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Each week, we’ll share some of the best of the web on Louisville City FC and the USL Championship. Here’s a look at what to check out from recent days…

• LouCity will restart its season in the spotlight, hosting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 12, in an ESPN2 game. The next contest on the calendar also made the USL Championship’s 10 must-see matchups.

• Scott Stewart, former public relations lead for LouCity, now works for the league. Speaking with the Fair Weather Podcast recently on Lynn Family Stadium’s opening, he said what it “represents to the Championship as a whole, but also the American soccer scene in general is hugely significant.”

• LouCity coach John Hackworth discussed the season and stadium with WLKY’s Fred Cowgill, saying, “This is a special place that can rival anywhere in the world. See the full piece below:

• LouCity president Brad Estes joined the Soccer Down Here podcast along with other USL Championship leadership after Thursday’s news that the remainder of the 2020 regular season’s set. Head to the 16-minute mark to hear Estes’ interview.

• The same day the USL Championship announced LouCity’s July 12 game, news arrived that the club’s former home, Louisville Slugger Field, will sit mostly dormant in 2020. Columnist Eric Crawford wrote on the dynamic.

• As if we weren’t all excited enough for Lynn Family Stadium’s debut, this tease for WDRB’s upcoming team TV promos shows off what the lights are capable of in the new facility.

On the heels of another busy news week for Louisville City FC supporters, host Keith O’Loane followed up Saturday on a new edition of the Soccer City radio show presented by Kentuckiana Toyota Dealers.

• O’Loane was joined by LouCity’s director of community development, Evan Floyd, who explained how ticketing procedures will work with Lynn Family Stadium limited to 50% capacity as the season begins.

• Scott Budnick, LouCity’s goalkeepers coach, sat down with O’Loane this week for a pre-recorded interview, discussing his path from the MLS draft to the sideline here. Budnick also offered some insight into the position battle between keepers Ben Lundt and Chris Hubbard.

• Ahead of the July. 12 home opener, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC play-by-play announcer Matt Gajtka called in as well to preview the showdown at Lynn Family Stadium — also noting some key pieces the Hounds won’t return in 2020 after advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

• And, finally, co-host Casey Whitfield touched on the National Women’s Soccer League’s restart, beginning to bring Louisville’s supporters up to speed before our local club begins play next season.

Catch Soccer City live from 9-10 a.m. each Saturday on AM 790 WKRD or via the iHeartRadio app. Saturday’s edition can be heard below:

Nearly two decades removed from his days roaming the college sidelines, Louisville City FC coach and sporting director John Hackworth is feeling a familiar vibe.

When leading Wake Forest (1993-1997) and South Florida (1998-2001), players showed up in mid-August to begin play a couple of weeks later. Similarly, LouCity recently returned to full-sided training ahead of its July 12 USL Championship season restart.

“We had a buildup phase when we were able to do small group training, and we were able to get a lot of work in,” Hackworth said as the boys in purple prepare for their first game since March 7, when they defeated North Carolina FC 1-0 in the 2020 opened before COVID-19’s rise halted play.

“But it’s all different when you now have full contact with the tackles and things. I’m channeling some of those old days. I haven’t done that since 2001, but I still remember it quite well, and it generally feels like that now.”

WATCH: Coach Hackworth’s full meeting with the media

Hackworth put his players through the paces in a initial intrasquad scrimmage last weekend. Another followed on Wednesday. They’ll go 90 minutes at 5 p.m. Sunday, exactly a week before LouCity kicks off against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on ESPN2 in the unveiling of Lynn Family Stadium.

“Our preparation is going well,” Hackworth said. “I think it’s tricky, as you guys can imagine, to try to prepare for a season on such a short amount of time to really get prepped in the right way. Credit to our players for sticking to a plan of trying to get better each and every day.

“…But it’s a balancing act because we have to push these guys really hard. At the same time we need to make sure that they’re not getting the soft tissue injuries that sometime can happen.”

RELATED: LouCity’s revised schedule loaded with home games

Hackworth confirmed that through two phases of COVID-19 screening, LouCity personnel have tested negative. Given that, he offered a “huge props” to the club’s Baptist Health medical staff, but also deferred to players dutifully following USL Championship guidelines.

On a more broad scale, Kentucky’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for LouCity games and other outdoor events in the state up to 50% capacity so long as masks are worn and physical distancing kept, among other guidelines listed at www.loucity.com/VenueShield.

