In ordinary circumstances, Louisville City FC is a team that wants the ball, wants to press, and wants to dictate the terms a game will be played.

On Saturday night, it stuck to the third of those principles.

Facing San Antonio FC in a rematch of the 2022 USL Championship Final at Lynn Family Stadium, it just did so in a manner that was very different to how it normally operates.

“They’re a team that doesn’t want the ball. So, we gave them the ball,” said LouCity Head Coach Danny Cruz. “The data shows they don’t want the ball, the video shows they don’t want the ball, so you let them have it and keep your numbers collected to be nice and tight, to be able to pick up the second balls and you try to limit set pieces.

“Let me be clear, though, that’s not a knock on them,” added Cruz. “They do what they do very, very well. Give [San Antonio FC Head Coach] Alen [Marcina] a ton of credit because he's got a group that buys in to that style of play. I don’t mean any disrespect. They do a great job at it.”

There were some nervy moments for the hosts. San Antonio could have grabbed the lead in just the fourth minute when Zico Bailey got free on the sort of situation the visitors usually thrive on. A misplaced pass gave SAFC a chance to run at LouCity’s defense, and only a good save by goalkeeper Oliver Semmle kept the game scoreless.

Given how good San Antonio has been when scoring first – it hasn’t lost since the start of the 2021 season when it’s opened the scoring – it was a pivotal moment. So, too, was Wilson Harris’ 23rd minute goal, a brilliant looping header that left SAFC goalkeeper Jordan Farr with little chance.

And from there, LouCity sought to play simple, lockdown soccer.

While LouCity only recorded nine touches in the San Antonio penalty area, it was all it needed to walk away with an impressive win.

“We put in a game plan every single week and it’s our job to go out and do it,” said LouCity midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo. “This one just happened to be maybe a little bit more of a change than is typical week-to-week. … The coaching staff here is incredible. They just do such a good job. It’s not just on the field, it’s in the video room that, you know, if we don't execute their game plan, it’s not on them, it’s on us.”

It’s unlikely we’ll see a similar display from LouCity in its next outing, another crucial game for the defending Eastern Conference title holder as it visits current conference leader the Charleston Battery next Saturday night.

At the same time, with the potential for another clash with San Antonio to come down the line in the postseason, Cruz has added another useful tool to his side’s kitbag to move forward with.

“When you look at the week of preparation that we had, this San Antonio is exactly who we thought they would be,” said Cruz. “Our guys in the back were absolute monsters. They handled that really, really well, dealt with the first balls, dealt with the second balls, a fantastic result.”