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Louisville City FC will launch its 2021 USL Championship campaign on Saturday, April 24, against fellow Central Division club Atlanta United 2, the league has announced.

The game is No. 1 of 32 this season with more details — including a kickoff time, the rest of the schedule and state guidelines on fan capacity — to follow in the coming weeks.

LouCity season members will continue to receive priority for tickets should attendance be limited amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit www.loucity.com/season-memberships to purchase yours, or call (502) LOU-CITY to speak with a ticket representative during business hours.

“We’re excited to not just start another season in our cathedral of soccer, Lynn Family Stadium, but look forward to playing in front of more fans this year,” said John Hackworth, LouCity’s head coach and sporting director.

A matchup with Atlanta United 2 will be the first of four this season as the USL Championship splits into a new division format. The Central and Atlantic divisions make up the Eastern Conference, while the Mountain and Pacific comprise the Western Conference.

Clubs will play their division foes four times — twice home and away — with LouCity also joined in the Central by local rival Indy Eleven, Birmingham Legion FC, FC Tulsa, OKC Energy FC, Memphis 901 FC and Sporting Kansas City II.

Remaining regular season games will be against regional or cross-conference opponents.

Atlanta United 2, affiliate of Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, debuted in 2018. The club went 3-10-3 last year during an abbreviated USL Championship season.

LouCity, meanwhile, returns the core of its roster that advanced to a sixth straight Eastern Conference Final last year. The boys in purple have also welcomed a handful of new signings this offseason: forward Jimmy McLaughlin; midfielders Tyler Gibson and Jay Tee Kamara; and goalkeepers Simon Lefebvre and Parker Siegfried.

LouCity is currently in the midst of a competitive preseason schedule packed with MLS competition. The boys in purple will remain on the road this week for a swing through Texas to play MLS expansion side Austin FC and Houston Dynamo FC.

2021 USL Championship Home Openers 

Saturday, April 24
Louisville City FC vs. Atlanta United 2
OKC Energy FC vs. FC Tulsa

Friday, April 30
LA Galaxy II vs. Sacramento Republic FC
New York Red Bulls II vs. Hartford Athletic
Phoenix Rising FC vs. San Diego Loyal SC

Saturday, May 1
Birmingham Legion FC vs. Indy Eleven
FC Tulsa vs. Sporting Kansas City II
Rio Grande Valley FC vs. New Mexico United
San Antonio FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Charlotte Independence

Sunday, May 2
Miami FC vs. Loudoun United FC

Friday, May 7
Sporting Kansas City II vs. OKC Energy FC

Saturday, May 8
El Paso Locomotive FC vs. New Mexico United
Indy Eleven vs. FC Tulsa

Wednesday, May 12
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC

Thursday, May 13
Tacoma Defiance vs. San Diego Loyal SC

Friday, May 14
Charleston Battery vs. Charlotte Independence
Real Monarchs SLC vs. LA Galaxy II

Saturday, May 15
Hartford Athletic vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
New Mexico United vs. Austin Bold FC

Tuesday, May 18
Loudoun United FC vs. New York Red Bulls II

Wednesday, May 19
Atlanta United 2 vs. FC Tulsa

Friday, May 21
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. New Mexico United

Saturday, May 22
Orange County SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC

Saturday, May 29
San Diego Loyal SC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC

Sunday, May 30
Austin Bold FC vs. Tacoma Defiance

Saturday, June 5
Charlotte Independence vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Tacoma Defiance

Sunday, June 6
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Austin Bold FC

Wednesday, June 16
Memphis 901 FC vs. Atlanta United 2

Saturday, June 19
Oakland Roots SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC

For the first month and a half of Louisville City FC’s preseason, Simon Lefebvre had to participate from afar

Stuck across the Atlantic Ocean, almost 4,300 miles away from the club’s training ground, the goalkeeper continued to deal with the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic from home in Tarbes, France.

“I was trying to do my best to at least be physically ready when I came back, which I think I am,” said Lefebvre, who was awaiting proper approvals to travel to the United States. “But I still need a few days to get used to the training and to the ball again because I haven’t played for three months now.”

Lefebvre finally joined the boys in purple for training last week, and he’s with the team on its Texas preseason swing to play Major League Soccer’s Austin FC and Houston Dynamo in the coming days. But that was only after some local efforts to get him overseas.

