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Louisville City FC has set a broadcast schedule that makes all 32 of its USL Championship games available free over the air in 2021.

Starting with Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. matchup against Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium, a majority of games can be seen on WBKI, Louisville’s CW; heard on ESPN Louisville’s AM 680/FM 105.7; and live streamed via the WDRB Now app.

For the fifth straight season, WDRB Media and LouCity have partnered for local TV coverage. A handful of games will air on MyTV 58, while WDRB maintains the right to move select broadcasts to its FOX network affiliate.

LouCity and ESPN Louisville have joined forces this season to bring games to the city’s leader in sports radio. Fans can hear Jeff Greer and Casey Whitfield call every minute with the audio also available at ESPNLouisville.com.

The subscription service ESPN+ broadcasts all USL Championship games not picked up national TV. Each of those non-national games will also stream for free locally on the WDRB Now app.

Here’s a look at the full 2021 LouCity broadcast schedule with assignments subject to change. Check www.loucity.com/2021-schedule regularly for any updates.

Since Louisville City FC’s launch, no American professional soccer club has won more games across all meaningful competitions. LouCity on Tuesday unveiled kits befitting of that tradition.

The boys in purple will remain so at home, while the away tops bring back a fan favorite, the hoops design. Both looks are rooted in winning club culture, inspired by those worn as LouCity won back-to-back USL Championship titles in 2017 and 2018.

Limited quantities of the kits, along with a line of kit collection merchandise, are available for purchase in the Team Store at Lynn Family Stadium, open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Fans can also pre-order at Shop.www.loucity.com with inventory expected to be available early next month.

“During our rebranding process, we heard the fans loud and clear: LouCity is synonymous with purple,” said club president Brad Estes. “This first iteration of kits to dawn the new badge presents a clean and classic version of the home shirt, and we’ve brought back the hoops in a way that celebrates our signature color. The shorts and socks have been designed so that any color combination can be worn together.

“What about the third kit? We will just have to wait and see.”

LouCity, which has hoisted five trophies, also won each USL Championship Eastern Conference Final from 2017-2019. The club returned last year to post the East’s best regular season record at 11-2-3. A majority of players from that squad are back for 2021, with the campaign kicking off Saturday against Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium.

Combining its regular season, playoff and U.S. Open Cup successes, the boys in purple have totaled 122 victories all time. Next closest since LouCity began play in 2015 are Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls (117), Seattle Sounders FC (113), FC Dallas (105) and Portland Timbers (102).

“I like the new kits a lot,” said LouCity midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo, also the club’s captain since 2017. “First and foremost, I think they look clean and sharp from top to bottom. We obviously went through a rebrand going into this season, and we’re calling a new stadium home. But it’s cool knowing we’re keeping the purple and hoops we’ve had success with in the past.”

LouCity’s 2021 kits will again carry primary sponsorship from Louisville-based GE Appliances, also the front jersey partner for the NWSL expansion side Racing Louisville FC and the local pro clubs’ youth academies. An iconic brand that’s in half of American homes, GE Appliances will donate to a fund toward academy scholarships for each kit purchased in 2021.

Leading intralogistics provider MHS Global appears on the sleeve with Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers on the back.

Following state guidelines set by Gov. Andy Beshear, LouCity will kick off Saturday in front of a 50% capacity crowd at Lynn Family Stadium. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets and gain priority for access to games. Call (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours or visit www.loucity.com/tickets for more information.

The USL Championship on Tuesday announced its 2021 playoff structure, which will feature 16 teams when the regular season concludes in the last weekend of October.

The top four teams from previously announced divisions will advance into a regionalized, single-elimination bracket. The top two clubs in each of the Atlantic, Central, Mountain and Pacific Divisions will earn hosting rights in the Eastern and Western Conference quarterfinals regardless of total points.

Division winners will be matched with the fourth-place team, while second-placed teams will meet third-placed teams from the opposing division in the conference quarterfinals. Following the conference quarterfinals, home advantage will be determined by total points earned regardless of division rank for the remainder of the postseason.

The season will conclude with the USL Championship Final on Sunday, Nov. 28, with kickoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes.

Louisville City FC hails from a Central Division including rival Indy Eleven along with Atlanta United 2, Birmingham Legion FC, FC Tulsa, OKC Energy FC, Memphis 901 FC and Sporting Kansas City II.

During the regular season, the boys in purple will see each of those division rivals four times, twice home and away, starting with Saturday’s opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium.

Following state guidelines set by Gov. Andy Beshear, LouCity will kick off Saturday in front of a 50% capacity crowd.. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets and gain priority for access to games. Call (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours or visit www.loucity.com/tickets for more information.

Last year, coach John Hackworth is fond of saying, Louisville City FC’s technical staff could have flipped a coin when it came to deciding on a starting goalkeeper and been happy either way.

Ben Lundt won the job, then went on to be named the USL Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year. With Lundt recalled this season to Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati, there’s no longer any need to flip a coin — but still no need to worry about the role.

LouCity appears in solid hands between the posts thanks to Chris Hubbard, who numbered six saves Saturday in the club’s final preseason test, a 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

“He was fantastic — obviously kept us in the game many times and was Man of the Match for good reason,” said midfielder Corben Bone. “He made incredible saves and had great leadership back there. It was just a great game and momentum for him to build on going into this season.”

Hubbard will continue to compete with backup Simon Lefebvre for playing time. For now, the job appears to belong to the Louisville native, who attended Trinity High School, played for the University of Notre Dame and has spent the balance of his professional career biding his time in purple.

Hubbard trained with LouCity going back to his college days. He was around long before Lynn Family Stadium was built, the club had its new training facility to call home and grew to include a professional women’s side as well as youth academy.

The 26-year-old stood at the microphone Saturday pleased with his patience earning the starting job.

“I’m thrilled, especially in my hometown in this fantastic stadium,” said Hubbard, who numbers 25 USL Championship appearances entering 2021. “It’s something that I never even dreamed was possible, and the fact that I get to live it out is pretty sweet.”

LouCity staked Hubbard to an early lead against Pittsburgh after Oscar Jimenez tapped in a second-minute goal Saturday. But the goalkeeper certainly had to work to keep it.

Just before the half, Hubbard came up with consecutive saves, one of them after the LouCity defense turned over possession in its own half and led to a breakaway chance.

“He was the most important player — played the best for us today — and he had to,” Hackworth said. “He made two great saves at the end of the first half to allow us to go into halftime not giving up a goal there at the end. It really meant that we could go back out and solve some of the problems we had in the first half without making any tactical changes.”

Hubbard’s other major moment came when faced with a penalty kick in the 57th minute. By making a preemptive move to his left, the keeper turned away the Riverhounds’ best scoring chance on the day.

“It feels great,” Hubbard said. “It really does, especially after struggling to keep shutouts or conceding early in the past few preseason games.”

LouCity ran through a gauntlet of MLS competition to open its preseason before finishing against three lower division opponents. The boys in purple had to rally while defeating Chattanooga FC (3-2 score) and Greenville Triumph (4-2) before holding the ‘Hounds scoreless.

“I think we’re capable of grinding one out,” Hackworth said. “(We learned) when we can’t play our free-flowing style for whatever reason, whether it’s the opponent or we’re just not having a great day, that we can still work hard, make sure with the help of Chris that we’re not giving up goals — that’s all collective.”

“Even if we didn’t play our best, we still found a way to get a result and keep a shutout, which is something we struggled with the past few games at the end of preseason,” Hubbard said. “I think that’s a testament to how much we’ve learned this preseason and will serve us well.”

LouCity’s 32-game USL Championship campaign opens with four straight games at Lynn Family Stadium, the first of them set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday when Atlanta United 2 visits.

Louisville City FC scored on either side of the half, Chris Hubbard delivered a six-save performance, and the boys in purple closed their preseason Saturday on a winning note, defeating Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC by a 2-0 score at Lynn Family Stadium.

With the victory — one week out from its USL Championship opener — LouCity put a bow on an exhibition schedule that opened against four Major League Soccer opponents. Since moving on to face lower-division competition, the club has rattled off three straight victories.

The 32-game regular season opens Saturday, April 24, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium.

“It’s great to be back in Lynn Family Stadium again and have our fans see us for the first time,” said John Hackworth, LouCity’s head coach and sporting director. “…I thought we grew into the game a little bit. It wasn’t a great performance, but we have to do that in particular against a team like Pittsburgh.

“You have to find a way to take your moments, and we did in finding a second one. Getting a shutout and beating a really worthy opponent is good news for us going forward.”

LouCity netted its earliest goal of the preseason Saturday when Brian Ownby won a ball back out wide and crossed to Oscar Jimenez for a second-minute tap in that moved the boys in purple ahead for good. They leaned on Hubbard, a Louisville native poised to win the No. 1 goalkeeper job this season, to keep Pittsburgh off the board.

In the 44th minute, Hubbard registered back-to-back saves, one of them seconds after his defense surrendered possession in its own half. Later, in the 57th minute Hubbard dove left to save a Riverhounds penalty kick.

The starting job appears to be his a season after the USL Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Ben Lunt, was recalled from his LouCity loan to MLS’ FC Cincinnati.

“I did what I had to do, coupled with the back four in the first half and the back three, they were making some plays,” Hubbard said. “If it comes to me, I’m just glad I could do my job and make the saves. Overall, it was a good team performance. It wasn’t always pretty, but we found a way to gut it out and get it done, which is something we’re going to need this year.”

As Hubbard excelled in the goal, LouCity doubled its lead late as Napo Matsoso slipped a ball into Corben Bone, who tapped a shot between the opposing keeper’s legs. Matsoso and Bone were a favored pairing last year as well, and Bone acknowledged that with a point toward his fellow midfielder following the strike.

“We recovered the ball in a good area and got it out to Napo,” Bone said. “He did the rest, really. It was a fantastic pass. We kind of made eye contact, and he put it exactly where I wanted it. All I had to do was give it a little toe poke and hit the back of the net. Credit to Napo. It was an incredible pass, and he’s given me a few of those, which is why I keep pointing at him.”

LouCity will play its next four games all at Lynn Family Stadium, illustrating the importance of getting a preseason contest in there. Attendance was announce Saturday at 2,502 and is expected to be at the allowed capacity next weekend as the 2021 campaign officially kicks off.

Citing logistical and financial challenges still in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Soccer’s Open Cup Committee decided at its meeting this week not to hold the tournament’s 2021 edition — which was to include Louisville City FC in a 16-team field — as scheduled this spring.

The committee will evaluate the possibility of conducting the Open Cup in some fashion later in the year.

“The logistical and financial burdens to have the tournament take place this spring in the current environment are substantial,” said Open Cup Commissioner Paul Marstaller. “Even though all of U.S. Soccer’s member professional teams will be playing in their respective league competitions this year, the committee did not feel it wise to have clubs divert important resources during the next two months for Open Cup play. Instead, we will look further into the future to see what possibilities might exist for 2021. After that, a full-scale 2022 Open Cup is less than a year away.”

Last month, the committee approved a revised format for this year’s competition that would have included representation from each of the four divisions that normally compete in the tournament: Professional Division I, Division II, Division III and the Open Division encompassing all other affiliated teams and leagues.

LouCity made it in the field as as an Eastern Conference finalist from last year’s USL Championship (Division II) season. El Paso Locomotive FC, Phoenix Rising FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies were also in from the USL Championship and would have, as with LouCity, been expected to open the knockout competition against Major League Soccer opponents.

In its 108th year, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s National Championship – is the only high-profile competition in American team sports where amateur sides face professionals in meaningful competition. The history-filled tournament, conducted on a single-game, knockout basis, is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.

Continuing to build roots in the community, Louisville City FC, Racing Louisville FC and their respective youth academies are set to host Special Olympics Kentucky’s SOKY Regional Soccer Tournament on Sunday at their new training facility.

Members of the LouCity/Racing back office have been encouraged to volunteer at the event, which has already attracted a full field of teams competing over state-of-the-art turf fields at Champions Park.

“I want to emphasize how truly thankful we are for this relationship,” said Special Olympics Kentucky’s director of sports and competition, Hunter Brislin. “For our athletes, having the chance to get out there and compete on the same surfaces and playing fields that these professionals get to use daily is an incredible feat.

“Due to COVID-19, a lot of these athletes have not seen their friends or fellow athletes for a long time. This event is more important now than ever.”

Sunday’s regional tournament is the first of two taking place this spring. They serve as qualifiers for the state tournament in June.

Teams are placed in divisions based on ability level and will play a 7v7, double-elimination format. While each team will be awarded a medal based on how they finish within their divisions, the emphasis is on a SOKY motto for its athletes: Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.

“Being able to play home this event only further builds upon our already established relationship,” said Kristen Wallace, the pro clubs’ executive youth director. “The LouCity/Racing Louisville Academy was able to partner with SOKY in the fall of 2020 to start our TOPSoccer program to make the beautiful game available to another group of people.”

The clubs’ new training facility — also home to a burgeoning youth academy program — has been built as a community asset.

“I only see us doing bigger and better things for sure,” Brislin said. “We all want to be involved from a unified standpoint. It is all the beginning.”

Louisville City FC has forged a loan agreement with Sporting KC putting recent goalkeeper signing Parker Siegfried on a Major League Soccer roster to start the season, the clubs announced Thursday.

Siegfried loan to Sporting KC on a semi-guaranteed contract assists a side dealing with multiple injuries between the posts approaching Saturday’s opener against the New York Red Bulls.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Parker,” said LouCity’s head coach and sporting director, John Hackworth. “He has been in great form for us and we know he will make the most of this experience the next few weeks before returning to our squad.”

The Ohio State University product Siegfried was taken 74th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by New York City FC. While Siegfried never signed with New York, Sporting KC traded a 2023 pick to acquire his college protected rights and execute this loan.

Before successfully trialing and earning a contract with LouCity, Siegfried began his pro career for USL League One’s South Georgia Tormenta FC and finished the 2020 season at Detroit City FC, where he helped the team to the National Independent Soccer Association fall title.

LouCity will continue to have two goalkeepers — Chris Hubbard and Simon Lefebvre — available for selection as its preseason concludes. The boys in purple host the USL Championship’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds at 3 p.m. Saturday inside Lynn Family Stadium in a game open to the public. Visit www.loucity.com or call (502) LOU-CITY for tickets.

The next time Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC fans visit Lynn Family Stadium, they’ll be walking into an award-winning venue.

Greater Louisville Inc. on Wednesday announced the year-old facility as a recipient of its Silver Fleur-De-Lis Award given annually to recognize outstanding commitments and achievements over the past year in making the Louisville community a better place to live and work.

Members of the Soccer Holdings ownership group and back office that run both professional clubs are expected to be on hand to accept the award June 10 at GLI’s Annual Meeting. Naming rights partner Dr. Mark Lynn and Messer Construction Company are also being recognized by GLI in conjunction with Lynn Family Stadium’s completion and grand opening.

Nine business leaders in all across several industries are receiving Silver Fleur-De-Lis awards this year. This represents the second Silver Fleur-De-Lis for the ownership group, which also received the award in 2016 after LouCity’s successful first season.

“These recipients displayed courage and servant leadership when our community needed it most,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of Greater Louisville Inc. “The theme of this year’s Annual Meeting is resilience, and I am thrilled to honor these leaders from a variety of professions and backgrounds who embody what it means to persevere in the face of adversity.”

Lynn Family Stadium’s sold-out April 11, 2020, home opener was put on pause last year as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Months later on July 12 a capacity attendance of 4,850 finally got through the gates to see LouCity resume play. At the time, the crowd was the largest to see a team sport amid the pandemic, with roughly 30% of capacity allowed in under stadium operator ASM Global’s highly lauded Venue Shield health and safety protocols.

Last Saturday, Lynn Family Stadium officially became home to a second pro club when Racing Louisville started play in the National Women’s Soccer League. In August, globally known clubs Bayern Munich FC and Paris Saint-Germain will visit Louisville to play in The Women’s Cup, an inaugural tournament putting Lynn Family Stadium on a newly international platform.

The next opportunity to see a game in the venue is at 3 p.m. Saturday as LouCity hosts Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in a preseason exhibition open to the public. Visit www.loucity.com for tickets.