Louisville City FC starts a busy stretch, with three games in seven days, at 5 p.m. Sunday against Bethlehem Steel FC, another club in a playoff position.
Here’s what to watch for…
Tune In
TV: WMYO-TV will air the game live and in high definition locally.
Radio: TJ Walker (play-by-play) and Jeff Milby (color commentary) have the call on NewsRadio 840 WHAS, with pregame coverage starting at 4:45 p.m.
Streaming: Watch live via the USL Match Center or at www.loucity.com.
Follow Along
For Starting XI information and in-game updates, check us out on social media. It’s @loucityfc on Twitter, Louisville City FC on Facebook and louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Vote for the Modelo Man of the Match on Twitter starting in the 75th minute.
Links
• Confident Kaye on a roll for LouCity
• Videos: O’Connor, players preview Sunday’s game
• 1 on 1: McCabe speaks with Spectrum Sports
• ‘Our work is not done’ after record weekend
Notes
Eastern Conference race: LouCity (11-4-5, 38 points) returned to No. 2 spot off a 5-0 win last weekend over FC Cincinnati and holds three games in hand over the Eastern Conference-leading Charlotte Independence, who are five points up entering the weekend. After Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Charlotte, Bethlehem Steel FC (10-9-3, 33 points) sits sixth on the Eastern Conference table, looking to hold its playoff position.
About Bethlehem: Steel FC had won two straight before running into the Independence, led by top scorers Seku Conneh (seven goals) and James Chambers (five). Bethlehem has earned points in eight of its 12 home games. Seven of the team’s 29 goals have been generated from penalties. Goalkeeper Jake McGuire has five clean sheets in 13 appearances.
Series history: Saturday marks the first meeting between the clubs this year with the return game Friday, Sept. 15, at Slugger Field. In 2016, LouCity drew with Steel FC — affiliate of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union — before earning three points at home via a 1-0 win. Guy Abend scored on a 15th-minute free kick to make the difference.
LouCity on the rise: Attendance through nine LouCity home games at Slugger Field is averaging 9,281 after the boys in purple played to a capacity crowd of 13,812 last weekend — a club record. Amid the growth, ownership has announced plans to build a soccer-specific stadium in the Butchertown Neighborhood to open for the 2020 season.
Bouncing back strong: LouCity went into the FC Cincinnati game off a loss to Charlotte but continued a season-long trend in bouncing back from each defeat by winning next time out. It has been more than a year — since July 30, 2016 — that coach James O’Connor’s club dropped consecutive games across all competitions.
Spencer’s breakout season: Rarely used in his rookie season with FC Cincinnati, Luke Spencer has found a home in LouCity’s rotation. The striker was named USL Player of the Week after scoring a goal and registering two assists against his former club. The former first-round MLS SuperDraft pick leads his team with six goals this season.
Spreading around the scoring: Five players made it on the stat sheet with goals against FC Cincinnati, with Niall McCabe, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Richard Ballard and Sean Reynolds joining Spencer. While Spencer’s six goals top the scoring column for LouCity, the club hasn’t relied on one player. Cameron Lancaster has scored five goals, with Brian Ownby and George Davis IV both contributing four this season.
Ranjitsingh returns in goal: Greg Ranjitsingh, a backup since a 3-2 loss to FC Cincinnati back in July, made the most of another chance last weekend, making four saves in a shutout effort. Ranjitsingh continues to battle for playing time with Tim Dobrowolski, as the two have rotated between the pipes all season with not much separating them statistically. Dobrowolski has a 68.8 percent save success rate; Ranjitsingh’s is 66.7.
Totsch makes Team of the Week: Thanks to a lengthy cross to McCabe for a 16th-minute goal, Sean Totsch earned his first USL Team of the Week honor of the season. The defender also completed 80.7 percent of his passes and created two other scoring opportunities in the 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati.
McCabe’s moment: The Irishman, a third-year player for LouCity, got the scoring going when he headed in Totsch’s delivery. It marked the second goal in a comeback year for McCabe, who missed most of the second half of 2016 due to season-ending surgery. McCabe featured on the wing against Cincinnati next to Mark-Anthony Kaye with two key wingers out injured.
Injury report: Midfielders George Davis IV (knee tweak) and Brian Ownby (muscle strain) have received a clean bill of health to make their returns Sunday.
