John Hackworth Era, the USL Championship Final Will Get the ESPN the Coach Has Led His Squad Through a 10-Game Treatment
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2020 USL Championship Season LOUISVILLE CITY FC GAME NOTES 2017 & 2018 USL CUP CHAMPIONS LOUISVILLE CITY FC MEDIA INFORMATION Senior Director of PR & Communications Jonathan Lintner e: [email protected] c: 502.930.7271 For deadline photos, video interviews and quote sheets, visit LOUCITY.COM/MEDIA 2020 USL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON GAME INFORMATION MARCH LOUISVILLE CITY FC (10-3-2; 32 pts) 7 North Carolina FC W 1-0 @ JULY Sporting Kansas City II (5-9-1; 16 pts) 12 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC L 3-1 Saturday, October 3, 2020 - 7:30 p.m. ET 18 Saint Louis FC L 1-0 Lynn Family Stadium - Louisville, KY 25 Sporting Kansas City II W 1-0 WBKI/TheCW 790 WKRD 29 Sporting Kansas City II L 2-1 LOCAL TV: LOCAL RADIO: WDRB Now/ESPN+ AUGUST STREAMING VIDEO: USLChampionship.com/ 8 Indy Eleven D 1-1 LIVE STATS: 15 Loudoun United FC W 2-0 Match-Center 19 Sporting Kansas City II W 4-1 REFEREES: 26 Indy Eleven W 1-0 Head Official: Nabil Bensalah ARs: Walt Heatherly, Chris Schurfranz 29 Saint Louis FC D 1-1 4th Official: Christopher Slane SEPTEMBER 5 Indy Eleven W 3-1 HEAD-TO-HEAD 12 Saint Louis FC W 3-0 LAST 3 MEETINGS 16 Indy Eleven W 2-0 August 19, 2020 FT LOU 4 - SKC 1 19 Memphis 901 FC W 4-1 July 29, 2020 FT SKC 2 - LOU 1 26 Saint Louis FC W 1-0 July 25, 2020 FT LOU 1 - SKC 0 OCTOBER ALL-TIME OVERALL (4-2-0) 3 Sporting Kansas City II 8 p.m. ALL-TIME HOME (4-1-0) HOME MATCHES IN BOLD ALL-TIME AWAY (0-1-0) WWW.LOUCITY.COM PLAYING FOR POINTS SPORTING’S SLIDE With its 1-0 victory last weekend at Saint Louis SKC II, the youthful affiliate of Major League FC, LouCity clinched the No. 1 seed out of Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City, showed Group E. But the boys in purple can’t afford renewed life Wednesday in ending a five-game to let up now. Saturday’s Sporting KC II game losing skid. The 17-year-old Bailey Sparks, means an opportunity for a key three points, subbed on in the 85th minute, scored a game with host status beyond the playoffs’ opening winner in stoppage time of a memorable round of 16 determined by better record. professional debut, helping knock off Indy LouCity heads into the weekend in play to tout Eleven by a 2-1 score. Sporting hadn’t won the Eastern Conference’s best overall points since July 29, handing LouCity its most recent total. defeat. NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON A STREAK For the first time, it was announced this month, Each season in LouCity’s John Hackworth era, the USL Championship Final will get the ESPN the coach has led his squad through a 10-game treatment. The game will air at 8:30 p.m. on unbeaten streak. In 2018 and 2019, those runs Nov. 1 after a trio of preceding playoff rounds. preceded appearances in the USL final. The LouCity will host a conference quarterfinal boys in purple will look for history to repeat on Oct. 10 before looking to advance to itself in 2020. Last Saturday’s Saint Louis FC the conference semifinals (Oct. 16-18) and victory made it double digits unbeaten with conference finals (Oct. 23-25). The boys in five straight wins. The only longer undefeated purple have appeared in three straight USL run in club history was a streak of 17 games in finals, winning titles in 2017 and 2018. 