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Louisville City FC’s Luke Spencer, after scoring a goal and assisting two others last weekend in a win over FC Cincinnati, was on Tuesday named the United Soccer League’s Player of the Week.

Spencer also drew the foul on a first half breakaway that resulted in an FC Cincinnati red card, a key moment in a rivalry win celebrated by a sellout crowd of 13,812 at Slugger Field.

“It’s a huge honor when thinking of all the talented players in the league,” said Spencer, who earned 39 percent of an independent media vote for the award. “This is for the team, too. I scored one of five goals. It’s special to get this recognition with my teammates.”

The striker earned LouCity’s second Player of the Week nod this year following fellow forward Cameron Lancaster, honored in June after registering a brace in a win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

In addition to Spencer, LouCity’s Sean Totsch was named to the USL Team of the Week. Totsch assisted the game’s opening goal on a lengthy cross in to midfielder Niall McCabe. The defender completed 80.7 percent of his passes and created two other scoring chances.

Spencer followed McCabe’s goal with a header in stoppage time just before the half. Using his 6-foot-2 frame, he held up traffic to register his two assists, one to Mark-Anthony Kaye in the 57th minute and another to Richard Ballard in the 72nd. Spencer now leads LouCity with six goals on the season.

Solid efforts by Spencer and Totsch added to a 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati, representing LouCity’s widest margin of victory in a USL game. The club now sits second in the Eastern Conference standings heading into Sunday’s 5 p.m. away game against Bethlehem Steel FC.

USL Team of the Week

GK – Connor Sparrow, Real Monarchs SLC: Sparrow recorded a five-save shutout, including a penalty-kick stop, as the Monarchs took a 2-0 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

D – Jorge Luis Corrales, Tulsa Roughnecks FC: Corrales had a goal and assist across two games as the Roughnecks defeated both Saint Louis FC and OKC Energy FC over the week’s action.

D – Ryan Felix, Rochester Rhinos: Felix made four tackles and five interceptions as the Rhinos edged out the Harrisburg City Islanders in a 1-0 win last Tuesday night. 

D – Sean Totsch, Louisville City FC: Totsch provided the assist on the opening goal in Louisville’s 5-0 win, created two more scoring chances and completed 46 of 57 passes for the game in good all-around display.

M – Gerardo Bruna, Ottawa Fury FC: Bruna’s goal and assist led Fury FC to a 3-1 victory against the Charlotte Independence, breaking the Eastern Conference leader’s 12-game undefeated streak.

M – Luke Vercollone, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Vercollone had a goal and assist, created two other chances and was active throughout in the Switchbacks’ 4-0 win against Orange County SC.

M – Seth Rudolph, Saint Louis FC: Rudolph had two goals, as STLFC rallied to earn a thrilling 4-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday night.

M – Luis Felipe Fernandes, Reno 1868 FC: Fernandes scored the opening goal and completed 44 of 50 passes as 1868 FC handed San Antonio FC only its second loss of the regular season.

F – Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC II: Hamilton struck twice, including a stoppage-time equalizer, as TFC II earned a 2-2 draw with the Charlotte Independence last Wednesday night. 

F – Luke Spencer, Louisville City FC: Spencer had a goal and two assists in a dominant display in attack, as Louisville took a 5-0 victory against FC Cincinnati in front of a club-record crowd of 13,812. 

F – Chevaughn Walsh, Pittsburgh Riverhounds: Walsh scored a pair of goals, as the Riverhounds clinched the Keystone Derby Cup and boosted their playoff hopes by defeating the Harrisburg City Islanders.

Bench: Evan Newton (SAC), Oumar Ballo (SPR), Cory Burke (BST), Stefano Bonomo (NY), Shane Malcolm (COS), Hadji Barry (ORL), Irvin Parra (SEA).

Sandra Frazier, a Louisville native who founded Tandem Public Relations and serves as director of The Glenview Trust Company, has joined Louisville City FC’s Board of Directors, the club announced Tuesday.

