Home

Just one player in Louisville City FC’s lineup Wednesday night had fully fresh legs. Pat McMahon certainly made the most of them.

According to Opta statistics, the defender led LouCity in passes (50), completed passes (39) and passes in the opponent’s half of the pitch (34) as the boys in purple defeated rival Indy Eleven by a 2-0 score at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“It’s been crazy,” said McMahon, who was away from the team last Saturday when LouCity beat Saint Louis FC by a 3-0 score — for good reason. The 33-year-old married his wife, Brianna.

“Obviously the weekend was amazing. It flew by quick,” McMahon added. “I was so excited that we got the three points on the weekend and then being able to come back into the lineup when you miss a game is nice knowing the coaches have that confidence.”

McMahon’s return marked the only change on coach John Hackworth’s lineup card from Saturday to Wednesday. Inserting the right back meant LouCity rolled out the same starting 11 as it used in a 3-1 rout of Indy Eleven back on Sept. 5.

McMahon registered 76 total touches, often pushing up to become part of his side’s attack.

“Pat’s such a good pro,” Hackworth said, “and he has that warrior mentality that we look for. He’s smart. He’s intelligent. His soccer is good. Our guys joke about his quality often, but the reality is that he is a really good soccer player.

“He’s a fantastic professional, and we need him. He provides a lot of composure in there for us, defends like a warrior and gets the mentality right, so I’m really proud of him tonight.”

McMahon went 90 minutes before subbed off in favor of fellow defender Wes Charpie late in the going.

“He always puts in the work, and he’s got a ton of fight in him,” said midfielder Corben Bone, who also played with McMahon at FC Cincinnati. “He mades good decisions. It seems like he’s always in the right place at the right time, and you want a guy like that on your team.

“He has a championship mentality, and you know he’s going to get the job done. He puts in a shift every game — puts it all on the field — and that’s all you can really ask.”

McMahon has established himself since the USL Championship restarted play mid-July, working from reserve to regular starter. Despite missing a game for his wedding ceremony, his 808 minutes played rank seventh-most on LouCity’s roster.

A USL Cup winner dating back to his 2015 season with the Rochester Rhinos, McMahon was already preaching recovery for his club’s next outing minutes after the Indy win. LouCity faces another quick turnaround for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday against Memphis 901 FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

“Starting now, you just kind of prepare your body — do what you can to get your body right for (Thursday’s) re-gen,” McMahon said. “We’ll go back to training, and the guys who have knocks maybe rotate. We’ll get a fresh pair of legs in there. We’ll prepare the best we can, and it’s up to the coaches to make those hard decisions.”

Only one point separated Louisville City FC and Indy Eleven in the USL Championship standings entering Wednesday night’s meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium and, aptly, little differentiated the rivals once on the pitch.

Counter attacks fizzled. Set pieces yielded nothing. Few shots were tried — at least until the 39th minute.

That’s when a corner kick Indy Eleven couldn’t quite clear landed at the foot of LouCity forward Antoine Hoppenot near the top of the box. Hoppenot fired, and the blocked shot volleyed straight to striker Cameron Lancaster for a go-ahead goal in a crucial 2-0 victory.

“I thought that we were up to the fight,” said LouCity coach John Hackworth. “It was always going to be a battle tonight, and it was a physical game. When we got our football going, I thought we were really good.”

Bounces are going the way of the boys in purple (8-3-2, 26 points) and so too are results. The club extended its eight-game unbeaten streak, which includes a rise from the bottom of the Group E table to a clear first place distanced from Indy Eleven (7-5-1, 22 points).

Three games remain for both clubs before the USL playoffs. The top-two finishers from each group make the postseason, with Saint Louis FC holding third with 18 points.

LouCity added the exclamation point in the 76th minute of a game that, outside of two brilliant moments for the visitors, was relatively even. Winger Napo Matsoso had a cross deflected from the right side, and the recently subbed Brian Ownby put a soft touch in behind.

