Louisville City FC’s last preseason game of the year left the boys in purple plenty to learn.
St. Louis City SC — building a foundation toward its Major League Soccer launch in 2023 — got a 62nd-minute goal Saturday from Vitor Dias to defeat LouCity by a 1-0 score.
The sides met on a blustery afternoon at Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex in Missouri with LouCity a week out from its USL Championship opener. St. Louis City, meanwhile, has formed a team within the new MLS Next Pro development league before next year’s full club launch.
“The wind made for a really, really difficult game,” said LouCity coach Danny Cruz. “Goal kicks were going 15 yards. There were certainly some things we had to get through collectively. It didn’t make for a pretty soccer game, but sometimes, especially on the road in our conference, you’ve got to be able to win those games.
“I felt like we created a lot of chances in the first half — was really happy with that. In the second half, we lost the wind and it was difficult to get out (of our own half). We conceded a goal with the ball bouncing around and need to make a play on it — need to be better there.”
Saturday’s fixture marked LouCity’s fourth open preseason game against professional competition. Previously, the boys in purple defeated the USL Championship’s El Paso Locomotive FC before drawing at both Phoenix Rising FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
“Overall, I’m really proud of the group and how they’ve handled this preseason,” Cruz said. “I’m looking forward to getting home and playing on a great surface in front of our fans.”
The 34-game regular season opens March 12 when LouCity hosts Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium. Season and single-game tickets remain available at LouCity.com or by calling (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours.
