#LOUvNSH: Talking Points
1) STAR Power?
Louisville City FC hits the field Saturday afternoon in their new-look 2018 home kits sponsored by GE Appliances! Featuring gold trim spilling down the side of the home kit, the club’s traditional all-purple stripe features one important addition: the star.
Winning the 2017 USL Cup, LouCity gets to add that coveted star above their crest for the first time. The club will debut their new home kit this weekend but will have to wait until an April 7 match against FC Cincinnati to show off their new away jerseys. LouCity’s third-kit will be put into action on April 14 against Richmond Kickers during the team’s “Blackout Night” promotion.
2018 jerseys will be available for purchase at the match!
2) ST. PADDY’S DAY DELIGHT?
For the first time ever, LouCity opens their season on St. Patrick’s Day! The match, presented by Fourth Street Live! is part of the extended 2018 USL season. Spanning 34 games, the run from mid-march to mid-October will be the longest in league history.
On Saturday afternoon, LouCity celebrates head coach James O’Connor’s homeland with green beer and more St. Patrick’s Day drink specials at our ‘Party by the Pitch’, presented by Lunazul! Plus, don’t miss your chance at an exclusive St. Patty’s Day t-shirt at our merchandise stops. The party gets underway at 1:30 p.m. at Slugger Field.
– Click HERE for Single Game Tickets vs. NASHVILLE SC –
3) ANOTHER AFTERNOON AT SLUGGER
Last year’s season opener was a doozy. Though the “Boys in Purple” would not find a winner through their 0-0 draw with Saint Louis FC, the match kicked off a six-game unbeaten run that drew out in the month of May.
Ten of eleven members of O’Connor’s starting squad returned for the 2018 season (Ranjitsingh; Jimenez, Totsch, Smith; Williams, PdP; Ballard, Davis IV, Ownby; Lancaster), with a solid portion of those ten expecting to earn a second straight start to begin the season.
4) ON YOUR MARKS
Season openers have been good to LouCity, traditionally, with the team unbeaten through their first three since 2015.
In the club’s first-ever match in March 2015, it was midfielder Magnus Rasmussen who scored the first goal in club history in the 23rd minute to ignite the Slugger Field crowd. In 2016, LouCity required a last-gasp winner from forward Cameron Lancaster (90+4′) to beat the Charlotte Independence, 0-1, at Ramblewood Soccer Complex in Charlotte. And finally, last year’s nil-nil with STLFC marked the third straight season that LouCity’s opposition failed to beat the team to start the year.
However, this year is different than in years past. Much was unknown in 2015, but both Charlotte and Saint Louis were familiar opposition in 2016 and 2017, while Nashville SC comes in tested but relatively unseen. The “Boys in Purple” will have to click from the get-go in order to achieve the result desired this coming Saturday.
