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Louisville native Ben Rhodes will carry the shield logo of hometown soccer team, Louisville City FC, over the doors of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ride when the circuit makes its Thursday, July 6 stop at Kentucky Speedway, it was announced Tuesday.

To highlight the partnership between Louisville’s pro driver and pro club, Rhodes is set to appear Saturday at Louisville Slugger Field, where he’ll meet with fans and perform the coin toss before LouCity’s game against Ottawa Fury FC.

“It just made sense to align the city’s top driver with the city’s team, especially with Ben racing so close to home,” said LouCity spokesman Jonathan Lintner. “We hope our supporters will back another great local talent with Ben now part of the Louisville City family moving forward.”

When gates open at 6 p.m. Saturday, Rhodes’ No. 27 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra will be situated at the Overlook Deck. Fans can meet the NASCAR star there while scoring discounted craft and lager beers as well as meal deal at the pregame Party by the Pitch.

Once LouCity vs. Ottawa kicks off, Rhodes is looking forward to time with fans at Slugger Field.

“I’m thrilled to have Louisville City FC on my truck for my race at Kentucky Speedway,” Rhodes said. “It’s the big homecoming race for me, so having support from the team is pretty cool. Soccer is a fun sport to watch, but it’s a new world for me just as I’m sure racing is to them.

“This is a really neat way to be involved in the community and meet some cool athletes. I’m going to have a blast learning from the players.”

Rhodes, a 20-year-old graduate of Holy Cross High School, drives for ThorSport Racing in his second full-time season in NASCAR’s Truck Series. He’s looking for his first victory but has been in contention for a number of wins, including at the Kansas Speedway in May when he led with eight laps to go before a bolt on the track went through the radiator, causing an engine failure.

Tickets are available to see Rhodes in the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at KentuckySpeedway.com/tickets. The race will also air live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 7:30 p.m.

Mark-Anthony Kaye’s run with the Canadian National Team will continue, it was announced Tuesday, as the Louisville City FC midfielder earned another call up to represent his country during this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Canada Soccer named Kaye to a 23-man squad following a training camp and international friendly appearance earlier this month, both the Toronto native’s first experiences with his senior national team.

Kaye will report Wednesday to start training for the Gold Cup, which runs from July 7-26 in 14 cities throughout the United States.

“I think it’s fantastic we’ve been able to give a player the chance to represent his country on this level,” said LouCity coach James O’Connor. “Mark deserves all the credit. He’s worked hard and has been able to go and impress the Canadian National Team coach. We’re proud of Mark that he’s able to go and be involved with the Gold Cup. It’s a special, special occasion.”

Canada will play its Gold Cup group matches July 7 against French Guiana in Harrison, N.J., on July 11 against Costa Rica in Houston, and on July 14 against Honduras in Frisco, Texas.

Kaye made LouCity’s first national team appearance on June 13, coming on in the 79th minute of a 2-1 Canada win over Curacao in Montreal. The international friendly served as a sendoff leading into Canada’s run at the Gold Cup, a championship for North American, Central American and Caribbean nations.

Canada’s coach, Octavio Zambrano, also had the chance to see Kaye in March during a stint with the U-23s. Kaye went the full 90 minutes in a pair of international games, earning Man of the Match honors in the second one.

The midfielder said work at LouCity has helped him during call-ups.

“The main part is the work ethic,” Kaye said. “I don’t think people realize how intensely we train here. I’ve been to other clubs, and it’s nothing like this. The fact that I can go into a national team camp and bring those same habits I have here helps me stand out from the rest.

“James always says you can’t fault anyone for working hard. If you put in the effort, the technical ability and all that will follow.”

CONCACAF GOLD CUP

Taking place every two years, the CONCACAF Gold Cup is the official national team championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Drawing large crowds and millions of television viewers from across the region, the Gold Cup is a celebration of soccer, sportsmanship, and culture.

Canada are two-time CONCACAF champions, having won the CONCACAF Championship in 1985 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2000. Since the first edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991, Canada’s best finishes are first place in 2000 and semi-final finishes in 2002 and 2007.

