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Louisville City opens Wasatch Cup with a bang

A brace in the first 22 minutes from Cameron Lancaster helped Louisville City FC win its first game of the 2020 Wasatch Cup Sunday night in Herriman, Utah. With Lancaster’s two goals and a final goal from Abdou Mback Thiam in the 90′, LouCity beat the Colorado Springs Switchbacks 3-0.

Louisville City started the match with Chris Hubbard in goal, a back line of Akil Watts, Sean Totsch, Jimmy Ockford, and Oscar JImenez, Speedy Williams, Napo Matsoso and Magnus Rasmussen in the midfield with Corben Bone, Brian Ownby and Cameron Lancaster at forwards.

In the 9′, Lancaster, on loan from Nashville SC of MLS, took a pass from Magnus Rasmussen, turned and slotted it into the lower right corner of the goal past a diving attempt at a save by Switchbacks keeper Sean Melvin.

Lancaster’s second goal came on a nifty series of passes from Bone to Ownby to Lancaster for the goal in the 22′.

The Switchbacks are coached by a familiar face in former FC Cincinnati coach Alan Koch. Fired just 11 games into FCC’s first MLS season last year, Koch had been a successful coach at the USL Championship level. Koch said he was looking to test his club against the best and with LouCity and Real Monarchs on the slate, he’ll get that test. LouCity and Ream Monarchs were two teams that played for the USL Championship Final last season.

LouCity led 2-0 at the half after Lancaster’s goals, but it could have easily been more. Lancaster appeared to score a goal in the 10′, but it was called off due to offside. Then in the 25′ and 27′ Bone had a pair of shots on goal.

A final shot on goal for Lancaster, this time in the 56′, was a narrow miss for a hat trick.

After a nearly full line change in the 61′, Louisville City finished the match with Ben Lundt in goal, Alexis Souahy, and Pat McMahon along the back line, Napo Matsoso, Paolo DelPiccolo, and Niall McCabe in the middle with George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot and Abdou Thiam upfront. Trialists Cory Thomas, a defender who recently graduated from Indiana University, and Wesley Charpie, a 27-year-old defender from Tarpon Springs, Fla., who played last season at Memphis 901 FC, also checked into the match in the 61′.

Up next in the Wasatch Cup, Louisville City will face Union Omaha from USL League One Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET. The game will not be streamed.

Louisville City’s final game in Utah will be Saturday at 11 a.m. vs. the host Real Monarchs. The Wasatch Cup will use a group table format to determine the champion. Teams will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. Goal differential and then greatest number of total goals will be used as the tiebreaker in the event of two or more teams having the same amount of points.

After the first round of games, Louisville City leads the table with three points, followed by Union Omaha and Real Monarchs with one point apiece.

After returning home from Utah, Louisville City will have a pair of preseason matches left before opening its USL Championship schedule on March 7 at North Carolina FC. The Boys in Purple will open Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, April 11 vs. Birmingham Legion in a nationally televised match.

LouCity’s current roster, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (3): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt, Muamer Ugarak
Defenders (6): Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Jimmy Ockford, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (7): Corben Bone, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams, Elijah Wynder
Forwards (6): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Cameron Lancaster, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam

WASATCH CUP SCHEDULE:

February 16 – Real Monarchs- 0, Union Omaha- 0

Louisville City FC- 3, Switchbacks FC- 0,

February 19 – Real Monarchs v. Switchbacks FC – Noon ET

Union Omaha v. Louisville City FC – 3:00p ET

February 22 – Real Monarchs v. Louisville City FC – 11:00a ET (streamed)

Union Omaha v. Switchbacks FC – 1:30p ET

LouCity falls 1-3 in Game 2 of Academy Cup

SUNDAY, FEB. 16, 2020 – After beating Pittsburgh 7-2 in its first-ever Academy Cup match Friday night, Louisville City Football Club’s U17 Academy Cup team fell 1-3 to S. Georgia Tormenta Sunday morning.

