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Louisville City midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo has won USL Championship Goal of the Week for his absolutely brilliant free kick against Indy Eleven last Saturday. 

In a vote by USL Championship fans, DelPiccolo took 56 percent of the poll conducted online at USLChampionship.com that concluded on Thursday lunchtime.

Phoenix Rising FC’s Amadou Dia finished second on 16 percent for his weaving individual run and finish against the Portland Timbers 2 while Austin Bold FC’s Francis Atuahene finished third on 14 percent for his remarkable curled finish against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC last Saturday night.

Paolo’s free kick – as well as a beautiful goal from Niall McCabe – are up for Goal of the Month. Vote here!

A 55′ blast by captain Paolo DelPiccolo gave Louisville City a 1-1 draw vs. Indy Eleven in Indianapolis Saturday night. DelPiccolo had a near-perfect free kick from just outside the box, lofting the ball past Indy’s wall and into the corner of the net. 

DelPiccolo’s goal was the equalizer Louisville City needed after falling behind in the 9′ on a defensive breakdown. The draw snapped Indy Eleven’s five-game winning streak which started on June 1. 

“I thought it was a really tough game credit to Indy Eleven they’re a really good team,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “The first half obviously I thought they played a little better than us and got a goal. The second half I thought we turned it around and played better and got the goal, got some really good chances and didn’t give up very much. In the end, I think that’s a really good result on the road.”

Hackworth noted how different the first and second halves were. LouCity played Saturday night with a three-man back line and four in the midfield, a new formation. 

”Yeah, it was something that we haven’t done this year, but we especially analyzing our opponent and looking at them and trying to take away what they do really well,” Hackworth explained. “We just felt like going to a 3-4-3 was the right move. It was going to leave us a little vulnerable if we weren’t fully committed to it, but I think you saw in the second half we didn’t give them a lot of time and space to play and we started to put our foot on it and connect passes.”

Next up for LouCity is a Saturday home tilt vs. another rival, Nashville SC. Kickoff is set for July 6 at 7 p.m.

Louisville City returned trained Tuesday morning in preparation for this Saturday’s renewal of the LIPAFC rivalry vs. Indy Eleven.

Louisville City hosts Charlotte Independence tonight at Slugger Field in an Eastern Conference battle. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the game televised locally on WBKI, nationally on ESPN+ and broadcast on radio on 840 WHAS. 

After a tough week last week with three games in 7 days including a 120-minute midweek tilt vs. FC Cincinnati from the MLS, Louisville City (7-3-5, W-D-L) had a lighter week this week with six days to prepare for Charlotte Independence (2-6-7). 

“We watched them in the hotel on Saturday night when we were in New York,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “They fired their coach and their general manager was their previous head coach. There’s continuity there, certainly, but I think you look at the way they played Saturday against Birmingham, they had an excellent performance and won 4-1. I think we’ll see a new version of them.”

Charlotte has struggled to start the season, losing four of its first five matches and notching just one win through the first 14 matches.  But Coach John Hackworth said it won’t be an easy week. The Independence made a coaching change last week and promptly beat Birmingham Legion 4-1 Saturday night.

“I think if fans look at the table and see where they are, it is deceiving,” Hackworth said. “Charlotte is a team that has a good roster, and if they play the way they played on Saturday night then we are going to have a very difficult matchup on our hands.”

Louisville City’s road last week was tough, a 2-1 extra time loss to FC Cincinnati in the Open Cup and then a dramatic 1-0 loss to NY Red Bulls II in New Jersey Sunday. Hackworth said he wants his team to take lessons from both games. 

“We played an MLS team and took them into extra time,” Hackworth explained. “We put a lot of effort into that, but unfortunately came out on the losing end. We really had a tough time trying to recover, especially being on the road. And then the game vs. Red Bulls, we didn’t play very well in the first half. It was always going to be a tough game in a hard situation, but I was really proud of our response coming out after halftime. We felt like we had the momentum for a good stretch of the second half, and we thought we were going to get a goal. Sean Totsch took an elbow to the mouth and had to come off the field. At that moment he was off the field we conceded a goal late in the game. It was really just tough in all ways.”

“The lesson we learned was that we have to be able to deal with it, that stuff happens. You have back-to-back games against tough opponents or short turn-around or you got a man down due to injury… you have to be able to deal with it. We can’t accept the results that we took last week, we have to learn from them and move on.”

After Sunday, Louisville City is 6th in the Eastern Conference with 24 points. Charlotte is currently 15th with 12 points. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Tonight’s matchup is sponsored by Subway.