CANADA

1- GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

2- FB- Fraser Aird | / Unattached

3- CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Vasas Budapest

4- CB- Steven Vitória | POL / Lechia Gdańsk

5- CB- Dejan Jaković | USA / New York Cosmos

6- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / CD Izarra

7- M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

8- M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC

9- F- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC

10- M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC

11- FB- Samuel Adekugbe | ENG / Brighton Hove & Albion

12- M- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

13- M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC

14- M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Louisville City FC

15- CB- Adam Straith | CAN / FC Edmonton

16- M- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

17- FB- Marcel de Jong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

18- GK- Milan Borjan | POL / MKS Korona Kielce

19- F- Lucas Cavallini | URU / CA Peñarol

20- M- Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal FC

21- M- Raheem Edwards | CAN / Toronto FC

22- GK- Jayson Leutwiler | ENG / Shrewsbury Town FC

23- M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers

There are the type of losses that take extra analysis and explanation. And then there are those a team decides to quickly move past.

Louisville City FC may be going with the latter after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to the Harrisburg City Islanders.

“I actually thought we had our best week of training right before this game,” said defender Oscar Jimenez. “We were on a good roll, and in training we were doing well. We were respecting our opponent. We wanted to go and do the same thing we were doing the last couple of weeks, and it just didn’t happen.”

LouCity’s winning streak came to an abrupt end. It was a head-scratcher for a side that scored seven goals and posted a trio of shutouts in three games entering Saturday, gaining momentum that had the boys near the top of the USL Eastern Conference table.

Coach James O’Connor said leading up to the game his side wouldn’t overlook a City Islanders team that hadn’t won in USL play since April 15 — a span of 10 league games.

People would look at the table, O’Connor predicted, “And think, ‘Of, they’re at the bottom of the league.’ The focus needs to be more on ourselves.”

So that’s how LouCity will proceed from the loss — concentrating more on its own play than the type of opponent faced.

O’Connor cited his club’s lack of intensity in passing in particular at Harrisburg. The City Islanders passed more accurately, and distributed at a higher clip in the opponents’ half, than LouCity on Saturday.

“It’s not like us to come out like that — like we did, without much energy,” Jimenez said. “Our whole culture around this team is hard work and working harder than anyone out there. I think we should look past this — not focus too much on how it went — and focus on the next one, because we’ve got a big game Saturday coming up against Ottawa.”

LouCity’s record stands at 7-2-4 after taking only its second loss of the season — and first since May 13. A tough stretch is ahead, as Ottawa Fury FC comes to Slugger Field next weekend with just one loss in its last seven games.

“Not getting too down on ourselves is the thing,” Jimenez said. “We didn’t play with the same intensity and desire that we have been in the past games. We’ll come off this loss and kind of just slow down — keep going like we were in other games.”

Louisville City FC’s run up the USL standings hit a snag Saturday night with the club’s 1-0 road loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders, who entered last of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference standings.

Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh stood tall to stop a penalty kick in the seventh minute, and another key Harrisburg try bounced off the crossbar in the 46th. The City Islanders broke through in the 53rd minute when forward Pedro Ribeiro’s shot from the top of the box slipped into the back of the net.

LouCity had a handful of chances from there but couldn’t find the equalizer at FNB Field in Pennsylvania.

“Our fight tonight wasn’t at the same level as it has been in previous weeks,” said coach James O’Connor. “We didn’t pass the ball the way we have in previous games, and I thought we still had a lot of opportunities to try and get something out of the game.”

Harrisburg notched its first victory in USL play since April 15 and halted LouCity’s three-game winning streak, which matched the club’s longest such stretch of the 2017 season. The City Islanders have played notably better at home, suffering just one of their seven losses at FNB Field.

Saturday’s game was relatively evenly played, a surprise given LouCity’s recent run of form. The boys in purple entered off back-to-back 3-0 wins and used the same lineup against the City Islanders.

