News

In another early season matchup between teams near the top of the USL Eastern Conference table, Louisville City FC travels to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies this weekend, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Here’s what to watch for…

Tune In

TV: WDRB-41, Louisville’s FOX affiliate, will air the game live and in high definition locally.

Radio: Pregame coverage begins at 7:15 p.m. on 840 WHAS and the iHeartRadio app with T.J. Walker (play by play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) at the mic.

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

• LouCity’s first U.S. Open Cup opponent determined
• Watch | Coach, players preview the game
• LouCity hit its break in the schedule at key time

Notes

Unbeaten start: LouCity’s run of six games without a loss to open its season is the club’s longest in franchise history. With 12 points entering the weekend, the boys in purple are two behind the Rowdies and four back of the Charleston Battery. LouCity has at least one game in hand on every team on the top half of the USL Eastern Conference table, available at uslsoccer.com/usl-standings.

A week away: LouCity’s first break in the USL schedule fell early this year but gave the opportunity for players and staff to head to Louisville’s crown jewel, the Kentucky Derby. Before the first Saturday in May, coach James O’Connor put his players through the paces in an intra-squad scrimmage at the training ground to keep sharp. LouCity also has Memorial Day weekend off in a month of May without a home game.

Rowdies rematch: A 2-1 LouCity win over Tampa Bay back on April 15 capped a massive week for the club, which three days prior announced its future stadium site in the Butchertown Neighborhood. LouCity also debuted its black third kits as 9,074 fans — second-most for a regular-season game — attended at Louisville Slugger Field. Goals were scored by George Davis IV and Cameron Lancaster in the victory.

On target: LouCity has placed 37 of its 70 shots — nearly 53 percent — on goal this season thanks to the efforts of a few standout performances. George Davis IV (10/13), Brian Ownby (7/12) and Cameron Lancaster (3/5) are all above 50 percent. Defender Oscar Jimenez had a breakout game offensively last time out, blasting all three of his shots on frame in a scoreless draw April 29 with Toronto FC II.

DelPiccolo thriving: University of Louisville graduate Paolo DelPiccolo, named the captain before LouCity’s opener, has excelled in that role. Playing in the central midfield spot formerly occupied by Aodhan Quinn — now at rival FC Cincinnati — DelPiccolo has completed 81.7 percent of a team-leading 317 passes. He connected on nearly 90 percent in an April 22 draw at FC Cincinnati.

Solid showings: With an average attendance of 8,038 at three home games so far, LouCity ranks third in all of Division II, which includes the 30-team USL and eight-team North American Soccer League. Only FC Cincinnati (19,608) and Sacramento Republic FC (11,569) are drawing ahead of LouCity, which has seen a bump from years past. Through three games in 2015 (5,242) and 2016 (6,190) attendance measured less than this year’s figure.

International stars: Tampa Bay’s stat sheet eludes to the side’s worldly roster, as all six players to score a goal this season hail from outside the United States, led by Bulgarian forward Georgi Hristov and his four goals. Other players to watch include Jamaican Deshorn Brown, whose scissor kick goal April 30 landed at No. 1 on SportsCenter, and Joe Cole, the Englishman who featured for Chelsea FC and played in multiple World Cups.

Injury report: Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh, who left at halftime of LouCity’s March 25 opener with a hip flexor issue, is nearing his targeted return date. Perhaps O’Connor will have a decision to make regarding Saturday’s game. Tim Dobrowolski has filled in admirably, conceding just three goals in his 495 minutes on the pitch this year.

An injury that sidelined Greg Ranjitsingh at halftime of Louisville City FC’s season opener left the club in need of a replacement for its international goalkeeper. Six games later, Tim Dobrowolski has proven qualified for the job.

Heading into Saturday’s rematch with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Dobrowolski will look to mimic his performance from a 2-1 victory back on April 15. He conceded just one goal from 15 shots, the most attempted on LouCity this season.

“You know, obviously, it was unfortunate the way Greg had to come out with the injury, but the thing is with second keepers, you know once you get your chance you want to run with it,” said Dobrowolski, the 6-foot-2 graduate of Loyola University Chicago. “I’m just doing the best I can, taking every day as a gift and giving the best I can with each performance.”

In all, Dobrowolski has allowed past him only three goals this year, one of them a fluke own goal. He has two clean sheets to his name, and a fingertip stop April 22 at FC Cincinnati led to USL Save of the Week honors.

The effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Usually, I mean I’ve been on teams where the second keeper is kind of shy, just because he comes in and is not the No. 1,” said defender Oscar Jimenez. “Tim’s always had that No. 1 kind of personality to him, and that’s great because we need him to step up while Greg’s not here.”