Also a member of the University of Louisville’s Board of Trustees, Frazier has a strong record of local philanthropy as well as commitment to building community infrastructure.

“Sandra’s credentials speak for themselves,” said John Neace, LouCity’s chairman and president. “We’re honored to have her join us at a key time for Louisville City FC.”

Frazier will take a decision-making role on a board aiming to build a soccer-specific stadium in the Butchertown Neighborhood, where 40 acres of land would also be developed into a district with space for hotels, offices, retail and entertainment.

Other members of the board, headed by Neace, are John Hollenbach, Mike Mountjoy, Tom Mueller, Tim Mulloy and Barrett Nichols — each fixtures in the local business community.

“I’m delighted to join this group,” Frazier said. “I’ve seen first hand the board’s passion and look forward to helping with our club’s continued success, including the stadium project and Butchertown’s revitalization.”

In its third year on the pitch, LouCity’s in contention for a United Soccer League title with the second half of the season underway. The club sports a 11-4-5 record, good for second in the USL’s Eastern Conference, and drew a club-record crowd of 13,812 to last Saturday’s win over rival FC Cincinnati.

Off the field, Frazier’s addition promises decades of leadership experience as the former director of the Brown-Forman Corporation and Commonwealth Bank and Trust.

”Louisville City FC has great momentum on the pitch, in the community, and in the front office,” said Brad Estes, the club’s executive vice president. “We are fortunate to be able to add someone of Sandra’s caliber to our already outstanding Board of Directors.”

In 2009, Frazier was appointed to serve as secretary and member of the executive committee of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority. Frazier also serves on the boards of 21st Century Parks, Boston University, The Kentucky Center, Leadership Louisville and The Louisville Zoo Foundation.

She is a past recipient of the Silver Anchor Award by the Friends of the Louisville Waterfront and a recipient of the Tower Award for Service by Presentation Academy. In 2011, Frazier received the Lyman T. Johnson Distinguished Leadership Award from the Louisville Central Community Center for her community leadership.

Frazier has a master’s degree from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from Hollins College. She lives in Louisville’s Cherokee Triangle neighborhood with her coonhound, Boomer, and her cat, Ricky Bobby.

As Louisville City FC poured in five goals Saturday night, striker Luke Spencer scored one and assisted two others. His favorite, though?

“Of course, mine,” Spencer said with a laugh, speaking of a headed corner just before the half of a 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati.

And that’s about as selfish as the Cincinnati native has been throughout a breakout campaign that has him leading LouCity in scoring with six goals.

A 6-foot-2 force around the net, Spencer excels with his back to the goal, holding up play for his teammates as he did before dishing to Mark-Anthony Kaye for a 57th-minute goal Saturday. He’s also more than capable on set pieces, skying for his own goal in first half stoppage time. Spencer was also on the break when tripped up by Cincinnati’s Sem de Wit, who was assessed a red card in the 36th minute, a major turning point in the win.

What the big guy doesn’t do much? Talk about himself.

“Nothing but positive things to say about him,” said midfielder Niall McCabe. “He comes into training, works as hard as anybody. He’s a good guy to have around the locker room, too.”

“Luke is someone — I’ve got so much respect for our guys and Luke in particular,” added coach James O’Connor. “He’s gone through so much. His character has come shining out this year.”

Spencer signed with LouCity out of the club’s January invitation tryout, not the type of event you’d expect to see a former Major League Soccer SuperDraft attend — especially a first-rounder. But after a record-setting career at Xavier University, Spencer suffered a knee injury that prevented him from signing with an MLS club.

A year later — after a stint with Xavier’s coaching staff — Spencer signed his first pro contract with FC Cincinnati, where he logged 64 minutes in 11 appearances. He’s found much more opportunity wearing purple and gold, with Saturday’s goal Spencer’s second in as many home games. He scored July 29 on another header just 41 seconds after brought on in a win over the New York Red Bulls II.

