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Well, that was bad.
Most losses tend to be unenjoyable experiences, but the word Coach Cruz used several times in his post-match interview was “embarrassing”, and it’s hard to argue with the gaffer following what was without doubt Louisville City’s worst outing of the season.
It’s not that we were played off the pitch by superior opposition—far from it in fact. We enjoyed a lopsided 68% possession throughout the match, and despite our 13 crosses in the first half, we never looked very threatening against Monterey Bay.
The Californian side didn’t look particularly strong themselves, mustering their two goals from a paltry three shots—perhaps the most frustrating statistic for Lou City on the day.
As far as individual performances, Ownby looked a threat down the right hand side (at least in the first half), but it’s fair to say his defending on the first goal was subpar, and it looked like he was bullied to the back post by Mobi Fehr.
Sam Gleadle made a great run for Monterey Bay’s second goal and his finish was well placed, but this buildup began with City giving the ball away easily in midfield, and Bone probably could’ve done better to close him down in the box.
Despite a mostly forgettable night at Lynn Family, I can’t help but pick out a few positives from the match. An early chance from an Ownby delivery hit the crossbar, although in hindsight it looks as if it would have been given as an own goal. Also encouraging was a return for Cameron Lancaster, who’s presence will give us further options at striker and may deliver the quality we need in the final third.
By the admission of Cruz and McCabe after the match, this display was simply not up to the club’s standards and you have to commend them for this. Two losses on the spin isn’t anything uncommon in this league, and it’s certainly not the time to panic, although our habit of maintaining a high level of possession but failing to make much of it is a worrying hangover from the LA match. Perhaps Lancaster’s return will help to correct for this. Most frustrating for me was the lack of urgency after we went 1-0 down. After conceding, the chances seemed to dry up, and we never really looked like we would go on to get anything from the match.
While USL fandom tends to be a generally pleasant and friendly place, I’ve seen a few comments on Twitter and elsewhere in which opposition fans are reveling not only in our defeat yesterday, but also in the manner of our relatively toothless second half capitulation. I’m of the opinion that if people like to see you fail, you’ve probably done something right, and I wonder if a bit of old fashioned siege mentality could help us return to form. A win against an MLS side is a big ask, but it would certainly to a lot to silence the noise coming from outside. As McCabe mentioned in his interview, it’s a good thing that we have another match to focus on this week as it means there’s little time to dwell on last night. I think that’s good advice for both players and fans.
SONG OF THE MATCH: Can We Pretend by Bill Withers because,
Can we pretend the pain is gone and go on our merry way?