Always bet on Purple: Lou City 3-Las Vegas 1
Lou City players tackle Josh Jones after his first professional goal, and the Las Vegas Keeper checks the clock to see how much longer he has to defend the relentless attacks from the Boys in Purple.
This late in the season, they are all high stakes matches, and Lou City fans were all-in for the W against Las Vegas.
We welcomed back Phil Goodrum after that scary injury in Indy, celebrated 100 USL wins with Coach Danny Cruz (the youngest to reach this milestone!), and saw proof that Adrien Perez is back to peak performance. Enjoy some serious match analysis and professional photography on another website but my thoughts and pics are below for your entertainment.
From the airport directly to the stadium…Racing players Arin Wright and Kayla Fischer greeted fans who brought diapers for New Hope Services. After spending the last two weeks on the west coast for NWSL games, these ladies spent the evening with Lou City fans collecting for the Diaper Drive. Made me feel a little bad about that 2-hour nap I took yesterday. Since we brought diapers, we got two free tickets to Racing Louisville’s game on 9/27 (Pups on the pitch)! If anyone wants them, comment below. We have season tickets and would love to give these to someone else who would enjoy the game!
I’m not sure which I missed more…Phil Goodrum on the pitch, or the Phil-Goodrum-shows-off-his-abs photography series. Regardless, I was thrilled to see Phil warming up and he was thrilled to show me his abs. Anything for his fans.
Aiden McFadden demonstrates a new warm-up technique he learned from watching “Dancing with the Stars.”
Warm-up-Jersey-Appreciation Gallery
Me: Hey Niall, ya’ll gonna win tonight?
Niall:
Phil: Hey Cam, what did the magician call it when he pulled a soccer ball out of his top hat?
Cam: Not again, Phil.
Phil: A hat-
Cam: Trick.
Phil: Trick.
Cam: You know I’m fake laughing, right?
Cameron Lancaster wondering how much he could get for a used soccer sock on eBay. Like new. Gently used?
Captain Taylor Davila looks like he might puke before the coin toss. Totsch tells him to think about baseball.
When the smell of VapoRub hits the air, you know it’s time for the pre-match huddle.
McFadden slides into the action knees first. Sure hope he has a good knee guy.
In this week’s Josh-Jones-throws-the-ball-in image, we can see that Josh has something else in his pocket. It’s a goal, but we’ll have to wait till the 2nd half to see it.
I know you’re wondering what happened to Jones’ Gatorade towel after he dried the ball. Josh created one of those fancy towel animals like you get in your hotel room at Disney World or on a cruise. Pretty sure this is a shy turtle.
Jansen Wilson moving down the pitch, kicking up grass seed and the tears of his enemies.
Wow, this picture is so embarrassing for peach guy. I guess sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug. And that bug is ugly.
Wilson again - who was on FIRE last night - bringing the ball down the pitch like a marionette with a puppet. Meanwhile 2024 Patrick Mahomes haircut is losing his freakin’ mind. He smells the goal.
There it is. Goal by Gleadle! Not pictured, Gleadle.
McFadden rubs Wilson’s head for continued good luck.
There’s Gleadle! With strict instructions to McFadden to leave his hair alone.
Gleadle-Goal-Celebration Gallery
Is it the waltz? Maybe a tango? Aiden is just getting ready for the Lou City & Racing Louisville Foundation Soccer Ball next week.
Now he just needs to work on his tan lines.
Awesome header by Lambert to prevent a goal from Las Vegas, meanwhile McFadden looks like he’s being attacked by a bear.
Gleadle appears to time warp down the pitch. I fixed the settings on my camera after this, and I kinda wish I hadn’t.
Head Referee Natalie Simons establishes her authority early. She is the best and should referee all games in the USL and the NWSL forever and ever amen. This call results in a free kick for Lou City.
Taylor Davila after missing the penalty kick: Shucks!
Looks like Ray Serrano also needs to work on those tan lines before the Ball. May I recommend the Sun Kiss My Booty self-tanning cream? I wish I was making this up. Also, the Brazilian Bum Bum cream is a great everyday lotion. To think, someone got paid to come up with these names and companies actively decided to use them, but no one has made Autums, the pumpkin-flavored antacid.
McFadden has nearly finished his transformation into Wolverine.
After Wolverine is kicked in the face by a peach boy, Natalie Simons warms up her red card. She hears out the players without losing her cool (she’s not even sweating out there!) and sends the offender off the field. We need to put her in charge of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
McFadden dutifully sits on the ground to reinforce the severity of his injury. Las Vegas players wish him well.
Is this the same bug that got hit in the face by the ball earlier? Guy’s having a rough night.
Lou City is not happy to go into halftime tied with Las Vegas. I also they think know Coach Danny Cruz is going to have some words of encouragement for them in the locker room and would rather run laps or have their wisdom teeth pulled.
More-from-the-first-half Gallery
Goodrum is officially back in action in the second half. He is one of 14 substitutions made by Coach Cruz during the break. Post-match, Cruz said that some of the subs were tactical and others were for poor performers. For the first time this season, we witness a Davila-less period in a match. It didn’t feel right.
Thy Boys in Purple brought that locker room energy back to the pitch and shared the kind words with the boys in peach. At this point, Lou City is four deep into their captain roster with McCabe wearing the arm band and Lambert being their voice of reason, trying to calm down Las and Morris.
Damian Las finishes some vocal exercises as play restarts in the Las Vegas end of the pitch.
Amadou Dia exchanges pleasantries with Simons, fully aware of the yellow cards in her pocket.
The collision of peach boys while Lambert goes in for a header makes me wonder if we are still up one man. They seem to be everywhere.
Jake Morris, yelling at the ball mid-header. Goatee fears for his life.
Lou City had 18 shots (9 on target) in the 2nd half. This was Adrien Perez’s first shot, a practice shot if you will.
Wilson created opportunities for everyone else and was FotMob’s Man of the Match.
Consistent with my style of photography, here is a beautiful goal by Adrien Perez. Not pictured but there in spirit, Adrien Perez.
Adrian-Perez-Almost-Crowd-Surfs Gallery
Probo (I bet his middle school life was torture) must have said something comical to make Simons smile. McCabe is literally keeping a low profile.
For-a-minute-they-played-Rugby Gallery
The goal attempts upon goal attempts that Goodrum tried! If it’s any consolation, Phil, FotMob gave you credit for Jones’ goal. I won’t tell if you don’t.
Goodrum-wants-a-goal-so-bad-he-can-taste-it Gallery
McCabe is very much wearing that captain’s arm band. And he’s about to set up the ugliest goal in the history of Lynn Family stadium.
Header from Lambert. (You can sorta see Lambert. At least his cleats.) Josh Jones is locked up tight.
Goodrum gets his upper thigh on the ball (?) and then Jones taps it in with that little bone that sits on the outside of the ankle. Told ya it was ugly.
Even if Jones hadn’t fallen to the ground after nudging the ball into the net, I think Phil would’ve tackled him.
Let’s-celebrate-Jones-but-keep-him-on-the-ground-as-long-as-possible Gallery
More-ground-shots-corner-kicks-and-great-shots-on-goal Gallery
Post-Match-Media-and-Socializing Gallery featuring Kyle Adams reminding the team to do the walk around the stadium. Adams missed most of this week, presumably supporting Savannah DeMelo, the NWSL star who plays for Racing Louisville and collapsed on the pitch during last week’s match in Seattle.
