at 11:00 a.m. on USSoccer.comand Facebook.com/OfficialOpenCup.

The Key Points:

• City’s error in the fifth minute allowed the Revs to find the scoresheet early on
• A perfect cross from Brian Ownby to Oscar Jimenez allowed the latter to find an equalizer after 11 minutes
• Revs went back in front after an own goal before the half-hour mark
• City found their second via Cameron Lancaster ahead of the break
• Brian Ownby scored the winner in the 63rdminute

What They Said

Midfielder Brian Ownby: “We saw what was working, came in at the half and kept going. Second half we kept stringing things together and it paid off. We’re proud of this team tonight.”

Midfielder Oscar Jimenez: “Not only did we win, but we also played really well. To pull it off against a quality side like [New England] shows that we’re catching on to what [coach] James [O’Connor] says.”

Injury Report:
OUT – Richard Ballard (stress fracture)

Louisville City FC 3 : 2 New England Revolution
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Lynn Stadium | Louisville, KY
80 degrees / sunny

Scoring Summary:
NE – Mark Segberg 5’
LOU – Oscar Jimenez (Brian Ownby) 11’
NE – Own Goal 26’
LOU – Cameron Lancaster (Oscar Jimenez) 37’
LOU – Brian Ownby (George Davis IV) 62’

Disciplinary Summary:
LOU – Oscar Jimenez 85’
NE – Juan Agudelo 90+4’

Starting XI (4-1-4-1): Tim Dobrowolski (GK); Oscar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Paco Craig, Pat McMahon; Paolo DelPiccolo; Kyle Smith, Devon “Speedy” Williams, George Davis IV (Niall McCabe 70’), Brian Ownby (Magnus Rasmussen 78’); Cameron Lancaster (Luke Spencer 75’)

Bench: Chris Hubbard, Shaun Francis

On the break:
“Great. I think we managed to get some rest into the guys, got a couple of guys that are starting to get back a little bit, so we’re really pleased. The training, I think, the last few days, I’ve been really encouraged by the level of intensity in the training, so it’s been very good.”

On the excitement facing New England:
“Look, I think it’s a fantastic occasion for us, to be able to have an MLS team come to Louisville. And obviously to host, I think, our last experience obviously with Chicago a couple years back where we actually played very well on the night, we were very unlucky not to get it at the end of the game. So, I think for us, it’s fantastic that we’re going to be able to play against an MLS team and play in front of our own supporters, it’s something we’re all excited about.”

On his expectations for a ruckus atmosphere:
“I hope so. I think our supporters do a great job of making it a pretty intimidating place. Our supporters have been fantastic since our time here, I think they really get behind the guys, the passion that they bring. It’s a game we’re really excited for, and I think everyone is looking forward to it.”

On the challenges of facing New England:
“I think they have a lot of quality, they have a lot of pace in the team. I think the challenge for them and for us is trying to figure out what their team will be. Obviously, they played on a Wednesday, played Saturday, they play us, then they play Chicago… So, for them, maybe trying to figure out squad rotation, I’m sure that’s going to be something they spend a lot of time discussing. For us, then, trying to try to gauge which ones do we think may play, which ones do we think may not play. And honestly, we could drive ourselves mad trying to figure that out so, it’s, again, control what you can control, which is our training and our level of performance and try to be ready for that, and you know whatever team they put out there they’ll be full of quality and full of pace I’m sure.”

On what a win would mean to the club:
“Look, I think any sort of round of the Open Cup garners a lot of national attention as well, so I think that’s something for our players, there’s a desperation to go and perform well against an MLS team. I think, when you look at our guys, they obviously have aspirations to go and play in MLS, and now to play against an MLS team, it’s a great opportunity for our guys to go and showcase their talent. Hopefully, they can perform at the levels that they have been, and we can all be very proud of the performance.”

