5-1-25 Lou City v. Lex
An awesome new in-state rivalry kicked off last night at Lynn Family stadium as Lou City hosted the newly “promoted” Lexington Sporting Club. It was a hard-fought 2-0 victory for the Boys in Purple, but Coach was not happy about their performance in the 2nd half. Granted they scored both their goals then, but one may have been an own goal by Lexington, and with the talent on this team, Coach Danny expects more.
Enjoy some shots of the action including my commentary on the chaos.
Some pre-game action: Starting upper left - I spotted the coolest Derby hat on the cutest lady - the hat was donned with Racing Louisville cards and an absolute masterpiece; McCabe and Ownby couldn’t escape the little fans who were excited to get autographs from the generous off-duty players; these two young men belted out the most epic version of the national anthem I’ve heard in ages; the large screen reminds us not the buy the scarf with the rivals on it.
The teams greet each other prior to kick-off. Then they abandoned all niceties and the jersey pulling began.
Aforementioned jersey pulling. Lex must’ve known about Sam Gleadle’s scoring streak and were committed to ending it.
Jersey pulling and tickling. Brutal attacks from the Lexington un-sporting club.
Totsch made some great early runs at goal.
Totsch taking a moment to enjoy the beautiful night. And figure out where Gleadle is so he can throw the ball that way.
Ordóñez calls for help or summons his waiter for the check. Hard to tell.
Manny Perez points to the stands to indicate this will be a homerun. That’s something they do in football, right? Baseball can’t have all the fun. Great run by Manny but we know this is a tough shot to make.
A later attempt by Manny had both Serrano and the Lex Keeper making a dive. It really appeared to be in, but that sneaky ball somehow escaped the inside of the net.
More action shots as Lou City kept possession for most (ed. not really…closer to a third) of the first half.
*This is based on the pictures that I took and not actual game statistics. I don’t think anyone tracks possession time anyway.
A generous moment from Kyle Adams as he offers to help up a Lex player who tripped on his own shoelaces.
The refs kept pretty good control of play even bringing out the yellow and red cards in the second half. A couple times the field ref directly inserted himself into play to ensure that everyone was playing nice.
After handing out the yellow card to Kyle Adams (doing his job as captain) and the red card for the Lexington player (who kicked squarely at McFadden’s face), the ref promises McFadden that the mark can easily be covered by some foundation and a little bronzer.
After Manny Perez takes a brutal hit, the ref checks to see if he has any cards left (I guess he was all out), and Jansen Wilson summons his courage to go address the Lexington punk.
Despite any evidence to the contrary, Lou City played clean all night. They even managed a hug for former teammate Lancaster.
This was a dangerous moment with a Lexington player decide to have a lie down in Damian Las’ goal. Good thing the ball was bound for the stands and not the goal, and Las took a gentle tumble with nary a hair out of place.
After being called offside more than his fair share of runs, McFadden just barely missed shot on goal in the 2nd half. He was not at all bothered by the miss, and in fact decided to use the time while Lexington reset to trade slow-cooker recipes with Las.
Mid-game huddle, the Boys in Purple discuss their Derby picks for Saturday’s race. Goodrum is obviously going with Flying Mohawk. Evan Davila (center, angry) is mad that no one told him that this Derby is this weekend.
No doubt about this one - the ball is in the net! It was a mutual effort between McFadden’s right shoulder and a Lex player’s giant head so it was officially an own goal. Personally glad this news came later so that the team could celebrate and fans could vote Aiden McFadden the Man of the Match. Celebration snaps below.
Moments after the first goal, Jake Morris makes a beautiful run (too bad he tore up his socks in the process) and has a beautiful shot that veers just right of the goal.
Morris was pretty much a ball hog after that.
Beautiful! We all love to see this, right? Also, Lou City is still up 1-0.
This reverse-over-the-head kick by Totsch has even Lambert on his toes. Little known fact, between playing for the Rochester Rhinos and joining Lou City, Totsch taught a high-kick class in Las Vegas. He still has the shoes!
Would it be a sweet goal for former Lou City player Lancaster, or would Damian Las get a hold of this one? It was a really close save to keep Las’s sheet clean.
Another massive run of plays, though we would later learn that Coach Danny felt like the team was entirely too relaxed in the 2nd half. I thought they put on a great show.
Even though I missed the incredible block by Kyle Adams, it was impossible to miss Las’s celebration. Or maybe he was angry that Adams didn’t let him get it? No, he must be happy. It was truly epic.
Goodrum scored the 2nd goal and even the Lexington fans celebrated with him. Except for those two bearded guys in the 2nd row. They were not impressed with Phil’s sliding into “their” section, but it looks like he couldn’t hear them anyway.
This is what joy looks like. It starts with a Superman pose and ends with a head butt from your pal.
After the game, the players showed some love to the fans as well as the Lexington players. McFadden was asked for his wristbands by a youngster who was thrilled to receive the purple souvenir. Sam Gleadle tried to pesuade his toddler to join him on the field and he eventually did help dad sign some autographs. Kyle Adams led the team in a round of applause for the fans. Even Security helped fans get some specialty pictures with their favorite players.
Some other moments that made me smile are below.
