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An hour was hardly enough for the latest edition of the Soccer City radio show presented by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers.

Host Lance McGarvey, joined Saturday by co-hosts Casey Whitfield and Keith O’Loane from Lynn Family Stadium, covered plenty of ground:

• They previewed Sporting KC II’s double visit to town, plus looked back at last weekend’s Louisville City FC loss to Saint Louis FC.

• Leigh Nieves, who’s spearheading a supporters group for the new Racing Louisville FC franchise, revealed its name ahead of the NWSL side’s inaugural season in 2021.

• Scott Stewart, formerly of LouCity public relations, joined from his current post at USL headquarters in Florida to give his thoughts on the league in the two weeks since the season restarted.

Catch Soccer City live from 9-10 a.m. each Saturday on AM 790 WKRD or via the iHeartRadio app. Saturday’s edition can be heard below:

His name’s Pat McMahon on the team sheet, in the game program and on the official roster.

Around the locker room, though, you might hear the Louisville City FC defender referred to by his nickname: “Vibes.”

“He just kind of exudes this coolness,” said LouCity coach John Hackworth. “It’s not with his words. He’s certainly is a man of action. It’s more about the feeling that he gives off to everybody, thus the nickname.”

McMahon was inserted back into LouCity’s lineup last Saturday against Saint Louis FC. Voted Man of the Match in the 1-0 loss, McMahon led his team with five tackles and three key passes in addition to an astonishing 10 repossessions, according to Opta statistics.

The 33-year-old — the eldest member of the roster — figures to put his leadership by example on display at 8 p.m. Saturday when LouCity hosts Sporting KC II at Lynn Family Stadium. The boys in purple are seeking to end an uncharacteristic two-game skid since the USL Championship restarted play earlier this month.

VIDEO: Watch Hackworth, McMahon preview the SKC II matchup

“Me being an older player on the team, I think talking to people, it’s [about] keeping our confidence — enjoying it at training,” McMahon said. “Sometimes we miss on that because we harp on needing a win and focusing on that, but I think we take care of the little things and get the enthusiasm and back to enjoying it, then we play better and obviously start winning games.”

With age, McMahon has a resume to match. Before becoming an integral piece of the LouCity back line, he played against some of his current teammates as a member of the Rochester Rhinos, winning the 2015 USL title there. He then suited up for former USL rival FC Cincinnati.

McMahon signaled oncoming longevity as a professional during his collegiate career. He set a school record for 85 consecutive starts at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“He’s an older guy, but he doesn’t act like an older guy,” said LouCity midfielder Napo Matsoso. “He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and he’s phenomenal. He’s really good and works hard every day at training.

“He never gives up, and whatever you need, he’s always there for you. Everyone on the team likes Pat, and I don’t see why you wouldn’t as a person.”

McMahon pointed to mentorship of his younger teammates, particularly rookie defender Jonathan Gomez, who signed with the club in March.

“I talk to him a lot just because we play a similar position and obviously he’s 16, so I think he can learn a lot,” McMahon said.

Hackworth, also LouCity’s sporting director, commended McMahon on his demeanor off the pitch. But Hackworth had this to say upon hearing Matsoso claimed the defender “never gets pissed off.”

“No, but he’s got a lot of fire in the belly,” the coach said, “so you don’t want to make him mad on the field. Away from the field, he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever been around.”

McMahon expects results will change for the better with LouCity, which has a unique schedule ahead, also hosting Sporting KC II on Wednesday to make this a doubleheader of sorts.

“For me, as a defender, it comes on us,” McMahon said. “Defense wins championships. And once we start getting goals and that confidence, it’ll improve.”

Louisville City FC’s club and supporters are up for multiple Honorary Louisville ESPYs, short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly, and we could use your help getting over the top.

Cast votes on ESPN Louisville’s poll page, with the ballot open through Tuesday, and look for LouCity in the following categories:

Humanitarian Hometown Hero Award: Dr. Mark Lynn

Part of the namesake behind the new Lynn Family Stadium, he fits the description for an award “intended for the Louisville area resident who exemplifies empathy toward the welfare of others. This includes charitable donations, time spent helping others, and actions that display the intention of bettering human life.”