On playing at Lynn Stadium:
“Well, again, we’re very thankful to everyone at U of L for allowing us to play there, very appreciative of the fact that they’re kind enough to let us go ahead and utilize that stadium. So again, a massive thank you to everybody there. Certainly, we’ve enjoyed our games there previously that’s for sure.”

On the scheduling and how it affects goals by this break or that:
“We don’t have long-term goals, when we’re actually trying to look at things, we’re more a case of next game, but obviously when you don’t have a game at the weekend, that’s something that you try to prep and plan for. But again, it was an unknown really, because you’re never quite sure in a cup competition, are you still going to be in the cup competition or are you going to be out? For us, it’s more a case of just, you know, week by week making sure our process is the same, and that there’s a real intention about our work ethic and our intensity.”

On what he did in the off week:
“The guys actually got some days off, which was lovely. I think badly needed for a number of guys, so we managed to get a couple that are starting to near fitness. Still, Richard [Ballard], he’s getting closer, he’s not quite there…[Shaun] Franno’s doing a little bit better…so we’ve managed to get the guys that had aches and pains, to get them sort of back on the, I would say, on the fence, really, where they’re close but maybe not quite ready. A couple of others that have picked up little niggles so we’ll have to wait and see who they are. But again, it’s part of it, it’s the way it goes.”

Louisville City FC continues its historic run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a fourth-round matchup against MLS side New England Revolution. This is just the second time Lou City will take on an MLS club in a competitive match, and the first time an MLS club has traveled to Louisville. New England Revolution won the 2007 U.S. Open Cup.

City is looking to continue its four-match unbeaten streak, which most recently includes a 1-0 victory over Saint Louis FC in the third round and a massive 2-0 victory on the road against FC Cincinnati which saw the boys in purple go top of the USL Eastern Conference table.

When & Where
The match will take place on Tuesday, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Louisville’s Lynn Stadium.

LouCity will air the match live on Bounce TV as well as stream on WAVE3.com and via Facebook Live on WAVE3’s official page. City fans can enjoy the stylings of Mike Watts and Dylan Terry on the call.

Over the airwaves, iHeart’s 1080 WKJK has the action with Jeff Greer and Kevin Kernen on the call. Fans can also stay up-to-date on all things LouCity by following the club on Twitter & Instagram.

TV: Bounce TV
RADIO: 1080 WKJK
STREAM: WAVE3.com

DOWNLOAD: LouCity app for iOS | LouCity app for Android

Last Time Out
Louisville City FC leapfrogged FC Cincinnati atop the USL Eastern Conference thanks to a dominating 0-2 victory at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, May 26.

City opened the scoring in the 15th minute when forward Cameron Lancaster earned a free kick in an excellent position just outside the FC Cincy penalty area. The sharpshooter then slotted a free kick underneath the wall and past the keeper to give Lou City the lead. Midfielder George Davis IV doubled the visitors’ lead in the 73rd minute when George Davis IV, having been on the field just seven minutes, took a strike from outside the box that deflected off two Cincinnati defenders and looped over the keeper’s diving figure and into the back of the net.

– U.S. OPEN CUP: LouCity hosts MLS side New England Revolution Fourth Round –

Rewind against MLS competition
Louisville City FC has only ever faced two MLS sides in the club’s history. In a 2015 friendly match before the club began its inaugural season, City defeated Orlando City SC 3-1 in front of an electric crowd at Louisville Slugger Field. Goals from Matt Fondy, Juan Guzman, and Charlie Adams sealed the win for Lou City.

That same season, in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, City traveled to Chicago to take on Chicago Fire. The two clubs fought tooth and nail into extra, but a late winner from Chicago Fire sent Louisville City FC home with a 1-0 defeat. 