LouCity’s youngest future star Josh Wynder put the Boys in Purple on the board first with a screamer in the right off the bat. With a 1-0 lead in the 1′, Louisville City appeared to be on the way to another win, but Tormenta came back.

Tormenta netted goals in the 16′, the 21′ and the 37′ to go into half up 3-1. The score stayed the same throughout the second half as LouCity tried to find a goal to put pressure on Tormenta.

LouCity will play FC Miami City Monday night before returning home to Louisville.

The USL Academy program was founded in 2019 specifically for the 2020 USL Academy Cup. All of the young men on the Academy Cup roster train independently with their club and high school teams and have come together to train weekly as a team for Louisville City as well.

The Louisville City Academy Cup roster consists of 17 young players from all over Kentucky. Louisville City’s first Academy Cup roster features teens from Louisville, Shelbyville, Versailles, and Bowling Green.

LouCity’s Academy Cup team, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (2): Clayton Brooks, John Jeffus

Defenders (6): Anthony Cano, Owen Damm, Kuker Nodler, Sebastian Sanchez, Patrick Walz, Josh Wynder

Midfielders (5): Damir Beganovic, Carlos Moguel Jr, Brendan Schonwetter, Nate Traughber, Elijah Wynder

Forwards (4): Dino Hodzic, Eyob McFarland, Zach Schonwetter, Eldin Velic

LouCity prepared for Wasatch Cup challenge in Utah

Louisville City FC has arrived in Utah for the next leg of its 2020 preseason training tour. LouCity is one of four teams participating in the second-annual Wasatch Cup hosted by Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman, Utah.

The 2020 Wasatch Cup will consist of the final two teams in the USL Championship Playoffs: Louisville City and Real Monarchs, as well as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks from USL Championship and Union Omaha of USL League One.

“The training center for Real Salt Lake and the Monarchs is fantastic, but the most important aspect of our Utah trip will be playing USL opponents in meaningful matches,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “It’s still preseason, but anytime you can play in a competition with a trophy and title on the line, it adds another level of importance to the competition”

The event runs Sunday through Saturday with each club playing three matches. Louisville City will face the Switchbacks on Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. MT) and Union Omaha on Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. MT). The match with the Monarchs, a rematch of the 2019 USL Championship Title game, will be played at 11 a.m. ET (9 a.m. MT) on Feb. 22.

The Wasatch Cup will use a group table format to determine the champion. Teams will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. Goal differential and then greatest number of total goals will be used as the tiebreaker in the event of two or more teams having the same amount of points. All matchdays will be double-headers and are scheduled to be played inside the Zions Bank Training Center which boasts over 200,000 sq. feet of playing surface across two fields.

Teams will be allowed unlimited substitutions with no re-entry in each match. LouCity will bring 23 players to Utah for the Wasatch Cup. Academy signee Elijah Wynder is in Florida for the USL Academy Cup, and the club will be evaluating a pair of trialists – defender Cory Thomas, a star at Indiana University from Corydon, Indiana, and Wesley Charpie, a 27-year-old defender from Tarpon Springs, Fla., who played last season at Memphis 901 FC. Coach’s son, Larsen Hackworth, also joined the team for the trip to Utah.

Louisville City began its 2020 preseason schedule with a week of training in Louisville before departing for IMG Academy in Florida. The club played a pair of matches against MLS clubs D.C. United and Nashville SC, before coming back to Louisville on Monday.

Louisville City will open its USL Championship schedule on March 7 at North Carolina FC. The Boys in Purple will open Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, April 11 vs. Birmingham Legion in a nationally televised match.

