I’m not ready to say the sky is falling after Wednesday night’s 1-2 loss to SKCII. However, losing three of the past four games, all of which were played at Lynn Family Stadium, and one of those losses being against the consensus worst team in the group leads me to at least start looking up more than I normally would.
I was intrigued by the lineup Hackworth put out in this game, with Jimmy Ockford pairing with Sean Totsch and Akil Watts and Jonathan Gomez at fullback. I was also a bit surprised to see Napo and Speedy start again after going the distance just four days before, along with Cam Lancaster.
City came out pretty brightly, though, while KC was comfortable absorbing pressure. However, just eight minutes in, Dillon Serna served in a nice ball from the left wing to the middle of the box. No one closed Serna down or really attempted to. I have to believe Gomez told Jimmy Ockford he was going to handle the cross in, because otherwise Ockford just casually let said ball go right by him to the 16 year old first time starter. I also have to believe that Gomez had no idea that Jarret Townsend was right behind him to intercept it, dropping it into the lap of a completely unmarked Domink Resetar, who cooly gave Sporting II the 0-1 lead. Why did JoGo not know there was someone on his back? Either no one bothered to tell him or he was presumed to know and due to inexperience, lack of awareness, or both, simply didn’t. It was a careless mistake and one that SKCII pounced on to their advantage.
Morados were able to get back on level terms not long afterwards, however, thanks to a simply brilliant Cam Lancaster free kick.
City had some decent looking before Cam’s equalizer and after, but unbelievably weren’t able to score. I don’t know where to find xG stats but I have a feeling City vastly underperformed expected goals in this game, as it has the previous three matches. All told, LouCity had nine shots on goal in this match, and SKCII keeper Remi Prieur saved eight of them. I’d argue he didn’t have to work too hard to make those saves, either.
This brings up a concern I have with the team based on their past four or five performances. Weaker but well-coached teams are generally instructed and drilled on not making mistakes and taking advantage of the opponents’ errors. Stronger teams have enough talent and work together well enough in a system that those strengths, more often than not, are able to overcome whatever mistakes they might make.
Louisville City has traditionally played the role of the latter since their inception, really. However, these past four games, City hasn’t demonstrated the talent or ability to outplay their opponents to make up for their defensive errors. The opposition, on the other hand, has managed to capitalize on most of City’s gaffes. And there have been some pretty bad gaffes. Frankly, if not for Ben Lundt’s heroics in goal last Saturday, City might be sitting on four points through five games.
Sure, Morados’s offensive numbers look nice. They’ve out-shot all of their opponents both in total and on goal, out possess them, out-pass them. City create more chances. The real problem is three-fold: the chances LouCity create either aren’t very good, or they are good but are wasted, and the chances City give up are absolutely golden. Of the six goals City’s given up at home, most of us sitting at home could have scored four of them. Turnovers leaving the ball handler one on one with the keeper are the normal scoring route for City’s opponents at the moment. Those kinds of plays simply cannot happen.
It’s pretty easy to just tell our players “score goals and don’t give up any,” that’s the object of the game. Everyone knows that. But at the moment they’re doing the opposite.
There are some bright spots. I thought Akil Watts and Jonathan Gomez played good games. I was glad to see Sean Totsch taking some initiative and moving higher up the field to give Speedy and Napo some relief. I thought there were some good scoring chances created.
Totsch’s free wheeling play revealed some structural problems, however. These past few games, to me, have cried out for a real defensive midfielder that sits in front of the back four, and a real central creative playmaker. Unfortunately, the only real number 6 on the team, Paolo DelPiccolo, hasn’t appeared in a game since the beginning of the month. Magnus Rasmussen just left the team, and his ostensible replacement Corben Bone hasn’t really filled the Dane’s role in the same way. I think a diamond midfield or a three man back line could remedy some of our problems with stretching the field vertically but I’m just a guy with the keys to this website.
At least we get a few weeks before Freight Train Indy Eleven darken our doors on August 8. Let’s hope we get a lot of stuff worked out by then.