James O’Connor’s pre-match press conference

On his biggest takeaways from the win against FCC:
“I think we’re very pleased with the level of control we had in the game. I thought we gave a very strong performance. I think, great credit to the players who put in that amount of effort, and I think when you look at the spirit that we showed, it was fantastic. It was the last game of a big run of games in a very short period. I think we can be very pleased with the players’ mentality and obviously their level of performance”

On the mentality going into this rest period:
“Well, this period I think we need to maximize the time. We need to try and get some recovery, it obviously gives us a chance to see where we are with [Shaun] Franno, see where we are with Richard [Ballard], Speedy [Williams] picked up a little bit of a niggle in his groin, so hopefully, we can get that tidied up. Obviously, we don’t play now until Tuesday against New England, so it gives us a little bit of time to try and manage the training load, which I think is important. And I think for us the guys have got such a huge desire to be successful, so I think for us its always approaching the game with the right mentality and then as teachers and coaches trying to make sure we give enough information that allows them to be able to build upon the foundation for success.”
 

On the players’ mindsets:
“I think for us, again, it’s a process. We follow the process. We’re very strict with it. Generally, for us the week is Monday: analysis, Tuesday: we start dropping information in on the opposition. So, you know whether you win or whether you lose, obviously you want to win, but I think for us we try to be very consistent in our approach. I think when you lose its an opportunity to learn. So, try and figure out why you lost and then try and position that so there’s a better understanding. And when you win, try to make sure that you understand why you won, and then equally try and make sure your preparation is akin to the last Saturday that you’ve won from. It’s always trying to deliver our messages in a way that’s productive to the players.”

On the confidence level staying high during the break:
“I think for us, with the amount of injuries that we’ve had, we need to try and utilize this as a little rest period. But we’ll get the rest, but particularly when we’re training, we’ll be training. The guys know when we’re training we’re training hard, so I think our head is always down and we’re always driving forward.”

Team News

Questionable – Richard Ballard (stress fracture)
Questionable – Shaun Francis (hamstring)

A flash of a free kick and a double-deflected effort helped Louisville City FC collect three points in Saturday night’s Dirty River Derby win at FC Cincinnati. City piled on two goals—one in the first half, one in the second—to match their output against Atlanta United FC 2 last weekend while keeping their fourth clean sheet of the year at Nippert Stadium.

What Happened?

In front of a packed house at Nippert Stadium, City’s quest to continue their run of form continued following their 1-0 win over Saint Louis FC in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.

Leading the line, forward Cameron Lancaster was heavily involved in City’s early attacking presence as threats Ilija Ilic and Magnus Rasmussen swam like sharks around the Cincy defense. Just under a quarter of an hour in, Lancaster earned a free kick from an excellent position just outside Cincy’s penalty area. With the wall in the middle of the goal, Lancaster opted to go through the wall to the left to beat FCC ‘keeper Evan Newton and put City in front. The goal was almost in perfect step with time to last April’s 0-1 win over Cincinnati when he scored in the 13th minute to go in front.

Cincinnati continued to pester City’s goal and created a couple of chances for Konig and Ledesma, including one for the latter off a free kick that rifled off the far post, but City ‘netminder Greg Ranjitsingh and his defense were equal to everything thrown their way.

An early change for City saw Lancaster exit in the 30th minute after picking up a knock with Luke Spencer on as his replacement. Working diligently throughout the rest of the half, City maintained a 0-1 lead heading into the half.

Never dropping a beat, City approached the second half with the same tempo and intensity as the first and managed to continue shutting the hosts down at each time of asking. Approaching a quarter of an hour to play, the visitors found their second of the night with a bit of fortune. Eyeing a chance on goal from just outside the box, George Davis IV angled an effort that took two deflections of FCC players on the way into the back of the net. The goal provided a cushion to City’s advantage and ultimately saw them through to the end, picking up another three points in a 0-2 win.

City will gather some much-needed rest this coming weekend for the club’s lone off week of the USL season. Major League opposition will be City’s next test with the New England Revolution coming to Louisville on Tuesday, June 5. Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff at Lynn Stadium are available at louisvillecityfc.com/opencup.

