What to Watch for with LouCity at Miami FC
August 26, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC in action
(Louisville City FC, Credit: Connor Cunningham)
Louisville City FC and Miami FC meet for the second time season when they square off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Riccardo Silva Stadium in South Florida.
City travels south with the hope of maintaining its unblemished record against Miami after the boys in purple won the first two encounters, including a playoff win last fall. Saturday’s match is the return game from this year’s home-and-away series. The boys in purple claimed the first conflict at Lynn Family Stadium, topping Miami by a 2-0 score back in March.
City (17-3-4, 55 points) is riding a 10-game unbeaten streak that includes nine wins and one draw, extending the run with a 1-0 win at Detroit this past Saturday. The boys in purple hold first place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference, four points ahead of second-place Memphis 901.
Miami FC (11-8-7, 40 points) is coming off a 2-0 victory over Hartford Athletic at Trinity Health Stadium in Connecticut. While the Blue and Orange have shined on the road with an 8-4-3 away record, they’ve struggled to find a true home-field advantage with just a 3-4-4 record at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
Follow along
The game will air live locally on My58 TV and ESPN Louisville’s 680/105.7, with streaming via ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app.
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.
Injury report
Cameron Lancaster (Out)
Niall McCabe (Out)
Story lines…
Within reach: The regular-season points title LouCity covets became more of a reality over the weekend when Western Conference leader San Antonio FC (57 points) played to a 2-2 draw with Rio Grande Valley FC. LouCity (55 points) is now just two back in the overall standings with a game in hand. The boys in purple are the current favorite to win the USL Championship, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, with a 29% chance of claiming the title. San Antonio (20%), Tampa Bay Rowdies (14%) and San Diego Loyal (11%) round out the top four.
Gone streaking: LouCity’s current run of 10 league games unbeaten equals the club’s best recent regular-season run, matching 2020 squad’s furious finish to that campaign as well as a double-digit streak to start the 2022 campaign. City’s longest-ever undefeated run stands at 17 games during the 2016 season.
Away days: Saturday is a part of a road-heavy stretch, with four away games out of the next five. City has been much better on the road this season compared to last, improving from 6-5-5 in 2021 to 8-2-2 so far this year. That includes a plus-15 goal differential on the road, adding to Louisville’s league-leading plus-33 goal differential. Coach Danny Cruz made these improvements an emphasis from the start, with each of City’s preseason games away from Louisville.
Nine is fine: LouCity’s victory over Detroit marked the third time in club history that two red cards were handed to Louisville players in one match. Defender Wes Charpie received a straight red card, which was later appealed and overturned, while forward Wilson Harris received two yellow cards. The first time that happened was the 2016 Eastern Conference final against the New York Red Bulls II. Three years later, two City players were also sent off in a 4-1 win over Charleston.
To the spot: Sean Totsch scored his fourth penalty kick of the season on Saturday against Detroit, bringing his goals total on the year to a career-high seven. With forward Cameron Lancaster out, Totsch has taken over penalty-taking duties and delivered, converting each of his opportunities.
Clean sheet Morton: Goalkeeper Kyle Morton now has 11 shutouts this season, tying him for the league lead. With 10 games left, Morton is also zeroing in on the USL Championship’s single-season shutout record, which was set by Ottawa Fury keeper Maxine Crepeau in 2018 when he posted 15.
No shot: LouCity’s shot prevention has played a big part in the 13 shutouts posted this season. Opponents went more than 200 minutes without a try on target before Detroit City fired one on frame in the 70th minute on Saturday. That streak included holding the Tampa Bay Rowdies without a shot on goal when the clubs met in a 1-2 showdown on Aug. 13. Louisville leads the league with 16 conceded goals this season.
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