If you can make it in America’s second division, Alexis Souahy’s friends ask him, why not return to Europe and prove yourself at home?
Years ago, the defender from Saint Etienne au Mont, France, might have taken his buddies up on that. But Souahy has found a certain sort of peace entering his fourth season with USL Championship power Louisville City FC, where he discovered growth can manifest in ways other than jumping to a different club.
“I earned myself a starting spot and we went on to win the cup,” Souahy said of his 2018 signing. “Here in year four, I’m not the youngest guy anymore. The impact I’m expecting of myself is bigger, both my performance and my leadership aspect.”
It’s seen in the simplest of ways. The 26-year-old might notice a younger teammate defer to him for advice. Or, as he’s developed professionally out of Bowling Green State University, Souahy often finds himself the first player at Lynn Family Stadium before morning training.
“A few years ago, I used to be a late night person. I guess with age I became more of a morning person,” he said. “Now I’m getting up early, drinking my water, my breakfast, arriving to the locker room and getting my mindset right. I’m trying to take it to another level.”
That’s a role LouCity’s head coach and sporting director, John Hackworth, has been happy to see filled this preseason. The boys in purple enter 2021 without two key leadership pieces after forward Luke Spencer’s retirement and midfielder Speedy Williams’ move to Miami FC.
Having also joined LouCity in 2018, Hackworth witnessed Souahy develop “from the rookie everyone picked on to a leader in all ways.”
“He’s an excellent pro, he’s a great person, and,” Hackworth added, “the fact that he’s still with he club he started with speaks volumes about how valuable he is to the team.”
It’s also fair to say Souahy’s contributions on the field have gone a bit overshadowed.
He made 22 starts in 2018 and was only subbed off just four times en route to LouCity lifting a second straight USL Championship trophy. Yet it was Kyle Smith, subsequently picked up by Major League Soccer’s Orlando City SC, who basked in the limelight along the back line.
Souahy was solid again in 2019, making 24 appearances. But fellow defender Paco Craig had the standout campaign before seeking out opportunities of his own in Europe until the COVID-19 pandemic set in.
In 2020, Souahy was a key piece of a LouCity defense that totaled a league-leading nine clean sheets and conceded only 14 goals in 19 games. Souahy started at center back throughout a 13-game unbeaten streak next to Sean Totsch, who went on to be named First Team All-League.
“He did get robbed last year from not getting as much credit, because we don’t defend individually here,” Hackworth said. “We defend collectively, and he’s a huge part of it.”
“The connection with the back four — it was a collective understanding of roles and trust that made us successful,” said Souahy, who was also regularly joined by outside backs Pat McMahon and Oscar Jimenez. “We weren’t looking at personal success because the goal is to win a championship, not be the best player. The recognition comes from a collective.”
At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Souahy is an athletic force capable of tracking down an opposing forward or out-muscling midfielders in a duel. However, it’s his vocal nature, organizing within a scheme that demands defenders essentially predict future attacks, that has made Souahy an essential member of the club.
“You can guarantee though, whether in training or games, he’s going to be the loudest,” Hackworth said. “He follows through on what we ask all our center backs to do. They need to anticipate. They need to make reads on what the opposition is doing. If they can communicate that information to all the guys in front of them, it allows us to be better.”
All things Souahy’s happy to still be doing in Louisville.
“I’m in a place where I’m starting to think about a future with family and kids,” he said. “You can’t just take risks like I would a few years back. It’s about knowing what you want, where you want to be and sticking with it.
“I take it as a positive what my friends say — that I could come home and play in the higher leagues. But you have to be mindful that where you are is a good place with good people and you can keep reaching for higher things here.”
