Independence Face Defeat in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, K.Y. — Despite a strong battle from a 10-man Independence, one goal was enough for Louisville City to grab the victory Wednesday night.

Ashani Fairclough ended his Independence debut with a red card in the 47th minute. The defender picked up a yellow card in the 20th minute for a tackle on Louisville’s Brian Ownby. Two minutes into the second half, Fairclough was shown a second yellow for another challenge on Ownby. Fairclough is the first Charlotte player to be shown a red card this season.

In the five all-time meetings between Louisville and Charlotte, neither side has scored multiple goals in the same game. The Louisville game marked the 5th defensive back-four-combination in the last seven game for the Independence. Despite goalkeeper Cody Mizell’s three heroic saves, Louisville found the back of the goal. The Jacks remain without a clean sheet in the 2017 season, one of two USL teams to fail to register this feat along with the Western Conference’s Phoenix Rising FC. With the exception of the Saturday, April 8th game at Orlando City B, the Independence have trailed in all of their games.

After saying goodbye to temporary home in Eagle Field at Winthrop University, the Independence look forward to making a home in Matthews. Since May 11th, the Independence have played one home game and four road games. Following the game at Louisville, the Jacks continue their road trip and travel to Cincinnati on Saturday, June 10th. The Independence will play at their new home stadium at the Sportsplex in Matthews beginning Saturday, June 17th versus the Harrisburg City Islanders. Tickets on sale now.