By Chris Mattingly
With the 2023 USL Championship season drawing to an end, Louisville City FC found a way to pull out three points Saturday night — that way being defender Oscar Jimenez.
Jimenez scored a stoppage-time volley to break a 1-1 tie with Oakland Roots SC, marking his first goal since helping LouCity make another dramatic comeback in October of 2021 against Sporting KC II.
The 98th-minute strike continued a resurgence for Jimenez, a 33-year-old who signed with City in 2017. He has lifted every trophy this club has raised, but a series of injury setbacks shuffled the veteran’s playing time in recent seasons. Jimenez, though, has started each of the last six games, helping the boys in purple take points from five of them.
“I’m just so happy for the guy,” smiling teammate Brian Ownby said of Jimenez after Saturday’s final whistle. “He’s top class — in and out of the lineup this year, works his butt off in practice, doesn’t sulk or anything. For him to get a chance like that to win it for us — I mean, we both came here at the same time in 2017.
“I’m so pumped for him, and that just shows you who he is. He’s clinical, and I’m just glad he got it for us tonight.”
Jimenez continues to rank behind only Ownby on LouCity’s all-time assist list. He nearly added to his tally when crossing into the box in first half stoppage time. A goal originally given was later taken away due to a City foul before the restart.
Ownby came on as a substitute to equalize for LouCity in the 71st minute before Jimenez’s rocketed game winner courtesy of a ball over the top from Tyler Gibson.
“Honestly I don’t score very many goals, so it’s such a cool feeling,” Jimenez said. “It’s the best feeling you have when you’re a kid and you’re playing soccer on the street or with some friends. You score a goal that’s the happiest moment ever. So to get one, especially on a 1-1 right now to win the game, oh my gosh — what a moment.”
As LouCity hunted a second goal, Jimenez had a saying in the back of his mind: “Siempre hay una ultima oportunidad,” he said. It translates to, “There’s always one last chance.”
That mindset fits LouCity’s position with eight games to go until the USL Championship Playoffs. With Saturday’s win, the boys in purple broke back into the top four — the cutoff to land home-field advantage in a postseason opener — and sit 11 points off Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
“It’s all about momentum now, and obviously a tie is not the same as a win and a loss is definitely not the same,” Jimenez said. “Picking up a win is huge especially because the table is so tight.”