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It wasn’t a full-fledged opening of the floodgates, but on Saturday night Louisville City FC doubled its offensive output from any previous game in 2020.

That proved more than enough in a 2-0 victory at Lynn Family Stadium over visiting Loudoun United FC.

Forward Cameron Lancaster put the boys in purple on the board in the first half before midfielder Napo Matsoso padded the lead in the second. Paired with goalkeeper Ben Lundt’s third clean sheet of the season, LouCity improved to 3-3-1 with nine games to go in the regular season.

“That’s what we’ve been preaching, so it was a great feeling to get the goals and be able to manage the game,” said defender Alexis Souahy.

Loudoun United was a rare LouCity opponent outside of the USL Championship’s Group E, which also consists of Indy Eleven, Saint Louis FC and Sporting KC II. The three winning points, however, count just the same as that quartet of clubs chases a top-two finish and postseason bid.

LouCity was dominant from the go Saturday. By the 39th minute, when Lancaster registered his team-high fourth goal of the year, the boys in purple were controlling 60% of possession, plus had attempted seven corners and seen six shots blocked.

The first chance the home side managed to put on frame counted after Souahy nicely played a ball over the top to Lancaster. The striker switched to his right and delivered near post.

“Yeah, I was a little anxious,” said LouCity coach and sporting director John Hackworth. “You look at the last couple games and what we’ve gone through in creating chance after chance and not finding the back of the net. The longer that we had the advantage there and momentum, especially with the number of corner opportunities in that first half, that first goal was big.” 

LouCity remained on its front foot out of the locker room when, in the 49th minute, a flick from Paolo DelPiccolo to fellow midfielder Napo Matsoso out on the right led to the game’s second goal.

LouCity rested some legs from there, with local star and second-year academy signing Elijah Wynder one of five subs brought on. This appearance was particularly noteworthy, as it marked Wynder’s USL debut. He completed all three of his passes and showed immense effort to win an 81st-minute corner as LouCity nursed the lead late.

“I believe that this is the first time that I’ve ever made five subs in a soccer game since I was a college coach, so that was part of the idea in doing that,” Hackworth said. “Our guys are fit and they’re good pros, so we’ll just have to do everything possible. It is a tough turnaround, no question, but we have a deep roster and used a little bit of that tonight.”

While controlling only 40.8% of possession, Loudoun United FC’s quality scoring opportunities were limited; the best of them came in first half stoppage time. Forward Abdoul Amoustapha received a well-played through ball deep in LouCity’s half, but Lundt turned him away with one of four saves on the night.

The boys in purple are back on the pitch at 8 p.m. Wednesday to host Sporting KC II, a foe they split previous meetings with this season. This match arrives one week after the clubs were originally scheduled to meet. Out of an abundance of caution, the game was pushed back after a member of SKC II’s organization tested positive for COVID-19.

Game Summary

Match: Louisville City FC vs. Loudoun United FC

Date: August 15, 2020

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 8:00 pm

Weather: 88 degrees, partly cloudy

Man of the Match: Napo Matsoso

Attendance: 4,850

Scoring

Louisville City: (1,1,2)

Loudoun United FC: (0,0,0)

Goals

Louisville City FC: 39’- Cameron Lancaster (Louisville City) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Alexis Souahy. 49’- Napo Matsoso right footed shot from the right side of the box. Assisted by Paolo DelPiccolo.

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 39- Ben Lundt, 15- Pat McMahon, 4- Sean Totsch, 3- Alexis Souahy, 42- Jonathan Gomez, 80- Devon Williams (78’ 19- Oscar Jimenez), 36- Paolo DelPiccolo (88’ 9- Luke Spencer), 13- Corben Bone (67’ 61- Elijah Wynder), 29- Antoine Hoppenot (67’ 77- Jason Johnson), 17- Cameron Lancaster (78’ 14- Abdou Thiam), 27- Napo Matsoso

