News

Louisville City FC has added to its side midfielder Kenney Walker, who starred for the University of Louisville before going on to an extended professional career.

Originally drafted to the Major League Soccer ranks in 2012, Walker arrives on loan for the remainder of this season from USL Championship rival Indy Eleven pending league and federation approval.

“Kenney’s resume is outstanding,” said LouCity coach and sporting director John Hackworth. “He’s a person who our staff knows really well. He fits our culture and our locker room. He also brings a high level of character, and it’s an opportunity for both of us.”

Walker crossed paths with the former U-17 National Team coach Hackworth during his time as a youth international. In college, he was also coached by Mario Sanchez, then a member of U of L’s staff and now youth academy director for LouCity/Racing Louisville FC.

As a pro, Walker went 38th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the LA Galaxy and remained within its system until signing with FC Cincinnati for the 2016 season. There, Walker shined before moving to the Indy Eleven to open the 2019 season.

“It’s good to be back in Louisville — not just for family and living but to be able to play for the city again after being here for school,” Walker said. “It’s nice to be able to represent Louisville again.”

Walker is a 31-year-old native of Wickliffe, Ohio. In his only full season with Indy Eleven, he made 31 appearances while leading his side in tackles (70) and ranking second on the team in assists (5) in 2019.

Interestingly enough, Walker made his final Indy Eleven appearance of the season Aug. 26 when LouCity claimed a 1-0 victory over its Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest rival at Lynn Family Stadium.

“They have a very good system, maintaining possession throughout the game and getting everybody involved,” Walker said of LouCity. “They’re obviously doing extremely well and on a roll. I don’t want to come in and disturb anything going on. I want to help however I can. 

“The staff has told me — and I know personally — I’m not going to come straight in and play games. It’s more about being an option if needed and supporting the guys who are already here, slowly getting in with the team and acclimating.”

Walker will be available for selection Saturday as LouCity travels to play Saint Louis FC. The boys in purple, who will clinch a playoff spot this week while on a nine-game unbeaten streak, are also a win away from securing a No. 1 seed out of the USL’s Group E with two regular-season games left to play.

With the emergence of Napo Matsoso on the right wing, veteran Louisville City FC midfielder Brian Ownby had taken on a new assignment down the stretch of the 2020 USL Championship season: super sub.

But given three games in eight days, natural squad rotation cycled Ownby back into the starting lineup this weekend. He delivered a 90-minute performance to remember Saturday with a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory over Memphis 901 FC

“Because we are team that is so deep and have so much quality, we talk about everyone needing to understand their role,” head coach John Hackworth said. “Sometimes your role changes, from being a starter to a substitute to not even being in the 18.

“It’s hard for professionals to understand, but when you get a team as collectively understanding, that’s when you really get indisputable role recognition and guys are willing to step in whenever they are asked to do their job.”

Saturday marked Ownby’s first start since the club visited Saint Louis FC last month. It took only 13 minutes and change for him to make an impact.

Forward Cameron Lancaster intercepted a ball near the half line and directed to Ownby, who used his pace to get down the right side, then give back to Lancaster for a one-touch goal. The boys in purple, who haven’t trailed during a nine-game unbeaten streak, were in control from there.

“He’s massive for us,” Lancaster said of Ownby. “His pace causes so many problems, and credit to him. It is tough being on the bench, and you need to have a strong mentality to come off the bench, keep assisting and try to score.” 

Ownby, who started 20 LouCity games in 2019, still ranks second on the team in shots taken despite some diminished minutes lately. Finally, he got one to hit the back of the net in the 24th minute Saturday, cutting in from the right side and curling a chance past Memphis; goalkeeper from some distance.

“Brian to his credit has played a different role coming into this game,” Hackworth said, “and he’s been good off the bench in his last two games. In this game, he goes 90 minutes and does an excellent job, and I’m so happy that he gets that goal. I think that’s going to be huge for him and for us.

“Great assist on the first one and a good night for Brian Ownby and Louisville City for sure.” 

The Virginia native is in his fourth year with the club. Selected No. 7 overall in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft, Ownby had stints with the Houston Dynamo and the Richmond Kickers before finding a home in Louisville.