On March 25, Dobrowolski came on to help preserve a shutout in a scoreless draw with Saint Louis FC. He made his second professional start the next week at Orlando City B and has held the job since then, with his last effort another scoreless one. The native of Illinois deflected away a shot in the 83rd minute that would have won the game for Toronto FC II.

With LouCity off last weekend, Ranjitsingh had time enough to heal that he has fully returned to training, said LouCity coach James O’Connor. But O’Connor added that Ranjitsingh appears unlikely to play this weekend against Tampa Bay with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

In the meantime, Dobrowolski will continue to take advantage of the opportunity.

“Tim has been fantastic,” O’Connor said. “Tim has stepped in a long way as we knew he would. We really have tremendous belief in Tim and he’s been, for me, has performed very, very well and made some really good saves in important times for us.”

Louisville City FC will begin its run in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a matchup unique to the annual knockout tournament open to amateur and professional teams.

Tartan Devils FC, an amateur side based in Pittsburgh, topped the Derby City Rovers in a First Round penalty shootout Wednesday night to advance and face LouCity, one of the United Soccer League’s top clubs.

LouCity and Tartan Devils FC will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, in a Second Round U.S. Open Cup game at Highmark Stadium. Any online streaming options are still to be announced. LouCity also plays the Pittsburgh Riverhounds May 20 in a USL regular-season game at Highmark.

U.S. Open Cup play will continue May 31, when Second Round winners play one another before Major League Soccer teams then enter June 14 in the Fourth Round. Once the U.S. Open cup whittles down to 16, a fixed bracket will set up the rest of the tournament, which concludes with the Final on Sept. 20.

Teams are typically paired geographically in early round play. Both the Rovers, of the Professional Development League, and Tartan Devils FC made their U.S. Open Cup debuts Wednesday.

Last year, LouCity opened by topping Detroit City FC, from the National Premier Soccer League, in a penalty kick shootout before facing the North American Soccer League’s Indy Eleven. In 2015, LouCity advanced to play the Chicago Fire, taking the MLS side to extra time.

FC Dallas last fall extended a 17-year streak of MLS teams winning the U.S. Open Cup. But lower-division clubs often score upsets, and in 1999, the Rochester Rhinos became the most recent USL member to win the tournament.

This year, the winner will receive $250,000, a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions’ League and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in U.S. team sports. The runner-up will earn $60,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $15,000 cash prize.

An American champion has been crowned for 103 consecutive years dating back to 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor United States soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

There’s another game of interest for Louisville City FC supporters before the club’s return to the pitch Saturday in United Soccer League Play.

Wednesday night, the PDL’s Derby City Rovers will host Tartan Devils FC in a U.S. Open Cup First Round game at the Woehrle Athletic Complex in Jeffersonville. The winner advances to play LouCity in a Second Round game on May 17.

Should the Rovers prevail, that next game will be played as well at Woehrle, 4200 Charlestown Pike. LouCity would travel to Pittsburgh should Tartan Devils FC move on in the U.S. Open Cup.

The Derby City Rovers and LouCity could potentially face off for the first time. Adding to the intrigue, the Rovers recently announced the signing of forward Kenny Doublette, who last year spent his rookie season with the boys in purple.

“While Kenny’s a proven goal-scorer, we think he has the ability to be a complete striker,” said Rovers assistant coach Lwandiso Gonya. “He can hold the ball up for the team as a back to goal target man, he can stretch the field by attacking the space behind the defense, and he can create for teammates with the dribble and the pass. We feel his versatility will suit our style of play and complement the other talented players we have in this year’s team.”

Tickets to Wednesday’s game, which starts at 7:30 p.m., are available at RoversSoccer.com.

Another massive matchup

A rematch Saturday between LouCity and the Tampa Bay Rowdies appears as high-profile as the last one, a 2-1 LouCity victory attended by 9,074 fans at Louisville Slugger Field.

With 14 points through eight games, the Rowdies are second in the USL Eastern Conference table. LouCity sits third with 12 points in six games.

In the latest USL Power Rankings, LouCity ranks third overall in the league, with the Rowdies at No. 5 coming off a draw with Ottawa Fury FC.

“Back on home turf this Saturday night,” wrote the USL’s Nicholas Murray, “Tampa Bay will want to take some revenge against Louisville City FC from the first meeting between the clubs this season, and cement its position in the Eastern Conference standings ahead of Head Coach James O’Connor’s squad.”

Added Murray on LouCity: “Louisville had a week off, and got to take in plenty of the Kentucky Derby weekend’s festivities, which likely left them Always Dreaming of a championship of their own this season.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. Tune in on WDRB-41, 840 WHAS or here at LouisvilleCityFC.com.

Our 2018 Derby horse?

On an April 26 team trip to Lexington’s Keeneland racecourse, a 2-year-old colt named Salmanazar made his debut a successful one, winning for trainer Todd Pletcher and under jockey John Velazquez — the same connections to Derby winner Always Dreaming.

