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Louisville City FC earned a point from a grudging defensive battle against Nashville SC, drawing 0-0 with the Music City club in front of nearly 10,000 fans at Slugger Field.

What happened?
A physical first half saw the hosts pressing one of the USL’s stingiest back lines in Nashville SC with the “Boys in Purple” having difficulty coming within striking distance early in the match. The best of the first half opportunities came in the 44th minute from midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams, whose shot far post nearly snuck past the Nashville back line and into the back of the net.

Seconds later, it was Oscar Jimenez’s cross to forward Luke Spencer which nearly saw Spencer tally his first goal since his return from injury but came up short to Nashville keeper Matt Pickens.

Both clubs were held scoreless headed into the break.

Just minutes into the second 45, Pickens spilled another shot from “Speedy” Williams just inside the penalty box, opening another opportunity for George Davis IV who was unable to finish.

The visitors nearly opened the scoring sheet in the 57th minute after Nashville forward Tucker Hume snuck past defender Sean Totsch, a move which led to SC’s Brandon Allen shot just wide of City goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh.

After a back-and-forth second half of empty opportunities, both sides left Slugger Field with a point after a scoreless draw. Louisville City hit the road for a match against Charlotte Independence in Matthews, NC in the second of five games within a two-week period. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 22 at the Sportsplex at Matthews.

The Key Points:

• Luke Spencer made his first start since his return from a knee injury suffered during the June 9 road match against Bethlehem Steel.
• After holding Nashville scoreless for the full 90, goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh has now recorded seven clean sheets on the year.
• In his coaching debut with Louisville City, head coach John Hackworth used just one of his three substitutes, the only one being Shaun Francis’s relief of Luke Spencer in the 70th minute.
• With games in hand on the rest of the Eastern Conference, City heads into Wednesday’s match against the Independence sitting fourth in the standings.

John Hackworth’s post-match press conference:
Opening statement:
“It’s not the result that we wanted. I think everybody in that locker room is as disappointed as I am. We wanted three points. We have areas where we have to improve. At the same time, we’ve had a team that had chances to score goals with headers in the box and some dangerous attackers, we were able to shut them down. One point is not what we want at home, at all. It’s unacceptable and the guys in the locker room know that. They know that my expectations are that we finish the game. I thought we were a little fatigued there at the end and made some really silly decisions both on the ball and away, we missed a couple opportunities at the end. That’s something that we have to correct. At the same time, we have to focus on the positives and correct a couple small things and get better.”

On being at home for the first time as head coach:
“Yeah, that part was fantastic. The fans were awesome. The welcoming they’ve given me all week long, but when I walked out on the field it was really overwhelming, to be fair. And that’s fantastic. I would’ve loved nothing more than to reward those fans with three points tonight, and they’re great walking in the hall. This is a great city, and I’m proud to be a new member of it. I’m looking forward to games where we can get you three points and they can cheer a little louder.”

On learning from dealing with the short roster for the first time:
“They’re tough, and I knew they were tough. I think we have a lot more quality than we showed tonight. Look, we had a couple really good opportunities, and we missed them. And when you’re short-handed and you don’t have a big bench, you know, I think Luke is probably going to look back at two headers he missed and wanting those back, and nine times out of 10 he’ll finish that. George (Davis IV) had one in the first half. We had some chances, but we had to get on the board, had to put the ball in the back of the net, and needed to make that play. Unfortunately, we didn’t.”

Injury Report:
OUT – Magnus Rasmussen (Knee Sprain)
OUT – Richard Ballard (Stress Fracture)

Louisville City FC  0:0  Nashville SC
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Slugger Field | Louisville, KY
85 degrees / partly cloudy
Attendance: 9,684

Scoring Summary:
None

Disciplinary Summary:
LOU – Sean Totsch 68’
NSH – Ropapa Mensah 84’
LOU – Shaun Francis 90’+3

Starting XI (4-2-2-2): Greg Ranjitsingh (GK); Oscar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Paco Craig, Kyle Smith; Paolo DelPiccolo; George Davis IV, Devon “Speedy” Williams, Niall McCabe; Cameron Lancaster, Luke Spencer (Shaun Francis, 70’)

Bench: Chris Hubbard, Tim Dobrowolski, Pat McMahon, James Sands, Brian Ownby, Ilija Ilic

Louisville City FC and Nashville SC square off in the final of three meetings in the 2018 regular season this weekend as head coach John Hackworth takes charge for the first time.