“I’m thankful that the state of Kentucky and Louisville in general have done a really good job managing this pandemic,” Hackworth said. “Therefore, we are very fortunate to have fans in the stands. I think that’s going to speak volumes to our community.

“When that game’s on national TV and this beautiful stadium is under the spotlight — and you see fans — it’s going to be incredible.”

In announcing a revised 2020 schedule consisting of 263 USL Championship games over 13 weeks, the league revealed a Louisville City FC slate that will see the boys in purple play a majority of their contests at the new Lynn Family Stadium.

LouCity resumes play with six straight home games beginning on July 12 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Lynn Family Stadium’s unveiling — with capacity allowed up to 50% at a venue that could normally accommodate 15,304 — will be broadcast at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

Start times, plus TV and radio listings, will be announced later for the remaining 14 dates on LouCity’s calendar leading into the USL Championship playoffs.

RELATED: Bookmark our schedule page for more!

“It’s an interesting schedule due to the fact that we’re in a group now and will play our group opponents four times each,” said coach and sporting director John Hackworth. “That’s unusual for any professional league, obviously, but it’s what we’ve been dealt.

“We do believe the fact that we’re opening our new stadium and have the first few games at home can be beneficial to us, both for the start in terms of competition but also showing off our beautiful Lynn Family Stadium.”

LouCity will play primarily against clubs from “Group E,” limiting travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two games apiece are home and on the road against Indy Eleven and Saint Louis FC. Sporting KC II, the other team from the pod, will visit Lynn Family Stadium four times, declining to host.

When Pittsburgh visits later this month, the Riverhounds will be opening their season. LouCity got off to a 1-0 start by defeating North Carolina FC on March 7, days before sports leagues around the world shut down.

Other non-Group E games on LouCity’s schedule include an Aug. 15 trip to play Virginia’s Loudon United FC and a Sept. 19 tilt with Memphis 901 FC at Lynn Family Stadium.

A cluster of games — six of them between Aug. 8 and Sept. 5 — serve as the busiest portion of a schedule that has all games other than the re-opener falling on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

If available, any single-game tickets will go on sale at a later date. Those unable to make it to Lynn Family Stadium can watch live this season on WDRB’s family of networks or hear the radio call on local iHeartMedia stations.

The full schedule is available below:

• Sunday, July 12: LouCity vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Saturday, July 18: LouCity vs. Saint Louis FC (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Saturday, July 25: LouCity vs. Sporting KC II (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Wednesday, July 29: LouCity vs. Sporting KC II (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Saturday, Aug. 8: LouCity vs. Indy Eleven (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Wednesday, Aug. 12: LouCity vs. Sporting KC II (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Saturday, Aug. 15: Loudon United FC vs. LouCity (Segra Field)

• Wednesday, Aug. 26: LouCity vs. Indy Eleven (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Saturday, Aug. 29: Saint Louis FC vs. LouCity (West Community Stadium)

• Saturday, Sept. 5: Indy Eleven vs. LouCity (Lucas Oil Stadium)

• Saturday, Sept. 12: Saint Louis FC vs. LouCity (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Wednesday, Sept. 16: Indy Eleven vs. LouCity (Lucas Oil Stadium)

• Saturday, Sept. 19: LouCity vs. Memphis 901 FC (Lynn Family Stadium)

• Saturday, Sept. 26: Saint Louis FC vs. LouCity (West Community Stadium)

• Saturday, Oct. 3: LouCity vs. Sporting KC II (Lynn Family Stadium)

Louisville City FC coach and sporting director John Hackworth spent a few minutes with the media Wednesday prior to his club kicking off an intrasquad scrimmage at Lynn Family Stadium.

Hackworth said this marked the second of three scrimmages before LouCity returns to USL Championship play July 12 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

“To have those feelings of getting back into game-ready mode is really incredible, especially after everything that we as a community and society have gone through,” Hackworth said.

LouCity won its lone league game in 2020, a 1-0 decision on March 7 at North Carolina FC, days before sports across the country were shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Hackworth added that LouCity team personnel have gone through both COVID-19 and antibody testing with only negative results thus far.

“Thankfully right now we’re in a good spot in the country and our players and our staff have done a good job,” Hackworth said, with Kentucky’s rate of infections far below states where the coronavirus is spiking. “We’ve just got to keep mitigating all of those interactions so we can continue that as we go on.”

See Hackworth’s full chat with reporters above.

Louisville City FC recently kicked off its summer camp series, and Louisville Water joined in to help campers understand how to hydrate properly in summer heat.