The Key Points:

• Forward Cameron Lancaster scored his sixth goal of the season off a free kick just outside the FC Cincinnati penalty area to gift his side the lead
• Substitute George Davis IV’s ricocheted effort secured City’s second goal of the match well inside the second half
• Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh and the City defense kept their fourth clean sheet of the year—second straight in Cincinnati

Coach James O’Connor’s press comments:

On his initial reaction from the 0-2 win:
“I’m really proud. When you look at the amount of games that our guys have had and then look at the level of our performance, I’m not exaggerating, that is a fantastic performance. When you look at our good our guys were tonight versus Cincy practically changing their whole XI from their midweek game. For us to be able to go and dominate the game like that and play with such quality, it takes my breath away. I can’t give the lads enough credit for their performance tonight.”

On what he enjoyed most:
“I felt as if we had a really strong grip on the game, which again, considering the amount of games, you’re always a little unsure. I thought the players were, really, absolutely fantastic. The quality when they had the ball, their understanding of where space was, their understanding of when to press and when to drop, attacking and defensive principles, etc.… The guys deserve enormous credit for their performance tonight.”

On approaching a rest period:
“It’s badly needed. It’s a well-timed rest that the guys badly needed. They need to make sure that they get some rest and recover. It gives us a chance to assess where some of the others are because we’ve had a run of games and a load of players have stepped up and been immense. We now need to make sure they get a little more time to recharge their batteries.”

On the team’s grit and determination:
“The players deserve enormous credit. When you look at their mentality, it’s really strong. I can’t praise the players and [assistants] Daniel [Byrd] and Thabane [Sutu] as well. When you have a load of games the workload increases for the coaching staff. When you look at the work that both of those have been able to do, they deserve it, and [athletic trainer] Scott Ritter and [operations staff] Ben [Hulsman] and Brandon [Morris]… there’s too many people for us to say how appreciative we are of all their hard work. It’s a real team effort from top to bottom and we’re immensely proud of the team tonight.”

On his message to the fans tonight:
“Our supporters tonight… It’s great to hear our supporters tonight singing away. I’m absolutely thrilled for everyone who has made the effort to come up and travel to support us. It was fantastic to see so many there. A massive thank you from myself, the players, and the coaches to all of the supporters who have come up tonight and everyone back home watching.”

Injury Report:
OUT – Richard Ballard (stress fracture)
OUT – Shaun Francis (hamstring)

FC Cincinnati 0 : 2 Louisville City FC
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Nippert Stadium | Cincinnati, OH
79 degrees / sunny

Scoring Summary:
LOU – Cameron Lancaster 15’
LOU – George Davis IV (Oscar Jimenez) 73’

Disciplinary Summary:
CIN – Paddy Barrett 29’
CIN – Richie Ryan 33’
LOU – Paco Craig 55’

Starting XI (4-1-4-1): Tim Dobrowolski (GK); Oscar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Paco Craig, Pat McMahon; Paolo DelPiccolo; Kyle Smith, Devon “Speedy” Williams, Magnus Rasmussen (George Davis IV 66’), Ilija Ilic (Brian Ownby 61’); Cameron Lancaster (Luke Spencer 30’)

Bench: Chris Hubbard, Tim Dobrowolski, Alexis Souahy, Niall McCabe 

Louisville City FC faces FC Cincinnati in the second edition of the 2018 Dirty River Derby series on Saturday night in the Queen City. LouCity’s first trip resulted in a 0-1 win at Nippert Stadium back in April, and this will be the second of three meetings against FCC with the final matchup in September at Louisville Slugger Field.

City is riding the high of a 1-0 win against Saint Louis FC in the Third Round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup but is aware of the strength of Saturday’s opposition, who also advanced to the next round of the competition after a win against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

When & Where

City makes the trip to Nippert Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday night. The match is City’s last in Cincinnati for the year before the final meeting between the pair in September at Slugger Field.

WBKI carries the match on your screen while 840 WHAS will broadcast the match live over the airwaves. Fans can also follow #CINvLOU on Twitter & Instagram.