When & Where
The match will take place on Saturday, August 18 at Slugger Field in Louisville, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

The match will be aired on WBKI-CW as well as streamed on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the match on 840 WHAS. Fans can also follow #LOUvNSH on Twitter & Instagram.

TV: WBKI
RADIO: 840 WHAS
STREAM: ESPN+

DOWNLOAD: LouCity app for iOS | LouCity app for Android

Where They Stand
Louisville City FC:
11-4-6, 39 points – 4th in EC

Nashville SC:
9-6-7, 34 points – 9th in EC

Last Time Out
Louisville City FC beat New York Red Bulls II, 4-6, in a ten-goal thriller at Pittser Field in Montclair, N.J. last Friday night.

Red Bulls II got off to an early 2-0 lead, but an overhead kick from Ilija Ilic in the 18th minute pulled one back for City. Just beore the halftime break, Cameron Lancaster shrugged off a NYRBII defender and put another past ‘keeper Evan Louro to level the scoring.

After the half, City scored three goals in fifteen minutes to go up 2-5 with just under a half hour to go. George Davis IV fired home an Ilija Ilic backheel to the far post before Ilic grabbed a brace off an Oscar Jimenez free kick. Ten minutes later, Lancaster added his second off a Jimenez corner.

In the 79th minute, Red Bulls II midfielder Jose Aguinaga made things interesting when he cut City’s lead to two, beating Ranjitsingh for the third time in total. However, when forward Cameron Lancaster completed his hat-trick in the 88th minute, he put the game to bed. Lancaster took a pass from Spencer and went 1v1 with a defender, eventually ghosting the pressure and beating Louro for a record sixth LouCity goal.

A penalty from defender Hassan Ndam in the 90th minute saw Red Bulls II find a fourth but it would not matter as City settled the score, 4-6.

WATCH: Hackworth previews #LOUvNSH

Rewind against Nashville SC
Louisville City FC and Nashville SC last met in the U.S. Open Cup, when City came away 2-1 victors at Lynn Stadium to progress to the quarterfinals of the competition.

Goals from Paco Craig and Paolo DelPiccolo helped lift the hosts above the “Music City” club in the only non-USL meeting between the two sides.

KY Lottery Kees to the Game
The fourth installment of the “Sour Mash Soccer Bash” takes place on Saturday as City looks to contain Nashville once again.

Here are the KY Lottery Kees to the Game for #LOUvNSH:

1. Cut off service to Moloto
2. Play our brand of soccer
3. Limit the counter attacking options

Coach John Hackworth’s pre-match press conference:
On the Triumvirate rolling back into player roles:
“Yeah, look: I try to tell them that I’m here now, so you focus on being a player. I’m going to still lean on you for help, I still need leadership. I expect leadership within any team. The good news about that what they were responsible over the last six weeks is that they have that, it’s built in. Then I look around and you can see other guys who are a part of that leadership as well. Again, it’s a positive I think. I think they’re happy being players again.”

On any nerves for the weekend:
“Well, sure. On gameday, I will be restless. I will be agitated from the minute I wake up until kickoff because that’s just how it is. But at the same time, I’m confident. I now know this group personally. I’ve worked with them for a few days and I can see everything that I used to see on tape but now in person. My impression is that they’ll be ready to go and especially at home, and hopefully in front of a packed house. That’s key that we get the support we need from the fan base and even those who haven’t been to a game yet. We want fans to come out.”

On facing Nashville this weekend:
“I think they are a very talented team. They are well coached, very well organized, and they make it extremely hard defensively to break them down. We’ll have to be patient in how we build up and how we unbalance them because they are okay with that. They are going to look to try and catch us on the counter or look for restart opportunities and we need to be really focused to try and prevent those situations from happening.”

On injury updates:
“Yeah, we’re struggling to get a couple of guys back from last weekend and so that’s hard. Magnus [Rasmussen] is one that, the knee injury is going to keep him out for several weeks. That’s an unfortunate loss for us, but at the same time, that means there’s an opportunity for somebody else in that locker room to step up.”

Team News
QUESTIONABLE – Ilija Ilic (Groin)
OUT – Magnus Rasmussen (Knee Sprain)
OUT – Richard Ballard (Stress Fracture)

James Sands joins Louisville City FC on loan

Louisville City FC is thrilled to announce the arrival of midfielder James Sands on loan from New York City FC.

The midfielder, who became NYCFC’s first-ever Homegrown player in 2017, will remain with LouCity until September 1. Sands comes having already spent time with new head coach John Hackworth, after working with the boss while playing for the United States U-17 National Team.

