LOUISVILLE CITY FC 1
PHOENIX RISING FC 0

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Oh, what a night! And What.A.Season!

Standing on famous Floyd Street, Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium is a short 5 mile drive south from Louisville City’s regular home at Slugger Field. The dimensions and the playing conditions of the two hallowed arenas could hardly be more contrasting.

The HQ for U of L’s Men’s and Women’s soccer is 1505 air miles across the continent from Phoenix, Arizona and the gulf between the two metropolises is equally broad.

All things considered, it has been impressive how The Purples have been able to make the transition without missing a beat (2018: 5-0-0) and seeming to feeling quite at home, just as they have regularly in far off stadia around the league this season.

In terms of this clash of the Conferenve Champs, it would be intriguing how tightly matched City and Phoenix Rising FC would remain for virtually the entire 90 minutes of their USL Cup Final contest.

So, in spite of all the added acreage available, by its appearance this match could quite easily have been played out back on the Bats baseball diamond, with each side placing its stock in a prodigious midfield and maintaining a responsibly tight marking regimen all around the park.

No minor influence on the way in which the game would unfold was that both clubs were without their respective goalscoring prodigy in Cameron Lancaster and Chis Cortez. Each bizarrely succumbed to hamstring injuries in the week leading up to the Final. The two No. 9’s were responsible for a massive 48 goals this season, just shy of 30% of the clubs’ collective 166 in all competitions in 2018.

Due to these defections, as well as an ongoing trend of substandard finishing on the limited number of clear chances either side created, the result was always going to be on a knife-edge. It was likely that either club needed to rely on a single flash of inspiration or an opportunist scramble to separate the clubs and decide the USL Championship.

In the end, the outcome would be remarkably similar to that of 1 year ago when the flash was provided by Cameron, substituting in for Luke Spencer, with a delightful header from a pinpoint chip by Speedy Williams for a heroic late winner vs Swope Park Rangers. In 2018 it would be the opportunism, with Luke deputizing for Cam and in complementary manner shunting the ball home after a cluster of touches in the Phoenix area following an Oscar Jimenez corner kick.

Having Cortez sidelined, Phoenix Rising lined up cautiously, with world-beating superstar striker Didier Drogba occupying the ”No.10” role and Jamaican Kevaughan Frater, scorer of just 2 goals in the 2018 USL season, filling in as the lone forward.

Drogba had naturally been the center of all hype leading up to The Final and it became clear early on that, even at well north of 40-years-old, his intent was on taking the reins and that as went his fortunes so would those of Phoenix Rising. Indeed, as early as the 5th minute the 6’2 No. 11 threatened Greg Ranjitsingh and the Louisville City goal as he wound up on a 40 yard plus free kick and sent a rocket on goal which the sturdy ‘keeper was able to fight away for a corner.

This was shortly after Niall McCabe had a chance to draw early blood, driving through a crowd but wide after positive work down the right from Luke, Ilija Ilić and George Davis lV .

The Dublin Dynamo was involved again in the 9th minute when he took one of Oscar’s recently favored short free kicks and chipped for a dipping Luke to head on to Paulo Del Piccolo in the center of the area. The Captain in one motion wheeled and shot through traffic but Carl Woszczynski in the Phoenix goal was there to stop.

Oscar then looked to capitalize on a free kick won by The Captain just back from the corner of the box, his low bender around the wall finding only the outside of the PRFC netting.

In minute 17, Niall was presented a great opportunity after he and Brian Ownby combined to win a left wing corner. Oscar swung in and the ball was cleared only as far as George lV who returned it over a defense that had shifted across, leaving Niall all on his own. The Irish lad, renowned for many assets ahead of his aerial acumen, seemed slightly unprepared and misdirected his header for the relieved red defense to clear away.

City were only too aware of the wrecking ball that is Didier Drogba and he was not getting much change in the general play as GD lV took him down 30 yards out. But now he had a chance to reprise the stunning free kick goal he opened the playoff campaign with against Timbers 2. After the earlier effort, Greg and the Lynn Stadium net repair crew might have been sweating together, however the Ivorian Icon looked a little less so as this attempt soared high over everything and out across Floyd St..

The Rising captain almost put that memory to bed with a clever flick-on to Frater who who set up fellow Jamaican Jason Johnson for a 20 yard effort which took a deflection off Paco Craig on the way through. With panther-like reflexes, however, Greg was down to deny and push the ball around his right post.

The match was evenly poised thus far. City had had the edge in territory and possession and some nice interplay by Niall, Kyle Smith and George lV up the right saw the latter’s dangerous cross into the area scrambled away again by red shirts.

