LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville City FC returned to its winning ways in emphatic fashion Saturday night, dispatching Monterey Bay FC 2-0 with a performance that reinforced its place among the USL Championship elite.
Playing shorthanded and on the road, LouCity controlled the match from the opening whistle at Cardinale Stadium, riding goals from Sean Totsch and Manny Perez along with another stellar defensive display to stretch its unbeaten run to 10 games. The victory improved City to 6-0-4, just two points off league-leading Charleston.
“That was a complete performance from the guys,” Perez said. “We talked about a response from a couple of, I guess you could say, results that we don’t really want. I think we worked really hard this week in training, and that was just a good response for 90 minutes. We fought hard, got the clean sheet and just have to keep going on from here.”
LouCity opened with energy and intent, putting three shots on target before the breakthrough came in the 20th minute. Defender Sean Totsch rose to meet a corner kick from Taylor Davila and flicked home a near-post header — the culmination of sustained early pressure. It marked Totsch’s second goal of the season and showcased the threat LouCity poses on set pieces.
Monterey Bay, previously unbeaten at home in league play, didn’t register a shot on target until the 57th minute.
“We talked a lot about mentality,” Totsch said. “It’s evident when you watch us play that when it’s right, you can see it. It’s visual. It’s infectious. Everyone can feel it. You know what it looks like, and that was kind of what our goal was: If we had the right energy and mentality for the whole game from the very first whistle, that we were going to get the result and everything was going to go our way.
“That’s the talent we have on this team and the belief. When you take care of that, the result takes care of itself.”
The dagger came just after halftime. In the 49th minute, Totsch lofted a long ball over the top that Manny Perez chased down. The wingback held off a defender and chipped a composed finish past the keeper to make it 2-0.
“It was a great ball in behind from Totsch," Perez said. "Something we work on a lot. Saw the space. ... Just tried to be as composed as I could and then and give us a goal there and luckily it went my way.”
The goal was Perez’s second of the season, capping off a strong showing on both ends of the pitch.
LouCity entered the match without several key attackers, including Phillip Goodrum, Sam Gleadle and Brian Ownby. Cruz had intended to start veteran goalkeeper Danny Faundez in his season debut, but an injury during warmups forced a late change. Damian Las stepped back in and delivered his fifth clean sheet of the season — tied for most in the USL Championship — making a key save on Monterey Bay’s only shot on goal.
The team’s defensive unit, anchored by Totsch, Arturo Ordóñez, and Kyle Adams, absorbed pressure without yielding. Davila orchestrated from midfield, creating three chances and completing a game-high 21 passes in the final third.
LouCity outshot Monterey Bay 17-9 (10-2 on target) and forced 13 corners while holding 49% possession. The club also led in expected goals (1.62 to 0.51) and had nearly triple the number of touches inside the opponent’s box.
“We continued to manage territory the entire night," Cruz said. "I thought we did an excellent job in our press and we had a lot of quality with the ball tonight. There weren't maybe some things you saw over the last couple of games. Turnovers in bad areas, you didn't have that tonight. I thought we were responsible with the ball. I thought everybody wanted the ball, and I thought our verticality was there.”
What’s next: LouCity shifts from league play back to the USL Jägermeister Cup, where it faces Loudoun United FC at 6 p.m. ET next Saturday. The clubs have already met twice this season across multiple competitions, with LouCity winning both matches.
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