“It’s just very frustrating when you give a performance like that, because I think the lads are much better players than they showed tonight,” O’Connor said. “They can play better than that. That’s biggest part of it for me.”

Shots were even at 11 apiece, and LouCity maintained 52.4 percent of the possession. Harrisburg placed four shots on target to LouCity’s three.

Momentum sided with LouCity early, at least once Ranjitsingh dove to his left to stop Ribeiro’s penalty try. From there, Cameron Lancaster, the reigning USL Player of the Week, put a shot on target before midfielder Brian Ownby set up another chance with a run down the right wing. His cross found George Davis IV in the 14th minute, but the final touch didn’t make it into the goal.

In addition to Harrisburg’s shot off the bar to open the second half, Ranjitsingh was forced off his line to make a save in the 48th minute. Not long after, Ribeiro hit the game-winner, however, forcing LouCity to up its attack.

Rookie Richard Ballard came on as a halftime substitute, and Luke Spencer, out due to injury since May 31, made his first appearance since then as a 60th-minute sub. The additions helped, as Spencer had a run into the box and shot in the 71st minute. And in stoppage time, a ball played through to Ballard resulted in one of LouCity’s best looks of the half.

Harrisburg goalkeeper Brandon Miller came up with one of his three saves to maintain the clean sheet and upset victory.

“I just felt like they wanted it more than we did,” said defender Oscar Jimenez. “Even if we did kind of show that we wanted it, everything 50-50 they got. They were dribbling behind us. You saw how they were going about things tonight, and we didn’t match it.”

LouCity remained second in the Eastern Conference standings after the loss, now six points behind the Charleston Battery with two games in hand on the USL leaders.

Game Summary

Match: Harrisburg City Islanders v. Louisville City FC

Date: June 24, 2017

Venue: FNB Field

Kickoff: 7:05 p.m.

Weather: 84 degrees, sunny

Man of the Match: Greg Ranjitsingh

Scoring

Louisville City FC (0,0,0)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds (0,1,1)

Goals

Harrisburg City Islanders:

53’ On an assist from Rasheed Olabiyi, Pedro Ribeiro smashed in a goal to the bottom right side of the net.

Lineup

Harrisburg City Islanders: 33- Brandon Miller, 5- Tiago Calvano,18- Abass Mohammed, 4- Travis Brent, 23- Shawn McLaws, 12- Rasheed Olabiyi, 8- Mouhamed Dabo, 22- John Grosh (75’ 14-Danny Prima), 30- Pedro Ribeiro, 17- James Thomas, 16- Jake Bond (76’ 19- Cardel Benbow)

Subs not used: 13- Michael Olla, 2- Griffin Libhart, 10- Paul Wilson, 25- Ropapa Mensah, 21- Sean Lewis

Head coach: Bill Becher

Louisville City FC: 1- Greg Ranjitsingh 24- Kyle Smith, 4- Sean Totsch (46’ 23- Richard Ballard), 19- Oscar Jimenez, 6- Tarek Morad 8- Guy Abend, 10- Brian Ownby, 18- Paco Craig, 22- George Davis IV (66’ 11- Niall McCabe), 9- Cameron Lancaster (60’ 12- Luke Spencer), 36- Paolo DelPiccolo 

Subs not used: 28- Tim Dobrowolski, 15- Sean Reynolds, 80- Devon “Speedy” Williams, 14- Ilija Ilic

Head coach: James O’Connor

Discipline

Harrisburg City Islanders:

24’ Mouhamed Dabo – Yellow Card

41’ Tiago Calvano – Yellow Card

56’ Pedro Ribeiro – Yellow Card

69’ James Thomas – Yellow Card

Officials

Referee: Gustavo Solorio

Assistant Referee 1: Ben Pilgrim

Assistant Referee 2:  Joshua Encarnacion

4th Official: Daniel Pannullo, Jr. 

Within Louisville City FC’s 1-0 loss Saturday to the Harrisburg City Islanders, there was a silver liningl: the return of striker Luke Spencer, who stepped on the pitch for the first time since May 31, when he was forced to leave in the first half of a U.S. Open Cup game due to a hamstring tweak.