At the physically distanced soccer camp at Thurman Hutchins Park on River Road, Louisville Water’s Barbara Crow talked to attendees about how much to water to drink and how to know if they are properly hydrated. 

Each of the 80 campers were also given a Louisville pure tap® reusable bottle they were instructed to wash, fill with pure tap®, drink and repeat. They were also reminded not to share water bottles with others.

Louisville Water will talk to campers at three more weeklong Louisville City FC camps in July — each of them are sold out — reaching hundreds with their message of healthy hydration.

“We want to thank the Louisville Water Company for their support of LouCity soccer camps and providing our campers education on the importance of hydration for sports,” said Mario Sanchez, LouCity’s director of youth development.

As temperatures rise and more people are outside, this is just one way that Louisville Water is getting the message out that drinking Louisville pure tap® will keep the public healthy and safe.

“We recommend customers drink eight glasses of water daily, drink pure tap® before you leave the house and take reusable water bottles when you are on the go,” said Louisville Water’s vice president of communication, Kelley Dearing Smith.

As part of a partnership with Louisville City FC, Louisville Water recently installed three hydrations stations at the new Lynn Family Stadium. Each station includes two water fountains, a bottle filler and fun messaging for fans. Fans can find the hydration stations at the East, West, and South concourses of Lynn Family Stadium once games begin.

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About Louisville Water Company: Louisville Water provides a safe, supply of drinking water to over one million people in Louisville Metro and parts of Bullitt, Hardin, Oldham, Nelson, Shelby and Spencer counties. On average, the company supplies 121 million gallons of drinking water each day. The company started as Kentucky’s first public water provider on October 16, 1860, and its treatment plants are ranked as two of the top 18 in North America for outstanding water quality.

As the National Women’s Soccer league expands to Louisville, PNC Bank is helping grow the beautiful game by announcing it will be the official bank sponsor of the new NWSL franchise that begins play next year.

As part of the deal, PNC will be a jersey-back sponsor for the club, appearing on both home and away kits, in addition to being a founding sponsor of the club’s girls youth academy.

NWSL Louisville will join the USL Championship-winning men’s team Louisville City FC by playing home games at the new Lynn Family Stadium near downtown Louisville.

“This market is primed for more soccer, and we’re excited to begin a partnership with PNC Bank to grow the women’s game here and across the country,” said Brad Estes, president of Louisville City FC and NWSL Louisville. “We share a vision with PNC to create opportunities for women to succeed and will strive to field another title contender in Louisville beginning next year. We’re excited to have PNC Bank’s support in reaching common goals.”

The NWSL, the nation’s pro circuit featuring Olympic and World Cup champion players, announced Louisville was awarded an expansion franchise last October. NWSL Louisville will be the league’s 10th franchise joining others spread across the U.S.

The NWSL kits are provided by equipment supplier Nike. Replica editions will be available for purchase before the start of play with the club’s logo and colors to be announced later this summer.

“We want to show our support and bring awareness to this extraordinary team,” said Chuck Denny, PNC regional president for Louisville.  “We will have their backs, literally, as the jersey sponsor just as we support women in the workplace every day.  At the end of the day, it’s just good business on and off the pitch.”

PNC Bank, N.A., is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC).  PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management.

For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports around the country, Louisville City FC’s coach and sporting director John Hackworth sought to fill the void with a new podcast, the third edition of which is now available.

Hackworth recently spoke with George Davis IV on his “Silver Bullets Podcast,” covering the LouCity midfielder’s lengthy pro career, future endeavors and the topic of systemic racism at the forefront of nationwide protests and rallies.

As for the podcast’s name, Hackworth explains that when he’s in a teaching or coaching setting, it’s his preference for players to have something on which to take notes, allowing them to constantly jot down ideas.

“Anytime I felt like I was going to say something that really had some meaning behind it, I would tell the players, ‘Here comes the silver bullet,’” Hackworth said. “That was just my way of identifying to them that whatever I was going to say was an idea that’s solution-oriented that they could use on the soccer field, perhaps, or just life in general.”

Listen to Davis IV’s conversation below, and catch previous editions of the Silver Bullets podcast with midfielder Oscar Jimenez and assistant coach and technical director Danny Cruz on Spotify.

Louisville City FC’s 2020 season restart will coincide with a long-awaited event: the opening of Lynn Family Stadium.

The USL Championship announced Tuesday that next on LouCity’s agenda is a July 12 home matchup against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, with the 5 p.m. Sunday kickoff to air on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App.

