After a lackluster away game against red hot Charlotte Independence, Lou City looks to bounce back against another tough opponent in FC Cincinnati. This game is a must-win not only for our USL hopes but for us to win the River Cities Cup. Let’s take a look at the keys to the game:

FC Cincinnati:

FCC currently sit 6th with 31 points in 22 games. They will be looking to bounce back after a record of 1-1-1 in their last 3 games. So what are the keys for Cincinnati?

First it is to continue to frustrate Lou City’s attack. They have done this well, both home and away.

Their second key is to continue to have an attacking presence on the ball. They love to get out and run in transition at opponents. This will need to work this at Slugger if they want to put it past a solid defense like City’s.

Their final key to the game is to get Djiby “Chain Chomp” Fall, Danni Konig, and (the one player I would take from FCC for LCFC) Jimmy McLaughlin on the ball early and often to run at the LCFC defense. Those 3 have been involved in 25 of FCC’s 30 goals. Those are the keys I see for FC Cincinnati. Why can’t they be like all the other Cincy teams and just be bad at playing sports?

Louisville City:

For LCFC it’s pretty simple. Whatever happened in Charlotte has to be put behind us and we have to move forward. James O’Connor is usually pretty good about that so I am not counting that as a key to the game. So what is the first key?

Figure out what went wrong defensively at Charlotte that resulted in a Martinez hat trick and fix that issue.

The next big key is getting our wingers more involved. Mark-Anthony Kaye got a goal last game and our wingers continue to scare defenses on the run. We need to be able to cross the ball effectively on FCC.

Then, we must control the tempo of the game. Slow FCC down and make them play possession which they do not do particularly well when pressured.

My final key we need to play high pressure defense do not allow them time to turn or think about a pass. If they have time on the ball it results in a good attack for them, but when pressured high and angles of passes cut off FCC struggles a lot with finding free space. LCFC will need these keys to get a result.

Prediction: Who can say!?

Simply Put LCFC has to win by 2 goals to claim the trophy and rivalry. This can be done but FCC are always strong when playing LCFC. So Let us hope for the best outcome. Be there for the CITY! COME ON PURPLE ARMY!!!