Subs not used: 1- Chris Hubbard, 5- Jimmy Ockford

Head Coach: John Hackworth

Loudoun United FC: 0- Colin Miller, 3- Peabo Doue, 29- Timothy Mehl, 5- Shane Wiedt (58’ 36- Adam Lundegard), 20- Allexon Saravia (65’ 23- Christian Sorto), 28- Tyler Gabarra (58’ 33- Jacob Greene), 16- Massimo Ferrin (25’ 12- Kairou Amoustapha), 7- Elvis Amoh, 24- Jeremy Garay (58’ 19- Brandon Williamson), 10- Michael Gamble, 21- Jushua Fawole

Head Coach: Ryan Martin
                                                             
Discipline

Louisville City FC: 45+4’ Pat McMahon- yellow card

Loudoun United FC: 17’ Tyler Gabarra- yellow card, 24’ Elvis Amoh- yellow card, 48’ Jeremy Garay- yellow card, 67’ Kairou Amoustapha- yellow card, 68’ Brandon Williamson- yellow card

Stats Summary: Louisville City FC/Loudoun United FC

Shots: 18/8

Shots on Goal: 3/2

Saves: 4/1

Corner Kicks: 12/2

Fouls: 10/9

Offside: 1/1

The latest Soccer City radio show — presented by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers — served multiple purposes Saturday.

First, there was plenty to preview with Louisville City FC coming off its 1-1 draw with Indy Eleven, seeing its midweek contest with Sporting KC II postponed and now entering a matchup with visiting Loudoun United FC.

Host Lance McGarvey, who was joined at Lynn Family Stadium by Casey Whitfield and Kevin Kernen, also spent time with the recently announced coach for Racing Louisville FC, the NWSL’s 2021 expansion franchise.

Catch Soccer City live from 9-10 a.m. each Saturday on AM 790 WKRD or via the iHeartRadio app. Saturday’s edition can be heard below:

Entering Saturday, Louisville City FC has 10 games left on its regular-season slate to climb up the USL Championship standings and into a playoff spot.

Says coach John Hackworth: the sense of urgency is “extremely high.”

Loudoun United FC comes to Lynn Family Stadium in what could be considered a must-win game for the chase to first place. The visitors aren’t within LouCity’s “Group E,” from which the top-two clubs make it to the postseason, but it’s a chance nonetheless to pick up a full three points.

The table…

Indy Eleven (5-2-1, 16 points)

Saint Louis FC (3-3-1, 10 points)

Sporting KC II (2-3-1, 7 points)

LouCity (2-3-1, 7 points)

“This group, our culture, is built around responsibility and accountability In terms of results, they haven’t gone the way we’ve wanted them to,” Hackworth said. “We have the opportunity right now to correct that, and we have the obligation to ourselves and to our fans and to our club because of what the standard is here.”

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 WMYO (My TV)/ESPN+ streaming call: Spencer Siegel (play by play) and Eric Dobrzanski (color).

And for AM 840 WHAS on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Louisville City FC enters Saturday’s matchup with Loudoun United FC, set for 8 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium, seeking its finishing touch.

The boys in purple rank second in the USL Championship in shots taken with 103 and fifth in the league with 2,922 passes attempted. Clearly, opportunities are there.

But having netted five goals in six games, that’s a 6% scoring conversion rate, 33rd-best of 35 teams in the league. So LouCity’s still looking to take advantage of all it is creating.

Meanwhile, opponents have capitalized well on the 46 shots taken against LouCity, converting at a 15% clip.

The boys in purple had some extra time to hone their striking this week, as LouCity was scheduled to play Sporting KC II on Wednesday. But a positive COVID-19 test for a covered member of SKC II’s organization forced postponement.

It’s on to Saturday now and a rare matchup outside of  USL Championship “Group E” play. Loudoun United FC notched its first victory of the season with a 2-1 decision Wednesday at New York Red Bulls II after an early red card put the visitors up a man most of the way.

A victory over Loudoun would mean three points toward LouCity’s playoff chase. In Group E, they’re all trying to catch Indy Eleven (5-2-1, 16 points), who played LouCity to a 1-1 draw last Saturday. Saint Louis FC (3-3-1, 10 points) is without a win in its last three games but remains second. Sporting KC II  and LouCity both enter the weekend 2-3-1 with 7 points.

