As Louisville City FC poured in five goals Saturday night, striker Luke Spencer scored one and assisted two others. His favorite, though?
“Of course, mine,” Spencer said with a laugh, speaking of a headed corner just before the half of a 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati.
And that’s about as selfish as the Cincinnati native has been throughout a breakout campaign that has him leading LouCity in scoring with six goals.
A 6-foot-2 force around the net, Spencer excels with his back to the goal, holding up play for his teammates as he did before dishing to Mark-Anthony Kaye for a 57th-minute goal Saturday. He’s also more than capable on set pieces, skying for his own goal in first half stoppage time. Spencer was also on the break when tripped up by Cincinnati’s Sem de Wit, who was assessed a red card in the 36th minute, a major turning point in the win.
What the big guy doesn’t do much? Talk about himself.
“Nothing but positive things to say about him,” said midfielder Niall McCabe. “He comes into training, works as hard as anybody. He’s a good guy to have around the locker room, too.”
“Luke is someone — I’ve got so much respect for our guys and Luke in particular,” added coach James O’Connor. “He’s gone through so much. His character has come shining out this year.”
Spencer signed with LouCity out of the club’s January invitation tryout, not the type of event you’d expect to see a former Major League Soccer SuperDraft attend — especially a first-rounder. But after a record-setting career at Xavier University, Spencer suffered a knee injury that prevented him from signing with an MLS club.
A year later — after a stint with Xavier’s coaching staff — Spencer signed his first pro contract with FC Cincinnati, where he logged 64 minutes in 11 appearances. He’s found much more opportunity wearing purple and gold, with Saturday’s goal Spencer’s second in as many home games. He scored July 29 on another header just 41 seconds after brought on in a win over the New York Red Bulls II.
“For me he’s got such great ability and great talent,” O’Connor said. “He’s big. He’s strong. He’s quick. I touched on it when he scored his header against New York. He’s really strong — powerful in the air. But his attitude and his ability to be a team player has been one of the shining lights for us.”
Spencer’s six goals have come in seven starts and 15 appearances total. Also splitting time at forward are Cameron Lancaster (five goals) and Ilija Ilic (two).
“The three strikers – Ilija, Luke and Cam – I’ve used them a lot of times with our group and said that they’ve set an example of supporting each other,” O’Connor said, “because no matter which one of them actually plays, the other two are really pleased and really support. Obviously delighted for Luke against his old team to have such a strong performance. So it was fantastic for him and all his family.”