LouCity’s current roster, listed alphabetically by position:

WASATCH CUP SCHEDULE:

February 16 – Real Monarchs v. Union Omaha – 7:00p ET

Switchbacks FC v. Louisville City FC – 9:00p ET

February 19 – Real Monarchs v. Switchbacks FC – Noon ET

Union Omaha v. Louisville City FC – 3:00p ET

February 22 – Real Monarchs v. Louisville City FC – 11:00a ET (streamed)

Union Omaha v. Switchbacks FC – 1:30p ET

LouCity wins first Academy Cup match 7-2 over Pittsburgh

FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2020 – Louisville City Football Club’s U17 Academy Cup team won its first-ever match Friday night, crushing the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy 7-2 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

“This was a great team win,” Louisville City Director of Youth Development Mario Sanchez said on Soccer City Radio on 790 KRD. “We didn’t really know what to expect given this was our first game and the weather conditions, but we were really happy with our performance. Once we got our footing and starting to play our game, we played at a high level.”

Anthony Cano goes down in the history books as the first official goal scorer for Louisville City’s Academy Cup team after he scored in the 20′. Pittsburgh struck back with an equalizer fairly quickly, but LouCity pulled ahead 2-1 on a 37′ goal by Eyob McFarland.

Louisville City pushed the lead to 3-1 on a goal by Carlos Moguel and then 4-1 on a goal by Eldin Velic in the 53′. Moguel’s free kick goal drew rave reviews when the video was posted on the @LouCityAcademy Twitter account.

“Carlos’ goal on the free kick was really impressive, but we almost expect that from him at this point,” Sanchez said. “I have known Carlos for a long time and his talent on those kinds of kicks. He’s a tremendously talented young man who works hard and loves the game of soccer.

But the scoring didn’t stop there. Nate Traughber scored in the 65′ to put Louisville City up 5-1, and Damir Beganovic picked up a goal on a deflection in the 69′. Louisville City’s final goal came from Zach Schonwetter in the 82′, and Pittsburgh netted a second goal in the final minutes.

“Saturday we get to see the Union play Inter Miami and then we’ll play Tormenta Sunday afternoon,” Sanchez said. “Tormenta and Miami were playing on the field behind us so I was trying to get a glimpse of their game while ours was going on.”

Tormenta and FC Miami City tied 2-2 Friday night. LouCity will play Tormenta Sunday and FC Miami City Monday night.

LouCity’s Academy Cup team, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (2): Clayton Brooks, John Jeffus

Defenders (6): Anthony Cano, Owen Damm, Kuker Nodler, Sebastian Sanchez, Patrick Walz, Josh Wynder

Midfielders (5): Damir Beganovic, Carlos Moguel Jr, Brendan Schonwetter, Nate Traughber, Elijah Wynder

Forwards (4): Dino Hodzic, Eyob McFarland, Zach Schonwetter, Eldin Velic

LouCity's Academy Cup team heads to Florida

Louisville City Football Club’s first-ever Academy Cup team flew to Florida Thursday to compete in the USL Academy Cup’s Eastern Conference event set for Friday through Sunday at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

Louisville City is one of 33 clubs competing in this year’s Academy Cup. The USL Academy Cup has two age groups, the U17s and the U13s. Louisville City will be fielding a team of local All-Star soccer players in the U17 division.

“Our roster for the inaugural USL Academy Cup is a great representation of Kentucky Youth Soccer,” Louisville City Director of Youth Development Mario Sanchez said.

Louisville City will take on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Friday night at 7 p.m. on the PSC Field 1. LouCity will play South Georgia Tormenta FC Sunday at 10 a.m. on PSC Field 2, and close out their schedule with a Monday night showdown vs. FC Miami City at 8 p.m. on Field 1.

Other teams in the USL Academy Cup Eastern Conference event include North Carolina, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Charlotte Independence, Weston FC, Cedar Stars Rush, Colorado Pride Switchbacks, Boston Volts, and Chicago FC United.

Click here to see the full schedule and follow match results.

