Danny Cruz has got his Louisville City side humming.
The former MLS player with Houston, DC, United and Philadelphia has brought an attacking brand of football to Louisville City that has his team at the top of the table.
The month of August saw Louisville City win matches against Charleston Battery, New Mexico United and Sacramento Republic, all teams that rank towards the top of their respective conferences.
Heading into their final six games of the season, they own a three-point lead over Charleston with two matches in hand.
This tactical analysis examines the core principles at play for this USL Championship-leading side.
We’ll look first at this uptempo, vertical attack and show how they unbalance opponents in possession.
Well finish the scout report with a look at their out-of-possession tactics, notably how they execute their 5-2-3 press.
Louisville City Verticality & Up-Tempo Attacking
Tempo and verticality are core principles of this Louisville city attack.
They typically set up in a 3-4-3, very much in this style of Rúben Amorim’s Sporting.
If they can play into the front three and hurt the opponent, theyll take it knowing that they have three tightly connected players high up the pitch.
The centre-backs find that line-breaking pass so well.
Between the three centre-backs at the base and the alternating heights of the two pivots, LouCity has the depth to draw opponents towards the ball and the height to play into the forward line.
The height of the forwards also allows them to create space between the lines, allowing for checks into midfield.
With the pivots playing supporting roles and the wingbacks offering width, the Louisville City attacks prominent features are its depth and height.
In the 10-point goal fest against NCFC, one of the best early chances came from a line-breaking pass from the centre-back, Arturo Ordonez, into Aiden McFadden, the right-wingback who had moved centrally.
McFadden was able to play his right-forward, Jansen Wilson, behind the backline, who then played an early cross into the heart of the box for Wilson Harris.
While they couldnt capitalize on this early opportunity, it was a warning shot.
Goals were on the days agenda.
Its not only the ability