“For me he’s got such great ability and great talent,” O’Connor said. “He’s big. He’s strong. He’s quick. I touched on it when he scored his header against New York. He’s really strong — powerful in the air. But his attitude and his ability to be a team player has been one of the shining lights for us.”

Spencer’s six goals have come in seven starts and 15 appearances total. Also splitting time at forward are Cameron Lancaster (five goals) and Ilija Ilic (two).

“The three strikers – Ilija, Luke and Cam – I’ve used them a lot of times with our group and said that they’ve set an example of supporting each other,” O’Connor said, “because no matter which one of them actually plays, the other two are really pleased and really support. Obviously delighted for Luke against his old team to have such a strong performance. So it was fantastic for him and all his family.”

If there’s a constant theme for Louisville City FC this season, it’s that anybody on the roster from player one through 20 is dangerous in front of goal. 

This was once again on display in Saturday’s 5-0 rout of FC Cincinnati, as LouCity exacted revenge with five different players on the scoresheet. Niall McCabe, Luke Spencer, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Richard Ballard and Sean Reynolds all found the back of the net in front of a club-record 13,812 fans at Slugger Field. 

In the past, LouCity relied a singular forward — Matt Fondy in 2015 and Chandler Hoffman in 2016 — to score the bulk of the goals. But this season, more threats are involved, making it tougher to game-plan against coach James O’Connor’s squad. 

LouCity ranks sixth in the United Soccer League with 36 goals scored, all the more impressive considering the side scored eight goals in the first two months of the season. At the same time, no player on the roster has scored more than six goals. 

Spencer registered a team-leading sixth goal Saturday evening, and 12 other players have scored goals for Louisville City this season, including the center back Reynolds, who headed in his first goal late in the going to cap a the victory.

But Spencer and teammates also aren’t just goal scorers. 

Saturday may have been Louisville City’s most dominant offensive game of the season. The team created 23 goal-scoring chances, leading to 30 total shots, 15 shots on goal and the five goals scored, with five assists. 

Spencer’s performance perhaps helped LouCity realize that the team’s top playmaker, Brian Ownby, wasn’t even on the field. The Cincinnati native Spencer created six goal-scoring chances and finished with two assists, one Kaye’s goal early in the second half and the other on the substitute Ballard’s impressive strike past two defenders and FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt. 

Kaye, making his second start in four games, displayed the form and talent that earned him a spot on the Canadian National Team squad for the 2017 Gold Cup. The midfielder was a constant danger to the FC Cincinnati backline and, before substituted out, he picked up a well-deserved goal.

Moving forward, I expect USL opponents to continue struggling to defend LouCity because of surprising depth on a small roster, at least numbers-wise.

When even defenders like Sean Totsch and Paco Craig can deliver in perfect crosses that lead to goals, it’s going to be tough to stop Louisville City from creating chances on goal. Add in Oscar Jimenez and Kyle Smith working down the wings, along with Guy Abend and Speedy Williams down the middle, and it’s a formidable unit even before you get to the three or four attackers Louisville City has at its disposal. 

And to think, Saturday’s result came without three of Louisville City’s top playmakers: George Davis IV, Paolo DelPiccolo and Ownby. 

If Louisville City can produce results even half as good as Saturday, O’Connor’s team looks poised for another deep USL Cup Playoffs run — and from there, anything can happen.

Opinions expressed in this piece were not subject to club approval. For more insights on LouCity, follow Karell on Twitter: @DanKarellPreps.

Louisville City FC’s players and coach James O’Connor lamented the result the last time they played in front of a club-record crowd — also against rival FC Cincinnati. But the boys in purple more than made up for it Saturday night.

Niall McCabe’s headed goal in the 16th minute set the tone in a 5-0 LouCity win over FC Cincy, one enjoyed at Slugger by a raucous, capacity crowd of 13,812.

Luke Spencer, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Richard Ballard and Sean Reynolds added goals of their own in a victory that awarded LouCity the two clubs’ River Cities Cup; other regular-season results were a 1-1 draw April 22 in Cincinnati before a 3-2 FC Cincy win July 15 at Slugger.