Coach of the Year: John Hackworth

Since taking over midway through the 2018 season, ‘Hack’ has only led the boys in purple to USL final appearances, first with a title in his debut year before a return appearance in 2019.

Team of the Year: Louisville City FC

Going back to 2019, LouCity sat fourth on the USL Eastern Conference table leading into the playoffs but delivered another memorable postseason run to reach the championship game for a third straight season.

Game of the Year: LouCity vs. Indy Eleven

Antoine Hoppenot’s dramatic stoppage time goal evened things up away, and LouCity poured it on from there, winning this highly billed Eastern Conference Final by a 3-1 score.

Fan of the Year: The Coopers

What’s more to say? LouCity’s original supporters group doesn’t make up the entire section behind the goal at Lynn Family Stadium. But the hours put in by this group are unmatched around the league, and it shows with the game day environment they help create.

Winners will be announced on AM ESPN 680 on Thursday, July 30.

John Hackworth cautions: “This is not normal.”

In his weekly conversation with the WDRB sports team, Louisville City FC’s coach and sporting director touched on facing the same regular-season opponent twice in a row.

Sporting KC II visits Lynn Family Stadium this Saturday night, then stays in town for a Wednesday, July 29, matchup against the boys in purple in a scheduling quirk during the USL Championship’s restart.

“I think both teams will probably have to use the majority of their roster to get through these, especially if they are played as hard as the previous games have been played,” Hackworth said. “I like our chances because we feel very good about our depth and our quality.”

See Yackin’ with Hack in full above and look for a new edition each Tuesday on WDRB.

Louisville City FC coach John Hackworth met with local media on Monday to discuss last weekend’s loss to Saint Louis FC and the lead up to back-to-back meetings with Sporting KC II, both at Lynn Stadium, on Saturday and next Wednesday, July 29.

Check out five takeaways from the conversation:

Soccer is an unforgiving game

“This game is just cruel that way,” Hackworth told reporters. 

In this low-scoring style of sport, the final score can be misleading. LouCity dominated the first half against Saint Louis FC, including shots off the post and bar by striker Cameron Lancaster. But the boys in purple conceded a goal six minutes out of the locker room and were unable to come away with a point for the second straight game since the USL Championship restarted play.

“Soccer is a tough sport sometimes because of the low scoring,” Hackworth said. “When some things don’t go your way, the ball doesn’t bounce, the referee doesn’t make the hand ball call — when those kinds of things go against you, usually the better team can still come out on top. It didn’t happen for us on Saturday night.”

There was improvement in defeat

“I still think we played some really good soccer on Saturday night and displayed what we’re capable of doing,” Hackworth said.  

The coach commended his players on the overall performance when compared to a 3-1 loss on July 12 to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Against Saint Louis, LouCity controlled nearly 59% of possession while consistently building its attack from the back, leading to 19 shots when compared to the visitors’ seven.

“We just didn’t finish the final act in front of the goal when we were attacking,” Hackworth said, “and we made one mistake that allowed them to get their goal.”

Roster depth allows for heavy rotation

“It’s rare to make six changes from the starting lineup,” Hackworth said, comparing his team sheets from the Pittsburgh to Saint Louis FC games. “We made a lot of changes. I don’t want to say that I’ll continue to do that, but we do have this belief that there’s a lot of parity and quality in our locker room.”

Half of those switches came along the back line, where only the left back OscarJimenez remained from the Pittsburgh game. Pat McMahon, one of those new lineup entries, earned Man of the Match honors, while midfielder Napo Matsoso and forward Antoine Hoppenot consistently contributed to the attack.

“We do very much believe that we have a roster in terms of quality and depth where we can sometimes interchange,” Hackworth said. “That’s something that we’re going to have to utilize in this kind of interesting two game series coming up with Sporting Kansas City.”

“We’re going to be OK.”

For just the second time in franchise history, LouCity has lost consecutive regular-season home games. Saint Louis FC, a rival since the clubs’ inaugural game in 2015, also registered its first victory in Louisville.

