By Andrew Bell
Louisville City FC defeated regional rival Indy Eleven 2-0 at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday in a game that saw the boys in purple bounce back from a three-game losing skid in front of more than 13,000 fans. On the night, LouCity’s offense seemed dangerous and its defense appeared impenetrable.
LouCity’s Elijah Wynder opened the scoring for his team in the 28th minute when Oscar Jimenez received the ball high on the right flank, then drove a low cross goalward where Wynder met it for a tap-in.
Cameron Lancaster added City’s cushion in the 65th minute after a pinpoint corner kick from Jimenez landed right to the Englishman, who maneuvered around his mark and nodded it home for his third goal of the season.
LouCity continued to hunt for more, leaving Indy Eleven little room to create offensive chances to get back into the game.
Indy Eleven traveled to Lynn Family Stadium unbeaten in three games, including a convincing midweek win over USL Championship Eastern Conference leader Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. With three points gained against the Eleven, City now sits fourth in the Eastern Conference on 32 points with a pair of games in hand on the Riverhounds.
“First and foremost, you could see the mentality from the group was up to the level that we expect of ourselves,” LouCity head coach Danny Cruz said after the win. “When you look at the game plan, I thought they executed it perfectly. They have a lot to be proud of with the performance tonight, but we have to build on it now.”
A freeing formation
While LouCity has typically lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, the recent addition of San Diego Loyal transfer Kyle Adams allowed Cruz to opt for a 3-4-3 against Indy Eleven. With three LouCity center backs — among them Adams — holding down defensive duties, wing backs Amadou Dia and Jimenez were given the liberty to advance without concern for conserving energy to track back.
In the usual four-back formation, if one outside back goes forward, the other will hang behind to balance the defense. In a 3-4-3 wing back system, both outside players are encouraged to join the front three and leave the opponent guessing as to which side the ball will be played through. Cruz’s squad executed this perfectly as Dia recorded numbered crosses and Jimenez sent in 13, created five chances, and contributed both of the game’s assists.
While the wing back position requires absurd levels of fitness, its duties serve the team in more aspects than just attacking. When wing backs push forward, it may seem as though the three center backs are left vulnerable to a counterattack. However, a wing back system requires the opposition to get more players behind the ball to defend, which forces the entire opposing team toward its own goal. For Indy Eleven, this made buildup play slower — and thus, more prone to mistakes — along with offensive outlets scarce.
Speaking to the role of his wing backs on the night, Cruz stated, “They were instrumental to what we tried to do today from a pressing standpoint and from an attacking standpoint. I thought we created a lot of chances, which is something we haven’t gotten to say in a while.”
Both Dia and Jimenez are attacking-minded outside backs with exceptional talent for exploiting the wide spaces. It’s also no mystery as to why Jimenez capitalized and thrived in the new system, as he stated, “Today I played as a wingback, and when I first got here in 2017 that’s the position I played. I had a lot of joy doing it, so all day today I just said I’m going to go out there and have fun.”
Also playing a big part in City’s offensive output on the night was Lancaster. The London native had a pair of dangerous free kicks along with a few curling, open-play shots that kept Indy Eleven’s goalkeeper honest. Crucially, Lancaster doubled the lead for his team when he slalomed through traffic and squared his body to the incoming corner-kick, giving him the best chance at a controlled and accurate header.
A dominant debut
Adams, who only began training with LouCity earlier in the week, marked his club debut with an impressive performance. Sliding in at left center back, he coupled with Wes Charpie and Sean Totsch to help deliver City’s 10th clean sheet of the year, most in the USL Championship.
Adams’ dominance in the air unmatched on the night. Recording eight aerial duels, the New Zealand native challenged every ball that flew his way.
Adams also excelled in scenarios where an Indy Eleven player, with his back turned to Adams, would check in to receive a pass. Adams stayed tight to the opponent’s back and would often force a leg between the ball and the receiver. If Adams couldn’t reach the ball in time for it to be received, he made his presence known, contained the attacker, and forced a back pass. This allowed the 26-year-old to disrupt build up play on multiple occasions, leading to nine total duels and two interceptions on the night.
Adams’ defensive sureness also contributed significantly to the attacking confidence that Dia and Jimenez were allowed against Indy.
“I thought he was excellent tonight,” Cruz said about Adams’ first game with the team. “He’s the player that we thought he would be. I thought tonight was a great start for him. He was excellent in the shape, he allowed us to do some things that we’ve been wanting to do, and he should be really, really proud of that performance.”
LouCity’s center back trio asserted dominance over its team’s own goal box on corner kicks and crosses, making City goalkeeper Oliver Semmle’s job much simpler. When LouCity’s center backs won the ball in their own defensive third, if there was no immediate pressure, they worked to pass the ball with pace and purpose.
When a short pass wasn’t on, LouCity’s back line was comfortable pinging the ball to other options. Despite absorbing pressure, dueling for headers, and playing long passes, Adams, Charpie, and Totsch averaged 78% passing accuracy. This meant that their team could rely on the three to make correct and accurate decisions on the ball while frustrating the opposition’s forwards who tried to win the ball high up the pitch.
LouCity will get a few days to recover before traveling to take on FC Tulsa on Friday. It’s a rematch of a May 24 home defeat for LouCity in a game the boys in purple led — and a chance to prove Saturday’s result means a corner turned for the boys in purple.
