FENTON, Mo. – Down a goal after conceding in first-half stoppage time in sweltering conditions at Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis, Louisville City FC kept its cool.

A four-goal second half lifted the visitors to a 4-1 victory against Saint Louis FC on Saturday night to rebound from its third loss of the season and ensure the Kings’ Cup remained with the Louisville Coopers for a third successive season.

“When you look at the heat, I think the players deserve enormous credit,” said Louisville Head Coach James O’Connor. “I don’t think we’ve ever been involved in a game that’s been hot like that. Fantastic mentality from the players. I’m very pleased for them.”

Louisville had chances to take the lead in the first half, but the hosts went in front thanks to Daniel Jackson’s excellent finish off Octavio Guzman’s slid pass into the right side of the penalty area, giving the visitors a ‘kick in the gut’ according to Louisville defender Paco Craig.

Momentum quickly shifted back to City early in the second half, however, as Saint Louis forward Christian Volesky was sent off for a high challenge on Sean Reynolds near the halfway line. Oscar Jimenez then stepped to the fore, with the right wingback first tying the game on an excellent finish to the left corner of the net, and then providing a precise cross that found Craig for a close-range finish.

“I’ve been waiting weeks for this,” said Craig. “I’m absolutely overjoyed to get one. It was an absolutely great pass from Oscar. Slipped it into the danger zone. It was a decent turning point for the team, because it was actually when we got ahead.” 

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Louisville continued to drive home its man-advantage, as the hosts managed only one more shot on goal for the game. Despite the absence of two regular starters in central midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo and left back Kyle Smith, the side showed little drop in terms of performance as for a third time this season it followed a loss with a victory.

“Any 11 that go out there, we have the same expectations and the same ceiling,” said Craig. “Honestly, we could play any players from our squad and I’d feel confident in the outcome.”

One of the two new starters on Saturday was Mark-Anthony Kaye, whose arrival after competing at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup for Canada came at a timely moment. The 22-year-old went 73 minutes in his return to domestic action, created two scoring chances and logged two tackles and an interception in a solid all-around display.

“He flew in yesterday, which is remarkable for him to be able to step into that,” said Craig. “It’s a testament to the team and the strength and depth we have, plus to [O’Connor] making sure we’re always on our game even if we’re not starters.”

Sitting firmly in the thick of a freshly renewed battle for first place in the Eastern Conference, Louisville is ready to continue its push for the top of the standings.

“We all worked together,” said Louisville forward Ilija Ilic. “We played much better. I’d like to say the players coming off the bench did well. We want all the players to be ready and when they come on give maximum effort.”