Ownby made the most of his opportunity Saturday, leading LouCity with five key passes while completing 82.9% of his attempts.

“Obviously, we have a very deep group, so if someone’s number is called, they are expected to step up and perform like the other guys are doing,” the midfielder said earlier this week.

“….The team’s been winning, so once you get your chance, put your head down and help contribute as much as you can. With the intensity of playoffs around the corner, each moment is bigger than the last.”

It was another bumper night for Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday as the club all but officially clinched a playoff spot while hanging four goals on visiting Memphis 901 FC. The names on the scoresheet were familiar, but one player in particular played his best game of the season for LouCity.

Here is what I thought went well, along with what went very slightly wrong. 

The Good

Brian Ownby rounding into form

It was a classic Brian Ownby night on Saturday with a performance that had yet to be seen in the 2020 USL Championship campaign for the fan-favorite winger. A goal to go along with his assist to Cameron Lancaster was not enough to earn him the Man of the Match nod, but it did garner some praise from coach John Hackworth. 

Ownby joins players such Corben Bone, Antoine Hoppenot and Alexis Souahy to find their form later on in the season. Ownby is just the latest LouCity player to get in the goals, but more than his stats for the game, he ran his socks off for the entirety of the match.

Runs in the 52nd and 82nd minute in particular come to mind. On both occasions, the Virginian just refused to give up on the play. In really good teams, there are multiple starting-quality players at each position, and although Napo Matsoso may still be the first choice for the spot, expect a contribution from “Playoff Ownby” in the few remaining games this season. 

Lancaster involved in the buildup 

While, again, Ownby did not earn the Man of the Match award, forward Cameron Lancaster was about the only player that could be argued had as good of a game as the LouCity number 10. The Englishman scored multiple goals for the first time this season, but more encouraging than that was the fact that Lancaster involved himself in build-up play.

Rather than just sitting up top and expecting service in, he dropped back on defense and helped win the ball for his team. LouCity is a team that defends with 11 players, which includes the striker getting back to take a little pressure off his teammates, and while that has not happened in every game this season, it did here.

Lancaster was involved in intercepting a ball, passing to Ownby and receiving a cross in the box that led to the first goal. He also found himself well positioned for the late, back-heeled goal on the rebound, helping create both his chances before finishing them.

Responding to pressure, unknowns

LouCity managed to dodge the phenomenon that affects teams in a unique circumstance: the new manager bump. In short, teams generally see an uptick in performance after a new coach comes in, and that is where Memphis 901 FC found itself on Saturday.

Although interim coach Ben Pirmann was the assistant coach under since-dismissed Tim Mulqueen, there is no way of knowing what sort of system or formation the team would assume. LouCity responded to the unknown by holding more than their normal amount of possession, with the percentage north of 70 at one point in the first half.

Although City will have game film on whomever they play, some potential playoff opponents will not be nearly as familiar as members of Group E have become, so the ability to dictate possession in this scenario is encouraging.

The bad

Played in purple 

It wasn’t by design, Hackworth said, that amid a lengthy unbeaten streak the boys in purple actually became that once again. They had been wearing black at home since the beginning of August, but Hackworth cited a surprising decision by a member of the backroom staff to go with the more traditional color.

It marked the first time LouCity played in purple at home since a July 18 loss to Saint Louis FC. Hackworth, a superstitious type, expressed concern about the oversight in his postgame comments, but they weren’t all fit to print. The matter does go some way to eliminating any number of variables that might impact on-field performance, though.

And so we add kit color preference to Hackworth’s superstitions such as dining on a game day quiche or using a particular pen. Whatever works on nine games unbeaten.

263 minutes without conceding a goal came to an end 

In the form that LouCity’s in at the moment, there is not a USL Championship club that can come to Lynn Family Stadium and dominate a game. The game here was surprisingly never really even, as either City was unbalancing Memphis, or they were playing around Louisville.

The visitors made some corrections, however, after the first half water break stoppage. Memphis scored right before the halftime interval and came out from the locker room looking as dangerous as it did all night. The game got a bit nervous over the first 15 or so minutes of the second half, but the game’s next goal was always more likely to LouCity’s third rather than an equalizing second for 901 FC. 