“The time has arrived, and we are ecstatic to finally open Lynn Family Stadium,” said LouCity president Brad Estes. “So much time, effort and support has gone into making this idea of professional soccer a reality in Louisville, and we look forward to celebrating our city on July 12.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear previously approved LouCity games to operate at up to 50% capacity under a plan by Lynn Family Stadium operator ASM Global. The “VenueShield” program requires temperature checks, face coverings and physical distancing with complete information at www.loucity.com/VenueShield.

Under normal circumstances, Lynn Family Stadium could accommodate as many as 15,304. Most if not all spectators at LouCity-Pittsburgh will be season ticket holders, and any individual game tickets available would be announced later.

“We wish we could pack the stands with 15,000, but those who can’t watch in person will be treated to a great broadcast,” Estes said.

LouCity, which posted a 1-0 victory over North Carolina FC in opening its 2020 season back on March 7, will play 15 more regular season games as USL Championship action returns under safety protocols designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The majority of remaining LouCity games will come against “Group E” opponents, meaning four meetings apiece against Indy Eleven, Saint Louis FC and Sporting KC II. The Riverhounds — who didn’t get to play before sports leagues around the country shut down in the spring — are one of three league rivals hailing from outside the group.

A full USL Championship schedule is pending.

“We are so excited to finally play in Lynn Family Stadium,” said LouCity head coach and sporting director John Hackworth. “It is not lost during these unprecedented times that as professional athletes, we have a small part to play. Yet for the Louisville community and our amazing fans, July 12 will be a wonderful day.

“Getting the chance to open Lynn Family Stadium on national TV versus one of our fiercest rivals, Pittsburgh, will be an incredible experience.”

A contest with the Riverhounds marks a rematch from the 2019 USL Championship Playoffs, when LouCity rallied to earn a 2-1 away victory en route to winning the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference title for a third straight season.

Located in the Butchertown neighborhood just east of downtown Louisville, Lynn Family Stadium, a $65 million facility, was years in the works, dating back to dreams of LouCity’s beginnings in 2015. The boys in purple have won two USL championships and advanced at least as far as the Eastern Conference final in all five of their seasons so far.

Louisville City FC has extended its reach across the state with the signing of 16-year-old Damir Beganovic, a rising high school junior from Bowling Green, Ky., to an academy contract.

Pending league and federation approval, the midfielder Beganovic will be eligible for action with LouCity as the 2020 USL Championship season restarts the weekend of July 11-12.

“Damir’s a fantastic young player,” said LouCity coach John Hackworth. “We feel like he has potential to play at a much higher level. Therefore, we wanted to offer him an academy contract so he could both train and potentially play with the first team.”

That matches expectations of Beganovic, who won a region championship last fall at Warren Central High School. The 2019 all-state selection came up through the BG Elite club.

Beganovic also competed as part of LouCity’s first Academy Cup team from Feb. 14-17, when the squad won two of its three games and he scored a goal in a victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

“My main goal is to get to be a professional with the first team,” Beganovic said. “A lot of people are happy for me, especially my family. They just don’t want me to think because I got an amateur contract that I made it already. They want me to keep going.”

Beganovic joins forward Elijah Wynder and goalkeeper Muamer Ugarak as members of LouCity’s roster with academy deals. Per the USL Academy agreement, these players retain amateur status and NCAA eligibility.

“First and foremost, I want to congratulate Damir and his family for this tremendous opportunity,” said Evan Sutherland, director of BG Elite. “When I moved to Bowling Green four years ago, I told the families that my goal was to help players to develop to the highest level, and our goal was to help develop professional players and one day a national team player.

“Damir’s tireless hard work on and off the field are a testament to his character, his drive and his dreams. On behalf of BG Elite, we are excited to see him take this next step in his life and career.” 

Beganovic has traveled back and forth from Bowling Green in recent weeks to train alongside LouCity’s professionals. Later this summer, he plans to move to Louisville and live with a host family.

“He’s someone we have a lot of belief in,” said Mario Sanchez, LouCity’s director of youth development. “Damir has potential to represent the first team as we grow the club and see where it takes him. 

“We’re reaching the whole state of Kentucky, not just the Louisville area. We’re interested in giving kids a chance throughout the region. We believe in the kids in our state. We want to help each player reach their potential and hopefully play for the LouCity first team in the future.” 

Beganovic will wear No. 45 with LouCity’s first team. Sanchez said the new signee is also expected to join LouCity’s Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) U19 roster when play resumes.