Corben Bone — on his 32nd birthday — put away a goal to the keeper’s right to double the lead.

” was joking around tonight that it’s actually several birthdays that I’ve scored on,” Bone said. “I’d like to keep it going.”

Indy Eleven took its share of looks, out-shooting LouCity 11-7. Only two tries, however, landed on target, with the bulk of the pressure applied after the 59th minute once star striker Tyler Pasher subbed on.

In the 62nd minute, Indy’s Carl Haworth collected a deflection in the box after Pasher tried a header. Haworth’s ensuing shot blasted over the bar.

In the 64th minute, the Eleven’s Cameron Lindley got on a corner at the face of goal. His point-blank attempt pushed wide right.

Still, LouCity held Indy winless in what’s known as the Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest dating back to May 5, 2018. This marked the fourth meeting in 39 days during a unique 2020 season between the two, with the final regular-season record 3-0-1 in favor of the boys in purple.

“We knew it was going to be a battle coming from last game, even, the second half they kind of put it to us,” said Pat McMahon, looking back to a Sept. 5 meeting LouCity won 3-1. “So we thought that’s how they were going to start — really physical team — and we matched them well. We dealt with it.”

“The toughness from our group to go into these two back-to-back games in this crazy year that we’re having is really impressive,” Hackworth added.

Contingent upon Saint Louis FC’s result Saturday, LouCity could be looking to clinch a playoff spot when it hosts Memphis 901 FC at 7:30 p.m. inside Lynn Family Stadium. Those without tickets can tune in on WBKI-TV (The CW), AM 1080 WKJK and ESPN+.

Game Summary: Indy Eleven vs. Louisville City FC

Date: Sept. 16, 2020

Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Weather: 82 degrees, partly cloudy

Man of the Match: Cameron Lancaster

Scoring

Indy Eleven: (0, 0, 0)

Louisville City: (2 ,0, 2)

Goals

Louisville City FC: 39’-Cameron Lancaster left-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Antoine Hoppenot following a corner. 76’-Corben Bone right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Brian Ownby.

Lineup

Indy Eleven: 1-Evan Newton, 15-Neveal Hackshaw, 29-Patrick Barrett, 20-Karl Ouimette, 9-Carl Haworth, 7-Ayoze (72’ 2-Conner Antley), 6-Drew Conner, 4-Tyler Gibson, 18-Jeremy Rafanello (59’ 23-Tyler Pasher), 17-Nick Moon, 22-Cameron Lindley

Subs not used: 0-Jordan Farr, 5-Mitchell Osmond, 14-Ilija Ilic, 8-Matt Watson, 30-Andrew Carleton

Head Coach: Martin Rennie

Louisville City FC: 39-Ben Lundt, 15-Pat McMahon (90’ 6-Wes Charpie), 4-Sean Totsch, 3-Alexis Souahy, 19-Oscar Jimenez, 36-Paolo DelPiccolo (85’ 5-Jimmy Ockford), 80-Devon Williams, 13-Corben Bone, 27-Napo Matsoso (90’ 8-Akil Watts), 29- Antoine Hoppenot (72’ 10-Brian Ownby), 17-Cameron Lancaster (85’ 7-Jason Johnson)

Subs not used: 91-Muamer Ugarak, 42-Jonathan Gomez

Head Coach: John Hackworth

Discipline

Indy Eleven: 37’-Karl Ouimette yellow card

Louisville City FC: 66’-Corben Bone yellow card, 67’- Paolo DelPiccolo yellow card, 73’-Antoine Hoppenot yellow card, 78’-Sean Totsch yellow card

Stats Summary: Indy Eleven/LouCity

Shots: 11/7

Shots on Goal: 2/3

Saves: 1/2

Corner Kicks: 11/4

Fouls: 12/20

Offside: 4/1

Possession: 48.2%/51.8%

The Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest will reach a new peak this season with Louisville City FC and the Indy Eleven to meet four times in the next five weeks.