LouCity’s players visited the winner’s circle and celebrated the victory. Perhaps it won’t be the last time they do it, especially if Salmanazar goes on to become a 2018 Derby prospect.

Club co-owner Jim Shircliff, who also had a stake in 2017 Derby runner Fast and Accurate, told The Courier-Journal he’d like LouCity to be part of any major celebrations.

“Since the soccer team was such good luck for the horse at Keeneland, we’re going to see if we can get the soccer team invited to the Derby next year,” Shircliff said. “It would be fun if we could get the team to the Derby.” 

Tom Mueller, a LouCity board member, also owns a piece of Salmanazar as part of the Starlight Racing partnership.

Support for Louisville City FC is trending upward — and sharply — early in the 2017 season.

Saturday’s crowd of 8,282 at Louisville Slugger Field pushed the club’s average through three games above the 8,000 mark and ranked as the largest outside of the weekend outside of Major League Soccer in North America.

Comparatively, at this point in its inaugural season, LouCity was averaging 5,242 fans at home games. In 2016, the figure was 6,190.

LouCity returns home on Wednesday, June 7, for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the Charlotte Independence. Call ahead at (502) 384-8799 to reserve tickets and save on online fees.

Spencer, Jimenez honored

Following their performances in a scoreless draw with Toronto FC II, forward Luke Spencer and defender Oscar Jimenez were both recognized.

Spencer, also voted Modelo Man of the Match by fans, made his first USL Team of the Week on the bench after placing five of his six shots on goal Saturday.

Jimenez, who led LouCity with 76 touches, also put each of his three shots on frame. For that, USL blog Indomitable City Soccer named him to its Eastern Conference Best XI.

Power Rankings

LouCity stuck at No. 2 in this week’s USL Power Rankings, with the league’s only other unbeaten team, San Antonio FC, atop the listing.

San Antonio has looked much the best in the Western Conference, starting 6-0-1 with a plus-14 goal differential. LouCity, the lone unbeaten side left on the Eastern Conference side, is 3-0-3 and just a point away from the top of the table.

“Louisville had one of those games where at the end all you can do is tip your hat to the opposing goalkeeper,” wrote the USL’s Nicholas Murray. “A 10-save performance by Toronto FC II’s Angelo Cavalluzzo left Louisville still undefeated, but also without the three points it had been hoping for.”

Ranks of the unbeaten

Just five teams in American professional soccer are without a loss in 2017.

MLS: FC Dallas

USL: LouCity, San Antonio FC

NASL: Jacksonville Armada FC, Indy Eleven

Brian Ownby collided with the opposing goalkeeper, hit the ground for tackles more than once and tallied 55 touches — most among the midfielders — trying to get a breakthrough goal Saturday for Louisville City FC.

The veteran player collapsed to the ground after the final whistle and needed help off the field. He in turn earned praise from coach James O’Connor after a scoreless draw with Toronto FC II.

“It’s deeply disappointing when you work as hard as the lads do and you’re in essence falling off the pitch,” O’Connor said. “When you don’t get three points, it’s hard to take. We obviously now have no game next weekend, so it gives us a chance to speak about a few things that we have been mentioning and working on. It gives us more time.”

A rare break in the USL schedule will allow LouCity to rest up, reflect and even enjoy the Kentucky Derby, a perk of playing for the state’s only pro soccer club.

Tactically, LouCity looked in good form Saturday. The boys in purple dominated the stat sheet, placing 11 of 19 shots on goal, and stood defensively when necessary. But what kept LouCity from scoring?

“It’s a great question,” O’Connor said. “If I knew the answer, every week we’d be scoring goals. I think you can get games like that. We’ve hit the post. We’ve hit the bar. Goodness me, we’ve had some chances tonight.”

So it’s the mental side of the game LouCity will work on before next hitting the pitch May 13 at the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Al Lang Stadium.

“We missed a couple chances early on, and I think that frustration builds up,” said forward Luke Spencer. “You want to put teams away early, and when you get a lot of chances and don’t do that, it builds up. That kind of gets into your head. I think that’s what happened.”

“I think this opens our eyes to — it shows whatever we’re doing in training, maybe we should focus extra on it,” added defender Oscar Jimenez.

The tone was one of disappointment, but LouCity has plenty to celebrate early this season. Dating back to 2016, the side is on a run of 11 straight USL regular-season games unbeaten. Interest is also on the rise, as an average of 8,038 fans have attended three home games — up from 6,190 in 2016 and 5,242 at the same point in 2015.

