And while the move raised eyebrows across the league, it worked.

The trio led LouCity to a 4-1-1 record during its tenure, seamlessly bridging the gap between O’Connor’s departure and Hackworth’s arrival in August. To not only survive that stretch but thrive during it told you all you needed to know about the mental fortitude of the locker room, which to no surprise, had little trouble adjusting to its new leader.

Aside from a few early bumps – namely a 4-1 defeat to Toronto FC II and a late collapse in a 2-2 draw against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – Hackworth came in and kept the Louisville train chugging down the tracks. The side steamrolled to victory in its final six regular-season matches and carried that momentum into the USL Cup Playoffs. Louisville eased to a pair of home victories over Indy Eleven (4-1) and Bethlehem Steel FC (2-0) to reach its fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Final.

Less than 10 minutes into that match against the New York Red Bulls II, Louisville encountered another obstacle that it would have to overcome as 2018 Golden Boot Cameron Lancaster, who had set a league record with 25 goals in the regular season, was forced off the pitch with a hamstring injury. Lancaster watched from the sidelines as Louisville surged to a 5-1 victory to return to the USL Cup. The following week, Spencer stepped up in Lancaster’s absence and netted a second-half strike that ensured the trophy wouldn’t change hands in 2018.

So, after all of that, why would I think things will be different in 2019?

Well, for starters, Lancaster is gone for good… and he’s not the only one.

The 26-year-old forward, who joined Nashville SC after signing an MLS agreement with the Tennessee side this offseason, is one of four starters to move on from Hackworth’s squad ahead of the 2019 Championship campaign. Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh and defender Kyle Smith departed the club to reunite with O’Connor in Orlando, while forward Ilija Ilic joined Eastern Conference foe Indy Eleven.

With Lancaster and Ilic out of the picture, Louisville will have to replace its two leading goalscorers from last season that combined to score 36 of the side’s 71 goals. Yes, capable forwards like Spencer and the newly-arrived Lucky Mkosana are there, as is Brian Ownby, who had a second consecutive great postseason, but is that enough to stay atop the increasingly competitive Eastern Conference?

I’m not so sure.

2018 USL Regular Season champion FC Cincinnati has moved on to Major League Soccer, but Nashville looks ready to fill that void before making its own move to the top flight. The club produced a strong showing in its inaugural season, finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference standings and taking FCC to penalties on the opening weekend of the postseason.

Nashville boasted the second-best defensive record in the league last year, conceding just 31 goals in 34 regular-season matches, but failed to make the most out of that stabile back line because of inconsistent forward play. Upgrading the club’s attacking arsenal was a huge priority this offseason for General Manger Mike Jacobs, who brought in three new toys for Head Coach Gary Smith to play with in the form of Lancaster, Daniel Rios (North Carolina FC) and Kharlton Belmar (Sporting Kansas City).

Rios scored 20 goals last season for NCFC and finished in a tie for second in the Golden Boot race with former Orange County SC forward Thomas Enevoldsen (more on him later), while Belmar netted 10 goals and added five assists in 20 appearances on loan with the Swope Park Rangers. If Smith can get them and Lancaster on the same page during the preseason – which gears up with a statement game against Louisville later this afternoon – Nashville will be the favorite to win the USL Cup.