In the 31st, Ilija was alert in intercepting an outlet ball from fullback Amadou Dia and served George with room to shoot from outside the area but his attempt safely cleared Woszczynski’s bar (*not a Chicago beers and bratwurst hangout).

At the other end, as if in reciprocation, Alexis Souahy mistimed a clearing pass and 2nd top Rising scorer Solomon Asante seized and maneuvered into the area and onto his favored right boot but somehow got nothing behind his effort and it rolled into the grateful clutches of Mr. Ranjitsingh.

As the half went on, quality became a noticeable issue. The teams struggled to avoid committing little mistakes in midfield transitional play and especially to create in the final third at both ends. The contest began to take on the appearance of a stalemate.

Asante and Frater offered Drogba a look at goal which he again blazed over with Paco in attendance.

PRFC centerback Joe Farrell picked up the game’s first yellow card in the 39th minute after taking down Luke, and Kyle followed suit with a naughty slide to prevent Dia breaking up his wing.

In the meantime, Niall and Drogba (yet again) tried to return defensive clearances but each fired safely over the top and the 1st half, as expected finished stalemated.

At halftime, coaches John Hackworth and Rick Shantz would have gone back to the locker room more than pleased with their own club’s staunch defensive performance but somewhat preoccupied with how to dismantle the opposition’s system.

Almost predictably, City came out for the 2nd half with a renewed resolve, just as they had done 6 days earlier vs NY Red Bulls 2. Luke got himself in close but his shot from the angle hit the side netting. Niall’s outside attempt from Oscar once again mirrored his opposing No. 11, soundly clearing the Phoenix crossbar.

City continued to press and Kyle’s 50th minute lofted ball across the top of the area was brought down by Brian with his chest. With the goal gaping, Saad Abdul-Salaam’s slide caused him to hurry his shot and slice it high and wide. By this point, it had become a theme.

At the other end, Paco’s foul on Frater presented Drogba with an opportunity from 28 yards and it seemed only a matter of time until his renown would be realized but for the umpteenth (perhaps 11th) time he flubbed his lines and skied the free kick.

George lV scrapped well to take a ball away from the Rising defense but his shot floated onto the top of the goal net.

Just as the game seemed to be descending toward a choppy affair, still with little incisive quality and a succession of foul and offside stoppages, and the feeling growing that 90 minutes were not going to be enough to settle it, The Purples finally struck after Abdul-Salaam had conceded a corner to stop Niall and George lV’s buildup.

Oscar’s far post delivery was met by Paco who out-jumped a pair of defenders and nodded back to Alexis who also won in the air, sending it in toward Ilija with his back to the goal. In classic Ilija fashion he attempted to set himself for a bicycle kick, but mistimed as the ball came out to The Captain who stabbed back toward goal ahead of a defender. Tristan Blackmon was in position to prevent it crossing the line but his header fell directly to the trusty right boot of Luke Spencer’s and this year’s sheriff’s deputy ruthlessly gunned it into the back of the onion bag with a 6 yard volley and a rapturous Louisville City had achieved the all-important breakthrough.

Including those who forced the corner, virtually the entire City outfield was in on the goal and it could not have been better timed as it headed off any frustration that may have set in for the home side and compelled The Rising to come out of their shell for the first time and perhaps leave some exploitable gaps.

Indeed, The Reds pressed forward but a City clearance landed with Brian Ownby deep in The Purples’s half. The winger immediately embarked on a wild dash up the left side before cutting in toward goal, somehow slipping through opponents’ challenges as he went. However, just as he entered the area the accomplished and bleached central defender Blackmon managed to head him off and save the day, conceding a corner.

This was the brilliant brand of ball carrying that Brian has rediscovered lately, finally reaching peak conditioning (and velocity) after a shocking run of injuries that had threatened to completely derail his season. The extra dimension the Beastly Bearded Beaut has readministered to the Louisville attack down the stretch cannot be reiterated enough, arguably the scale tipper in City’s forceful late season surge. Had he been able to tally here it would undoubtedly have been hailed LCFC’s Goal of the Season, maybe even for the entire USL.

Speedy Williams now entered for Ilija but before he had time to make an impression Paco urgently slid to intercept a ball into the area for a corner with red shirts bearing in. Fully deserving his USL All-League 1st Team selection alongside Cameron, Paco has developed into a true kingpin at the back for Louisville after a shaky beginning to the season where he was at times isolated for pace and positioning.

Shantz withdrew Frater who had barely been able to make his mark and brought on Turks & Caicos international Billy Forbes. While the exchange turned out to be an upgrade, the unavailability of star front man Cortez was looming large as an Arizona sandstorm as the unfortunate story of the match for PRFC.

