By Chris Mattingly
Although Louisville City dropped points Saturday night, the result came with a sliver lining.
Midfielder Niall McCabe made his 200th USL Championship appearance for the club. The 32-year-old is the third LouCity player to reach the milestone, joining teammates Paolo DelPiccolo and Sean Totsch.
A club original, Niall McCabe has been with LouCity since the club’s inaugural season in 2015 — also his rookie year. Along the way the Irishman has raised a number of trophies, including the 2017 and 2018 league cups. McCabe has also faced setbacks, the most recent of them a broken foot that cut one of his best seasons short in 2022.
“Honestly, it means everything to me,” he said of Louisville. “I’ve been here the whole time. I love it here — love the club, love the people around it.”
McCabe didn’t reflect too much longer on his 200th appearance. Times like these are when LouCity can count on the veteran’s help with the issue at hand: Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Birmingham Legion FC marked a third straight USL Championship defeat for the boys in purple.
“Moments like this, it hurts, McCabe said. “It’s hard to kind of think about it right now. I really couldn’t care. Maybe down the road I’ll go, ‘Oh, that’s great.’ But right now I’m just thinking about the next one.”
McCabe was around in 2015 as LouCity finished its first regular season on a three-game losing skid. That’s the only other time such a thing has happened to the boys in purple. They turned around to win their playoff opener and advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
Given memories like that — and a number of other resilient moments over the years — McCabe said, “You just have to keep believing. It’s a long season. There’s ups and downs, and OK, we’re in a little bit of a valley at the moment. But the quality we have in the locker room is incredible. I’m confident in the group.”
Reflecting on how much McCabe means to LouCity, head coach Danny Cruz said “he knows what it takes to win.”
“He’s someone that I enjoy working with on a daily basis. He’s a leader,” Cruz added. “We’ve missed him from injuries. He’s missed half the season, right, almost, up to this point. It’s been good to have him back. And for him to hit 200, that’s something to be ultimately really proud of.”
McCabe will be formally honored by the club for his achievements ahead of kickoff this coming Saturday when LouCity hosts Indy Eleven for its “Fill the Fam” match. More than 11,000 tickets have already been sold, and it will represent a full-circle moment should McCabe make the lineup.
Last August, a foot injury suffered in warmups of City’s first Fill the Fam game counted him out for the rest of the year. As on every occasion needed, the fan-favorite McCabe has fought his way back.