The first of those tilts is set for Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium, which hasn’t exactly been the expected fortress for the boys in purple since opening.

LouCity is 1-3 since the USL Championship’s restart in July, moving the club to 2-3 overall. At six points, that’s good for fourth in Group E led by Indy.

The Eleven also limp into Saturday’s contest. Previously unbeaten, they’ve lose two of their last three, leveling off at 15 points.

The top-two finishers in each USL group advance to the playoffs, with LouCity also chasing Saint Louis FC and Sporting KC II. The pursuit could come down to the LIPAFC series, which continues Aug. 26 at Lynn Family Stadium before concluding at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 5 and Sept. 16.

Follow along during Saturday’s game, with tune-in details below…

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.

On the WBKI (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Chris Wittyngham (play by play) and Ryan Davis (color).

And for AM 790 WKRD on the radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color).

The USL Championship on Monday confirmed its format for the 2020 Championship Playoffs, adding competition details to those previously announced upon the league’s return to play in July.

The 16-team structure will remain in in a regionalized single-elimination bracket, with the four group winners in each conference earning hosting rights for the Eastern and Western Conference Quarterfinals. Following the opening round, hosting rights will be determined by regular season record.

With four games remaining, Louisville City FC (7-3-2, 23 points) sits atop Group E and in provisional position to host. Indy Eleven (7-4-1, 22 points) is a close second. The two sides meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside Lucas Oil Stadium looking to keep their distance from third-place Saint Louis FC  at18 points.

Following the recommendations of the USL’s Competition Strategy Committee, teams will see no less than four days between games should they advance. In the case of a postponement, the rescheduled match would need to take place within 48 hours of the original kickoff.

Additionally, a four-day game window (Thursday-Sunday) will be employed for each of the first three rounds of the postseason. As in previous seasons, at least a five-day window will remain in effect for the 2020 USL Championship Final to allow flexibility for broadcast purposes.

2020 USL Championship Playoffs Dates

• Conference Quarterfinals – October 8-11

• Conference Semifinals – October 15-18

• Conference Finals – October 22-25

• USL Championship Final – TBD

Louisville City FC midfielder Antoine Hoppenot found himself in a striker’s role Saturday night — that despite not having scored a goal since the USL Championship restarted play in July.

A somewhat frustrating run for Hoppenot included two point-blank misses a week ago in a 3-1 win over Indy Eleven, with those just a pair of his six attempts on goal in 2020. The breakthrough moment arrived, however, as Hoppenot assumed a spot on top of the attack in a new-look, 3-5-2 formation.

Hoppenot scored a goal and added an assist in an all-around top effort, propelling his side to a 3-0 win over Saint Louis FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

“It was a big goal,” Hoppenot said of his 28th-minute strike, the game’s first scoring tally. “More than anything it just gives us the ability to win the game. All season it doesn’t really matter who is scoring as long as we’re winning and the last several games, we’ve been winning. That is what matters. 

“Obviously, I missed a couple of big chances last week, so it was good to finally put one in the back of the net so I can show my teammates I can actually score a goal.”

Hoppenot lined up beside LouCity’s leading scorer, Cameron Lancaster, on top of the formation. In the 44th minute, Hoppenot dribbled deep into the box and this time dished to his fellow striker, who put a rocket of a shot into the back of the net to double the LouCity lead.

That added to an evening in which Hoppenot also launched a shot off the side netting, created three scoring chances in all and passed with 68% accuracy in his opponent’s half of the pitch.

“When we put Antoine and Cam together those are two attacking players that work off of each other,” said Louisville City FC head coach John Hackworth.

“What Cam does really well and having Antoine run off of that, there’s a little bit of yin and yang there. That’s a special relationship and combination that you want and I’m happy for him for sure.”