The forward substituted in as a 60th-minute change against the City Islanders, and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact. Spencer rocketed a shot that flew just high and wide after a 71st-minute run into the box.

Head coach James O’Connor, generally disappointed with a loss to a club that entered at the bottom of the table, noted Spencer’s play.

“I thought he caused them problems,” O’Connor said. “We still created a few opportunities, and I think when you do that, you need to take them.”

Here’s more of what we learned Saturday:

• Halftime change: O’Connor made a rare halftime substitution Saturday, bringing on rookie midfielder Richard Ballard in place of defender Sean Totsch. Kyle Smith shifted from right wing to a center back position in LouCity’s 3-4-3 look. While the change didn’t result in a goal, it was an attempt to return to jumpstart and offense that entered having scored 11 goals in its last four games.

• Putting it in perspective: Before Saturday’s result, LouCity had the top of the table in sight. Though the Charleston Battery routed Toronto FC II, moving six points clear, LouCity maintains two games in hand over the Eastern Conference leader — and the two will meet again July 8 in South Carolina. LouCity’s also a point up on the third-place Tampa Bay Rowdies, who have played three more games.

• Sticking with the lineup: O’Connor has fielded the same starting 11 in LouCity’s last three games, the most consistency to the lineup this year. It coincided with a move away from the club’s typical 4-2-3-1 formation and to a 3-4-3. O’Connor inserts an extra center back, then allows outside backs Oscar Jimenez and Kyle Smith to float up and be more involved with the offense. Jimenez and Smith both topped 60 touches Saturday, among the most for LouCity.

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.

Follow along with live stats via the USL Match Center.

Before Brian Ownby signed with Louisville City FC, making a move from his hometown Richmond Kickers, he had a call to make.

His former Kickers teammate, George Davis IV, answered it after his first season with Louisville City FC.

“I had a lot of fun when I was back in Richmond with him a couple years ago,” Ownby said. “He kind of helped bring me over here. I had some questions. I contacted him, and when I’m out here, I think you can see we have that connection on the field.”

Five months later, the two anchor LouCity’s attacking midfield, Davis IV often lining up on the left wing with Ownby on the right. Davis IV has placed a team-high 13 shots on target, while Ownby’s 23 shots overall lead the boys in purple.

The two also connected on a bang-bang chance that missed by inches last time out, in a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. They’ll give it another go Saturday when LouCity plays the Harrisburg City Islanders at FNB Field in Pennsylvania.

“I know what he’s good at. He seems to know what I’m good at,” Davis IV said of Ownby. “So I’m enjoying the connection we have, and hopefully we can continue on and do more.”

LouCity matched its season-best winning streak at three games with the Riverhounds victory. The club is within three points of the USL’s Eastern Conference leader, the Charleston Battery, heading into this weekend.

Continued success in Year 3 under coach James O’Connor can be attributed, in part, to the chemistry between Ownby and Davis IV.

“I think you can see they enjoy playing with each other,” the coach said. “I think there’s a nice little partnership building there. There’s a good understanding. I think it helps that they like each other and they’re friends. That’s a piece of it.

“But I also think they’re two very good footballers, which is probably the most important part of it.”

Both midfielders spent two seasons with the Kickers, a USL Eastern Conference rival. Leaving for Davis IV meant a shift to a league contender with LouCity. For Ownby, a native of nearby Glen Allen, Va., and a University of Virginia product, the decision was personal.

The 26-year-old has also suited up for Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo, the club that selected him in the 2012 SuperDraft. In addition to the Kickers, he also played for the Riverhounds on loan from Houston.

After the call from Davis IV, he’s glad to have joined LouCity.

“This is the closest group I’ve ever had in a squad,” Ownby said. “Everyone’s friendly. Everyone hangs out. It’s not like certain cliques here and there. It’s a great environment, and that’s all I needed. After speaking with James as well, it was a no-brainer.”