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LOUISVILLE CITY FC 0

ST LOUIS FC 0

5-18-19

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SPENCER

MCCABE RASMUSSEN MKOSANA

WILLIAMS

FRANCIS CRAIG PEAY JIMENEZ

LUNDT

SUBS: DAVIS <> MCCABE

THIAM <> MKOSANA

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It was paradoxically a frustrating conclusion yet a step in a forward direction as Hackworth’s Heroes played host to Anthony Pulis’ St Louis FC, their Kings Cup rivals from (technically) one state over, and settled for a share of the spoils.

For their part, the Missourians would have been quite satisfied with the point they came, saw, and unabashedly countered and held out for the draw.

The clash of the Champions versus the USL East returners and no.2 placed club was a juicy one with regards to the standings – as well as one which many predicted would be a war of attrition with goals at a premium. As it was, neither side would “attrit” and both would maintain their reputations as clubs who are gritty and difficult to break down.

St Louis center back and captain Sam Fink has just turned 25 but cuts a mature figure whether playing out of defense or striding up to impose on dead ball situations, and as early as the 3rd minute he did just that, squeezing between Louisville defenders and heading just over from a crafty Lewis Hilton free kick after Shaun Francis fouled Matt Bahner right of the penalty area perpendicular.

Truthfully, Fink and his teammates could have been celebrating a hammer blow 1-0 advantage and the City rearguard would have breathed a sigh of relief having lapsed as a unit once again in an area they have been struggling noticeably over the initial third of the season.

On the other hand, the home side nearly delivered a shock of their own when Oscar Jimenez’ lobbed ball up the right touchline was awkwardly misjudged by DR Congolese defender Phanuel Kavita and for a moment Luke Spencer was in with a good look at goal before Kavita caught him up and tackled over the goal line to saved his blushes.

Alexis Soahy’s header forced a followup corner but the St Louis defense held.

An expectedly tight match looked as if it might blow wide open as a 5 minute period beginning in minute 9 saw City commit numbers forward and Shaun’s give-and-go with Niall McCabe led to a low near post cross for Lucky Mkosana to whom enough attention was paid by Fink to not be able to turn in another trademark effort from the 6 yard line.

The hard City press immediately yielded another opportunity as Niall’s crossfield ball found Oscar in space and the full back stepped forward and drove for the far post but was foiled by standout St Louis goalkeeper Jake Fenlason’s dive low to his right.

The ball was then played out to Albert Dikwa who held up for Hilton and from deep in his half the Englishman chipped over Napo Matsoso for Kyle Greig to run onto and the veteran attacker entered the area with Napo managing to keep up and induce a pass rather than a shot which former FC Cincinnati depth midfielder Russell Cicerone hashed, dragging well wide from a handy position out in front.

The Morados swept back up the right and Oscar’s low ball into Luke, checking back from the 18, was relayed to the wing for Lucky whose tricky cross was barely behind Napo’s head as the diminutive midfielder demonstrated his eagerness at either end of the park.

Soon after Oscar was involved again as he played a nifty one-two with Lucky and fired in another drive possibly hoping for a touch from Luke at the near post, but the ball eluded the traffic including a diving Fenlason as well as the gaping unmanned area at the far post.

We were just 12 minutes in, but after this adventurous and fluid phase of play the match relaxed as both sides knuckled down to their preferred modes of operation, the home side establishing their patented possession game while their hitherto high achieving opponents continued to sit in patiently and rely on the counter.

In spite of gaps opening up at times behind the midfielders the City defense was capable in thwarting anything coming at them, led by Alexis who was commanding both aerially and on the floor.

The visitors weren’t so shabby at the back themselves with Sam Fink in charge, and it was skipper on skipper as Shaun Francis fed Niall who chipped into the area for Luke whose shot on the turn was blocked away for a corner by his impressive St Louis counterpart.

In the 26th, Shaun failed to track Dikwa after a throw-in and was compelled to haul down the Cameroonian as he headed for the byline.

Hilton, the Cornishman so much of St Louis’ strategy revolves around, stepped forward again and this time fizzed in a nasty, low, near post ball for Guy Abend. The former City midfielder appeared to catch a toe in the carpet and the ball got as far as Magnus Rasmussen who hooked away to safety.

Hilton was involved again after 32 minutes, quarterbacking and getting on the end of a combination play with Cicerone and another past Purple Kadeem Dacres as the latter’s goal line cutback was only partially interrupted by Oscar and Napo was caught napping. Suddenly the dangerous Hilton was clear inside the area and, though he had to reach just a little for his shot, still managed to propel it goalward and it took a marvelous save from the agile Ben Lundt, smartly getting to the ground to fingertip the effort just wide. Alexis had fallen in behind and may have prevented the goal himself, but take nothing away from the jumping German who is steadily making a claim to the moniker ‘The Berlin Wall’ (credit Barrel Proof Podcast #192).