LouCity’s current Academy Cup roster, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (2): Clayton Brooks, John Jeffus

Defenders (6): Anthony Cano, Owen Damm, Kuker Nodler, Sebastian Sanchez, Patrick Walz, Josh Wynder

Midfielders (5): Damir Beganovic, Carlos Moguel Jr, Brendan Schonwetter, Nate Traughber, Elijah Wynder

Forwards (4): Dino Hodzic, Eyob McFarland, Zach Schonwetter, Eldin Velic

Louisville City announces first Academy Cup team

MONDAY, FEB. 10, 2020 – Louisville City Football Club announced the roster of 17 local players for the first-ever USL Academy Cup Monday. Louisville City will be one of 33 USL clubs competing in the new USL Academy Cup. The Eastern Conference event set for February 14-17 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

“Our roster for the inaugural USL Academy Cup is a great representation of Kentucky Youth Soccer,” Louisville City Director of Youth Development Mario Sanchez said. “Over the last eight months we have had over 70 kids invited to our training sessions to be evaluated for this team. This group of young men who have been selected for the team have proven their ability and desire to compete at an elite level. This event is a very important first step as we continue to build a pathway for youth players to our pro team. We hope to see some of these young men representing Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium in the future.”

The Louisville City Academy Cup roster consists of 17 young players from all over Kentucky. The 2020 USL Academy Cup features U-13 and U-17 age groups. Louisville City will be participating in the U-17 age group.

“We are very excited to have this group of players represent us at the USL Academy Cup,” Louisville City Executive Vice President of Development James O’Connor said. “Mario has done a great job of welcoming and mixing the players who come from many different teams in the area. We are grateful to all the local teams and soccer community who have supported us in giving the players this wonderful opportunity.”

Louisville City’s first Academy Cup roster features teens from Louisville, Shelbyville, Versailles, and Bowling Green.

Defender Sebastian Sanchez and Forward Dino Hodzic both attend Ballard High School in Louisville. John Jeffus (GK) and Elijah Wynder (MF) are Region 7 soccer champions from Louisville Collegiate School. Josh Wynder will join his older brother, Elijah, on the roster to compete at the 2020 USL Academy Cup.

Four young men on the LouCity academy roster come from Kentucky Country Day. Midfielder Nate Traughber, forward Eyob McFarland, and twins Brendan (MF) and Zach (F) Schonwetter helped Kentucky Country Day win their District in 2018.

Goalkeeper Clayton Brooks and defender Patrick Walz from 14-time State Champion Saint Xavier High School, and Kuker Nodler, a Liberia native who is a defender from Louisville’s Atherton High School, round out the Louisville contingent on the roster.

Midfielder Carlos Moguel Jr from Martha Layne Collins High School in Shelbyville is an all-state soccer player and kicker on his football team. Versailles’ Owen Damm plays for Woodford County High School.

Three players on the LouCity academy roster come from Bowling Green. Defender Marcus Anthony Cano and forward Eldin Velic both attend South Warren, and Damir Beganovic is a midfielder from Warren Central High.

LouCity’s current Academy Cup team, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (2): Clayton Brooks, John Jeffus

Defenders (6): Anthony Cano, Owen Damm, Kuker Nodler, Sebastian Sanchez, Patrick Walz, Josh Wynder

Midfielders (5): Damir Beganovic, Carlos Moguel Jr, Brendan Schonwetter, Nate Traughber, Elijah Wynder

Forwards (4): Dino Hodzic, Eyob McFarland, Zach Schonwetter, Eldin Velic

LouCity completes IMG portion of training camp

Louisville City wrapped up its 10-day trip to IMG Academy with a preseason scrimmage vs. a second MLS club Sunday. LouCity coach John Hackworth reviewed his team’s performance in Florida as they prepare for the 2020 season.

“We played two MLS opponents who both played really contrasting styles,” Hackworth said after Sunday’s match vs. Nashville SC. “I think that is very good for us. We definitely corrected some aspects of what we did against D.C. United here today and that showed, specifically our re-press. Some of our reactions today were excellent at the end of the first and beginning of the second half. And those are some things we can build on.”

