A Louisville City FC game will for the first time Saturday air on a local network affiliate, as official club partner WLKY Channel 32 has picked up the broadcast of LouCity at FC Cincinnati.
The final regular-season meeting between the new USL rivals starts at 4 p.m. inside Nippert Stadium, where earlier this year more than 20,000 fans — including a large traveling contingent from Louisville — watched the clubs’ opening clash.
“Working in partnership with WLKY to bring Louisville City and professional soccer into more homes is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our sport and club,” said Louisville City FC president Amanda Duffy. “For fans and viewers across the region to have television access to Louisville City home and away matches is significant to the growth of our organization and USL as a whole.”
WLKY, Louisville’s CBS affiliate, will deliver an HD broadcast to the Greater Louisville DMA. Its sister station, MeTV, earlier this season aired LouCity’s draw with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds as well as the FC Cincinnati matchup played in front of 10,062 fans at Louisville Slugger Field.
Saturday’s game will mark a homecoming for Louisville FC right back Kyle Smith, a Cincinnati native and Transylvania University graduate. On April 16, LouCity’s Chandler Hoffman registered a hat trick in a 3-2 win in the club’s other showdown at Nippert.
Now, Hoffman is tied for the scoring lead (14 goals) and Smith for assists (6) in the 29-team USL. The two LouCity stars were recently named USL Midseason MVP and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Cincinnati features Midseason Goalkeeper of the Year Mitch Hildebrandt.
“LouCity’s rivalry with Cincy has become one of the best rivalries in the USL,” said WLKY President and General Manager, Glenn Haygood, “and WLKY is proud to broadcast live coverage of this important road game for our passionate fans.”
LouCity will carry into Saturday first-place standing in the USL’s Eastern Conference at 12-1-6 (42 points) after knocking off Wilmington Hammerheads FC by a 4-1 score Sunday night. The club is unbeaten in 17 straight USL matches.
FC Cincinnati, third in the Eastern Conference, first hosts New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday.
