In anticipation of a tough early stretch to its USL Championship schedule, Louisville City FC will spend the 2022 preseason away from home.
The boys in purple have scheduled six friendlies up and down the American soccer ladder, with half of them to be played during a mid-February trip to the warmer climes of Arizona.
LouCity lost just once last year in 14 games at Lynn Family Stadium following a lift on capacity limits. It was a different story on the road, however, with the club’s away record 6-6-5.
Following a March 26 game against Indy Eleven to end the regular season’s first month, the boys in purple won’t be back home again in USL Championship play until April 30, playing four straight road contests.
“When we look at our record on the road last year and the schedule early in the season, I feel it’s important for us to put the players in the most challenging environment possible,” said LouCity coach Danny Cruz. “We feel that playing away games against quality opponents will prepare us for the rigors of the season. This will be a great opportunity for us to integrate the new players into our group, and we are looking forward to getting back on the field to compete.”
LouCity’s players have already started trickling back into the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center. Preseason activities officially kick off on Jan. 26 ahead of Game 1, a trip to face Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew in a Feb. 5 closed-door scrimmage.
From there, the boys in purple will head west, playing Grand Canyon University in a closed-door friendly before facing the USL Championship’s El Paso Locomotive on Feb. 16 as part of the Desert Showcase in Tucson, Ariz. After that, LouCity will move on to meet another Western Conference power from the USL Championship, Phoenix Rising FC, on Feb. 19 at its soccer complex.
Notably, LouCity will also see both El Paso and Phoenix during the regular season for the first time this year. The boys in purple have never squared off against Locomotive FC; they last saw Rising FC in the 2018 USL Championship Final.
Preseason concludes with games Feb. 26 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Highmark Stadium before a trip to play the new St. Louis City SC on March 5. St. Louis City is in the process of building an MLS franchise launching in 2023; its squad will play this year in MLS Next Pro, a new Division III development league.
LouCity will open its 34-game USL Championship regular season March 12 when hosting Atlanta United 2. Season, group and premium tickets, as well as flex packs allowing for a choice of six LouCity or Racing Louisville FC games, are available at www.loucity.com/tickets. Single-game tickets will go on sale at a later date.
The preseason schedule is as follows:
Feb. 5 at Columbus Crew*
Feb. 12 vs. Grand Canyon University*
Feb. 16 vs. El Paso Locomotive FC
Feb. 19 at Phoenix Rising FC
Feb. 26 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
March 5 at St. Louis City SC
* games closed to the public