Hackworth would have liked to collect wins over the MLS teams they played in Florida, but the focus was preparing for the season. Hackworth and the LouCity players will return to Louisville Monday.

“Outside of the results I feel good about it,” Hackworth said. “Guys are taking to our game and how we want to play, that’s been excellent. At the same time, it’s tough to lose a game on the last day you are down here because you have a bitter taste in your mouth.”

Louisville City had a very different lineup to start the match against Nashville than it did vs. D.C. United. Ben Lundt started in goal with Oscar Jimenez, Alexis Souahy, Jimmy Ockford, and Akil Watts along the back. Corben Bone, Speedy Williams, and Napo Matsoso started in midfield and Brian Ownby, Abdou Mbacke Thiam, and George Davis IV started at forward. Only Jimenez, Ockford, and Williams started both matches for LouCity.

“We started nine new players today so nearly every player we brought to camp was able to start a game down here,” Hackworth said. “I feel like the group as a whole has the ability to play at a really high level. Camp has been great in that regard because we have had a lot of competition. That makes it tough on the coaching staff, but as we go into these next couple of weeks we’ll need to make sure we understand everybody’s role. We need to start getting a little more collective about ideas. We are going to Utah to play in a tournament so we want to not only play well but also get the result.”

Hackworth termed Sunday’s result 1-4 frustrating. Louisville City gave up a goal in the 3’ by Randall Leal and another 12 minutes later from Daniel Rios. LouCity’s Abdou Mbacke Thiam scored LouCity’s first goal of the 2020 season in the 30’ of the first half, and LouCity trailed 2-1 at the half.

“It was an interesting performance,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “We gave up the two goals early, but we were playing pretty well. You just can’t give any team in any league a two-goal lead. I loved our response, we played some beautiful football.”

“We got one back as a direct result of our pressure. We took advantage of a mistake by Nashville. We went into halftime at 2-1 and I felt like we had played excellently at times. The second half started the same way and I really thought we were going to find a second goal, and yet we never really put them in danger in that second half.”

Louisville City will be in Louisville for a few days before flying to Utah for the Wasatch Cup, a three-game round-robin tournament vs. the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Union Omaha, and Real Monarchs.

Game Day: LouCity set to challenge Nashville Sunday

SUNDAY, FEB. 9, 2020 – LouCity will take on its second preseason opponent today, playing Nashville SC from the MLS at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

For Louisville City, Sunday’s match will be its second preseason test and it’s second against MLS competition. LouCity fell 1-0 to D.C. United on Thursday. Louisville City coach John Hackworth was encouraged by much of what he saw vs. D.C., but he’d like to see Louisville City finish more chances.

“Overall, I was pleased with the way we tried to play,” Hackworth said. “I felt like we created some good opportunities there, but we probably should have finished a couple of chances. We certainly have some things to work on, but, again, from a perspective of this being our first opponent, the first time you are going against somebody? I’m pretty pleased.”

Sunday will be an interesting match for new LouCity forward Cameron Lancaster who is on loan from Nashville SC this season. Lancaster won the USL Championship’s Golden Boot in 2018 and then signed with Nashville MLS after that season. He was loaned to Louisville City on Thursday.

Nashville moved to the MLS after playing USL Championship last season. Nashville was second in the Eastern Conference in the regular season last year but fell 1-0 to third-place Indy Eleven in the Conference Semifinals. Indy was eliminated in the next round by Louisville City.

After the 2019 season, Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith appointed added assistants Steve Guppy and Brett Jacobs along with goalkeeper coach Matt Pickens to his technical staff.

This will be Nashville SC’s third preseason game after the club fell 2-3 to the Chicago Fire on Thursday at the Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay. On February 1, Nashville SC played a preseason scrimmage against the Swedish side IF Elfsborg at IMG. The game ended with a scoreless draw.

General Manager Mike Jacobs is excited about the season to come.

