WHO:

Phoenix Rising FC, 3rd seed, Western Conference

WHAT:

The USL Cup Final

WHEN:

Thursday, November 8, 2018

WHERE:

Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium, 339 Byrne Avenue, Louisville, KY 40209

WATCH:

Tickets are sold out, so if you don’t have one, you’ll have to catch the match on ESPN2 or 790 KRD. I expect it will also be streaming via the ESPN app with your cable subscription, or possibly ESPN+.

MARCH:

Tailgate
University of Louisville Athletic Director Vince Tyra has once again opened up Cardinal Alley for the Purple Family. This is the same spot we tailgated during the USOC match vs Nashville. The Lou City Tailgaters will be there, along with Bruce from Saints. All are welcome. If you don’t have tickets, you can come tailgate with us and watch the match at Cardinal Alley! The tailgate officially opens at 3:00 PM. FYI, Cardinal Alley is a licensed club, so they will have alcohol for sale.

Parking
Parking will be fairly limited, so you may want to think about taking a ride service. Cardinal Alley will have a very limited amount of parking available on a first come, first served basis. Additional parking is available.

March to the Match and Seating
The March to the Match will leave from Cardinal Alley at 7:25 PM. We want to make this biggest and best march of the season! To that end, we have secured permission to rope off seats in the “trapezoid” supporter section as well as Scouse’s House. CSC security and designated members of the Purple Family will guard certain sections of roped-off seats for marching supporters! See the image below for more information on seating locations for marchers. Remember! You don’t have to be a member of The Coopers (or any supporter group) to join in the march! All are welcome.

Clear Bag Policy
The University of Louisville has a strict clear bag and item policy. Security will be checking and scanning individuals at the gate. The only special items that are allowed are the flags and drums carried on the march to the match.

Goal Kicks
We encourage everyone to join us on goal kicks in shouting, ¡Vamos Morados!

WHO, AGAIN?

The team The Simulation spit out for us this season is Phoenix Rising FC. They used to be called Arizona United, and before that they were Phoenix FC Wolves or something like that. They’ve got some noteworthy owners, including techno DJ Diplo, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, and player-owner Didier Drogba. Yeah, that Didier Drogba.

This season marks their best ever in USL. They scored 63 goals in the regular season and gave up 38. They kept 17 clean sheets, which is really good, though that also means they gave up at least two on average in games they lost. They’ve got some really good players, including Chris Cortez (officially a maybe), Jason Johnson, Samuel Asante, and oh yeah, Didier Drogba. They play a pressing style, though not quite to New York Red Bulls’ level. They like to keep the ball, though they’ve hardly had it during their run in the playoffs, averaging around 35% possession. They are certainly capable of playing direct, as that’s been their modus operandi this postseason. This will certainly be a challenge. Drogba doesn’t play center forward anymore, but he’s still probably the best player anyone in purple’s ever faced.

That said, City is playing their best soccer all season right at this moment. They’re scoring in bunches. They aren’t conceding meaningful goals. Paolo has absolutely owned the midfield, or at least prevented anyone else from gaining purchase there. Brian Ownby is playing at the highest level we’ve ever seen him play in Louisville. Lancaster may not play, but it’s not like starting Luke Spencer in his place is going to cost anyone a ton of sleep. Niall McCabe and Ilija Ilic are flourishing in their new-ish roles. Kyle Smith has quietly had an absolutely bonkers playoffs and almost no one is talking about it. Oscar is still doing Oscar things, Alexis is playing great man defense, and while Cuatro may not be doing a ton on offense, he’s still the glue that holds everyone together and allows Smith to do what he’s been doing in possession lately.

This should be a fabulous game. I’m extremely excited and extremely nervous. Let’s go get that Cup.

VAMOS MORADOS, VAMOS A GANAR!