2016. GROUP F UPDATE GETTING HIS GOALS As for that upcoming playoff opener at Lynn Devon “Speedy” Williams has defined himself Family Stadium, the opponent remains to be professionally with swift feet and accurate determined. The boys in purple will match up passing out of the central midfield. He’s added with Group F’s No. 2 seed, which could be himself as a goal scoring threat in 2020, either the Hartford Athletic (10-3-2, 32 points) too, by hitting the back of the net four times, or Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (10-4-1, 31 points). including the game-winning header against Having chased Pittsburgh all season, Hartford Saint Louis FC off an Oscar Jimenez corner controls its destiny thanks to a 1-0 victory last kick. In previous seasons, both with New York Saturday over the Riverhounds. Red Bulls II and LouCity, Williams tallied one goal each regular season. WWW.LOUCITY.COM HUNTING A GOLDEN GLOVE DAD DELIVERS With seven clean sheets, LouCity goalkeeper Only a couple weeks after he became a first- time father to son Emory, veteran forward Ben Lundt, on loan from MLS’ FC Cincinnati, is Luke Spencer was back on the team sheet for in contention for the USL’s top season award last Saturday’s Memphis game. As an 83rd- for his position. He’s even with Tampa Bay minute sub, he was quick to make an impact, Rowdies keeper Evan Louro going into the connecting with Corben Bone for his side’s final weekend of play. Lundt, who ranks 14th in fourth and final goal in a rout at Lynn Family the USL in saves with 30, was called into action Stadium. Spencer, 29, has involved himself with other aspects of the club since signing more than usual against Saint Louis FC, making for the 2017 season, also serving as a youth four saves to preserve a shutout. academy coach. FAMILIAR FACES Head coach John Hackworth kept the core of the roster, returning 16 players from the 2019 LouCity team which ON THE BOARD won the Eastern Conference Title. Ten of the 11 starters from LouCity’s 2019 USL Championship Final team Defender Oscar Jimenez, who at left back returned for the 2020 season. has led LouCity in assists since signing with Returning (18) Newcomers (9) the club in 2017, registered his first tally in that GK Chris Hubbard D Jimmy Ockford statistical category last out. Devon “Speedy” GK Ben Lundt D Jonathan Gomez GK Muamer Ugarak* D Wes Charpie Williams headed in a 44th-minute corner kick D Oscar Jimenez MF Corben Bone that went down as the game winner over Saint D Pat McMahon MF Damir Beganovic* D Alexis Souahy MF Kenney Walker Louis FC. Jimenez, often lauded for his service, D Sean Totsch F Cameron Lancaster accumulated five assists in 2017, 10 in 2018 and D Akil Watts F Jason Johnson seven in 2019 to pace the boys in purple. MF Paolo DelPiccolo F Arda Bulut MF Napo Matsoso MF Niall McCabe MF Devon ‘Speedy’ Williams MF Elijah Wynder* STAT STUFFERS MF George Davis IV MF/F Antoine Hoppenot In addition to goalkeeper Ben Lundt’s pursuit MF/F Brian Ownby F Luke Spencer *Academy of the USL shutouts crown, LouCity has others near the top of the league in certain 2020 INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES categories. Devon “Speedy” Williams