LOUISVILLE, Ky, — After taking the lead in the 24th minute Louisville City FC was pegged back by ATL UTD 2 just seven minutes later at Louisville Slugger Stadium on Saturday night. The clock kept ticking and for all of Louisville's work, a goal wasn’t forthcoming. With time running out a response was required. That response started in the 53rd minute when Head Coach James O’Connor went to his bench, bringing on the first of three substitutions, all of which were intended to provide a boost to the club's attacking options. The insertion of Luke Spencer, Ilija Ilic, and Magnus Rasmussen turned the game back to his side and eventually led to earning the stoppage-time penalty kick that sealed all three points for the Boys in Purple.

The creation of the penalty kick was all about the substitutes with Spencer running to get on the end of a cross by Oscar Jimenez before he was fouled to draw the penalty. That then allowed Ilic to step up and take the penalty kick, which he dispatched to the top-right corner of the net to win the match.

But that was not the only impact the three substitutes made on the match as the trio significantly changed the terms on which the game was played following their introduction by O'Connor. Spencer was an especially difficult prospect, winning the only aerial duel he contested the powerful forward got three shots away, all of them on target.

Prior to its first substitution in the 53rd minute, Louisville was certainly dominating the possession battle, but most of it was held around midfield as Atlanta played spoiler effectively as Louisville looked to build pressure down the right side primarily through Kyle Smith and the rest of its attacking quartet. After the substitutions, Louisville created more touches in the penalty area, while diversifying its attacking areas to provide more balance across the side's attack. Jimenez finished with eight key passes in the contest for Louisville, six of which came after the first substitution with four of those coming from the left side of the field. That variety caused more defensive work for the visitors as Louisville's attack contained less predictability, and ended up causing the lapse in concentration which would lead to the mistake that drew the game-winning penalty.

Most crucially the substitutes pushed the game wider, which would open up more space in the middle which Louisville would take advantage of. The main beneficiary of that width was Spencer, who was routinely the man on the end of crosses into the penalty area, as all three of his shots on target in the contest came from inside 15 yards.

One minute before winning the penalty for his side, Spencer forced an impressive save out of Atlanta goalkeeper Paul Christensen from a tight angle, so the warning signs were there and it was unsurprising when Spencer had the most crucial influence on the match.

That O’Connor would make bold, attacking, substitutions should not be surprising as he has never been afraid of making those kinds of changes. O’Connor made a similar move in the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs, making two substitutions at halftime against the Rochester Rhinos in the Eastern Conference Semifinals which would turn the tide of the match and get his side the win to advance on its way to the championship.

O'Connor's lack of fear in making bold moves to turn the tide in favor of his side has been key to Louisville being among the league's best clubs since it's arrival in the 2015 season. With a big road trip for another River Cities Cup match against Cincinnati on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center) the defending champions are sure to do whatever it takes to win the derby.