TV: WBKI
RADIO: 840 WHAS
STREAM: ESPN+

DOWNLOAD: LouCity app for iOS | LouCity app for Android

Last Time Out

Louisville City FC advanced to the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a controlled, disciplined 1-0 win over fellow USL foe Saint Louis FC on Wednesday night.

A screamer from defender Sean Totsch in the 68th minute separated the two sides as over 2,000 LouCity and STLFC faithful packed Lynn Stadium for midweek cup action. The goal was Totsch’s first of the year in all competitions and helps set a date with MLS club New England Revolution in the Fourth Round.

– U.S. OPEN CUP: LouCity hosts MLS side New England Revolution Fourth Round –

Rewind against FC CINCINNATI

Louisville City FC defeated FC Cincinnati, 0-1, in front of a crowd of over 25,000 during FCC’s home opener at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, April 7. 

After a little persistence in the attacking third, the “Boys in Purple” broke the deadlock just 13 minutes in. As FCC failed to clear a loose ball in their penalty area, forward Cameron Lancaster came sweeping in to fire home from close range with his left foot. At the break, LouCity led 0-1.

FCC came out the more aggressive side to start the second half, but the LouCity defense held tight. In the 53rd minute, Emmanuel Ledesma nearly opened the scoring for the hosts, but instead fired over the bar from close range. 

In the end, another steadfast performance from LouCity saw them earn all three points in the Dirty River Derby. Behind the 1-0 win, goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh earned his third consecutive clean sheet.

KY Lottery Kees to the Game

For the team’s second run to Cincinnati, here are a few Kees to the Game presented by Kentucky Lottery:
1. Let the atmosphere fuel you
2. Trackback in transition
3. Take your space

James O’Connor’s pre-match press conference:

On how to prepare for Cincinnati:
“Rest. I think the lads need to rest as much as possible. I think we really need to get as much recovery as we can into the guys, massive game now against Cincinnati on Saturday, so we need to focus on that.”

On the team’s performance against Saint Louis FC:
“They’re a very good team. You look at Anthony [Pulis], I mean for me he’s someone who’s very organized, very detail-oriented. Defensively they had really good positioning, and they’ve got players who can counter and cause problems. But I think if you look at the couple of chances, [Kyle] Greig’s header, and obviously Corey [Hertzog] had that one as well. So I think, when you look at how he sets them out, we always knew they were going to be very organized and it’s going to be difficult to break them down. For us, it was great that we were able to play on the bigger field at U of L so massive thank you again to everybody at U of L for the hospitality and allowing us to play there because it’s been great.”

On Sean Totsch’s wunderstrike against STLFC:
“Pleased. Very Pleased. I think it was fantastic technique. In training sometimes, a couple of times, I think it was preseason he’s hit one from there. He’s got a very good strike on him. He’s very technical. I thought we’d been unlucky with some of the other chances and some half-chances the ‘keeper made a couple of good saves on. Perhaps we need to make a little bit more of the opportunities. I thought Luke led the line very well as well; I thought his work rate was excellent. He set the tone for the team tonight which was very good, very impressive for us.”

On the focus heading into Cincinnati:
“They’re on a fantastic run themselves. They beat Carolina and then Pittsburgh [in the Open Cup]. They’re in good form, we’re in good form, so it makes for a really exciting game. They are games that both clubs enjoy and both sets of supporters, and it’s one we’re looking forward to.”

On the role the 0-1 win in Cincy in April plays this weekend:
“I think they are playing in a different formation to what they played early on in the season. I think in any type of rivalry game, I don’t know if either they or us take confidence from the run they’re on or we’re on. It’s very much a case of what happens on the day. So, we’ll try to do the things we want to do and get the strong performances that we have had of late. We want to maintain that on Saturday.”

On playing on the road vs. playing at home:
“Our approach is always the same. Our process is always the same whether we’re home or we’re away. Our intentions are always the same.”

Team News

QUESTIONABLE – Richard Ballard (stress fracture)
QUESTIONABLE – Shaun Francis (hamstring)