LouCity’s technical director and assistant coach, Danny Cruz, alongside of midfielder/team administrator George Davis IV, had to check all the right boxes. First, it was about securing Lefebvre’s work visa. Then the club had to receive permission from the U.S. Border Patrol for his travel.

The process took about two months before Lefebvre landed in Louisville.

“And usually it takes like two weeks,” Lefebvre said. “The club did everything. They helped me. I’ve been talking with George and Danny to make this faster.”

Lefebvre is familiar with the France-to-U.S. journey having played collegiately for Temple University. MLS’ D.C. United also selected him 21st overall in the 2020 SuperDraft, and Lefebvre played for the club’s USL Championship affiliate, Loudoun United, as a rookie.

Having returned home in the offseason, Lefebvre was met with the challenges of staying in peak shape while negotiating his LouCity signing announced in early January.

“I was working out, running, and anytime I could touch the ball I was doing it with friends,” said the 6-foot-9 keeper. “But it was hard to play soccer because in France, not many teams can play because of the curfew. I was doing my best to work out and touch the ball.

“Everything is closed. The gyms are closed. The restaurants are closed, everything. People just go to work and have to be home before 6 p.m.”

Having entered training with LouCity, Lefebvre has inserted himself into a three-way battle for playing time between the posts. Louisville native Chris Hubbard, in his fourth pro season, sizes up as the favorite, while goalkeeper Parker Siegfried added his name to the list by earning a contract out of a recent trial.

Lefebvre, happy to play the game he loves again, made it a point to fist bump his new teammates last week when getting back on the pitch.

“It’s great to be back on the field,” Lefebvre said. “I just can’t wait to train, to play games, for the season to start.”

A slow start on Saturday sank Louisville City FC in a 4-0 preseason loss to Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC.

Nashville SC, which hosted the closed-door game at Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood, Tenn., scored three goals in the first period of a game split into a trio of 30-minute segments.

The format allowed for maximum rotation through both rosters as the clubs train up to their respective regular season openers.

“Not a great performance by our team today,” said LouCity’s head coach and sporting director, John Hackworth. “…We dug ourselves a two-nothing hole, got caught in transition when we were really in a great attacking spot on that third goal, and they can undo you that fast.”

Nashville SC’s C. J. Sapong opened scoring in the sixth minute, finishing with a header on a set piece. Hany Mukhtar, who assisted Sapong, also registered a brace in the first period, converting a 15th-minute penalty before adding another goal in the 18th.

The boys in purple settled in, created a few chances and held Nashville scoreless until a turnover in their own half led to the game’s final goal, a 59th-minute finish by a Nashville SC trialist.

“I still felt like we tried to play our game,” Hackworth said. “We tried to press. We tried to build out of the back. We had some really good buildups that put us in good spots. We didn’t create enough chances.

“Credit to Nashville: They were excellent and really tough to break down. It was a good test for us, but we certainly need to have an answer to our performance today.”

LouCity and Nashville SC, which originally launched in the USL Championship, have met often in recent years. Nashville played its first-ever game in Louisville in 2018 before the transition to MLS, and the clubs also faced off in the 2020 preseason.

Saturday’s result followed up LouCity’s first preseason game, a 3-0 win March 13 at FC Cincinnati.

The boys in purple next continue their road trip with a swing through Texas for preseason friendlies with MLS expansion side Austin FC and the Houston Dynamo. Both games will be played behind closed doors.

LouCity will begin a 32-game regular season on or before May 1.

Since signing Carlos Moguel and Joshua Wynder to USL Academy contracts for the 2021 season, Louisville City FC’s technical staff has worked both into a number of first team training sessions.

Within the next couple of weeks, the teenagers could be called upon in games against Major League Soccer opponents, too.

The 17-year-old midfielder Moguel and 15-year-old defender Wynder have been selected to travel with LouCity as preseason play continues Saturday at Nashville SC, then swings through Texas for matchups with MLS expansion side Austin FC and the Houston Dynamo.

“It’s just part of our overall philosophy that once we sign these guys, we have to commit to giving them opportunity,” said LouCity’s head coach and sporting director, John Hackworth. “But it goes hand in hand with them having to earn it. Both Carlos and Josh have done an excellent job each time we’ve brought them in to compete with the first team.”

