LouCity hopes to walk away with ‘three points’ after Saturday’s match vs. Birmingham – Courier Journal
Louisville City FC (1-0) picked up its first win of the season nearly two weeks ago, but the team is looking at Saturday’s match against Birmingham Legion (0-1) as an early-season test to see how it stacks up against a squad that some believe could contend for the Central Division title.
Though Legion will be without forward Junior Flemmings, last season’s leading scorer, who is still serving a suspension for using a gay slur against San Diego Loyal SC’s Collin Martin last season, LouCity still believes Birmingham has some dangerous pieces that could provide a stiff test for the purple line between the pitch and the goalkeeper’s net.
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“Birmingham is a really good team. They’re expected to finish at the top of the Central Division,” said forward Antoine Hoppenot during a Thursday morning press conference. “I think a big challenge will be trying to keep them in front of us. They like to try and get in behind you and create a lot of problems.”
First Team All League defender Sean Tostch offered his own assessment of the challenges Birmingham could pose to the River City crew.
“They have some talented players,” he said. “It’s hard to get a full look from their first game. They had some challenges with the field there that made things a little difficult to get a full grasp of how they play. Our focus, we take care of the details we need to. We stay together as a unit, that’s a big thing for us.”
Besides the thrill of starting their season 2-0, LouCity is also thinking about how a win Saturday could affect the season standings come playoff time. LouCity is eager to maintain the kind of competitive edge in its grouping that has seen the team make six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances.
“This will be a game that you look back (at) in September and October, (and) you hope you got three points out of it,” said Hoppenot. “It might make the difference between being first or second.”
Reach Jonathan Saxon at JSaxon@gannett.com or 502-715-1393 and follow him on Twitter at @TheSleepyScribe.