How Louisville City FC pulled off improbable comeback to reach 8th straight conference final

Danny Faundez wasn't on Louisville City FC's roster until he participated in an open tryout nine months ago.

On Saturday night, the backup goalie kept the club's season alive.

After allowing two goals through the opening 47 minutes of his first postseason start, Faundez held Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC scoreless over the final 43 minutes of regulation. His teammates responded by scoring twice after the 80th minute to draw level and force extra time, during which Faundez did not yield.

With the supporters in Estopinal End rocking behind him, Faundez again stepped up to deliver a save that powered LouCity to a 5-4 penalty shootout victory and its eight consecutive Eastern Conference final appearance. Shelbyville native Carlos Moguel Jr., a product of LouCity's Youth Academy, clinched the victory by completing the PK sweep.

"It's just pure joy," said Faundez, who was handed a beer by a teammate while he spoke to reporters. "The job's not finished, but just taking a second and knowing that I can be proud of where I came from and where I'm headed."

"He worked his ass off to get here," Louisville coach Danny Cruz said of Faundez, who started in place of Gold Glove recipient Kyle Morton. "Rented his own cars, paid for his own flight. It's a special story, and more importantly, he's fit so well into the group. He has worked so hard for these moments, and he deserves it."

Until the 82nd minute, not much went right for LouCity. As some fans headed for the exits with the team trailing 2-0, reaching extra time — let alone winning outright — seemed improbable. With several key players ruled out due to injury, Cruz called upon every healthy member of his roster, and they produced a performance that left him at a loss for words to begin his postgame comments.

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"Where do you start?" Cruz said. "So incredibly proud of my group to continue to fight, to continue to believe. That's what I asked them to do before the game. Didn't think it was by any stretch of the words good enough from us with regard to quality, but that right there — what they just did — is amazing."

So, where do you start with a match like that? Cruz said Manny Perez's second-chance goal in the 82nd minute to cut Pittsburgh's deficit in half was the difference-maker, because it ignited the home crowd at a point when all hope appeared lost.

"You feel the belief in the stadium," Cruz said. "I talk about it a lot. This stadium and our fans, they give you that extra push, and, if this place was empty, we probably don't go and get the tying goal."

The person who delivered the equalizer was none other than Cameron Lancaster, the club's all-time leader in goals scored. After an injury plagued regular season, Lancaster was questionable heading into Saturday's match but entered as a substitute in the 69th minute. Not long after, Elijah Wynder went down hard in the box and earned a penalty.

Lancaster proceeded to send the ball rolling into the bottom-left corner of the net to draw level with five minutes remaining in regulation.

After a back-and-forth extra time period that saw both clubs have their chances at taking the lead, Faundez left his teammates at midfield and walked over to Estopinal End for the penalty shootout.

In that moment, Faundez said, "We knew we were gonna win."

First up for Pittsburgh was Danny Griffin. Having watched the Riverhounds emerge victorious in a PK shootout last week, Faundez knew which side of the net the midfielder favored but admitted it all came down to trusting his instincts.

"Penalties are a gamble," Faundez said. "It's a mental game, so as long as we make all of ours, I know I'm gonna make a save in there. ... I just thought it was going bottom left — it went bottom left."

As Faundez predicted, his teammates went a perfect 5 for 5 during the shootout: Joshua Wynder, Sean Totsch, Oscar Jimenez, Napo Matsoso and Moguel. At just 19 years old, Moguel said he had no idea he would be the fifth and final kick-taker. Before stepping into the box, he said he tried his best to clear his mind.

And when the ball soared into the back of the net, sending his teammates and LouCity faithful into a frenzy?

"I tried my best to look cool for the pictures," Moguel said.

What's next

As the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference, LouCity will host the winner of No. 2 Memphis 901 FC and the No. 3 Tampa Bay Rowdies on Nov. 5 with a spot in the USL Championship Final on the line. The boys in purple went a combined 2-2 against its potential opponents during the regular season.

The league championship will be held Sunday, Nov. 13.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville City FC pulls improbable comeback to reach conference final