Moguel, who Hackworth describes as a box-to-box midfielder, is a senior at Martha Layne Collins High School in nearby Shelbyville, Ky. He has been named to all-state, all-area and all-Louisville teams in addition to working within the LouCity youth academy’s top flight.

“I’m grateful that the coaches gave me this chance,” Moguel said. “Now that I have the opportunity, it’s go time. It’s going to be hard, but playing-wise, the academy can prepare you for this.”

Moguel said he was 12 when he first watched LouCity — then an upstart USL Championship franchise playing games in a baseball stadium. At the time, he couldn’t have imagined he’d be on the pitch alongside many of those same players a few years later, calling the sparkling new Lynn Family Stadium home.

For Wynder, this path has already been blazed by another member of his family. He’s the younger brother of midfielder Elijah Wynder, who in December became LouCity’s first academy player to sign a pro contract.

Joshua Wynder played the second half of the club’s preseason opener last Saturday at FC Cincinnati. While he was on the pitch, the boys in purple scored twice in a 3-0 win over MLS counterparts.

“I was a little nervous at the beginning,” Wynder said, “but it was a great experience.”

Now he’s looking forward to some extended time with the first team.

“It’s good to see the environment the pros have — how they hold each other to a high standard,” Wynder added. “My dream is to go pro, so I’ve got to get used to it now so I’m ready when I get the chance.”

Moguel and Wynder are two of LouCity’s seven youth system players on USL Academy contracts, which allow players to maintain their amateur status. Others include forwards Dino Hodzic and Hunter Sekelsky as well as defenders Anthony Cano, Owen Damm and Sebastian Sanchez.

“They’re doing a good job of being prepared and ready,” Hackworth said of the pair picked for this month’s trip. “We feel very comfortable to the point that going into a stretch where we’re going to play three MLS teams, we feel confident that when needed, those guys are certainly going to play.”

Louisville City FC’s head coach, John Hackworth, on Thursday discussed his club’s preseason progress, an approach to the USL Championship’s new division system for 2021 and a much-debated closed-door, preseason friendly with FC Cincinnati.

It all happened as the Soccer City radio show, powered by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers, returned to the airwaves on ESPN Louisville’s AM 680 and FM 105.7. The show has moved to a 6-7 p.m. time slot, allowing for a number of exclusive team interviews this season.

A few takeaways…

• Within the USL’s Central Division this season, LouCity will see seven opponents four times. “You need to be tactically flexible. When you play that many times, you learn what guys are doing. We had the problem last year when you look at just the way we played Saint Louis (FC)…We feel like we are good enough to shape-shift within a game if we need to.”

• Hackworth addressed the departure of midfielder Speedy Williams, who signed this offseason with Miami FC, saying, “I think Tyler Gibson is an excellent choice to go in there and play the six, but we also have players here on the roster who are excellent central midfielders. Honestly, we feel like we have six central midfielders who could start on any USL Championship team.”

• And about FC Cincinnati, which LouCity defeated by a 3-0 score last weekend? “It’s going to be ramped up a bit” when the teams meet again in April in another exhibition. said Hackworth, who noticed the social media chatter about the result. “At the same time, I’m laughing because it’s not like FC Cincinnati came into that game and didn’t try to compete.”

Hear Hackworth’s full interview, which begins around the 13-minute mark, below:

Louisville City FC has signed former Ohio State standout and 2020 MLS SuperDraft pick Parker Siegfried to round out its goalkeepers corps, the club announced Wednesday.

Siegfried, whose contract is pending league and federation approval, successfully trialed with the boys in purple to open their preseason, posting shutout halves in recent closed-door friendlies against FC Cincinnati and Centre College. He’ll battle for playing time this season with Louisville native Chris Hubbard and Simon Lefebvre, another LouCity newcomer selected in last year’s SuperDraft.

“Since arriving, Parker’s been excellent,” said LouCity’s head coach and sporting director, John Hackworth. “You can see his quality as goalkeeper but more importantly the type of person he is. He’s fit in really well. We feel good about this being another quality goalkeeper that will push Chris and Simon.”