Drogba, after such grand expectations largely hapless in his final professional appearance, was shown yellow for an accumulation of fouls, a lasting feather in the cap of a certain gentleman in a green jersey. Fittingly, the final straw was yet another foul on Paulo and in truth, his marker and counterpart with the yellow armband had battled him to at the very least a level of equivalency – probably having the better of him over the course of the match.

The ex-Chelsea twine terrorizer is still an imposing physical specimen but the scintillating speed of old has left him and in a season of only 12 appearances his stamina was naturally a little lacking. That said, it is more than surprising that his distribution numbers have been so mediocre this season and also that he is on the wrong side of the foul count, conceding 20% more free kicks than he has won.

PRFC’s greater potential danger on the night had turned out to be the impossibly diminutive (5’2) Solomon Asante but, particularly due to Hack’s well organized City corps, his forays into the trouble zones had been sporadic. However, with 15 minutes remaining the Ghanaian wing mid sent over a telling cross that reached equally sporadic left mid Jason Johnson, pinching into the center of the City area. Odds of an equalizer would have been high had it been Drogba (or Cortez) on the end of this cross but Johnson’s header flew wide of Greg’s left-hand post and it might have been the best chance of the evening for The Rising.

The Arizonans, though, were in the midst of their best passage of the game as Abdul-Salaam overlapped and played precisely for Forbes but he got well beneath his shot under close attention from the City central defense.

In the 77th, Drogba at last switched from incessant killer-goal hunter to creator as he sent in Forbes who got the better of Kyle but this time Alexis was on hand, superbly clearing away over the byline.

Sean Totsch was inserted for the always hardworking George lV and, as everyone knows, whenever this occurs you can put your $$ on Hack’s warriors to lock things down for the remainder.

Regular standout holding mid Kevon Lambert was another who had had a minimally effective showing and his frustration showed when he drew his team’s 3rd yellow card with 5 minutes remaining.

City’s discipline had been steady all evening although Luke for a foul and Greg for delaying took yellow cards as the clock ticked past the 90 minute mark.

One of the squad’s long servers Magnus Rasmussen received a nice nod from the coach, coming on in stoppage time for Brian moments after No. 10 had been sent forward by ASAY, but deigned to turn his dagger into a Uri Geller special, cutting back to create a lane for himself but thumping his drive directly into Woszczynski.

Drogba did have a final half-chance, supplied by an Asante cross but his header skidded across the center of the area and away to safety.

All that was left was for match referee Mr. Dickerson to whistle full-time and Louisville City were the very first Back-to-Back USL Champions and next season to be the proud brandishers of a 2nd Gold Star.

Among several storylines, Devon Kerr’s USL match preview had virtually foretold the tale of the contest, stating that the game would be won not by individual star power but by the depth in the trenches and, just as had been the case the season long, the veritable depth that the Purple Machine possesses showed out all the way to the end of The Final.

It would be hard to distinguish a Man of the Match in such a solid team effort for the victors in which each player contributed greatly, but why not go with the oft unsung pillar of the Louisville midfield Paolo Del Piccolo?! The Captain is not inclined to hit the headlines yet rarely, if ever, has an off-night and his intense leadership and powerful performance were pivotal. This includes an effective assist on Luke’s winner and pretty much cancelling out Didier Drogba, all the while dictating the rhythm of the team’s play, all instrumental in City overcoming the PRFC challenge and eventually driving to victory.

#Champions ⭐️⭐️

~~~~~ Fun Footnotes ~~~~~

* Newly legendary National Anthem belter Joe Vela by his own official count is now 9/9 for victories after choosing Louisville City’s greatest stretch ever to work out his wonderful pipes in front of the big screen.

* Each club in the Final sported one player formerly a member of their opponent. Colorado native Paulo Del Piccolo played across the Four Corners in 2014 when the club was named Arizona United, and in 2015 opposing holding mid Collin Fernandez played 123 minutes over 3 appearances for City as a loanee from Chicago Fire. The two never appeared together in the same lineup.

* This was the first occasion in the four post-season games he has played in the last two seasons in which Didier Drogba had not netted a goal.

* In order to facilitate the hard living ultras of The Red Army, Los Bandidos and The Football Firm in attending the Western Conference Final at Orange Co. S.C., PRFC management supplied seven coaches to ferry them to and fro’, all free of charge. Please take note LCFC FO … #Pit, #Ind, #Nsh, etc, etc

* Back in AZ, for the Final the club hosted a watch party at its PRFC Soccer Complex for which 2,000 noisy fans showed up.

* Unfortunately, as City blew away PRFC’s challenge strong gusts caused one of the two inflatable screens (this is a thing??) to collapse to the ground in sympathy.