A native of Paris, France, Hoppenot was in 2012 selected No. 51 overall by Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, making him plenty familiar to Hackworth, who coached there at the time. Hoppenot spent on to spend time with FC Cincinnati, Reno 1868 and the Tampa Bay Rowdies before Hackworth executed a trade bringing him to Louisville midway through the 2019 season.

Hoppenot quickly proved himself an offensive asset with five goals, third-most on the team. His late playoffs strike at Indy Eleven also wrote him into LouCity lore, with the goal helping send the boys in purple to extra time and eventually on to another Eastern Conference final.

As for the 2020 version of Hoppenot, “He’s been working hard and has been getting a lot of chances for us, assists and giving defenders a lot of hell,” said LouCity midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams. “It felt good seeing him get that one tonight.”

Hoppenot’s outburst Saturday gave LouCity its first win of the season in its third meeting with Kings’ Cup rival Saint Louis. Prior results were a 1-0 defeat and a 1-1 draw, setting up a pivotal final meeting between the clubs later this month.

Additionally, the win boosted LouCity’s point total one beyond Indy Eleven, good for first place in the USL’s Group E ahead of another meeting between those rivals at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Indianapolis.

For all of that, the boys in purple have the new formation — and Hoppenot’s execution within it — to thank.

“We wanted to throw something different at them especially early on,” Hoppenot said. “Cam and I have been working really well together at practice so we wanted to see if we could isolate their two center backs. 

“Obviously, we were able to create a little bit of space and able to get my goal – Speedy finds me with an unbelievable ball that is easy for me to finish and then Cam does a great job the second one to get us a second goal.”

“We don’t change our principles at all and how we do things, but when we line up our starting positions are a little different,” Hackworth added. “I think that gave them some trouble.”

It was another emphatic win for Louisville City FC on Saturday night, this time beating the last team in Group E that they had yet to best in 2020, Saint Louis FC. It is hard to poke holes in a 3-0 win, so here is what I at least thought went right for the boys in purple.

The good

A new formation

Although coach John Hackworth said we are unlikely to see it again for a while, the 3-5-2 look worked for LouCity. It utilized Antoine Hoppenot and his ability to find his most natural positioning and preferred spots on the field, while retaining the firepower of Cameron Lancaster and the work rate of Napo Matsoso. Hoppenot was given full license to go out and hunt how he wanted. He found incredible amounts of space to run into and registered his first goal of the season.

It may have also been a case of Saint Louis FC not being ready for the reworked approach, but more than that, LouCity definitely bent the game to its will. In a season where clubs have to evolve over the year, the combination of assistant coach Danny Cruz and Hackworth keep coming up with new schemes to throw off the group rivals.

Early pressure continued

Rather than letting off the gas as LouCity most notably did against Indy Eleven in spurts of the second half last game out, Hackworth doubled down on the pressure Saturday. Implementing what the team learned from Indy was a clear point once LouCity established the game, and Saint Louis FC never looked like it got to play how it wanted. 

Having scored eight goals within the first 30 minutes in the last eight games, the boys in purple have a pretty clear game plan: Unsettle, score, pressure and repeat. It is one of the few things a team cannot really prepare for, because LouCity makes it happen as a team. The fluid pressure, coupled with a sharpened focus on goal scoring has this club playing as the best team in the Eastern Conference. That is not to say that things did not get nervous for Louisville at times. 

With a 2-0 lead most of the way over the visitors from Missouri, a goal for the opponent could potentially send some teams into a tailspin. Rather than bow to nerves, LouCity found the third goal late that completely iced the game for the hosts. 

Specific big performances 

For a couple of reasons, the first goal of the game was big for Hoppenot. Acutely, it put LouCity into the lead when the team had been searching nearly a half hour for it. Beyond that, it represented the first goal for him this campaign, confirming the faith that Hackworth has put into Hoppenot.