leads USL Save of the Week: the USL in passes (904), Cameron Lancaster GK Ben Lundt - Week 1 is tops in shots (48), midfielder Corben Bone USL Team of the Week: ranks third in chances created (36), forward MF Corben Bone - Week 9, Week 11 MF/F Antoine Hoppenot - Week 12 Antoine Hoppenot ranks fifth in assists (5) and MF/F Brian Ownby - Week 13 Lancaster is fifth in goals (9). F Cameron Lancaster - Week 13 MF Devon ‘Speedy’ Williams - Week 14 WWW.LOUCITY.COM TEAM MATCHUP LOUISVILLE CITY FC PROFILES SPORTING KC II JOHN HACKWORTH HEAD COACH PAULO NAGAMURA 10-3-2 USL RECORD 5-9-1 1st GROUP E GROUP POSITION 4th GROUP E 26 GOALS SCORED 20 11 GOALS CONCEDED 28 22 CAUTIONS 35 - EJECTIONS 1 TEAM LEADERS CAMERON LANCASTER (9) GOALS WILSON HARRIS (8) ANTOINE HOPPENOT (5) ASSISTS DILLON SERNA (4) CORBEN BONE (36) CHANCES CREATED FREDLIN MOMPREMIER (20) BEN LUNDT (30) SAVES BROOKS THOMPSON (24) EASTERN CONFERENCE GROUP STANDINGS GROUP E GROUP G TEAM GP RECORD PTS GD TEAM GP RECORD PTS GD x - LOUISVILLE CITY FC 15 10-3-2 32 +15 BIRMINGHAM 15 7-4-4 25 +12 INDY ELEVEN 15 7-6-2 23 +3 CHARLOTTE 15 7-4-4 25 +1 SAINT LOUIS FC 15 6-5-4 22 0 NORTH CAROLINA 14 6-7-1 19 -3 e - SPORTING KC II 15 5-9-1 16 -8 e - MEMPHIS 901 FC 14 3-7-4 13 -9 GROUP F GROUP H TEAM GP RECORD PTS GD TEAM GP RECORD PTS GD x - HARTFORD 15 10-3-2 32 +5 x - TAMPA BAY 15 10-2-3 33 +15 x - PITTSBURGH 15 10-4-1 31 +28 x - CHARLESTON 14 8-3-3 27 +10 e - NY RED BULLS II 15 5-10-0 15 -5 e - THE MIAMI FC 15 3-8-4 13 -16 e - PHILADELPHIA 15 2-10-3 9 -24 e - ATLANTA UNITED II 15 3-9-3 12 -8 e - LOUDOUN UNITED 13 1-9-3 6 -18 Standings as of 10/1 x - Clinched playoff berth e - Eliminated from playoff contention WWW.LOUCITY.COM 2020 REGULAR SEASON STATS GOALS TOTAL GOALS CONCEDED TOTAL LOU 26 LOU 11 USL Rank: 10 USL Rank: 33 PASSES TOTAL FOULS CONCEDED TOTAL LOU 6,992 LOU 178 USL Rank: 4 USL Rank: T-25 SHOTS TOTAL CAUTIONS TOTAL LOU 224 LOU 22 USL Rank: 7 USL Rank: T-33 CLEAN SHEETS TOTAL EJECTIONS TOTAL LOU 7 LOU 0 USL Rank: T-25 USL Rank: T-2 Stats as of 10/1 LOUISVILLE CITY FC 2020 LINEUPS at North Carolina FC (W 1-0) PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC (L 3-1) SAINT LOUIS FC (L 1-0) SPORTING KANSAS CITY II (W 1-0) Saturday, March 7, 2020 Saturday, July 12, 2020 Saturday, July 18, 2020 Saturday, July 25, 2020 GK Lundt MF Bone GK Lundt MF Bone GK Hubbard MF Williams GK Lundt MF Bone D Jimenez MF Williams D Souahy MF Williams D Jimenez MF Matsoso D McMahon MF Matsoso D Ockford MF Ownby D Watts MF DelPiccolo D Charpie MF Bone D Jimenez MF Williams D McMahon MF Matsoso D Ockford MF Thiam D McMahon MF Ownby D Totsch MF Ownby D Charpie F McCabe D Jimenez F Ownby D Totsch F Hoppenot D Charpie F McCabe F Lancaster F Lancaster F Lancaster F Lancaster Substitutes: Souahy, Thiam, Watts, Spencer, Hubbard, Substitutes: Totsch, Spencer, Gomez, Matsoso, Substitutes: Ockford, McCabe, Davis, Souahy, Watts, Substitutes: Gomez, Souahy, Hoppenot, Thiam, DelPiccolo, Hoppenot Hoppenot, Hubbard, McCabe Thiam, Lundy Ockford, Hubbard, Spencer SPORTING KANSAS CITY II (L 2-1) INDY ELEVEN (D 1-0) LOUDOUN UNITED FC (W 2-0) SPORTING KANSAS CITY II (W 4-1) Saturday, August 8, 2020 Saturday, August 8, 2020 Saturday, August 15, 2020 Saturday, August 19, 2020 GK Lundt MF Matsoso GK Lundt MF Williams GK Lundt MF DelPiccolo GK Lundt MF DelPiccolo