June 3, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC forward Brian Ownby
(Louisville City FC, Credit: EM Dash Photography)
Louisville City FC travels this weekend with the type of added motivation that normally doesn’t come with a regular-season matchup.
LouCity and the Tampa Bay Rowdies will face off in a rematch of the last two USL Championship Eastern Conference finals when they meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Al Lang Stadium.
City is itching to get a win back after falling in both of those high-stakes games – a 2-1 loss at Lynn Family Stadium in 2020 and a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat after extra time last fall in St. Petersburg.
The 2021 loss, a shock after City led 2-0 deep into the match, has been a driving force for the boys in purple this season as LouCity jumped out to a 13-game unbeaten streak to start the club’s 2022 campaign.
“We’ve talked about how the game there to end the season last year is motivation for us,” said coach Danny Cruz. “You look at Tampa Bay – they’re a really good team, an experienced team, and it’s a difficult place to play.
“At the same time, we showed a lot of good things in that game last year, but we also understand where we needed to be better. I think our pressure has been better this year. I think we’re going to make sure that when we get there, we’re not giving them time and space. We need to make sure that we execute our chances.
“The areas we’ve conceded goals this year are areas that that is a strength of theirs. The guys have had a good week of training so far and feel confident about the group going there.”
Cruz and his staff spent the offseason reloading an already-strong roster, with the additions of former two-time USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year finalist Kyle Morton, standout fullbacks Amadou Dia and Manny Perez and the league’s 2020 Young Player of the Year in striker Wilson Harris. All four have been critical pieces in LouCity’s run to the top of the…