“I can tell you I’m very happy to hand this group over to [Head Coach] Gary [Smith] and have him now manage them and put them on the field together,” Jacobs said. “We’ve talked all along about not trying to build this for January preseason; we’re trying to build this as a sustainable model that’s going to keep going. I do feel that the group of guys we have now not only can contribute in the MLS but a goal for our group is to be comparable to other teams in our league. Whether it’s different than other expansion teams recently or any other team you compare to, I’d like to think our group right now is comparable to other teams you’ll see in MLS.”

Returning from the 2019 campaign are six players: Daniel Ríos, Cameron Lancaster, Ken Tribbett, Taylor Washington, Matt LaGrassa, Alan Winn,

Gaining a total of 18 new players for the 2020 roster, Nashville acquired 13 new players from other teams: Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union), David Accam (Columbus Crew), Aníbal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Brayan Beckeles (CD Olimpia), Miguel Nazarit (Once Caldes), Dave Romney (LA Galaxy), Adrían Zendejas (Sporting Kansas City), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), Tah Brian Anuga (Charleston Battery), Randall Leal (Deportivo Saprissa), Dominique Badji (FC Dallas) and Hany Mukhtar (Brøndby IF). Nashville also received four more players from the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft: Jimmy Medranda (Sporting Kansas City), Joe Willis (Houston Dynamo), Abu Danladi (Minnesota United), and Jalil Anibaba (New England Revolution). Eric Miller also joined the roster from New York City FC after being selected in Stage 1 of the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

In the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Nashville SC selected six college players: defender Jack Maher, defender Alistair Johnston, goalkeeper Elliot Panicco, midfielder Tanner Dieterich, forward Shak Adams, and midfielder Luke Haakenson.

The predicted starting line up for LouCitys match against Nashville SC is GK Joe Willis, D Eric Miller, D Dave Romney, D Jalil Anibaba, D Dan Lovitz, M Hany Mukhtar, M Aníbal Godoy, M Alan Winn, M Dax McCarty, M Abu Danladi, F Dominique Badji

LouCity’s 2020 roster, listed alphabetically by position:

Louisville City announces final two preseason matches

FRIDAY, FEB. 7, 2020 – Louisville City Football Club announced the final two preseason matches of 2020 Friday, confirming a friendly with Forward Madison of USL League One and a matchup with the University of Kentucky.

After making the USL Championship Final for the third-straight season in 2019, Louisville City coach John Hackworth put together a challenging preseason schedule which consists of training games in Florida vs. D.C. United and Nashville SC, a trio of games in Utah and two more preseason matches once the team returns to Kentucky.

LouCity opened its preseason with yesterday’s test vs. D.C. United. On Sunday, the Boys in Purple will take the field vs. Nashville SC at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. After returning home to Louisville on Feb. 10, Louisville City will travel to Utah on Feb. 14 in preparation for the 2020 Wasatch Cup.

In the Wasatch Cup, Louisville City will face the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. EST, Union Omaha from USL League One on Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. EST, and the Real Monarchs on Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. EST.

“The training center for Real Salt Lake and the Monarchs is fantastic, but the most important aspect of our Utah trip will be playing USL opponents in meaningful matches,” Hackworth said. “It’s still preseason, but anytime you can play in a competition with a trophy and title on the line, it adds another level of importance to the competition”

Louisville City will return to Kentucky to host USL League One’s Forward Madison at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Louisville City Training Grounds at Thurman-Hutchins Park. The Feb. 29 match vs. Kentucky will kick off at 5 p.m. at the University of Kentucky’s Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.

Louisville City’s first U.S. Open Cup game will be April 7 at 7 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium. Louisville City will host the winner of Nashville United and Cleveland SC (NPSL). LouCity will open its USL Championship slate on Saturday, April 11 vs. Birmingham Legion.