The top-two Group E finishers going to the playoffs in October at the end of a 16-game season.

Coach John Hackworth says…

“We’re not anywhere close to where we want to be. That’s the reality. But that’s in results. There’s so many parts about how we’re playing and the level we’re playing in that are satisfying. That doesn’t get you any brownie points when you’re not getting the results. It certainly isn’t what the fans expect or need. It’s not what this club is about, so we have a lot of work to do in that regard.”

Key players

LouCity: Losses in LouCity’s attacking midfield led Napo Matsoso to a new role in the Indy Eleven game, when he shifted to the right wing. Matsoso’s third-minute cross to Devon “Speedy” Williams marked his first assist of the season, and the native of Lesotho continued to push the attach from there, pacing LouCity with three of what Opta statistics termed “good” crosses. Matsoso figures to see more time up top having completed 77.7% of his passes in Indy’s half.

Loudoun United FC: Kairou Amoustapha, a Niger international, registered his first assist Wednesday in what was just his second game with Loudon. Working on the wing, he has shown a knack for winning aerial battles while playing aggressively, also conceding three fouls against Red Bulls II. The 19-year-old boasts starting experience with his home country’s side in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017, tallying three goals and an assists in 406 minutes of international play.

Follow along

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 WMYO (My TV)/ESPN+ streaming call: Spencer Siegel (play by play) and Eric Dobrzanski (color).

And for AM 840 WHAS on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

Notes to know

The scoring load: LouCity has registered five goals in six games split between two players. Forward Cameron Lancaster has scored three, while midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams accounts for two. Williams headed in an early cross Saturday to give LouCity an early 1-0 lead over Indy Eleven before the clubs played to a draw. The Jamaican international also scored the first goal in Lynn Family Stadium history going back to a July 12 matchup with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

A few firsts: Last Saturday’s Indy Eleven meant new ground in 2020 for the boys in purple. They previously hadn’t played an opponent to a draw, nor had they carried a lead into halftime. Williams’ third-minute score — tapped in after midfielder Napo Matsoso secured possession on a sliding challenge — was also the earliest LouCity has scored a goal in a game this season.

Johnson sees the field: Forward Jason Johnson, another Jamaican who most recently suited up for the Western Conference’s Phoenix Rising, checked in Saturday for a LouCity debut. His 19 minutes off the bench marked his first action since an injury-riddled 2019 campaign. But two seasons ago, he tallied nine goals, including a soaring scissor kick that won USL Goal of the Month for June of 2018.

The right side of history: In 2019, coach John Hackworth’s first full season leading LouCity, the boys in purple also limped into August, fighting for a playoff spot off consecutive losses to end July. Can they similarly turn things around in 2020? August 2019 began a 10-game unbeaten streak for the club, which earned points in 12 of its final 13 games. That sparked a run back to LouCity’s third straight USL Championship Final appearance.

JoGo gets a start: Youth international Jonathan Gomez, who has represented both the United States and Mexico, logged 26 minutes across his first two LouCity appearances upon the USL’s restart. The 16-year-old left back then found his way into a starting role on July 29, the last time Sporting KC II visited. Gomez was unable to clear a ball into the box leading to the visitors’ initial goal but was otherwise solid in his first start on a professional contract, completing 90% of his passes from the left back spot.

Minus Magnus: LouCity and its leading scorer from last season, midfielder Magnus Rasmussen, agreed effective July 31 to terminate their contract. Rasmussen and his wife, Camilla, last month welcomed new daughter Olivia to their family in Denmark, where he will remain amid the COVID-19 pandemic. LouCity’s technical staff plans to re-sign Rasmussen for 2021 after he poured in 13 regular-season goals and four more in the playoffs in 2019.

In the stands: LouCity’s attendance of 4,850 (about 30% of maximum capacity) in its first five games back have marked the highest number of people to attend team sporting events in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic put sports on pause. Club officials are following local government guidance and the Venue Shield plan devised by stadium operator ASM Global that calls for wearing masks in the building, physical distancing and temperature checks, among other measures to keep fans safe.