City now got themselves in a spot of bother when Shaun failed to control a stray ball forward and Napo, under pressure from Abend, underhit his cleanup ball to Paco Craig which gave the Israeli an opportunity to race in and challenge, however he arrived a split second late and caught and felled the central defender as he launched the ball clear, and the referee had no hesitation in drawing the first yellow card of the contest.

It probably helped that the two players are familiar and on good terms or the incident might have led to issues down the line.

3 minutes later and in similar fashion, Oscar lost control when attempting to carry through midfield and barreled into Abend who certainly felt the challenge and was slow to regain his feet but nevertheless accepted apologies in good spirit – although the mutual congeniality did not preclude the right back from earning a caution for the unnecessary indiscretion.

After the early flurry there had been little action in either penalty area, however just as halftime rolled around a period of City possession lead to Niall sending a switched ball to Oscar who played a combination with Speedy Williams and Napo to make space for the latter and his belter from just inside was brilliantly tipped by a leaping Fenlason into the outside of the netting.

Despite Morados carrying upwards of 60% of possession chances created and honors for the opening 45 minutes had finished dead even.

The reciprocal stanza would be another kettle of fish, however.

The Purple jerseys came out rearing to be first onto the scoreboard and 3 minutes in Magnus played wide to Niall and he delayed before returning the ball back to the Dane who had streaked toward the St Louis area, and for a hopeful moment looked to have a seam as Fink and Kavita closed, and the latter managed to deny the shot with a deflection for a corner.

2 minutes further on and Paco was first to a loose ball at halfway, and his first-time chip up to Luke was headed across the top of the area to Niall who had pinched into an inside channel. As he accelerated, a turning Bahner lost his footing on the world infamous “Turf Monster” and Niall saw only Fenlason between himself and the goal. Without hesitating the Irishman let fly from the angle but Fenlason had advanced to narrow the angle and he dropped smartly to absorb the effort.

Unfortunately, Luke, who had wisely followed up his headed pass, was in the clear and in ideal position had the ball been able to be cut back to him, though it was difficult to tell whether he had shouted for the return or not.

The Boys In Purple (with a mild smattering of black & white trim) were in confident form and Shaun won a corner which Oscar placed right on the head of Paco who played it toward goal as a twisting Speedy flick helped it on its way inside the right-hand upright. But Fenlason tracked expertly and was right on the line to collect the ball as it arrived.

Lucky covered well to concede a corner at the other end and Hilton engineered a shorty with Abend, took the return and now had a narrow view at Ben’s goal. He took the shot anyhow, but Luke was on hand to block away before it could trouble Ben behind him.

The Morados took the attack straight back to the visitors and Shaun advanced to Niall wide on the left, and the electric No.11 cut back inside and fired a forceful right-footer which edged by the far post by not an awful lot.

Pulis’ men were always up for the counter though, and Cicerone made his one seriously threatening, almost epic move of the game as he beat Oscar to a ball, accelerated away from Speedy and eluded Paco’s slide, only for his last touch to be a tad long, and Alexis was on the spot to gratefully punt it clear to safety.

Before long Paco on the outlet sent Niall away and he turned Dacres and lofted a well placed cross onto Luke’s head but it did not quite drop in time and the center forward could manage neither power nor direction.

Now the third of the visiting City alumni Sean Reynolds wired his clearance directly to Dikwa and the home side was again caught on the counter as the powerful 21-year-old drove forward then cut back to gain space from Paco in coverage and placed the ball square to his right and onto the foot of a wide-eyed Lewis Hilton. The Young Harris College alum (who played 3 years there with Niall and Paco) unleashed an absolute howitzer which rose beyond the reach of a diving Ben, and fortunately also beyond the upper ‘V’, though, as with Niall’s, not by a lot.

Now it was back to the Craig/McCabe show as the left leaning partners resumed their dual enterprise to launch a string of assaults deep into St Louis territory, beginning by winning a corner as Kavita deflected away a cross.

Nothing came of that but 2 minutes later in the 59th, Nos. 5 & 11 hooked up again. This time Niall received and powered by Bahner, firing in a delivery which Lucky dummied and the ball carried on to Luke in space in the center of the area. On an authentic surface the play might well have been converted, but the ‘Turf Monster’, displaying its own deviant democracy, took the strikers feet from under him and the opportunity was extinguished.

The half was still only 15 minutes old when again Paco found Niall with room and Speedy moving forward in support. The undoubtable Dubliner squared into the path of the collaborative Kingstonian who, in similar style to his opposite Hilton, blasted a screamer that climbed barely over the top of Fenlason’s crossbar.