“It was satisfying,” said coach James O’Connor. “It was nice to win that for sure — very pleasing, honestly, to play the way we did. For our boys to be able to do that was great. Really, really proud moment for us as a football club to be able to do that against your rival was great. Very pleased with tonight.”

Spencer, a Cincinnati native, stood out in particular, notching two assists in his Man of the Match performance. Both passes followed a key moment in the game — in the 36th minute — as FC Cincy’s Set de Wit dragged the striker down from behind before assessed a red card.

LouCity out-shot its rival 30-8, placing half of them on target. The boys in purple also created chances from 10 corner kicks to FC Cincy’s one. Possession leaned 55.5 percent in favor of the hosts.

“That’s how you draw it up, really,” Spencer said. “We had played them, that was the third time we played them. We had talked about playing our best, wanting to give them our best performance and we didn’t feel like we really did that before and tonight we felt like they got our best shot.”

The victory continued a trend for LouCity, which has followed all four of its losses this season with a victory. The club fell by a 3-1 score last week to USL Eastern Conference leader Charlotte but on Saturday pulled to within two points — and with a pair of games in hand.

A win appeared imminent from the start as LouCity worked in Cincinnati’s half, controlling the ball. Kaye featured on the right wing with McCabe on the left, and defender Kyle Smith, another Cincinnati product, wore the captain’s armband for the first time.

Smith put a header on frame in the eighth minute, and Kaye followed with another shot Cincinnati keeper Mitch Hildebrandt had to save. From there, the rout was on, as eight minutes later Sean Totsch looped a cross into the box, finding McCabe for the go-ahead goal.

“It was a really good ball in, and I just saw it was kind of a big gap there that I should probably get into before James has a word with me if I didn’t,” McCabe said. “So I managed to get in there and managed to get good contact on it, and that’s probably the first time I headed a ball in about seven years — so thankfully it went in. Really happy.”

Spencer doubled the lead in stoppage time before the half, and the scoring strikes continued in the second. O’Connor’s three substitutions were all attacking-based, including that of Ballard, the Louisville native who found the back of the net four minutes after brought onto the pitch.

Off its most lopsided win of the season, LouCity will have a long week to prepare for its next test, a Sunday, Aug. 20, game at Bethlehem Steel. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. with WMYO-TV and NewsRadio 840 WHAS set to broadcast locally.

Game Summary

Match: Louisville City FC vs. FC Cincinnati

Date: Aug. 12, 2017

Venue: Louisville Slugger Field 

Kickoff: 7:35 p.m.

Weather: 82 degrees, mostly sunny

Attendance: 13,812

LouCity Man of the Match: Luke Spencer 

Scoring

Louisville City FC (2, 3, 5)

FC Cincinnati (0, 0, 0)

Goals

Louisville City FC

Niall McCabe (assist to Sean Totsch) 16’

Luke Spencer (assist to Oscar Jimenez) 45’

Mark-Anthony Kaye (assist to Luke Spencer) 57’

Richard Ballard (assist to Luke Spencer) 73’

Sean Reynolds (assist to Paco Craig) 83’

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 1- Greg Ranjitsingh, 24- Kyle Smith, 4- Sean Totsch, 15- Sean Reynolds, 18- Paco Craig, 19- Oscar Jimenez, 80- Devon “Speedy” Williams, 8- Guy Abend, 11- Niall McCabe (69’ 23- Richard Ballard), 12- Luke Spencer (80’ 9- Cameron Lancaster), 7- Mark-Anthony Kaye (77’ 14- Ilija Ilic)

Subs not used: 28- Tim Dobrowolski, 13- Micah Bledsoe, 6- Tarek Morad, 36- Paolo DelPiccolo

Head coach: James O’Connor

FC Cincinnati: 1- Mitch Hildebrandt, 70- Kevin Schindler, 22- Austin Berry (52’ 2- Matt Bahner), 51- Sem DeWitt, 4- Harrison Delbridge, 99- Josu, 6- Walker Kennedy, 19- Corben Bone (71’ 21- Marco Dominguez), 23- Andrew Wiedeman (63’ 20- Jimmy McLaughlin), 16- Kyle Greig, 9- Dijby Fall

