July 30, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC’s Niall McCabe in action
(Louisville City FC)
On an evening when Louisville City FC lacked major chances through the run of play, the boys in purple found another way to score during Saturday’s 1-0 victory over El Paso Locomotive FC.
Niall McCabe’s grounded 52nd-minute corner kick found a cutting Jorge Gonzalez for the game’s only goal at Southwest University Park, with the victory continuing a run of seven straight games unbeaten for LouCity – six of them wins.
“We didn’t practice it this week, but right before the game (head coach) Danny (Cruz) talked about it,” Gonzalez said. “It was a great set piece play, and we executed it right how we wanted to.
“…It’s never easy to get three points when we play away, but those are the games we need to win to end up first in the league.”
City has needed every result to maintain its spot atop the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference standings. Earlier Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rowdies won to temporarily move atop the table before a result in El Paso restored order.
The boys in purple sit at 14-3-4, good for 46 points. It’s the best start through 21 games for a club that has played in seven straight Eastern Conference Finals and won back-to-back league titles in 2017 and 2018.
“You’ve got a lot of injuries at the moment, and when you look at it, it seems like time and time again guys get their numbers called and step up,” Cruz said. “For me, that’s something to be really proud of. When you look at the goal, (goalkeepers coach) Scott Budnick did an excellent job drawing that up this week. He saw the space, and when you look at the execution between Niall and Jorge, it went exactly the way it was planned.
“For me, thinking about the staff and players, there’s a lot of pride tonight.”
Paired with the game-winning goal, LouCity’s defense stifled El Paso for a league-leading 11th clean sheet of the year. The hosts totaled just 0.53 expected goals, according to Stats Perform, and were held without a big scoring chance.
Locomotive FC were also stymied by a disciplined City back line that forced them into nine offsides calls, continually avoiding a breakthrough in behind.
“We’re constantly working on that,” Cruz said. “The idea is, we’re a pressing team. And when you’re a pressing team, if the back line doesn’t step with the group that’s pressing in the front, then the space gets too big in the middle of the field and…