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USL Top Five – River Cities Cup

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 08/11/17, 8:47AM EDT

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Five top moments from the rivalry’s history so far

The third and final regular-season edition of the River Cities Cup arrives this weekend at Slugger Field, as Louisville City FC and FC Cincinnati resume what’s quickly become one of the fiercest rivalries in the USL over the past two seasons.

With only 103 miles separating Slugger Field and Nippert Stadium, the rivalry between the two clubs has been driven by two passionate support bases in either city. On the field, things took off quickly as well, with some memorable moments having already stoked the fires of the players and fans for what’s to come for both clubs.

Here are five moments we’ve picked out as the best of the River Cities Cup so far, with the next chapter just around the corner.

No. 5 – Trading Places

Offseason player movement is a common occurrence, but when Aodhan Quinn and Kadeem Dacres made the move up I-71 to FC Cincinnati this past offseason, it caused a bit more of a reverberation than most offseason signings. Quinn and Dacres had been regulars for Louisville over the previous two seasons, each making more than 50 appearances for the club, and they had been key figures in back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final of the USL Cup Playoffs for City.

The twist to the tale, though, is the player who made the opposite move might have had the biggest impact of the three this season. After playing only 68 minutes in the league last season for FCC, forward Luke Spencer headed to Louisville this offseason, and he has already logged five goals in 14 appearances for City to put him tied for the team-lead and help keep the side toward the top of the Eastern Conference. Of course, Spencer has yet to score against his former club, which brings us to…

No. 4 – Quinn Strikes Late


Photo courtesy FC Cincinnati

The offseason’s moves had heightened the anticipation for the first River Cities Cup game of the 2017 season, which arrived on April 22 at Nippert Stadium. With a packed house of 20,437 in attendance, there was no Kadeem Dacres for Cincinnati, which meant the spotlight fell fully on Aodhan Quinn for the hosts, as he went up against the side he had scored five goals and recorded nine assists for over the previous two seasons.

Predictably the game was a tight affair as neither side wanted to give an inch, but Louisville took the lead in the first half on a magical moment by one of the players they had signed to bolster the attack after their offseason departures. Brian Ownby’s surging run and finish off the left post in the 20th minute sent the corner of Louisville fans into celebration as the game swung the visitors’ way. City looked to be on course for a big road victory as the game entered the final 15 minutes, having outshot FCC 6-3 in the second half, but with 12 minutes to go, fate stepped in. A cross into the penalty area was almost cleared, but when Corben Bone knocked the ball back into the penalty area off the foot of a City defender, Quinn was in the right place to turn home the equalizer. Quinn’s celebration was muted, but the fans in the stands were not, as the newcomer announced his arrival against his former team.

3. Filling the Stands

Maybe the biggest indicator of how strong the rivalry between Louisville City FC and FC Cincinnati has been the turnout at every league game in the rivalry’s history, which has reached five figures every time the teams have squared off. Going into Saturday’s game at Slugger Field – which might see Louisville record its first official sellout at the venue – the rivalry series has seen 82,779 fans go through the turnstiles, an average of 16,556 per game. With support like Die Innenstadt, The Pride and the Louisville Coopers on hand for every game between the clubs, the festive atmosphere is always guaranteed.

The most recent meeting between the clubs set Louisville’s all-time attendance record, with 11,632 fans from both clubs filling Slugger Field for what was a memorable contest. City’s early lead was overturned by three consecutive goals for FCC, which earned a 3-2 victory and a leg up in retaining the River Cities Cup going into the final game of the series this season. Add in the attendance from the U.S. Open Cup clash between the clubs earlier this season, and the rivalry’s total attendance could hit six figures on Saturday night.

2. Magic of the Cup


Photo courtesy Erik Schelkun / FC Cincinnati

Louisville and Cincinnati weren’t drawn together in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2016, but this year, when the sides met for the first time in the historic tournament, there was one storyline that stood out among all others. After his red card, and subsequent suspension, in the first league meeting of the season, Djiby Fall had been sidelined for Cincinnati after a hot start to the season that saw him score six goals in the club’s first five games.

Fall’s suspension applied only to league games, however, so when the two sides met on May 31 at Nippert Stadium, the Senegalese striker was back in the lineup for FCC. As he would in prior and future rounds, the 32-year-old provided the only goal of the match to earn Cincinnati its first game against MLS competition in the Open Cup and help spark a run to the semifinals of the tournament, which will kick off next Tuesday at Nippert Stadium in a clash with the New York Red Bulls.

1. Hoffman’s Hat Trick


Photo courtesy Em-Dash Photography / Louisville City FC

As big as the meeting this season in the Open Cup was, the first edition of the River Cities Cup remains the most memorable. Played in front of the first crowd to surpass 20,000 fans in FCC’s history at Nippert Stadium – and with the players attending the inaugural USL Experience on hand – the home fans got a rousing start to the rivalry when native son Austin Berry gave the side the lead after just six minutes, heading home a free kick by Tyler Polak.

From there, however, Chandler Hoffman stole the show. The experienced forward, an offseason arrival from the Houston Dynamo, had opened his account for City in its previous outing, but against FCC, his predatory instincts in the penalty area made for a long day for Cincinnati’s defense. Hoffman grabbed his first in the 17th minute, slotting home to the left from the penalty spot, and then added a second seven minutes later, as Kyle Smith’s low cross found him alone for a close-range finish. Hoffman capped his hat trick in the 34th minute, as he controlled and finished off Ben Newnam’s cross into the right corner.

Louisville was reduced to 10 men before halftime, as Sean Reynolds was shown his second yellow card of the game, but the visitors held firm to allow Hoffman’s memorable night to stand as decisive in the victory.

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