A rivalry game is up next for the boys in purple. Having won the Kings’ Cup last year, LCFC will look to continue that reign when they host St Louis FC at Slugger Field. LCFC will have a good break after winning 8 points on the road, the last 3 coming from a 0-2 win over Toronto FC 2. Louisville City FC currently sits pretty at the top of the table with 17 points. St. Louis currently sits 7th in the western conference with 8 points in 6 games.

StLFC Keys:

They are coming of a 3 0 victory over Swope Park Rangers FC, which saw goals from Ntokozo Tshuma, Irvin Herrera, and Chad Bond. St. Louis won not because of its offense (only had 8 shots), but it was their defense, same as last week’s match at Sacramento. If St. Louis wants to win on Saturday, they need to continue playing solid defense, as their offense is less than reliable.

Another key is to get Vince Cicciarelli the ball as the kid is a lights out shooter. He has 7 of 8 shots on target, 3 of which have gone in the net. Look for him to be a large offensive presence for St. Louis.

The final key for victory will be to keep the ball moving. Of the 9 goals STLFC have scored on the season, 6 of them have been assisted. They’ll need to take chances as they have shot 56 times and had 26 on target, a rather impressive number for a non-offensively oriented team.

LCFC Keys:

The key for Louisville have shifted from defense to offense now. Yes, after I’ve been hounding the team about defense, now I am saying play some offense. Hear me out.

Having seen we can play decent defense, Louisville needs to focus on keeping the offense flowing. They need to control the midfield and press the attack on a stout St. Louis defense. The best way to break a wall is to continue to knock at it. Run the wings and attack early and often, and the defense will crumble. Chandler Hoffman or someone else can get in and have opportunities on the goal.

The final key will be to attack with the defense. One thing we as fans loved about Bryan Burke was he was a defensive and offensive player. He may have played defender, but was always involved in a goal in some way shape or form. The key is to get those wing defenders involved in the attack and have them swing in crosses so we can have more numbers in the box for a goal scoring opportunity. When you look at the best teams in soccer history, they’re usually the ones that attack from the back and involve the whole team.

Prediction: 2-0 to LCFC

I expect this game to be a defensive game, but I think LCFC’s offense will prove too much for St. Louis. City will get a first half goal, and it will begin to fall apart for St. Louis. I don’t se us blowing them out, but I do see a few goals being scored by LCFC.

Come On CITY!!!