For the third consecutive year, Louisville City are Eastern Conference Champions! Every LouCity season so far has been a memorable one, perhaps none more than 2018 thanks to so much off-field tumult. However, this 2019 squad has been so impressive in its ability to dig deep, like “down a goal in stoppage time” deep, and find results the past two months or so. I thought beating Pittsburgh away last week was going to be Exhibit A in support of that narrative, but Saturday afternoon’s conference final in Indianapolis was even more illustrative.

John Hackworth started a slightly different lineup against Indy. The back four and net minder were unchanged, and Speedy Williams again played as the deep-lying defensive midfielder, with Magnus higher up the field as a #10 playmaker. Niall McCabe took the reigns as a box-to-box midfielder, though, and Hackworth deployed his best attacking front three with Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer and Antoine Hoppenot strung along the top.

Niall’s replacement of Napo in the starting eleven was probably also an attack-minded decision. That’s not to say Napo can’t be dangerous offensively. It’s more to do with the fact that Indy doesn’t run much play through the midfield, Tyler Gibson’s prowess notwithstanding. Napo’s skillset at defending the wings isn’t his strength, necessarily, and Niall’s veteran savvy and ability to play so many different positions likely won him the spot on Saturday.

In spite of the ostensible idea of being on the front foot in this match, Louisville City only took one shot the entire first half. Indy’s Dane Kelly had two, one on target. The second period was much more lively, though, as Indy took seven shots, three on target including Tyler Pasher’s goal in the 67′. The other two shots on frame came from near and behind the midfield stripe, so in my view, Indy scored on their only real shot on target the entire first 90.

City didn’t do any better, of course, with just four shots in the second frame and the only one on target being Antoine Hoppenot’s equalizer in the 90+3′ . But what an equalizer. Indy’s defense was so resolute for the first 90 that really the only chance City would have had to score was off a broken play, which is exactly what Toine’s goal was.

By that point, John Hackworth had thrown in the kitchen sink to try and get to extra time, subbing off Pat McMahon and Sean Totsch for Abdou Thiam and Cuatro, leaving Paco Craig as the only real defender on the field going after the 84′. While it was absolutely the right move, it certainly made me wonder what on earth Hack would do if it paid off and City were left with what amounted to three defensive-ish players and seven attackers.

Lucky for him (and everyone else in purple), Alexis Souahy, starter in last year’s USL Cup run, was available off the bench and really had a solid impact in extra time. Oh, and also Paolo DelPiccolo was available, and helped Speedy Williams shore up the defense when he came on as the last substitute for Magnus Rasmussen in the 95′. By that time, MAG RAM had already put City ahead on an absolutely diabolical flick-on from Thiam, and was almost immediately subbed off to help City protect its slim lead.

Indy would take just two off-target shots in the first extra time period. In the second and final 15′, Indy Eleven got desperate and sent in a couple of crosses that went wanting, and a few to Hubbard’s back post that were off the mark, but couldn’t put anything on frame. The whistle finally blew, and that was it.

This team has guts.

Louisville City’s prior two championship runs had different stories. In 2017, City was far and away the better team in the league that season, Real Monarchs’ points title out west notwithstanding. In 2018, the story was one of perseverance. This season, City’s trip to the final for the third straight time was somehow even rockier, but here they are. The word I’d used to describe it is more than just “perseverance.” It’s guts, gutsy. The away win in Pittsburgh took some serious guts. Hanging on and not losing belief down a goal in stoppage time at Indy, who hadn’t lost a home game all year, was gutsy.

And it’s not the first time example. Going down three to Swope Park and then banging in eight straight is a good one. I’d argue, however, that the season really turned during the away trip to Charleston on August 17.

City had been blown out by Loudoun United a couple of weeks before, easily the lowest point of the season. They’d rebounded with a bloody but unconvincing away win 0-1 at Charlotte Independence, and an easy 5-1 win over a hapless Atlanta United 2 side. The bleeding had stopped, finally, but the screw really turned when Cuatro scored this game winner:

That’s when I think I first saw it – that this team wasn’t going to lie down and wallow in the injuries and bad breaks that had beset them for so many months. I remember tweeting “What a tough-ass goal.” It was. Napo’s effort to force the turnover, Luke’s absolutely perfect pass on that sponge of a field, Cuatro’s touch to put the ball on his left foot to finish it while falling over in the only place the keeper couldn’t get it. It wasn’t the prettiest goal you’ll ever see, but it was absolutely gutsy. They’ve gone 9-4-1 since.

Speaking of numbers…

Let’s get to that. City out-possessed Indy 58%-42%. That was more or less expected. Slightly less expected was City giving up 19 shots, while only taking 12. Morados only took three shots on target all game, one of which was Luke’s penalty.

City passed for 76.2% against a very good defensive team, and for nearly 70% in Indy’s half. All that passing didn’t exactly equal a bunch of chances, but still. If you asked Hackworth if he’d take those numbers, I’m sure he’d take grab them running away. City took an unusually high number of crosses in this match, 31, but given the three forward look they used with Luke going 120′, it certainly made sense. They connected on 25% of those, which is a pretty good rate.

City only put together six real chances to score all game, and the only one that came off was Ownby’s cross for the game winner in extra time. Indy’s Tyler Pasher and Ayoze were incisive all game, but were only able to make City pay once. My hat goes off to Pat McMahon, too, who really had a tough job trying to contain the speeder Ayoze during his appearance and largely did a great job, winning five of eight duels.

Ownby was even busier, just on the other end of things, and won 12 of 20 duels. TWENTY. Luke was in 24 duels, winning nine of them, but stayed busy dropping back into midfield to help win balls and circulate possession.

I also want to throw one out to Abdou Thiam, the most snakebitten soccer player I may have ever seen. Thiam is a pure #9 who does just about everything right but score. He’s hit more woodwork than a carpenter his past three or four appearances. I’d love to see him get a little better with the ball at his feet, but when he’s got a head of steam going at the goal he’s hard to stop. Unless you’re a goalpost. Still, a very good performance from the first year guy, to say nothing of the brilliant flick to Maggie for the game winner.

One more to go, y’all.