With so much exploratory action up the left side Shaun Francis may have been feeling bypassed, but a minute later he took a pass from Niall, delayed for a moment and slipped a ball into the area for Magnus to run onto. Sadly for City’s leading scorer and southpaw specialist the ball was on his less favored right although he put enough force into his side-footed effort to draw a flying save from the excellent Jake Fenlason.

Pulis’ pugilists were not about to let the Morados have it all their own way, and Fink hit a quick ball out of the back to the feet of Bahner on right wing. Niall had been working off his tail and struggled to cover the overlap as Bahner reached the byline and sent it in low toward Dikwa who, under pressure from Paco, could not quite connect and the ball flashed through the 6 yard area and away.

City went right back on attack, and Speedy found Napo with room inside the St Louis half. The ball forward for Lucky was deflected, only for it to fall to Magnus who found Luke and the power forward’s evasive move created room for a shot attempt, but a second line of defense managed to get in a block.

Now play was swinging back and forth like a rather nervy pendulum, and City nearly lost their nerve when Fink sent another exquisite long ball to the right wing and the feet of Dikwa. The enthusiastic striker played a devastating give-and-go with Abend that left Paco in his wake and a free goal line cutback to the edge of the 6 yard area. Kyle Greig was waiting and appeared poised to snap it on net until Alexis extended a toe to whisk the ball from under his nose, and the City goal remained intact.

Niall had represented the most incisive all around threat for Hack’s but in the 68th minute he withdrew him for the fresh legs of George Davis IV, perhaps hoping the tricky Triumvirate vet could conjure up a goal as he had done versus Reading United in the midweek Cup game. In any case, Pulis and his team would have been relieved to see the back of No. 11, which they’d already seen quite a bit of as he outstripped them time and again.

But this only brought about an adjustment in the Morados point of attack as Magnus received from Speedy and cut inside to come face to face with the tenacious Hilton. The deceptive Dane pulled off a gorgeous nutmeg and readied to fire but Hilton recovered in a flash and got in enough of a shoulder to unbalance his opponent and subtract some force from the effort which was saved at the foot of the left upright by Fenlason.

Seconds later, and Magnus fed Luke for a turn to thrill the 9,688 fans as he beguiled the white clad defense, jinking toward goal and actually sitting Reynolds down before Hilton recovered to thwart the shaved head soloist and concede the corner.

Lucky was replaced by Abdou Thiam in the 73rd, another who had found the net Wednesday night.

After a Napo foul on Abend, Hilton, the omnipresent, all-purpose tool for his soccer club, sent a challenging free kick into the City box and Ben came out to punch, but in a rare misjudgment he succeeded only in pile-driving into the pile of waiting players. As the ball drifted away he emerged obviously concerned with the leading shoulder in the collision, but he decided to put up with the pain and continue.

A casual pass had almost led to Paco sustaining injury in the 1st half, and now Speedy’s sloppy play in his own half induced Paco to make an “Abendesque” lunge on Dikwa who had taken possession.

At first look it appeared the defender had gone straight through the striker for the ball, and the exaggerated reaction of the former Cameroon U/20 international suggested this, however, although the ball was there to be won and may even have fairly been so, just a yellow card for a dangerous challenge was displayed.

In the 83rd, after fine work by Magnus in the St Lou area, his deflected pass fell to George IV who slid the ball through traffic and a cool first touch was all Abdou would need to corral and shoot at point blank range. However, despite his marker Kavita slipping, the touch was heavy and another great chance would go begging.

Hilton was trying to keep a close eye on Magnus and now they found themselves to the right of Fenlason as Magnus again deftly deceived the coverage. His low centering ball was cleared by Bahner as far as George who uncorked a strike from 19 yards that flew across the face of the goal and a mere sliver wide of Fenlason’s left upright.

1 minute later in the 87th, Paco’s chip up the left for George was precise and the substitute midfielder defeated Bahner and sent in another cross low and hard which Fenlason could only parry into the vicinity of Magnus, but room was tight and the ball was scrambled away in the nick of time.

With 2 left in regulation the visitors still entertained hopes of stealing a victory as Dacres fed Dikwa who layed off to Paris Gee and the substitute eluded Luke and fired in from 25 yards, testing Ben who got down quickly at his right post. Again he came up flexing the shoulder and again he decided to continue.

As the match entered stoppage time Shaun and Speedy received yellows, respectively for a shirt pull in midfield transition and somewhat of a body blow from behind on Abend who had been in the wars on his return to his old stomping ground.

In between times, Hilton’s short went free kick to Kavita was headed to Fink who had found space between Luke and Alexis, and again City were at risk of paying the price as the center back looked to add to the 3 goals he already has on the board. Ben though was in position to collect just beneath his crossbar.

