After being a key figure in Saturday night’s clash that saw Louisville City FC down FC Cincinnati 3-2 in front of a USL regular-season record crowd, USL Player of the Week Chandler Hoffman believes the rivalry between the two clubs could become something very special.

“I think it could be a massive rivalry with it being so close, and their fan base is pretty big so far,” Hoffman said on Wednesday afternoon. “Two home games, they’re averaging over 15,000 people. I’ve played in a lot of MLS games, and that rivaled any MLS games I’ve played in. As a player it just gives you a boost to get up for games like that.”

Hoffman’s first-half hat trick led Louisville to a victory in front of 20,497 fans at Nippert Stadium, which included a strong contingent who made the 90-minute trip from Louisville for the first game in the battle for the River Cities Cup.

A standout in the USL over the past two seasons, during which time he scored 17 goals in 27 regular-season games on loan with the LA Galaxy II and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Hoffman appreciated the chance to celebrate with them after converting from the penalty spot to level the game, which appeared to turn the tide City’s way.

“That was a cool moment for me to be able to score and go celebrate with our fans that came up,” Hoffman said. “The first 10 minutes they were all over us and so they go up 1-0, and then we got that goal and were able to settle into the game, and I thought we took over the rest of the first half.”