June 18, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
It was three set piece goals that provided the difference in Louisville City FC’s 3-1 victory over reigning USL Championship title winners Orange County SC on Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium, putting the club at the top of the Eastern Conference table.
“I was pretty happy with the first half,” said LouCity head coach Danny Cruz. “I thought we did a good job limiting opportunities and controlling the game Obviously, I’m not happy that we conceded a goal the way we did, but I had full confidence at halftime with the team. But all in all, I felt we wore the opponent down over 90 minutes, and that’s where the penalties came from.”
The boys in purple were coming off a rare week off following a 1-0 defeat at the Tampa Bay Rowdies on June 5, a loss that marked the club’s fourth loss in five games.
“I think the week off was important, more importantly from a mental standpoint,” Cruz said. “The guys have been on a tough stretch. They needed some time, both mentally and physically to try to recover. We talked about dealing with adversity, we talked about making sure that we come to work every day to improve.”
LouCity’s first goal came in the 40th minute when midfielder Niall McCabe served a free kick into the box that was initially cleared out by Orange County’s defense. It landed to forward Enoch “Matiti” Mushagalusa, who chested the ball down to his feet and fired it into the far corner. Mushagalusa, who was initially named to the bench for Saturday’s match, was thrust into the starting lineup for an injured Cameron Lancaster minutes before kickoff.
“It was crazy when I found out I was starting,” Mushagalusa said. “I like to put on a show, so I was like “‘t’s game on’. You just come in and have fun and enjoy it.
Once they crossed the ball, it just landed on my chest. I was thinking just to shoot. It was a small window, and I put the ball in the perfect place.”
Orange County leveled things right before the break when the ball was loose in the box. City goalkeeper Danny Faundez, who was making his first USL Championship start, made the initial save, with defender Amadou Dia clearing another chance off the line. Orange County’s Erick Torres finally finished the ball into the net in the 44th minute.
Entering the second half, City continued to pressure Orange County. That pressure paid off when the club was awarded a pair of penalties. The first came in the 73rd when forward…