May 11, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC’s Niall McCabe on game night
(Louisville City FC, Credit: EM Dash Photography)
Orange County SC slightly slowed Louisville City FC’s home goal production, but on Saturday night the visitors joined a growing list of USL Championship foes that couldn’t stop the boys in purple at Lynn Family Stadium.
LouCity rolled to a 3-0 victory, looking no worse for the wear only three days after going to extra time and penalty kicks in a midweek U.S. Open Cup away game against Seattle Sounders FC. City’s 2024 record at Lynn Family Stadium is now 6-0 across all competitions, and the squad boasts a +20 home goal differential.
“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the group,” said coach Danny Cruz. “It was a difficult week with regard to the travel, when we got home and when we trained and the physical aspects that go into this.
“…To be back home, on a grass field with the width we have here, it allows us to play the game the way we want to play. Then when you’re able to play the football but also add the mentality and fight, you can see the quality this group has.”
Cruz credited club ownership for funding a charter flight overnight from Seattle back to Louisville. That set up the manager to make just four changes on the short turnaround, and LouCity opened on the front foot as a result.
In the 19th minute Jorge Gonzalez played Wilson Harris through for a one-time shot across the face of goal. That gave the boys in purple a halftime lead after an opening 45 minutes in which they out-shot Orange County, 16-3, and took 157 of 207 passes in the opponent’s half.
“We’ve been talking about how this place needs to be a fortress,” said midfielder Taylor Davila, who racked up eight chances created Saturday. “I wasn’t here last year – maybe it wasn’t like this last year – but this year it’s definitely been that way. Teams come here and they’re like, ‘How many goals are they going to score on us?’
“We just want to keep that going, keep making this place a fortress and make them scared to come here.”
On as a second half substitute, Adrien Perez won a midfield challenge seconds after entering the game, drove forward and dished to Ray Serrano for a goal that doubled the lead. Perez also set up Jansen Wilson’s long-range goal in the 86th minute that effectively put the game away.
Defensively, goalkeeper Damian Las thwarted Orange County’s two key chances. First, Las came…