Subs not used: 27- Dan Williams, 26- Garrett Halfhill, 7- Kadeem Dacres, 11- Danni Konig

Head coach: Alan Koch

Discipline

FC Cincinnati

Kevin Schindler (Yellow card) 13’

Sem de Wit (Red card) 36’

Kenny Walker (Yellow card) 77’

Stats

Louisville City FC/FC Cincinnati

Shots: 30/8

Shots on target: 15/4

Possession: 55.5%/44.5%

Passes: 448/354

Corners: 10/1

Fouls: 8/11

Officials

Referee: Charles Murphy

Assistant Referee 1: Walter Heatherly

Assistant Referee 2: Maggie Short

4th Official: Kevin Fikar

Entering Saturday, Luke Spencer felt like his side was a game away from truly “jelling and clicking.” Day to day, he sees too much talent in training for anything less.

Well, Louisville City FC picked a nice time to put forth its best performance of the season. Five players scored in front of LouCity’s record crowd of 13,812 at Slugger Field as the boys in purple downed rival FC Cincinnati.

“We knew there was going to be a big crowd just how the club was during the week and how they were selling tickets,” said midfielder Niall McCabe, who opened scoring in the 16th minute. “So we knew it was going to be a big game. I didn’t think it would be almost 14,000, so I think it was really important that they saw a good game.

“Hopefully now they keep coming back — now until the end of the season — just keep coming back and enjoying what we have to put out there.”

Spencer said LouCity’s third straight home crowd in excess of 10,000 had him and his teammates “buzzing during the game.” On the season, the club is averaging attendance of 9,281 through nine home games, third-most in Division II soccer across North America and up sharply from 2016’s figures.

“To see the crowd, I think it just shows you the impact we’re having on the city and on the community,” said coach James O’Connor. “There’s a tremendous sense of pride from myself, from coaching staff, from all the front office, and I think the front office deserves a massive pat on the back, because they’ve worked tirelessly this week.

“To get that many people here, it was incredible, it really was.”

Here’s more from LouCity vs. FC Cincinnati:

• LouCity’s five goals were a season-high in a USL game this season, though not across all competition. The club knocked in nine goals in a May 20 U.S. Open Cup victory over amateur side Tartan Devils Oak Avalon. A 5-0 scoreline represented LouCity’s widest margin of victory in a USL game.

• O’Connor continued pushing for it, too. Each of his substitutions were offensive-minded, including a change that brought Louisville native Richard Ballard on in the 69th minute. Four minutes later, the rookie scored a goal. Strikers Ilija Ilic and Cameron Lancaster came off the bench as well.

• The LouCity win tied the all-time River Cities Cup series with FC Cincinnati. Through two seasons, the rivals have remained plenty competitive, going 2-2-2 against one another. Outside of USL play, the orange and blue also have a May 31 Open Cup win over LouCity.

Marked on Louisville City FC fans’ calendars since the 2017 schedule was released, it’s finally here: a visit from rival FC Cincinnati.

Saturday will mark the second meeting between the two all-time at Louisville Slugger Field and first since a scoreless draw in June of last year, when a LouCity-record 10,062 were in attendance.

Help us set a new high mark! Tickets remain available, with prices lower in advance — and lower-priced sections will sell out.

Here’s what to watch for…

Tune In

TV: WBNA TV-21 will air the game live and in high definition locally.

Radio: TJ Walker (play-by-play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) will voice the action on NewsRadio 840 WHAS, with pregame coverage starting at 7:15 p.m.

Streaming: Watch live via the USL Match Center or at www.loucity.com.

Follow Along

For Starting XI information and in-game updates, check us out on social media. It’s @loucityfc on Twitter, Louisville City FC on Facebook and louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Vote for the Modelo Man of the Match on Twitter starting in the 75th minute.

