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Louisville Maintains Short-Range Focus

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 09/19/17, 2:34PM EDT

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Top-four clash with Rochester is first of two between sides in short span


Photo courtesy Em-Dash Photography / Louisville City FC

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With Louisville City FC set to square off twice in its next three outings against the Rochester Rhinos, including Wednesday night’s clash at Slugger Field, you might think the short separation between the two games might affect the preparation for the Eastern Conference leaders.

For Louisville Head Coach James O’Connor, however, the process of taking each game as it comes remains the same ahead of the midweek clash that serves as a key game for positioning in the top four of the USL Eastern Conference.

“When you’re playing Rochester, they’re a very good team, very organized team,” said O’Connor. “Lot of respect for [Rhinos Head Coach] Bob [Lilley], so for it’s more just each game at a time, so whether we play Rochester twice in a row or we play them twice in four weeks or three weeks, I think it becomes irrelevant to us. I think it’s focusing on the next game, which we have done throughout the course of the season.”

Louisville sits three points clear of the second-place Charlotte Independence going into a crucial Wednesday night at the top of the standings. With the Independence visiting the third-place Charleston Battery in addition to the clash between Louisville and Rochester, the chance for either the top two to create separation or the race to compress further are two possible outcomes as the goal of a home game to kick off the USL Cup Playoffs comes into focus.


Photo courtesy Em-Dash Photography / Louisville City FC

For Louisville, there’s even the chance a win on Wednesday night for both itself and Charlotte could see the side clinch a home game in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by the end of the week. Should that happen, and City take victory against Ottawa Fury FC on Sunday afternoon, and playoff soccer would return to Slugger Field for a third consecutive season.

A win would also help push Louisville closer to Western Conference-leader Real Monarchs SLC, which has faltered over recent outings to create a chance the USL Regular Season Championship is back up for grabs.

“It’s something we’re all aware of,” said O’Connor of the club’s prospect of overhauling the Monarchs. “But I think for us, again, at the start of the year we have a commitment to each other. We have responsibility to each other. We have our culture and I think there are massive parts and factors that we pay attention to. I think focusing on each game at a time, if you do that correctly, the regular standings, the league standings, it will all look after itself and that’s been our focus throughout the course of the year.”

That starts with Wednesday night, and the visit from the side with the best defensive record in the Eastern Conference. With position still to play for, O’Connor is making sure his side is still fully focused on what’s at hand, not the games it will face in a month’s time.

“I think our supporters will be pleased that we’re in the playoffs,” O’Connor said. “I think that’s great, but equally we have six games to go. So honestly for me, it’s Wednesday night. Fully dialed in on that. Lot of things to be aware of. Some really good aspects today in training that we’re really pleased with. Focused completely on Rochester.”

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