More than four months after Louisville City FC played its first — and, so far only — game of the USL Championship season, the campaign continues Sunday.
The boys in purple are set to open Lynn Family Stadium at 5 p.m. against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in front of a national TV audience, with this the USL’s first “triple cast” airing on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM FC. Audio is also available on News Radio 840 WHAS and via the iHeartRadio app.
Lynn Family Stadium, in the Butchertown neighborhood just east of downtown Louisville, can regularly accommodate up to 15,304 fans. It will be closer to 30% capacity on Sunday owing to physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a high-profile matchup as the Riverhounds, who are coached by USL title winner Bob Lilley, formerly of the Rochester Rhinos, enter off winning the league’s Eastern Conference regular-season crown in 2019. LouCity then knocked off Pittsburgh in the playoffs in the Riverhounds’ most recent game.
While LouCity defeated North Carolina FC by a 1-0 score to open 2020, the Hounds didn’t start their own season before leagues around the world were shut down to mitigate spread of the coronavirus.
Message from Coach
“I think we all need to realize that we’re going to have a lot of sorting out of ideas in those first 20 minutes. Pittsburgh hasn’t played a game at all. They had players through their entire preseason — one of their better players for sure that they acquired did not play at all due to injury in the preseason. We hear that player’s back — they’re healthy. My point of all of this is that this is a bit of an unknown.
“We’re going to have to be really disciplined in how we approach this game, especially early. Soccer is a 90-plus-minute match and, therefore, allows us some time. But if you make a mistake early, it can really hurt you. So I expect both teams, while being on national TV, will want to make sure that we display our styles and things like that. I think you’re going to see both teams try to feel each other out early.” — John Hackworth, LouCity coach and sporting director.
Key players
LouCity: Striker Cameron Lancaster, who scored a USL-record 25 goals in 2018 for LouCity, is back with the boys in purple on loan from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC. His goal in the season opener made the difference with the forward having an immediate impact upon return.
Pittsburgh: The Riverhounds may run through midfielder Kenardo Forbes, who was All-League First Team in 2019 and an MVP finalist. Forbes played for Lilley in Rochester before following his coach to a new club, where last season Forbes scored four goals while logging 3,014 minutes.
Follow along
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram.
On the call for ESPN2: Mike Watts (play by play), Devon Kerr (color) and Tyler Terens (sideline)
And for radio: Clay Ables (play by play) and Jeff Greer (color)
By the numbers
8 — Consecutive home games to begin LouCity’s restart.
127 — Days between LouCity games, from March 7 to July 12.
4,600 — Approximately how many fans will be permitted to attend Sunday’s game.
LouCity links
• McCabe out to make Lynn Family Stadium opener ‘memorable’
• Watch: Hackworth, LouCity players preview Pittsburgh’s visit
• LouCity sets ticketing plan for Lynn Family Stadium’s debut
• Crawford: LouCity players reader to christen their new home
• Stadium’s first game a benchmark in Louisville sports history
Notes to know
Weekend of firsts: The USL Championship is the first team-based sports league returning to action in local markets amid the COVID-19 pandemic; LouCity will be the first team to host fans at its games in Kentucky; and, of course, both of these circumstances coincide with Lynn Family Stadium’s inaugural game.
Lynn Family Stadium by the numbers: The $65 million stadium sits on a 10-acre parcel in the Butchertown neighborhood east of downtown. Normal capacity is 15,304, and the venue could range up to 25,000 for concerts. Unique to Lynn is a 72-foot Modelo bar in the open end, believed to be the longest of its kind in Kentucky. The jumbotron ranks second in size behind only Churchill Downs’ Big Board.
About the pitch: The natural surface is made up of Tahoma 31 Bermuda overseeded with rye, and it can remain green year round thanks to a sub-air system that removes excessive moisture, but can also blow hot or cold air to keep grass at an ideal temperature. The lines measure 120 feet by 80, a major upgrade from the 105 by 75 pitch at LouCity’s former home, Louisville Slugger Field.
Competition structure: USL Championship clubs will complete a 16-game regular season with LouCity 1-0 after its March 7 victory at North Carolina FC. The majority of remaining games will come against “Group E” opponents Indy Eleven, Saint Louis FC and Sporting KC II. The USL previously approved unbalanced schedules allowing LouCity to host more than it travels.
The Estopinal End: LouCity has ensured its late founder’s legacy lives on within the club’s new home. Architect and philanthropist Wayne Estopinal, who brought pro soccer to town, is the namesake behind the closed end of Lynn Family Stadium, the standing supporter zone. Estopinal, whose firm also designed the University of Louisville’s similarly named Lynn Stadium, died in a November 2018 plane crash at age 63.
Past precedent: In the last three years, LouCity has gone 22W-9L-11D between July 11 and Oct. 4. A similar tear to finish the 2020 campaign could leave the rest of Group E fighting for second place and put the boys in purple in position to be the USL’s first three-time champion.
From the beginning: Lancaster and midfielder Magnus Rasmussen have come and gone from LouCity’s 2015 roster. Midfielder Niall McCabe, however, is the only player from the inaugural group of signings to have stayed throughout on the club’s journey to opening Lynn Family Stadium. The native of Ireland remains a staple on the pitch, with his 2,924 minutes in 2020 ranking third-most on the team.
Between the posts: LouCity’s battle for the starting goalkeeper role could be a season-long battle between Louisville native Chris Hubbard and Bent Lundt, a 2019 MLS SuperDraft selection on loan from FC Cincinnati. Hubbard (79.9%) and Lund (71.1%) were near equal in their save percentage last season as Lunt filled in with Hubbard injured. Lundt got the starting nod and clean sheet in LouCity’s season-opening win at North Carolina FC.