“We had a team meeting and film review, and we talked about the fact that we’re going to be OK,” Hackworth said, “especially if we play the level of soccer that we displayed on Saturday night.”

Saturday’s tilt was just the first of 12 the boys in purple will play within “Group E,” which also includes Sporting and Indy Eleven. The top-two from the pod advance to the playoffs in October.

“You don’t put a team on the ropes the way we put Saint Louis on the ropes by chance,” Hackworth said. “You don’t move the ball the way we moved it. You don’t press and re-press and create chance after chance. Again, you’ve got to finish those chances. But we just have to remain confident.”

The big-picture mentality remains

“For our club, we think of ourselves as being the champions and being in a position to fight for first place,” Hackworth said.

An announced 4,850 fans have been on hand for both LouCity games since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports in the spring. More certainly would have liked to see the boys in purple play were it not for physical distancing protocols in place at Lynn Family Stadium.

This is a veteran roster with many members of teams that won USL titles in 2017 and 2018, then returned to the final in 2019. A Group E victory Saturday over winless Sporting KC II could even LouCity on the table with Saint Louis FC.

“We still can fight and get back into that second playoff spot without too much trouble,” Hackworth said. “We just have more work to do.”

There’s a lot going on at Louisville City FC. In recent months, the club finally opened the brand-new Lynn Family Stadium, announced the branding for its National Women’s Soccer League side Racing Louisville FC and started a U23 side in USL League Two. But while those developments have been grabbing headlines, the club and its community are already reaping the benefits from the foundation and rapid growth of the Louisville City Youth Academy.

In March 2019, Louisville City Academy Director Mario Sanchez started a local market training program. Initially, the program was open to anyone, with Sanchez and other staff reaching out to youth clubs in the area to invite their top players to train with them. In the fall, Sanchez invited a select group of players to begin training with him on a weekly basis, and the players that stood out in that group were offered the chance to train with LouCity’s USL Championship team.

Seemingly overnight, the club had established strong relationships with a local network of prominent youth clubs, and had already found a way to effectively identify the best local talent and put those players in an environment that would spur their development. A key reason behind the early success of this program is the integration between youth and pro levels at the club, led by Sanchez and LouCity Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth.

“That’s the important part of having a first team head coach who believes in what we’re doing and has firsthand experience developing youth,” said Sanchez. “Coach Hackworth and myself work hand in hand to constantly evaluate who’s ready for an opportunity. One thing we want the kids to know is they have to earn it every single day in training.”

Since the launch of the Louisville City Academy, the club sent a team to compete at the USL Academy Eastern Conference Regional Event in February and announced that it would be forming a U23 team in League Two. Perhaps most importantly, Louisville City’s First Team signed three players aged 18 or younger to USL Academy contracts: Elijah Wynder, Muamer Ugarak and Damir Beganovic.

“When we look to give young players opportunities, the thing we look for first and foremost is mentality,” said Sanchez. “There’s a lot of talented kids out there, but we have to make sure they’re humble, willing to work hard, open-minded and willing to accept criticism. Though they’re all different as players, Coach Hackworth and myself saw those things in Elijah, Mu and Damir.”

Louisville City also signed 16-year-old U.S. youth international Jonathan Gomez in March, a further statement of the club’s intent to become a top developer of young talent in American soccer. Gomez and the trio of Academy signings have quickly settled into the First Team, thanks to the uniformity of values taught at all levels of the Louisville City organization.

“Gomez is another young man with a great mentality and high work ethic,” said Sanchez. “He’s ready to help the First Team in the short term, and long-term we believe he can be a valuable investment if we can help him achieve his goals of playing in the first division in the United States or moving abroad.”

That willingness to develop players not only for the Championship’s three-time defending Eastern Conference title-holder, but for teams in higher divisions in other countries, is central to the ethos of the new academy program. The program sees the value in developing professionals who can compete in some of the best leagues in world soccer after starting their careers in the Championship.