Links

• Ilic relishing his chance in the spotlight for LouCity
• Videos: O’Connor, players preview Saturday’s game
• City’s focus on the game, not emotions of a rivalry
• Supporters’ love for LouCity knows no boundaries
• Fans encouraged to plan ahead for parking Saturday

Notes

The standings: After breaking even for the second time against first-place Charleston, LouCity (8-2-5, 29 points) held its No. 2 spot in the USL Eastern Conference table. The boys in purple remain six points out of first and have so far fended off a run of five straight wins by the third-place Charlotte Independence. Coming off a win against the Richmond Kickers, FC Cincinnati (6-6-6, 24 points) sits sixth on the table.

Previously: Earlier this year, LouCity played FC Cincinnati to a 1-1 draw April 22 before the orange and blue got the better of the boys in purple in their U.S. Open Cup meeting on May 31. Both of those games were played at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium, with the crowd for the USL game measuring 20,437.

Big crowd expected: The only other time the rivals met in Louisville, they played to a scoreless draw in June of 2016. The biggest highlight came off the pitch as LouCity set its club record for single-game attendance at 10,062. The number could be topped Saturday, with advance ticket sales trending up.

Return of Quinn and Dacres: Former LouCity midfielders Aodan Quinn and Kadeem Dacres will wear the rival’s colors Saturday in their first games back at Slugger. Dacres hasn’t recorded a goal or assist with FC Cincinnati but remains a threat with his pace on the wing. Quinn netted FC Cincinnati’s goal in the April 22 meeting with LouCity.

Cincy’s schedule: FC Cincinnati has balanced its regular-season USL schedule with an extended run in the U.S. Open Cup, defeating Major League Soccer sides Columbus Crew SC and the Chicago Fire after knocking off LouCity. The orange and blue were in for a run of four games in 10 days until Wednesday’s Open Cup game at Miami FC was postponed due to weather.

 Ilic’s moment: In his third start of the season — and second straight — forward Ilija Ilic set the tone for LouCity’s effort last week against the Charleston Battery, scoring a 27th-minute equalizer in the 1-1 draw. Ilic also had a notable performance July 1 against Ottawa Fury FC, taking an early shot off the cross bar six minutes after Brian Ownby’s goal put LouCity in the lead.

Reynolds securing his spot: Defender Sean Reynolds, consistently a starter in 2016, is rounding back into form this year. As with Ilic, he has made three starts and came up huge against the Battery. Off a second half corner, with goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh forced off his line for a punch-out, Reynolds remained in goal to clear away a would-be game-winning shot and keep his side level.

Ballard setting the pace: Since LouCity’s season opener in March, Louisville native Richard Ballard has proven he belongs at this level. The rookie, named Man of the Match in his debut, has more recently featured as a substitute, racking up two goals and two assists in 13 appearances. The midfielder hit a game-winner over Charlotte in June and fired in another shot later that month against the New York Red Bulls II.

Louisville connections: FC Cincinnati defender Austin Berry and midfielder Kenney Walker can expect some cheers along with jeers Saturday in their visit to Slugger Field. Both featured for the University of Louisville, with Berry a member of the 2010 College Cup team that also had on it LouCity captain Paolo DelPiccolo. Walker was named All-Big East Conference during his time with the Cardinals.

Going for the Gold Cup: Midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye on Tuesday became the first LouCity player to make a start for his country’s national team, going the full 90 minutes in Canada’s 1-1 draw with Costa Rica in CONCACAF Gold Cup play. Kaye and Canada will also play Honduras at 10 p.m. Friday, with all Gold Cup games broadcast on national TV in the United States. It’s unknown when he’ll return to LouCity with Canada a candidate to advance past the group stage.

Ownby on a roll: A major addition to this year’s LouCity squad, veteran midfielder Brian Ownby was in contention for USL Player of the Month in June after tallying three goals and two assists. Overall, he’s tied for the team lead in both statistical categories. Ownby has appeared four times on the USL Team of the Week, most recently this week after opening scoring against Fury FC in the 14th minute.