From Granville, Ohio, Siegfried came up through MLS side Columbus Crew’s academy while spending time as a youth international on the United States’ U-14, U-15 and U-18 squads. At Ohio State, he posted 18 clean sheets during his four-year college career, good for fourth on the program’s all-time list.

New York City FC took Siegfried 74th overall in the SuperDraft, but he eventually signed with USL League One member South Georgia Tormenta FC. Siegfried left Tormenta late in the season to join Detroit City FC as the club won the National Independent Soccer Association’s fall title.

Now, Siegfried’s the fifth new signing for LouCity ahead of its 2021 campaign joining Lefebvre, forward Jimmy McLaughlin as well as midfielders Tyler Gibson and Jay Tee Kamara.

“The club has been fantastic since the first day I got here,” Siegfried said. “From the head coach to all of the players, everyone on the staff has made me feel right at home and able to perform right away. So credit to the club and everyone involved with it for making such an easy transition.”

At 6-foot-1, the 24-year-old Siegfried provides needed depth between the posts after FC Cincinnati recalled Ben Lundt, who was named the USL Championship’s 2020 Goalkeeper of the Year while on loan to LouCity.

Going back to 2019, Hubbard recorded five clean sheets as the boys in purple advanced to the USL’s final. Lefebvre meanwhile spent last season in and out of training with MLS’ D.C. United, appearing for its USL Championship side, Loudoun United.

Siegfried will continue to be available for selection as LouCity’s preseason continues Saturday with an away exhibition against Nashville SC. It’s one in a series of friendlies for the boys in purple leading up to the 32-game USL Championship season beginning on or around May 1.

The popular Soccer City radio show, powered by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers, returns this week with a new time slot, host and home station for the 2021 season.

Now airing at 6 p.m. Thursdays on ESPN Louisville’s AM 680 and FM 105.7, Soccer City will include all of the same Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC conversation that has made it a local fixture over the years. But a shift away from Saturday mornings will also allow for more exclusive content, including live interviews with coaches and players.

Jeff Greer, LouCity’s play-by-play voice for games on ESPN Louisville, will host Soccer City. Color commentator Casey Whitfield and Lance McGarvey, the public address announcer at Lynn Family Stadium, will co-host.

“I’m so excited to join the show and help bring entertainment to this city’s loyal, knowledgeable soccer fans,” Greer said. “We want to continue the work Lance has done over the years to provide engaging content, and we’re so thrilled to have another team in Racing Louisville join the conversation.

“The show will have a mix of deep analysis and thoughtful opinion with lots of fun sprinkled in.”

As announced last month, LouCity and ESPN Louisville have forged a new agreement to air the club’s USL Championship across its family of stations. The 32-game regular season begins on or around May 1, adding to ESPN Louisville’s portfolio of rights deals including the Kentucky Derby, Cincinnati Reds and Bellarmine basketball.

While Racing Louisville FC’s games won’t air on radio in 2021, the 2021 NWSL expansion franchise will be prominent in each edition of Soccer City. Racing opens competition April 10 when hosting the Orlando Pride in the NWSL Challenge Cup, a preseason tournament leading into the full campaign that starts mid-May.

“Soccer City is a great addition to our lineup, and I’m excited to see what the crew does with the show,” said Andy Sweeney, program director and host of “The Take With Andy Sweeney,” which will lead into each edition of Soccer City. “If you want to know about LouCity or Racing Louisville, ESPN Louisville will continue to be your home for the most coverage.”

Both head coaches — LouCity’s John Hackworth and Racing’s Christy Holly — are expected to feature on Soccer City’s first show back. Listen live on air or visit ESPNLouisville.com for the station’s live stream. Archived editions will be made available at www.loucity.com/soccercity.

A trio of Louisville City FC forwards tallied goals Saturday as the boys in purple opened their preseason with a 3-0 victory against Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati.

Abdou Thiam netted a 37th-minute penalty, Brian Ownby finished a one-on-one opportunity in the 63rd, and George Davis IV rounded out the scoring in the 85th.

The exhibition, played at the former USL Championship rival FC Cincinnati’s training grounds, allowed LouCity to rotate through its roster, with coach John Hackworth making 10 changes at the break.

Whereas the boys in purple are more than a month into their preseason, the orange and blue just opened camp this week. The clubs are scheduled to meet again on April 7, also in Cincinnati.