The next game, at Tampa Bay, will get a high-profile broadcast slot on Louisville’s FOX affiliate, WDRB, and major radio signal 840 WHAS. With 13 points earned, the Rowdies currently sit tied with the USL Eastern Conference-leading Charleston Battery, who have the edge on the table thanks to goal differential. LouCity topped Tampa Bay by a 2-1 score on April 15 in the teams’ only other meeting.

Louisville City FC extended its unbeaten streak to open the season to six games, and Toronto FC II played to a third straight scoreless draw on Saturday night. Both were true to form while tying 0-0 in front of 8,282 fans at Louisville Slugger Field.

LouCity came away with just a point in the standings due in part to a huge effort by Toronto goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo, who recorded 11 saves. The boys in purple generated plenty of offense – 19 shots in all – but failed to put one in the back of the net.

“I think we could’ve won it,” said coach James O’Connor. “We obviously had a lot of chances — probably the most frustrating game we’ve had.

“…You can’t fault the lads for their efforts. We just need to take our chances, and that’s what makes it really frustrating. 

Only LouCity’s second game this season without a goal, the result still advanced the club in the standings, where coach James O’Connor’s side sits one point off the Charleston Battery and Tampa Bay Rowdies for first place in the USL Eastern Conference.

A victory would have vaulted LouCity back into first, and often Saturday, that looked like the expected result — starting in the opening minute when midfielder George Davis IV ran up the center of the field and fired a shot. Cavalluzzo came up big as he did often throughout 90-plus minutes.

Starting forward Luke Spencer put five of his shots on goal. Defender Oscar Jimenez placed all three of his attempts on frame, and Brian Ownby forced Cavalluzzo to save two of his three strikes.

“Yeah, we had a ton of chances, and I feel like it’s a mental thing,” Jimenez said. “When things aren’t going our way people just tend to drop  their heads and say, ‘Oh, next one’s not gonna go in,’ or, ‘I don’t want to shoot this one because it’s not a clean shot’ or something.

“…But I think it’s just a mental thing, which I think we kind of got past a little bit and just kept going. It just didn’t help us.”

It wasn’t a night all about LouCity’s offense. Toronto FC II had few chances but seemed to make the most of them. In the 83rd minute, LouCity goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski made a 1-on-1 save to snuff out a run of serious set piece attempts by the visitors.

LouCity’s best chance for offense – other than on its chances – came when a defender tripped up Davis IV in the box in the 52nd minute. He didn’t get the whistle for a penalty, much to the crowd’s chagrin.

The crowd reached its loudest in stoppage time. LouCity lined up for a pair of corner kicks, including one at the death. Both of them Toronto FC II managed to clear.

“It was definitely a frustrating game,” Spencer said. “You get a chance. Credit to the keeper. He made some great saves.”

“You’ve got to put your chances away. This is a classic game where you don’t put your chances away, and the team doesn’t win.”

Dating back to 2016, LouCity has now played 11 straight USL regular-season games without a defeat. The club has its first break in the 2017 schedule next week before traveling to play May 13 against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Game Summary

Match: Louisville City FC vs. Toronto FC II

Date: April 29, 2017

Venue: Slugger Field

Kickoff: 7:35 p.m.

Weather: 85 degrees, partly cloudy

Attendance: 8,282

Man of the Match: Luke Spencer

Scoring

Louisville City FC (0,0,0)

Toronto FC II (0,0,0)

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 28- Tim Dobrowolski, 24- Kyle Smith, 19- Oscar Jimenez, 4- Sean Totsch, 6- Tarek Morad, 8- Guy Abend (45’ 80- Speedy Williams), 11- Niall McCabe (60’ 23- Richard Ballard), 36- Paolo DelPiccolo, 22- George Davis IV, 10- Brian Ownby, 12- Luke Spencer (68’ 14- Ilija Ilic)

Subs not used: 13- Micah Bledsoe, 18- Paco Craig, 15- Sean Reynolds, 12- Mark-Anthony Kaye

Head coach: James O’Connor

Toronto FC II: 80- Angelo Cavalluzzo, 27- Oyvino Alseth, 32- Brandon Aubrey, 42- Mitchell Taintor, 36- Brian James, 45- Luca Uccello (60’ 63- Liam Fraser), 20- Sergio Camargo, 58- Anthony Osorio (77’ 54- Ryan Telfer), 46- Jordan McCrary, 64- Shaan Hundal (69’ 43- Aikim Andrews), 22- Jordan Hamilton

Subs not used: 90- Brogan Engbers, 77- Brandon Onkony, 56- Malik Johnson, 55- Aidan Daniels

Head coach: Jason Bent

Discipline

Louisville City FC: 61’ yellow card to Luke Spencer, 80’ yellow card to Richard Ballard

Toronto FC II: 29’ yellow card to Brian James

Officials

Referee: Ismir Pekmic

Assistant Referee 1: Cory Richardson

Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Hall-Volpenhein

4th Official: Johann Pedolzky