• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • US Open Cup Central
  • US Open Cup Qualifying
  • US Open Cup History

Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

  • 2022 Schedule/Results
  • 2023 Qualifying Schedule
  • 2022 Stats
  • Support TheCup.us
  • TheCup.us Store
  • Awards
  • Contact Us

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Louisville City gives Kentucky first win in 22 years, 1-0 over Lansing United

May 23, 2015 by Brooks Laimbeer

Lansing United's Sons of Ransom created a home field advantage, but Louisville City prevailed 1-0. Photo: Paul Swaney | StadiumJourney.com
Lansing United’s Sons of Ransom created a home field advantage, but Louisville City prevailed 1-0. Photo: Paul Swaney | StadiumJourney.com

Unlike last round where penalty kicks seemed to be the hot commodity, the match between Louisville City FC and Lansing United ended in 90 minutes. Louisville scored three minutes into the second half to eventually win the match 1-0 in what is the first victory by a Kentucky team in the US Open Cup since 1993 (Louisville Soccer Alliance).

From the opening kickoff at Archer Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., Louisville came out strong offensively and dominated possession in the first half.

“We expected to possess the ball a lot. We knew Lansing would make it very difficult for us,” said City head coach James O’Connor. “Great credit to them, they defended very well, they got numbers behind the ball and made it difficult for us to break them down.”

In the third minute of the game, forward Nate Polak, hit a shot that went wide of the United goal.

The game went back and forth for the next few minutes and in the 10th, Lansing United forward Matt Brown had a good look at the top of the box and struck a shot wide of the City goal.

Photo: Paul Swaney | StadiumJourney.com
Photo: Paul Swaney | StadiumJourney.com

In the 25th minute, City midfielder Charlie Adams ripped a shot 20 yards out. But the ball flew just over the crossbar on the far side of the goal.

United got a few more looks at goal in the first half, but none that would cause a scare for City goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh.

“They held the ball for a really long time, but our guys really stayed to our tactics, we defended extremely well and I thought we chased the game,” said United head coach Eric Rudland.

In the second half United put pressure on Louisville by earning an early free kick, but Lansing couldn’t make anything of it as defender Ben Lamb headed it wide of the goal.

Off a corner kick in the 48th minute, City midfielder Magnus Rasmussen played it short to Adams who hit a shot towards goal which deflected off Brown and into the United goal.

“The short corner was on to play and it was one of them ones where you’re shaping it with the inside of your foot that you want it to go towards goal,” Adams said. “I was aiming for the back post and to gradually get in the goal. But it’s one of those ones that’s difficult for defenders so it’s likely for you to get a deflection and I scored.”

Lansing broke out of their defensive mode and pressured the Louisville defense which cut down City’s time of possession to 60-40 15 minutes into the second half.

By the 70th minute, United switched their tactics and moved left back Ade Adeniyi to the striker position and dropped Brown into the midfield while midfielder Jack Smith dropped into the defensive back role.

This switch gave United a spark offensively as the big and strong Adeniyi created havoc for the City defense and just missed netting the equalizer in the 88th minute as his shot rung off the outside of the right post.

“We were able to make the adjustment to bump Ade up, he had a nice couple chances,” Rudland said. “Then we had guys getting around their outside backs in the last few minutes of the second half.”

Louisville held strong defensively at the end and almost added a few more goals if it wasn’t for a few big saves from United goalkeeper Quinn McAnaney.

“Honestly I think this was more to do with our backline and their performance,” McAnaney said. “I had to make one big save and the rest of the game they held them in check. This one goes to our backline and they were great all day.”

Louisville City FC will play the Indy Eleven Wednesday in the Third Round.

Filed Under: 2015 US Open Cup, US Open Cup Tagged With: 2015 US Open Cup, Lansing United, Louisville City FC, NPSL, Second Round, USL

Primary Sidebar

Featured Video

Follow Us on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

U.S. Open Cup History

Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders FC is shown a red card during a 2015 US Open Cup match against the Portland Timbers.

A history of violence against referees in US Open Cup

Unfortunately, in the long history of the US Open Cup, this was not the first time that there have been more then a few incidents where games were halted due to referee abuse.

  • How St. Petersburg Kickers became Florida’s first US Open Cup champion
  • San Francisco Bay Seals, the ‘amateur’ pro team that reached 1997 US Open Cup Semifinals
  • Vasco De Gama’s journey from Connecticut to 1978 US Open Cup Final as Pele’s opening act at Giants Stadium
  • 1938-1939 National Challenge Cup: The first time the US Open Cup was invite-only
  • American soccer’s greatest modern underdog story: Rochester Raging Rhinos win 1999 US Open Cup

Analytics powered by

Copyright © 2023 • Built by Jacob Martella Web Development