He was already the team leader on assists for the season, so adding another one to his tally this game made him the clear Man of the Match choice. After Hoppenot arrived here in a trade last season, he added so much more than a goalscoring threat to the team. He stretches defenses and is a force multiplier for his teammates. 

I think Matsoso may still be out there running around. I do not know how he manages it, but the midfielderhas as much energy and positivity at the end of the game as he does at the beginning. His work rate with the ball is remarkable, and he is usually doing something positive with it when he has it, and Saturday night was no different.

The University of Kentucky product is the kind of player who sticks out, even if not on the stat sheet this game around. He is a flair player who works hard, which is what makes him so unique.

As for any negatives, I am grasping at straws to find something out of character for LouCity…

The bad

Not a great outing for Oscar

The new-look formation benefitted the team as a whole. Keeping the principles of simple passing while creating new lanes and movements was much more evolution than revolution, yet it created more for some players than it did for others.

On paper, one player that should have had a natural fit in a more wide and offensive position is Oscar Jimenez. While Jimenez is one of the best fullbacks in the league, it looked like he needed more time to adjust to the midfielder’s role. It may have simply been an off night coupled with some different duties. But more than once or twice, Jimenez could be found giving the ball away or missing a connection.

Jimenez has built his reputation on getting up the field, but that is generally as a linking player as of late, rather than an outright creator that he found himself trying to serve as here. Again, on a brilliant performance by the team a somewhat lackluster showing will stick out doubly. Luckily for Jimenez, Hackworth is almost certain to return to his usual four-man backline on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

In conclusion

After every game during this unbeaten streak, I feel like I am writing the same words in a different order: “Can they build on this performance and separate themselves?”

While LouCity has accomplished the former in just about every game the last month, the latter has eluded them. The win against Saint Louis FC, however, ensures that the boys in purple are fully in control of their playoff destiny with four games remaining.

Wins against Indy on Wednesday and against Memphis 901 FC next Saturday would probably be enough to secure a spot in the playoffs. Indy and Saint Louis still have to meet twice, so it would benefit LouCity if they take points off one another.

The team is flying now. It will be an interesting clash against Indy, who had the weekend off and a full seven days to prepare, although given the chance in tactics they probably couldn’t have learned much from the LouCity performance Saturday.

When meeting rival Saint Louis FC for the third time since the USL Championship restarted play, Louisville City FC coach John Hackworth promised to mix things up tactically.

Said changes may have unlocked the opposition Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium, where midfielder Antoine Hoppenot moved to the top of a new formation then registered a goal and an assist in a dominant 3-0 victory.

LouCity (7-3-2, 23 points) made it a seventh straight game unbeaten, returned to the top of the USL’s Group E table and advanced its cause toward winning the season series over Saint Louis FC (5-3-3, 18 points) as a result.

“We rolled out (assistant coach) Danny Cruz’s favorite formation finally,” said LouCity head coach John Hackworth. “He’s been talking to me for years about trying to play a 3-5-2 and it just felt like tonight was the time. We thought we could get at them out of that formation.

“We don’t change our principles at all and how we do things, but when we line up our starting positions are a little different. I think that gave them some trouble.”

Typically lined up with four defenders in the back, the boys in purple transitioned to a 3-5-2 look at the opening whistle, pushing Hoppenot up beside regular starting striker Cameron Lancaster. The two at the top made for a productive pairing.

As LouCity controlled the balance of possession, scoring opened in the 28th minute when midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams had a blocked shot returned straight to him. Williams quickly played in behind to Hoppenot, who put a laser of a shot in the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Before the half, Hoppenot involved himself in another goal. As a loose ball caromed toward the Saint Louis FC goal, Hoppenot picked up possession, dribbled deep into the box and left a pass straight on goal. Lancaster, on loan from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC, needed only one touch for his sixth goal in 2020.

“We wanted to throw something different at them, especially early on,” Hoppenot said. “Me and Cam have been working really well together at practice, so we wanted to see if we could isolate their two center backs.