“Our defining ideals are to create a safe environment with a clearly defined culture which parallels our coaching philosophy and enables us to get as many players we can into both the men’s and women’s pro teams,” said Louisville City Executive VP of Development James O’Connor.

“We are building and creating a model of best practice across all ages to ensure we allow the individual players to get everything they need to fulfill their potential.”

As young talent continues to get opportunities to play against professionals, Louisville’s system will also contain elite competition platforms for players who might not be ready to make the jump straight to playing with the first team.

“A big reason we’re starting the League Two team is we realize there’s a missing piece,” said Sanchez. “For kids who have done great in training but aren’t quite ready for regular minutes with the First Team, we want to make sure there’s a platform for them to get minutes against older players. With the foundation of the USL Academy League, that’s another place for kids to compete against older and better players.”

The Louisville City Academy might be in its infancy, but by creating a well-defined path from youth to professional soccer, it’s set up well for future success.

Louisville City FC coach and sporting director John Hackworth recapped the boys in purple’s second preseason of sorts in a Monday meeting with media at Lynn Family Stadium.

Ahead of Sunday’s 5 p.m. showdown with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC — it’ll air nationally on ESPN — Hackworth said his club is injury-free after a trio of intrasquad scrimmages.

But Hackworth and his technical staff will be without much to go off in terms of scouting the opposition, saying, “it’s been tough” to get video of the Hounds, who haven’t played a USL Championship game in 2020.

“I think we’ll know what we’ll get out of them overall,” the coach said, “but we haven’t really seen a lot of recent film on them. The fact that they didn’t play a game leaves a lot of questions that won’t be answered until we kick off.”

See Hackworth’s full press conference above.

Louisville City FC defender Sean Totsch described Saturday night’s first half against Saint Louis FC as “exactly what we were looking for, minus a goal.”

The boys in purple peppered 10 shots on their Kings’ Cup rival and didn’t allow Saint Louis FC a single look on frame.

“We were getting after them and breaking them down and building out of the back — all of the things that we pride ourselves on,” Totsch said.

So how did that start wind up, in coach John Hackworth’s words, a “crushing defeat” at Lynn Family Stadium?

“You can’t put a team on the ropes the way we just did and then let off,” Hackworth said.

Just minutes into the second half, Saint Louis FC took advantage of an awkward volley over the LouCity back line. Stemming from a corner, the cross landed on the head of midfielder Guy Abend, who guided to forward Tyler Blackwood in the center of the box.

Blackwood’s tap-in goal made the difference in a 1-0 game that started and stopped often down the stretch with cramps common in the summer heat.

“A guy loses his man on a really difficult ball that you think — meaning the serve of that ball is in the air for a long time,” Hackworth said. “Several people should deal with that, and that turns out to be the game winner.”

The first-half performance showed a more confident back line, however, with Totsch one of three new names in the back four from last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at the USL Championship’s restart.

In all, LouCity wound up out-shooting Saint Louis FC 19-7. Possession also skewed sharply in favor of the boys in purple, who were on the ball nearly 59% of the game. The attack generated nine corners and forced, according to Opta statistics, Saint Louis FC to make 36 clearances to LouCity’s five.

“I really felt like we made a lot of chances and had a lot of attempts on goal,” Hackworth said. “We have a lot of things to fix, but the performance overall was much better. This game will hurt you so much sometimes. Credit to Saint Louis.”

As a result, Saint Louis FC, which was previously 0-3-3 in games in Louisville, earned its first away victory in the all-time series. This was a meaningful result in the season-long picture, too, shifting the visitors to second in the USL’s Group E standings.

“It’s hard to really be encouraged right now,” Hackworth said. “Yes, I’m pleased with the way that we approached it and what we were able to create. We had a lot of easy passes that we missed in the final third that could have created even more chances for us. I was pretty frustrated with some of those missed opportunities in the first half. It comes down to details.”

While LouCity hosts winless Sporting KC II next Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium, Saint Louis FC will look to pick up points on Group E leader Indy Eleven.

The boys in purple will face each of Saint Louis FC, Indy Eleven and Sporting KC II four times while completing a 16-game regular season. The top-two clubs from each USL group advance to the playoffs.