Editor’s Note: Louisville City FC’s last-ever (probably) match at Louisville Slugger Field is on Saturday. To celebrate City’s time on the ball diamond, Andrew Oost, author and longtime dedicated LouCity fan, put together this daily countdown ofthe best six games ever played on a combination of grass and green carpet laid over dirt with a retractable pitchers’ mound. Enjoy!
Previously: No. 6 – 2015 Conference Semifinal vs. Charleston Battery; No. 5 – 2018 Conference Final vs. New York Red Bulls II; No. 4 – March 28, 2015 vs. St. Louis; No. 3 – August 12, 2018 vs. Cincinnati; No 2: 2017 Eastern Conference Final vs. New York Red Bulls II
Slugger’s Greatest Hits, #1
Louisville City FC 1, Swope Park Rangers 0
USL Cup Finals, November 13, 2017
The third time was the charm for Louisville City in the Eastern Conference Finals. After vanquishing long-time foe New York Red Bulls II the week prior, City found themselves in the USL Cup Championship for the first time.
The opponent was an unexpected one. Swope Park Rangers had snuck into the final as a #4 seed by the slimmest of margins, beating Phoenix via PK shootout, Sacramento 1-0, and Oklahoma City via PK shootout again.
There was a nine day buildup to the match, which was bizarrely scheduled for a Monday night at 9 pm. The long leadup time was probably beneficial, as it provided plenty of time for fans to buy tickets for the game, and they did so like never before. An all-time Slugger Field record 14,465 packed the stadium to a standing room only capacity.
The game was a tense affair, with both teams creating decent chances. In the first half, both sides had goals hit the back of the net, only to be ruled offside. The second half brought more scoring opportunities, with both defenses bending but refusing to break.
Coach James O’Connor brought on fresh legs midway through the second half, a clear signal that LouCity would continue to push the attacking initiative, with Cameron Lancaster replacing Luke Spencer in the 67th, and Mark-Anthony Kaye replacing Brian Ownby in the 74th.
As the clock ticked up towards the 90 minute mark the teams remained deadlocked, and it became clear that one goal would win it for either side. In the 88th minute, Louisville City gained a throw-in half way down the Swope Park side of the pitch. Kyle Smith made a short throw to an unmarked Speedy Williams, who was 40 yards out from goal along the sideline. Williams took one touch, and launched a gently curling ball into the box.
Cameron Lancaster, the only attacking player for LouCity in the box, started his run at the top of the box. He slid in front of the Swope park defender, and launched to meet the ball at the 12 yards out. For an instant, the header seemed innocuous, as though it didn’t have enough pace as it looped towards the Swope goal. But the placement was immaculate, and time stood still as the ball nestled into the top right corner of the net.
Cries of jubilation rang out through Slugger Field as Lancaster was mobbed by his teammates. It’s not hyperbole to say that never before, and likely never again, will the baseball park on Main Street ring out with such a sound.
The cacophony continued through an interminable eight minutes of added time. Swope Park never capitulated, and created several dangerous chances at the end, but Louisville City had come too far to yield their moment of glory at the last instant. After one last Swope free kick was repelled, the referee blew the whistle at 97 minutes and 42 seconds.
Just 2 years, 7 months, and 15 days after first taking the pitch at Slugger Field, Louisville City FC was celebrating its first championship.
The crowd surged onto the pitch from all directions in an outpouring of jubilation that could not be restrained. The team and the fans celebrated together as one, and tears of joy were shed by more than a few, your humble narrator included.
Louisville City would go on to repeat as USL Cup Champions the following season, but that game was held at the University of Louisville’s Lynn Stadium, rather than at Slugger Field. While each of the USL Cup triumphs holds a special place in the hearts of all City fans, almost universally the 2017 final will be remembered most fondly. As the saying goes, “you never forget your first”.
The team played 88 games at Slugger Field, winning 55, drawing 20, and losing only 13 times. Although it was only a temporary home, it was a fortress. If such greatness can be achieved on a baseball field, one can only imagine that the future in Butchertown, in one of the finest stadiums at any level of American soccer, has even greater things in store.
So as we prepare to enter the next era of Louisville City FC, we say goodbye to Louisville Slugger Field. The sightlines were poor, the rent and the beer were expensive, the pitch was small, and the Turf Monster was ferocious. But it was home, and it is where the story of Louisville City FC began.
