July 31, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC battles Eintracht Frankfurt
(Louisville City FC, Credit: EM Dash Photography)
Louisville City FC played German powerhouse Eintracht Frankfurt even for the opening minutes of Tuesday night’s international friendly. But as severe weather forced much of a raucous Lynn Family Stadium crowd of 10,218 to retreat, the skies opened up – and so did City’s floodgates.
The Europa League-bound Eagles exuded class, scoring three of their goals in a 4-0 win in the second half following a lightning delay. The exhibition served as both LouCity’s first matchup with a top-tier European club and a tune up ahead of Frankfurt’s regular season opening next month.
In a chance to compete outside of USL Championship play, LouCity saw captain Kyle Adams return from injury, starting in defense. Later, Adrien Perez subbed on for his first action since early June, also coming off an injury.
To cap the night, coach Danny Cruz brought on a number of standout LouCity Academy players, among them Grayson Travis and Brandon Dayes, who made their debuts against some of the world’s top talents.
“The atmosphere here tonight was pretty impressive,” Cruz said. “I thought it was an incredible opportunity for people to come out and see one of the teams from one of the top leagues in the world and see the level they can play at. I’m really proud of our group.”
The boys in purple – playing on short rest from a weekend win in the league – opened on the front foot, with LouCity defender Arturo Ordoñez forcing a save from Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp in the seventh minute. Then in the 21st minute, Jansen Wilson nearly found Wilson Harris on a darting run to the far post.
Visiting the United States as part of its Americas Tour, Frankfurt grew into the match from there. Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a brilliant right-footed rocket. The 22-year-old latched onto Willian Pacho’s lofted pass, controlled it with three deft touches, then unleashed a thunderous strike into the far corner.
“They did pretty well,” World Cup winner Mario Götze said of LouCity’s performance. “They pressed us very high – physical game. So, it wasn’t easy for us. We had a lot of training sessions over the last week, but nevertheless, for us, it was a good game.”
Following the weather delay, the Eagles came flying out of the dressing room, scoring two in the first five minutes of the second – the first from Ellyes…