Louisville City FC out-shot, out-possessed and generally got the better of chances in Wednesday’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup showdown with FC Cincinnati. But the hosts brought some world-class talents off the bench leading up to their game-winning goal.
Working in transition, highly regarded Argentina international Luciano Acosta slipped a ball through the LouCity defense, and Alvaro Barreal provided the one-touch assist to Arquímides Ordóñez. It amounted to a 1-0 LouCity defeat largely against the run of play at TQL Stadium.
“Really encouraging performance from the group,” said City coach Danny Cruz despite the result. “We created a ton of chances — certainly missed chances that we need to finish. But I know for a fact that my guys left everything on the field.”
From the USL Championship, LouCity peppered 15 shots on its Major League Soccer opponent, putting 5 of them on target in the first meeting since 2019 between the Dirty River Derby rivals.
Forward Cameron Lancaster impressed with a particularly flashy first half. He saw a 12th-minute flick turned away, and a clever back heel on the follow up grazed top netting. Lancaster also pressed to win back possession in the 27th minute, caught the goalkeeper off his line and saw a chipped shot from distance sail just wide.
“All in all, I was really proud of the football that we played,” Cruz said. “I thought we created a lot of opportunities, and I’m the first to say when it’s not good enough. I don’t usually ever walk in here and try to pretend it’s better than it is.”
Cruz made seven changes from the weekend, when LouCity drew at first-place Eastern Conference side Charleston Battery in league play. Wednesday’s Third Round result both ended LouCity’s run at U.S. Soccer’s annual national championship and represented the second of three games in eight days.
It’s a short turnaround to Saturday’s trip to play at Memphis 901 FC, but the boys in purple will travel again with confidence after a close call against MLS competition.
“There were a lot more positives to take out of tonight than negatives,” said defender Sean Totsch. “It’s obviously disappointing. We take this rivalry very seriously. It’s a game we come in expecting to get a result.
“They’re a good team that started the season out really well, but we still take a lot of pride in this match. That’s a bit frustrating, especially the way it happened, but there are a lot of positives.”
As time slipped away in a scoreless game, FC Cincinnati — 5-0 at home this season — dug further into its bench. Defender Matt Matt Miazga (61st minute) and forward Brandon Vazquez (83rd minute) both came on days removed from U.S. national team call-ups.
But the second-division power LouCity continued to show its class. One-two combination play between Wilson Harris and Rasmus Thellufsen nearly created a late goal-scoring chance, and winger Ray Serrano narrowly missed from distance after an 84th-minute turnover in Cincinnati’s final third.
Seconds later, the orange and blue dealt their winning blow.
“We’re taking away that if we put in the performance, the effort and the enthusiasm that we had tonight, we’re going to be tough team to get points off,” Totsch said. “If we play we that kind of enthusiasm and spirit — that was a Louisville City team out there. I take a lot of pride in being part of the group out there in a tough atmosphere.”
Game Summary: FC Cincinnati vs. Louisville City FC
Date: April 26, 2023
Venue: TQL Stadium
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Weather: 60 degrees, mostly sunny
Scoring
FC Cincinnati (0, 1, 1)
Louisville City FC (0, 0, 0)
Goals
FC Cincinnati:
85’ Arquímides Ordóñez (Alvaro Barreal)
Lineups
FC Cincinnati: 1 — Alec Kann, 32 — Ian Murphy, 3 — Joey Akpunonu, 4 — Nick Hägglund (61’ 21 — Matt Miazga), 33 — Isaiah Foster (61’ 31 — Alvaro Barreal), 2 — Alvas Powell, 26 — Malik Pinto (90’+ 7 — Yuya Kubo), 37 — Stiven Jimenez (76’ 93 — Junior Moreno), 8 — Marco Angulo (76’ 10 — Luciano Acosta), 14 — Dominique Badji (83’ 19 — Brandon Vazquez), 29 — Arquímides Ordóñez
Subs not used: 36 — Evan Louro
Head coach: Pat Noonan
Louisville City FC: 1 — Kyle Morton, 19 — Oscar Jimenez (81’ 12 — Tyler Gibson), 6 — Wes Charpie (62’ 66 — Josh Wynder), 4 — Sean Totsch, 15 — Manny Perez (71’ 13 — Amadou Dia), 8 — Carlos Moguel Jr., 22 — Dylan Mares, 23 — Elijah Wynder, 77 — Enoch Mushagalusa, 5 — Rasmus Thellufsen (71’ 7 — Ray Serrano), 17 — Cameron Lancaster (62’ 14 — Wilson Harris)
Subs not used: 28 — Oliver Semmle, 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Stats Summary: FC Cincinnati / Louisville City FC
Shots: 7 / 15
Shots on Goal: 4 / 5
Possession: 45.8% / 54.2%
Fouls: 11 / 8
Offside: 7 / 1
Corner Kicks: 4 / 2
Discipline Summary
FC Cincinnati:
40’ Stiven Jimenez (yellow)
Referee: Calin Radosav
