A month-and-a-half into its third season, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC was sitting at the bottom of the League One table with a winless, 0-2-2 record.

The side had also been bounced in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by FC Tulsa. It was struggling to replicate the production of 2023 USL League One Player of the Year and Golden Boot winner Trevor Amann as well as Defender of the Year and Golden Playmaker Arthur Rogers, recording only two goals in its first four league outings.

Then, on May 1, the Hailstorm kicked off the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup.

They’ve hardly put a foot wrong since.

Although six of its eight Group Stage matches featured opponents currently situated above the USL League One playoff line, Northern Colorado completely dominated the opening rounds of the inaugural tournament. It rattled off 22 goals in eight group-stage matches as Bruno Rendón and Ethan Hoard terrorized opposing defenses.

The Hailstorm then claimed a 2-0 Semifinal victory against West Group-rival Union Omaha to advance to the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup Final, where they’ll host Forward Madison FC on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

So, what happened?

The USL Jägermeister Cup provided the Hailstorm with opportunities to tweak its lineup and experiment with a roster that features a solid foundation of youthful potential. Northern Colorado's roster is among the youngest in League One, featuring an average age of just under 24 years and 10 months old. More than half the players who've featured for the Hailstorm in the tournament are 25 years old and younger.

As we've seen previously in the meteoric rise of Amann a season ago and the prolific production of Rogers in 2022 and 2023, Head Coach Éamon Zayed and his coaching staff seemingly have a knack for both talent identification and optimization through the construction of game plans which play to the strengths of their players.

The Hailstorm's tactical success has been best exemplified by the emergence of forward Hoard and attacking fullback Rendón, both of whom took off in USL Jägermeister Cup play.

"It feels great," Hoard said after providing a goal and an assist in Northern Colorado's Round 4 victory against Central Valley. "To be honest, I couldn't do it without my teammates backing me up. I think the services that I get make me play better."

Throughout the cup, another talent emerged to fill that Arthur Rogers-sized hole on the Northern Colorado wing. Rendón began his professional career in NISA with the Syracuse Pulse in 2022 before joining Northern Colorado in 2023. The former Cuba youth international enjoyed a relatively successful 2023 campaign while typically lining up in a defensive position.

The departure of the versatile Rogers to FC Tulsa over the offseason coupled with tactical opportunities the USL Jägermeister Cup presented truly allowed the 24-year-old to flourish in Zayed's attack-oriented system.

Playing primarily as a winger in the USL Jägermeister Cup, Rendón exploded with eight goals – the most of any player in the Group Stage – and one assist. From there, he shifted to the wing on a more permanent basis, and his production continued in League One action. After failing to record a goal or assist in league play to start the season, Rendón's shift up the pitch in early June has seen him tally five goals and one assist across his next 11 league fixtures.

"I'm just trying my best to help the team, but I'm really enjoying playing further forward," Rendón said following his two-goal, one-assist performance against Knoxville in Round 2.

To put the combined production of Ethan Hoard and Bruno Rendón into perspective, the pair's 12 goals in the Group Stage were greater than the total amount of goals scored by 10 of the 12 teams participating in the cup this season. According to American Soccer Analysis, Rendón's +3.47 and Hoard's +1.39 Goals-Added values led all players. Naturally, the duo combined to send Northern Colorado to the 2024 USL Jägermeister Cup Final, as Hoard scored the winner and Rendón followed up with a second in the Hailstorm's 2-0 Semifinal victory against Union Omaha two weeks ago.

As one might expect, the success of Northern Colorado's trio of rising talents has continued into the League One regular season, making a direct impact on the team's success overall. After its slow start to the season, the side now sits comfortably in the playoff positions in sixth place and is only five points out of a top-two finish with five games to play in the regular season.

With sights set on the first trophy in club history, it's clear the Hailstorm's remarkable success in the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup provided the spark that kickstarted its league campaign. Since its winless four-match start, Northern Colorado is 14-3-4 across all competitions, making a second consecutive USL League One Playoffs appearance imminent, and from there the chance to make a run at a second final and potential history.

"I'm delighted for this group," said Zayed after his side's Semifinal win. "I want them to win so bad because they deserve it. Maybe now the rest of the league will take note."

One win from completing an undefeated run to a trophy, the Hailstorm have everyone's attention.