Louisville City stars Devon “Speedy” Williams and Shaun “Frano” Francis hope to continue their successful run in the Gold Cup tonight when Jamaica takes on El Salvador. 

Continuing the Group stage, Jamaica could put itself through to the next round with a win in tonight’s matchup (7 p.m., FS1). 

And while their Louisville City teammates and coaching staff miss having them on the pitch, they are all rooting for Speedy and Frano’s success. 

“I’m happy for them. I’m proud of them,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “For both of them to start and go the full 90 minutes in a win against Honduras, it’s an excellent start for them.  Obviously, they were both playing during a friendly against the United States earlier so as much as we miss them and we would love to have them here, we are really proud of the way they represented themselves and our club at the international level.”

Both Speedy and Frano played the full 90 minutes in a 3-2 win over Honduras in the first game of the Gold Cup. 

Hackworth noted how effective both Francis and Williams have been for Louisville City the last year, helping LouCity win the 2018 USL Cup. Williams, in fact, has won the last three United Soccer League titles. 

“Speedy is one of the most unheralded players in our league,” Hackworth said. “There are lots of guys in this locker room who we believe could be playing at a higher level, and Speedy is definitely one of those guys. Maybe his international tag has deterred some MLS clubs from looking at him, but he has certainly proved his worth for us. And winning three straight USL Championships? I don’t know that there’s anybody who can claim that – maybe (Sean) Totsch has three rings – very people have done that, and it’s impressive.”

After Louisville City players and coaches root for Speedy and Frano in tonight’s Gold Cup match, they’ll finalize prep for Saturday’s Louisville City vs. Charlotte Independence matchup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the game broadcast locally on WBKI and 840 WHAS and streamed online through ESPN+. 

LOUISVILLE, KY (JUNE 21, 2019)—Louisville City Football Club and Dyehard Fan Supply have entered into an agreement to merchandise official athletic products beginning spring 2019.

Dyehard, a retail solutions provider specializing in events, retail, and e-commerce, will manage LouCity merchandising programs and experiences including game day, the team retail store, e-commerce and wholesale operations. When the team moves to its new Butchertown stadium in 2020, Dyehard will provide LouCity FC fans a dynamic, in-venue merchandise experience. 

“We are extremely excited to partner with Dyehard Fan Supply, experts in their field,” Louisville City President Brad Estes said. “Louisville City fans have expressed their passion for all things purple and gold for years, and we have enjoyed coming up with new designs for our fans to add to their collections. Now we have a partner who not only shares our passion for great design, but also has the experience and expertise to give our fans best-in-category apparel and merchandise.”

Dyehard will be instrumental in providing the newest, on-trend merchandise collections for the Louisville City Football Club, which is a member of the USL Championship league. Dyehard’s commitment to fans will include a full line of Adidas apparel as well as other high-profile brands, an upgraded fan experience with new kiosks, a focus on customer service, and the debut of new brands, exclusive products and category enhancements each season.

“We’re incredibly honored to have been selected as the official merchandising partner for LouCity FC,” said Dyehard CEO Rex Hough. “The Dyehard Fan Supply team is particularly excited about working with LouCity as it represents our first partnership with a professional soccer team, and we look forward to rolling out the merchandising program as soon as possible. We will pay careful attention to the in-market needs and what local fans want in terms of merchandise and will offer an extensive assortment through a variety of vendors and price points, resulting in a wide selection to meet the demands of fans. 

While Dyehard’s focus will be launching the new LouCity team store in the club’s brand-new stadium in 2020, Louisville City and Dyehard still have plans for the store at Fourth Street Live!

“The town is buzzing with excitement for the new stadium and we are thrilled to soon serve the fans through the state-of-the-art Team Store that will be located right inside the main entrance,” said Hough. “We will continue to operate the Team Store located at popular tourist destination Fourth Street Live, and we feel it will be a vessel for generating even more out-of-town and local LouCity fans alike.”

Hough said Dyehard’s partnership with the Louisville City Football Club is a natural extension of the company’s roots in Kentucky, which includes providing merchandising for the Kentucky Derby and other equestrian events.

“Dyehard’s experience with the Kentucky Derby really stood out to us,” Estes said. “The quality and style of the products Dyehard can offer our fans was the real draw for our club.” 

In addition to representing Louisville City, Dyehard also serves as the official merchandising partner for several major collegiate programs, including the University of Arkansas, Auburn University, the University of North Carolina, Columbia University Athletics, the BIG EAST Conference, Rutgers University, the University of Pittsburgh and Michigan State.