One more thing

The water breaks need to go. They were implemented in the middle of summer for teams at various levels of fitness to return to play safely, but we are long past that. The amount of goals, both for and against City, that stem from a coach giving his players instructions during the game is inordinate. It can eat up momentum for some teams and provide a reprieve for others. Yes, both teams get them, but there is certainly no need for them with the temperatures this time of year. 

No soccer fan is a fan of stoppages in play, and this is an artificial one that impacts sporting results. 

In conclusion

The game on Saturday was great, but it was against a team that is not going to the playoffs. LouCity itself is now all but assured a spot in the postseason, though, and shows no signs of slowing down. There is still an away game at Saint Louis FC to contend with next weekend which represents a bit of unfinished business for the team, who were not satisfied with their draw last time there and can outright take the Kings’ Cup over the rival.

Louisville City FC’s former Golden Boot winner, Cameron Lancaster, made it his first multi-goal game of the season Saturday as the boys in purple took another step toward the USL Championship playoffs.

The English striker Lancaster — back in town on loan from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC — hit the back of the net in either half of a 4-1 win over Memphis 901 FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

His contributions in part pushed LouCity to nine games unbeaten dating back to the beginning of August with four consecutive wins.

“Strikers need goals to garner that confidence,” said Lancaster, with tallies in three straight games. “I’ve been scoring, so confidence is high.” 

Pending results around the league, a victory could have clinched a playoff spot Saturday night; instead, the club will wait until next week.

LouCity (9-3-2, 29 points) is seven points clear of second-place Indy Eleven. Saint Louis FC remained just in the hunt with a win Saturday, boosting its total to 21 points. When those foes’ result goes official Wednesday in a head-to-head matchup, the boys in purple will be officially back in the postseason.

“We have, to our credit, (played) three games in a row really well,” said coach John Hackworth, whose side also defeated Saint Louis FC by a 3-0 score a week ago before a 2-0, midweek decision against rival Indy Eleven. “I love the fact that we came out and did that in the star of this game, because this was the game it could’ve slipped. Right from the get-go, I thought that we were in control.

“Excellent mentality from the group and great mentality to go along with that. When you’re in one of these games where it can be very difficult and can be one of those ‘trip you up’ kind of contests. If you can control those controllable you give yourself a better advantage.”

Lancaster tallied goals No. 49 and 50 on Saturday in a LouCity uniform, helping create his first goal with an interception in the midfield. The forward tracked as Brian Ownby carried possession down the right side, then dished to Lancaster for a one-touch finish in the 14th minute.

Lancaster’s second goal was truly one for the highlight reel. When Memphis goalkeeper Jimmy Hague failed to corral a cross at the face of goal, Lancaster turned away from the net and flicked in another goal.

“Those are pure instinct,” Lancaster said. “The ball was behind me, and to be honest I was too tired to turn and shoot so I just thought, ‘Let me give it a little back heel,’ and it bounced up past the keeper and went in.” 

The brace upped Lancaster’s season total to nine goals, good for fourth-most in the USL. In a campaign limited to 16 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s on a pace similar to when Lancaster poured in a league-record 26 goals during the 2018 season.

Lancaster’s LouCity teammates put on a show as well Saturday with Ownby, out wide on the right, cut in and curled a 24th-minute shot into the corner of the net. To close scoring, forward Luke Spencer dished to a tracking Corben Bone for the finishing touch in the 85th minute.

By then, LouCity’s only goal conceded was long forgotten, as the boys in purple allowed Memphis on the board just before the half. That was all, however, from a visiting side out-shot 14-7 and out-possessed by 20% of the going.

Memphis 901 FC came to town on the heels of a coaching change this week, ousting its first-ever manager, Tim Mulqueen, and promoting assistant coach Ben Primann to the post. The club’s sporting director is legendary goalkeeper Tim Howard, also a minority owner.

“It’s tough to say that it’s a gutsy performance, but it is because it’s a tough game,” Hackworth said. “It’s one of those games where our opponent has a new manager, all the players are going to be super motivated and they want to make a statement. Our third game in eight days, and I thought, until the water break, that we were exactly the team that I always think we can be.

“Credit to (Memphis). They made an adjustment, and we didn’t deal with that great. We gave up a goal there, so it made it tougher on us. We adjusted and it was a little helter skelter there in the start of the start of the second half, but I like how we got control of the game back with soccer than anything else. That’s nine points in eight days and that’s just massive.”

Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Memphis 901 FC

Date: Sept. 19, 2020

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: 70 degrees, sunny

Attendance: 4,900

Man of the Match: Cameron Lancaster

Scoring

Louisville City FC: (2, 2, 4)

Memphis 901 FC: (1, 0, 1)

Goals

Louisville City FC: 15’-Cameron Lancaster left-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom-left corner. Assisted by Brian Ownby following a fast break. 24’-Brian Ownby left-footed shot from the right side of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Cameron Lancaster. 72’-Cameron Lancaster back-heeled shot from close range to the bottom-right corner. 84’-Corben Bone right-footed shot from very close range to the bottom-left corner. Assisted by Luke Spencer.

Memphis 901 FC: 44’- Cal Jennings playing the rebound with a  right footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom-left corner.

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 39-Ben Lundt, 6-Wesley Charpie (90’ 5-Jimmy Ockford), 4-Sean Totsch, 3-Alexis Souahy, 42-Jonathan Gomez (67’ 19-Oscar Jimenez), 36-Paolo DelPiccolo (67’ 8-Akil Watts), 80-Devon Williams, 13-Corben Bone, 29-Antoine Hoppenot (83’ 77-Jason Johnson), 10-Brian Ownby, 17-Cameron Lancaster (83’ 9-Luke Spencer)

Subs not used: 91-Muamer Ugarak, 15-Pat McMahon

Head Coach: John Hackworth

Memphis 901 FC: 12-Jimmy Hague, 8-Marc Burch, 3-Zach Carroll, 19-Rece Buckmaster, 2-Mark Segbers (58’ 7-Raul Gonzalez), 17-Michael Reed (73’ 21-Duane Muckette), 23-Leston Paul, 16-Tommy McCabe, 10-Jean-Christophe Koffi (58’ 20-Jose Baxter), 9-Keanu Marsh-Brown (74’ 29-Brandon Allen), 26-Cal Jennings (58’ 14-Rafael Mentzingen)

Subs not used: 25-Jim Barkei, 70-Matt Hundley

Head Coach: Ben Pirmann

Discipline

Louisville City FC: 70’-Antoine Hoppenot yellow card

Stats Summary: Louisville City FC/Memphis 901 FC

Shots: 15/7

Shots on Goal: 8/2

Saves: 1/4

Corner Kicks: 6/5

Fouls: 11/10

Offside:2/3

Possession: 61.4%/38.6%

Louisville City FC will step outside of Group E play for the final time this USL Championship regular season Saturday when hosting Memphis 901 FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

Kickoff’s set for 7:30 p.m. inside Lynn Family Stadium, where the boys in purple will look to extend an eight-game unbeaten streak that has taken them to the top of the table.

A LouCity win along with a Saint Louis FC loss or draw, by the way, clinches a postseason spot for the club. As soon as Wednesday, LouCity could also be in line to secure a No. 1 playoff seed.

First thing’s first, of course. Memphis 901 FC has little to look forward to playoffs-wise with three games to play, but there may be reason for improvement after this week’s dismissal of coach Tim Mulqueen.

The decision was made in part by Tim Howard, the former National Team star who serves as Memphis’ minority owner, sporting director — and player. Will we see a legend between the posts Saturday night?

Here’s how to follow along, with a full LouCity-Memphis 901 FC preview also available…

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.

On the WBKI-TV (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Josh Eastern (play by play) and Devon Kerr (color).

And for AM 1080 WKJK on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Could someone finally “Beat the Beard”?

Saturday’s Soccer City radio show, presented by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers, featured the latest matchup between a Louisville City FC supporter and the front office’s Evan Floyd, director of community development, in the trivia showdown.

There was plenty of chatter as well about what’s happened on the field recently — LouCity’s rattled off three straight wins and eight consecutive games unbeaten — in addition to what’s next: Saturday night’s 7:30 p.m. matchup with Memphis 901 FC.

Catch Soccer City live from 9-10 a.m. each Saturday on AM 790 WKRD, plus follow via iHeart Radio and subscribe for new editions through Apple Podcasts. This week’s edition can be heard below: