April 4, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC in training
(Louisville City FC, Credit: EM Dash Photography)
Louisville City FC will start both a rivalry and its run at the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday when hosting neighboring Lexington SC.
The clubs kick off their Second Round game in U.S. Soccer’s national championship tournament at 7 p.m. inside Lynn Family Stadium.
LouCity, a standard-bearer in the second-division USL Championship, is sure to be favored when meeting the third-division USL League One expansion side Lexington SC. But “Cupsets” are the norm in this single-elimination event in its 108th edition, and both sides enter off back-to-back defeats in league play.
Surviving amateur clubs join professional squads for the Open Cup’s Second Round. The Third Round, scheduled for April 25-26, will introduce Major League Soccer teams to the competition with the Open Cup eventually whittling down to its Sept. 7 final.
Tickets for Wednesday’s game remain available by visiting LouCity.com/tickets or calling (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours. Those who can’t make it can tune into streaming coverage on B/R Football’s YouTube channel or listen live on ESPN Louisville’s 680/105.7.
Chasing the Cup: LouCity won at least one Open Cup game in each of its previous five tries at the tournament, advancing as far as the quarterfinal round in 2018 thanks to a Fourth Round victory over MLS’ New England Revolution. Last year, the boys in purple won three Open Cup games before bowing out with a Round of 16 loss to MLS’ Nashville SC.
Know the foe: Lexington SC will arrive to Louisville only two games into its brief history. The club has similar goals as LouCity, its burgeoning I-64 neighbor – to field a winning professional side and build an all-encompassing organization comprised of a women’s squad, youth academy, soccer-specific stadium and training facility.
The locals: This rivalry could carry extra meaning for a trio of players, with LouCity Academy graduate Owen Damm from Versailles, Ky., and Issac Cano – currently on an amateur contract – a Lexington native. Lexington SC’s Kaelon Fox hails from Louisville and played at the University of Kentucky from 2013-2016 before beginning his pro career.
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