“Obviously, we were able to create a little bit of space and able to get my goal – Speedy finds me with an unbelievable ball that is easy for me to finish and then Cam does a great job the second one to get us a second goal.”

LouCity goalkeeper Ben Lundt secured his fifth clean sheet — one off the league lead — when forward Jason Johnson buried his first LouCity goal at the death on a cross from Brian Ownby. The tally was a long time coming in a game where the boys in purple out-shot Saint Louis FC 20-8, with 14 of those chances in the box, and controlled 64.8% of possession.

“Normally I don’t get anxious but tonight I was a little anxious,” said the midfielder Williams. “We had control, but one bad step and they could get one and the game changes. That third one was huge.” 

With the victory, LouCity moved back one point clear of Indy Eleven to lead Group E in what continues to be a close race for the No. 1 seed. The club also managed to separate itself five points from Saint Louis FC.

At the conclusion of a 16-game regular season, the top two from each group advance to the playoffs.

“It all started on the training ground,” Williams said. “Our mentality every day we come into training, and training is really hard, so when we train hard, we come onto the field on game days and we play hard. That’s what you’re seeing.” 

In terms of the season series — and final one with Saint Louis FC given the club will cease operations to conclude 2020 — LouCity evened things up after a prior loss and draw. Winner of their final meeting later this month will determine who claims the Kings’ Cup for good.

More immediately, LouCity travels to play Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside Lucas Oil Stadium. The game will air on WMYO/My TV and AM 790 WKRD along with streaming options ESPN+ and the WDRB Now app.

Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Saint Louis FC

Date: Sept. 12, 2020

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: 85 degrees, light rain

Attendance: 4,852

Man of the Match: Antoine Hoppenot

Scoring

Louisville City: (3, 0, 3)

Saint Louis FC (0, 0, 0)

Goals

Louisville City FC: 28’-Antoine Hoppenot right footed shot from the center of the box to the high center of the goal. Assisted by Devon “Speedy” Williams. 44’-Cameron Lancaster right footed shot from the center of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Hoppenot. 96’-Louisville City 3, Saint Louis 0. Jason Johnson left footed shot from close range to the center of the goal. Assisted by Brian Ownby.

Lineups

Louisville City FC: 39-Ben Lundt, 6-Wesley Charpie, 4-Sean Totsch (81’ 5-Jimmy Ockford), 3-Alexis Souahy, 19-Oscar Jimenez, 36-Paolo DelPiccolo (81’ 8-Akil Watts), 80-Devon Williams (86’ 42-Jonathan Gomez), 13-Corben Bone, 27-Napo Matsoso, 29- Antoine Hoppenot (73’ 10-Brian Ownby), 17-Cameron Lancaster (73’ 77-Jason Johnson)

Subs not used: 91-Muamer Ugarak, 14-Abdou Mbacke Thiam

Head Coach: John Hackworth

Saint Louis FC: 1-Kyle Morton, 4-Sam Fink, 3-Phanuel Kavita, 2-Paris Gee (57’ 21-Tobi Adewole), 23-Richard Bryan (57’ 13-Kadeem Dacres), 17-Oscar Umar (71’ 8-Guy Abend), 14-Tyler Blackwood, 5-Wal Fall (61’ 11-Joaquin Rivas), 7-Todd Wharton, 9-Russell Cicerone, 22-Kyle Greig (71’ 6-Daniel Fischer)

Subs not used: 18-John Berner, 29-Nikiphoros Vlastos

Head Coach: Steve Trittschuh

Discipline

Louisville City FC: 39’-Sean Totsch yellow card

Saint Louis FC: 90’-Daniel Fischer yellow card

Stats Summary: LouCity/Saint Louis FC

Shots: 20/8

Shots on Goal: 6/2

Saves: 2/3

Corner Kicks: 6/3

Fouls: 17/9

Offside: 4/1

Possession: 64.8%/35.2%