UPCOMING PRESEASON SCHEDULE :

Feb. 6 vs. DC United DiMaggio Complex, Clearwater, Fla. 0-1

Feb. 9 vs. Nashville SC IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. 4 pm

Feb. 16 vs. Switchbacks FC Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah 9 pm

Feb. 19 vs. Union Omaha Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah 3 pm

Feb. 22 vs. Real Monarchs Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah 11 am

Feb. 25 vs. Forward Madison Thurman-Hutchins Park, Louisville 3 p.m.

Feb. 29 vs. Univ. of Kentucky Bell Soccer Complex 5 p.m.

Hackworth reviews progress after preseason match vs. DC United

THURSDAY, FEB. 6, CLEARWATER, FL — Louisville City took the field for its first preseason match of the season Thursday, falling to D.C. United of the MLS 1-0 at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater, Fla.

The match was knotted at 0-0 at the half after a save by LouCity goalkeeper Chris Hubbard in the 37′. Louisville City made wholesale substitutions for the second half and eventually gave up a goal in the 70′ to D.C. United’s Michael Gamble.

“Diesel (Hubbard) made a good save on a PK and that was a good moment,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “I really liked the way we tried to play in our build-up in both halves. I thought that was really good. We had Napo at the six in the second half and there were some bright spots there. It was good to test ourselves against a quality opponent, and now we can go back and evaluate and work on some things that we clearly need to get better on in the details.”

The training game was the first time Louisville City’s new lineup played an opponent this year while D.C. United was playing in its third preseason match.

“I think we were a little unlucky to lose that game to be fair,” Hackworth said. “D.C. is a very good team and it was our first preseason game. They presented us with some problems. Overall, I was pleased with the way we tried to play. I felt like we created some good opportunities there, but we probably should have finished a couple of chances. We certainly have some things to work on, but, again, from a perspective of this being our first opponent, the first time you are going against somebody? I’m pretty pleased.”

Louisville City started the match with Hubbard in goal along with Oscar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Jimmy Ockford, and Pat McMahon along the backline. Captain Paolo DelPiccolo, Speedy Williams and Magnus Rasmussen started in the midfield, and Niall McCabe, Luke Spencer, and Antoine Hoppenot started at forwards.

That group held D.C. United scoreless through the first half. Newly signed forward Cameron Lancaster came on near the end of the first half and played throughout the second half, notching a pair of shots on goal. He was joined by an all-new group of LouCity players in the second half.

“It was good for Cam and to see him get some added minutes was good for him on a personal level,” Hackworth said. “It’s great to have him back.”

Lancaster, the 2018 Golden Boot Award winner, was announced as a loan from Nashville SC Thursday morning. He helped Louisville City win a pair of USL Championship Titles before signing a deal with Nashville MLS after the 2018 season.

Louisville City will return to training with two sessions Friday and a pair of sessions Saturday before taking the field vs. Nashville SC Sunday afternoon at IMG Academy.

Louisville City opens Wasatch Cup with a bang

LouCity falls 1-3 in Game 2 of Academy Cup

LouCity prepared for Wasatch Cup challenge in Utah

LouCity wins first Academy Cup match 7-2 over Pittsburgh

LouCity's Academy Cup team heads to Florida

Louisville City announces first Academy Cup team

LouCity completes IMG portion of training camp

Game Day: LouCity set to challenge Nashville Sunday

Louisville City announces final two preseason matches

UPCOMING PRESEASON SCHEDULE :

Hackworth reviews progress after preseason match vs. DC United

Louisville City FC: established 2015

LouCity has solidified itself as the nation’s premier second-division soccer club since launching less than a decade ago. Back-to-back USL Championship title winners in 2017 and 2018, the boys in purple call home state-of-the-art Lynn Family Stadium.

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UPCOMING PRESEASON SCHEDULE :

Louisville City FC: established 2015

LouCity has solidified itself as the nation’s premier second-division soccer club since launching less than a decade ago. Back-to-back USL Championship title winners in 2017 and 2018, the boys in purple call home state-of-the-art Lynn Family Stadium.

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