“Pleased with the performance overall today,” Hackworth said. “We put out two different lineups to try to maximize a good first 45 minutes-plus for every player, and that was excellent. I feel like both groups played well and tried to implement the things we had been working so far in preseason, and to do it against a quality opponent is really important.”

Both sides remained even in the first half until Thiam’s penalty kick, while midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo and Ownby both got looks of their own on goal. Ownby converted in the second half when taking advantage of a backwards pass by an FC Cincinnati defender. Davis’ goal came courtesy of an assist by LouCity newcomer Jay Tee Kamara.

Also notable, 15-year-old Joshua Wynder, playing on a USL Academy contract this season, made his first team debut against professional competition.

“It was a good test for us and for me as a player,” Thiam said. “The first half was really tough, but we focused on us and had good success.”

LouCity’s preseason continues March 20 with a trip to play another MLS opponent, Nashville SC, before a swing through Texas against Austin FC and the Houston Dynamo. Each game against MLS competition will be played behind closed doors.

The 32-game USL Championship regular season begins on or around May 1.

In assembling a 2021 preseason schedule that kicks off Saturday, Louisville City FC’s technical staff took a club mantra to heart.

“When we compete in training, we say this a lot: We make it hard on ourselves,” said John Hackworth, LouCity’s head coach and sporting director. “And that’s the idea. We want to get out of our comfort zone, we want to test each other, and certainly our players do a good job of that.”

The boys in purple get going this weekend with a closed-door friendly at Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati, a former USL Championship rival. LouCity continues with a stretch of seven games in four weeks ranging across professional ranks.

MLS sides include Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo, Austin FC and a rematch with FC Cincinnati. There’s also a meeting with the reigning USL League One champion Greenville Triumph, familiar USL Championship foe Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and clash with the National Independent Soccer Association’s Chattanooga FC.

It all leads up to a 32-game USL regular season kicking off on or around May 1.

“I have the belief that you cannot improve unless you’re constantly being tested, and I think our preseason schedule is a test,” Hackworth said. “I think there’s a test in some of it being the days in between, some of it’s in the opponents we play — a different variety with different motivations from different teams.”

Saturday’s trip to FC Cincinnati marks the first edition of the “Dirty River Derby” — as supporters so eloquently call it — since the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. LouCity will face an entirely different system for the blue and orange under first-year head coach Jaap Stam.

“We don’t know anything about how Cincy’s been preparing, and I would say there’s a lot that they don’t know about us,” Hackworth said. “There’s a lot of problem solving that’s going to go on early in that game on Saturday.”

LouCity will start both halves with different lineups, Hackworth said, to allow every player on his roster 45 minutes of game time.

“The game gives our technical staff the best evaluation possible against a good opponent,” the coach added. “We’re going to try implement some ideas and things that we’ve been trying in training against an opponent.

“The ability to problem solve and make good decisions in every facet of the game is something that all 22 players that represent us on Saturday will have to show.”

Saturday’s game also marks the first time LouCity newcomer Jimmy McLaughlin will take the pitch against his former club.

Numbering more than 100 appearances across five seasons in Cincinnati, the forward has spent the last six weeks working his way into a competitive position group that features returnees Antoine Hoppenot, Brian Ownby and Cameron Lancaster.

“It’s funny how it all works out,” McLaughlin said. “I think it’s a really healthy competition and that’s the nature of playing for the best team in the USL. It’s going to be competitive across the board in every spot. But especially with the congested season everybody on this roster is going to need to play a big role.”

Now six weeks into preseason, the Pennsylvania native is excited about his new club has to offer. But as McLaughlin tallies his first meaningful minutes in purple this preseason, he isn’t letting the pressure to perform mount. He’s instead “taking it day by day” and trying to control the controllable as he learns a new system.

Other former FC Cincinnati players on the LouCity roster include Corben Bone, Tyler Gibson, Antoine Hoppenot and Pat McMahon.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed at the competitiveness throughout the group,” McLaughlin said. “It’s something that’s on a whole other level. It’s something I’ve never been seen in any club that I’ve been at. The will to win and the battles between every player on this field every single day has been amazing, and it’s pushing everybody to play at the highest of their abilities.”