In time added on to time added on, with Pulis apoplectic for the final whistle to sound, a mad passage ensued in the St Lou area as Shaun received in his own half and pumped high to Paco who had been converted, as will occur late in matches occasionally, into an out-and-out striker. Fenlason reached around him and his punch cannoned off Luke’s chest back to Paco who was now able to lay it back to the feet. Luke dragged the ball left around a sliding substitute Oscar Umar, withheld from two more defenders and fired from 14 yards, his clean strike beating Fenlason, but not Bahner who was stationed inside the post. The one-time clearance took a hop off another defender and out of the box, and George somehow took it under control and delivered diagonally to Abdou. Coming inside to meet it the sub struck it toward goal with his left but again a defender stationed high up took the brunt and the ball flew away for a corner.

Magnus would note after the game that he wished Luke had noticed him lurking in behind as he was unmarked and with a clear sight of goal. You would have bet on him tallying too this season, but one could not blame the poacher in Luke for zeroing his focus in on the goal in that situation – eerily similar to how Niall had missed him in a superior position early in the half.

Nevertheless, it was a tremendous climax to an often frenetic game that would have lasted even longer in the future memories of Lou City supporters had a winning goal somehow resulted.

After the game, Hack was sullen in the cold light of dropping two valuable points as was Visionworks Man of the Match Oscar Jimenez who confirmed that this was the pervading feeling in the locker room.

Stated the coach, “It’s a frustrating evening for us in all ways. We played some really good soccer, but we weren’t great in the final act.”

He went on to say, “It doesn’t feel like we got any result right now. It feels like the opposite.”

He added that he had felt certain his side would win the game right up until the very end.

The coach was, however, full of praise for the spine of the St Louis 11 (Fink/Kavita in defense, Abend/Hilton in midfield) as well as the energy brought by the home as well as the traveling supporters.

Asked about the goalkeeper rotation strategy with an eye to next season, Hack replied that he believes in the need to develop goalkeepers but there are certain considerations that take priority.

“Right now we have to focus on winning games. We have a really talented stable of goalkeepers. We’re going to give opportunities as we deem fit, but we have to win games.”

In the final analysis this is a point (and a clean sheet) that may feel a little less frustrating as the season progresses. STLFC has a stellar defensive record and by the same token they are likely never going to score a hatful of goals.

For City’s part, there will be much better days in front of the net, and if the defensive structure remains and continues to function at a superlative level the team will prosper and is almost bound to inch its way up the standings.

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@LouCityKiwi’s PLAYER RATINGS OUT OF 10:

Ben Lundt: 7 1/2

As has been the case recently, the Louisville goal was largely well protected although Ben was called to pull off two fine saves and fought through a hefty bang to the shoulder for the shutout.

Sean Francis: 7

Slightly less even or impactful display than in his fine recent brace of matches.

Paco Craig: 8 1/2

Reliable and resourceful, defending well and combining superbly with Niall to initiate a strong push for a period in the 2nd half. Almost had an assist in a target man role right at the finish.

Oscar Jimenez: 7

Bright first half, aside from the needless caution, though conservative going forward after the break and only a few corners found their target. Still, mainly sound in defense, a quality the attack minded defender would like to maintain in his game.

Speedy Williams: 6 1/2

Held down the midfield satisfactorily while uncharacteristically apt to giving away possession at times. Picked up a caution, perhaps while sending a message to Guy Abend.

Niall McCabe: 8

Enjoyed a useful shift working on the wing, particularly his work in the first part of the 2nd half when he created multiple chances before handing over his spot to George IV.

Napo Mataoso: 7

Another worthy 90 minute night out as the promising apprentice builds up his pro experience.

Magnus Rasmussen: 7 1/2

Some top rate touches, and in place inside the area to see a few half chances, however an ultimately less fulfilling night for the midfield maestro than he has enjoyed recently.

Lucky Mkosana: 6 1/2

Not bad by any means, just not involved enough in the game to aid the cause, especially in the gritty areas. Subbed after 73 minutes.

Luke Spencer: 7

Worked hard and with a little luck (and an ounce more sharpness) might have chipped out a tally. Unfortunate to have his game winning attempt cleared off the line by Bahner.

George Davis IV : 7 1/2

Got in a handy 30 minutes, highlighted by some attacking forays and several key passes that went unconverted.

Abdou Mbacke Thiam: 6

On for around 25 minutes in place of Mkosana and continuing a trend in recent league games of not making the most of the odd chance coming his way, after a well taken USOC goal in midweek.

“LOS MORADOS NO. 1 ⭐️ OF THE GAME”

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ALEXIS SOAHY ⭐️⭐️⭐️: 9

Followed on from a strong return outing in Birmingham with an even better one here. Formidable in the air and diligent in general in defensive duties. Still part of a defense corps that gives up too much on dead ball situations (Sam Fink 2X), but virtually flawless in general play in positioning and man coverage. This display sets up a pending killer battle with Taylor Peay for the rest of the season and the right to partner all-star center back Paco Craig.

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