Hackworth is delighted at the opportunity to work again with Sands for the stint:
“We’re really excited to have a player of James’ quality come in and help this group. He’s a bright, young talent and we’re glad he is coming with the mindset to contribute as much as he can in this time.”

“I’ve known James for some time and have already had the pleasure of working with him, now it’s about hitting the ground running. He looked the part in training already so we will see what he can add during this stretch. We’re ready and I know he is, too.”

A defensive starlet born in Rye, New York, Sands got his start with New York Soccer Club before being swept up by NYCFC in 2015. Signing on with the U16 Academy, Sands’ progression saw him rise to MLS level. In 2017, the now 18-year-old registered one MLS appearance, making his debut when he replaced Andrea Pirlo against the Colorado Rapids on September 16.

Featuring regularly for the U.S. U-17’s over NYCFC in 2017, Sands helped lead the nation’s defense in the CONCACAF Under-17 Championships in May and was named to the Team of the Tournament.

The U.S. U-17’s went on to finish in second place in the tournament, falling to Mexico in a penalty shootout.

About Louisville City FC
Louisville City FC is the defending champion of the United Soccer League (USL), a professional league based in the United States and Canada. Since its inaugural season in 2014, LouCity has been committed to serving the community of Louisville and Commonwealth of Kentucky as the lone professional soccer team in the state. Ground was broken this summer in Butchertown near downtown Louisville for a $65-million soccer-specific stadium, which will be complete in 2020 with a seating capacity of 11,300. Get the latest news on LouCity at LouisvilleCityFC.com and via the club’s channels on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

Louisville City FC forward Cameron Lancaster has been voted the USL Player of the Week for Week 22 of the 2018 season. Lancaster recorded a hat trick in Louisville’s 6-4 victory against the New York Red Bulls II this past Friday night, and in the process moved into a tie for the league-lead with 13 goals this season overall.

Lancaster received 62 percent of the poll conducted by a national panel of independent media representing every USL market. Orange County SC’s Michael Seaton finished second with 19 percent.

USL Team of the Week

GK – Jake McGuire, Bethlehem Steel FC: McGuire recorded nine saves across two games, including a four-save shutout against Charlotte last Wednesday night that helped Steel FC to a 3-0 road victory.

D – Aaron Guillen, North Carolina FC: Guillen recorded four interceptions, won three tackles and went six of six in duels to help North Carolina earn a 2-0 victory on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. 

D – Liam Doyle, Nashville SC: Doyle won six out of six duels and recorded 11 clearances to help Nashville record a shutout victory against Ottawa Fury FC on Friday night.

D – Paddy Barrett, FC Cincinnati: Barrett recorded five tackles, seven clearances and went 13 of 21 in duels as FCC took a 1-0 victory against Penn FC on Sunday evening.

M – Jeremy Hall, Sacramento Republic FC: Hall scored the game-winning goal as Republic FC defeated Rio Grande Valley FC and completed 44 of 50 passes, won four tackles and recorded two interceptions.

M – Charlie Adams, Real Monarchs SLC: Adams had a pair of goals across two contests, including the Monarchs’ midweek victory against Reno 1868 FC, completed 42 of 49 passes and won 12 of 17 duels over the week.

M – Henry Wingo, Seattle Sounders FC 2: Wingo scored a pair of goals to lead S2 to a 3-2 victory against San Antonio FC at Cheney Stadium that snapped SAFC’s four-game winning streak.

M – Jose Barril, OKC Energy FC: Barril provided the assist on all three Energy FC goals in its 3-2 victory against Real Monarchs SLC on Saturday night at Taft Stadium, part of a two-win week for the side.

F – Cameron Lancaster, Louisville City FC: Lancaster had a hat trick and one assist as Louisville recorded a 6-4 victory against the New York Red Bulls II on Friday night at MSU Soccer Park.

F – Michael Seaton, Orange County SC: Seaton had two goals and one assist as Orange County SC took a 4-3 victory on the road against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday night to move into sole possession of second place in the West.

F – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC: Asante scored a second-half hat trick for Rising FC as it comeback bid came up just short in a 4-3 defeat to Orange County SC on Saturday night.

Bench: Alex Mangels (POR), Michael Gamble (TUL), Alex Dixon (OKC), Kadeem Dacres (STL), Frank Lopez (LA), Ilija Ilic (LOU), Neco Brett (PGH)