By Andrew Bell
Louisville City FC drew Indy Eleven, 1-1, on Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium in a physical, rivalry-charged matchup. Sporting a new three-back look, LouCity seemed to come out flat against Indy, conceding in the 22nd minute when Eleven midfielder Nicky Law put in a cross from the left side of the box that met the head of forward Stefano Pinho. After LouCity reverted to its more familiar four-back look and gained momentum early in the second half, Corben Bone whipped in a 53rd-minute corner, and Sean Totsch smacked in the half volley to equalize.
LouCity came into the match having started 3-0 on the season, with each of those victories in clean sheet fashion. On the other hand, Indy Eleven got out of the gate slowly with two losses and had yet to score.
But LouCity’s quick turnaround from Wednesday’s win at New York Red Bulls II may have leveled the playing field a bit. The visitors had a full week to prepare, even if they were missing a few key pieces due to injury and international call ups.
Still, three points were there for the taking for the boys in purple, particularly thanks to an 83rd-minute sequence on another corner. Bone curled another into the box, and Paolo DelPiccolo — making his 200th USL Championship appearance — appeared to have smuggled the ball over the line. But the appeal wasn’t given, and Indy managed a clearance.
“We were in a little bit of a different shape,” Head Coach Danny Cruz said after the game. “That starts and ends with me. I made a mistake, especially on the short turnaround coming from New York. I take responsibility for that. I thought when we changed back to our normal shape, the players adapted really well.
“…We obviously scouted Indy as best as we could from two games. Both games, they played against three in the back systems, and they struggled with it. We were comfortable with it with the personnel we had available — obviously a lot of injuries at the moment — and thought we could exploit some spaces, especially in the middle third getting into the final third.
“I’m not one to sit on the bench and feel sorry. It’s, ‘All right. We’ll make a change.’ It was seamless in terms of guys’ new roles and responsibilities. Then at halftime, we make a change to bring Paolo on the field. I just felt we needed a bit more bite and quality in the final third of the field. All in all, we’re certainly not happy with a point here at Lynn, but given the week we’ve had, we’ll take one.”
Veteran vigor
AlthoughLouCity’s new signings have played big roles in the team’s positive start to the season, the veteran players led City in salvaging a point. Despite only getting on for a half, the club captain DelPiccolo registered two shots — both coming from within the box — and 11 passes into the final third.
Sean Totsch, an All-League First Team defender for two seasons running, boosted his side offensively from a center back role. Along with netting LouCity’s lone goal, Totsch had 15 passes into the final third, and both of his shots were on target.
“Watching that second half and being a part of it, you could see that it was the team that you expect on this field,” said Totsch. “It was great to really show ourselves in the second half.”
Third-year City vet Corben Bone floated in both of LouCity’s biggest chances of the game in the form of corner kicks and contributed two interceptions, two clearances, and won the ball seven times throughout the game.
“In the second half, we had a good response,” Bone stated. “I think we wasted the first half. It’s all about mentality, no matter who’s on the field or what formation we play.”
What we learned
LouCity’s second half response warrants praise, but City’s first half gave the boys in purple more work to do. Indy Eleven was allowed four shots inside the box and limited City to just .20 expected goals in the first 45 minutes — both a star contrast to the club’s prior three games.
City maximized on its allotment of corner kicks (nine to Indy’s one) and the wide parts of the pitch. LouCity’s 30 crosses were not rewarded against Indy, but creating that many chances is bound to pay off in future games.
Additionally, LouCity’s sub-par finishing on the night may just come down to having already played two games in a week, with one of those away, and lacking fresh legs up front. The draw provides City with more concepts to polish in the coming weeks along with film to review in a three-back set.
“We created a lot of opportunities,” Cruz said. “I’m not sitting here happy (with one point) but I am sitting here proud of the week and how we’ve managed it.”