Teall Capital Partners, a private equity company based in Winston-Salem, N.C. and Atlanta, Ga. created Dyehard Fan Supply in late 2017 after acquiring several companies offering an expansive national network of best-in-class merchandise capabilities. Teall anticipates additional future investments that will contribute to the top-quality retail experience for fans and customers.

Dyehard Fan Supply has handled merchandising programs for many of America’s most notable sporting events and organizations, including Olympic Games, NBA finals, World Series, Davis Cup tennis, MLB All-Star Games, America’s Cup, the U.S. Open, the USTA Jr. Team Tennis & League National Championships, the TCS New York City Marathon, and numerous professional and college football championships and bowls. In 2017, Dyehard executed new partnership deals with the Music City Bowl in Nashville, the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, and a significant, long-term partnership with Tough Mudder, one of the fastest-growing athletic competitions in America. Dyehard has also handled merchandising for multiple Broadway shows and concerts.

“I’ve had first-hand experience working with Dyehard team, and I can assure LouCity fans that they can look forward to a best-in-class merchandising experience from a company that offers the highest standards of customer service in the industry,” said Ben C. Sutton, Jr., chairman and managing partner of Teall Capital Partners and former IMG College chairman and CEO.  “Since its formation in late 2017, Dyehard has written a completely new merchandising playbook for athletics programs at a growing number of major programs.”

“I have no doubt that the talented team at Dyehard will continue its fast-paced, customer-focused path to success in Louisville and at collegiate and professional programs as well as other events,” Sutton added. “I believe we will continue to see great things from Dyehard Fan Supply as it expands its footprint across America.”

About Louisville City FC

Since its launch in 2014, Louisville City FC has been committed to serving the community of Louisville and state of Kentucky as the lone professional soccer team. LouCity’s remarkable 2017 campaign included winning the USL Cup in the club’s first appearance in the final. Despite a midseason coaching change, Louisville City won its second USL Cup in 2018, becoming the first back-to-back USL Cup winner in the USL modern era. Get the latest news on Louisville City FC at LouisvilleCityFC.com and via the club’s channels on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.­­­

About Teall Capital Partners

Teall Capital Partners is a privately-held set of investments in innovative, high-growth-potential lifestyle brands and services. Teall invests in complementary organizations that collaborate to share thought leadership and leverage individual networks to realize greater value.

Led by Founder and Chairman Ben C. Sutton, Jr., the Teall Capital management team includes several of the top executives that built and expanded four national market-leading businesses into a nearly billion-dollar enterprise in the college sports space: IMG College Media, IMG Seating, IMG College Licensing, and IMG Ticketing. Teall Capital leadership provides operating companies with access to expertise in corporate strategy, organizational management, culture and training, financial strategy, employee operations, recruiting, and legal diligence. Visit TeallCapital.com for more information.

About Dyehard Fan Supply

Dyehard Fan Supply is a turnkey sports retail solutions provider for some of America’s top sporting events, venues and brands.  With a focus on your brand, Dyehard leverages best-in-class practices to deliver a superior omni-channel buying experience to your fans online, at-event, and inside your brick and mortar stores.  Whether you’re a fan of college or pro sports, teams or individual events, Broadway shows or music, Dyehard Fan Supply is on the forefront of customer-focused concepts and innovative solutions designed to grow your retail business.  Our retail experts are committed to the highest standards of customer service and reliability in the industry. Visit dyehardfansupply.com for more information.

LOUISVILLE, KY (June 19, 2019)­— As Louisville City FC players send soccer balls flying toward their opponent’s goalkeepers fans of Louisville parks can cheer extra loud. That’s because Louisville City partner ORCA Life has stepped forward with a BIG gift.

ORCA Life has pledged a $10 donation to the Louisville Parks Foundation for each shot on goal for the remainder of the 2019 of the USL Championship season. Each time a Louisville City player puts a shot on frame against a USL Championship opponent, the Louisville Parks Foundation wins.

“We are so pleased ORCA Life has chosen the Louisville Parks Foundation as the beneficiary of the Shots on Goal campaign,” Brooke Pardue, President of the Louisville Parks Foundation, said. “Working with amazing community partners, like ORCA Life, we hope to soon complete our South Louisville Soccer Field Project with a third public turf soccer field at Wyandotte Park.”

ORCA Life is a final expense insurer founded on the principles of Opportunity, Responsibility, Community and Accountability. Donating to the Louisville Parks Foundation to help build new soccer fields at Wyandotte Park speaks to ORCA Life’s commitment to the Louisville community.

Scott Morris (VP of Operations at ORCA Life): “On behalf of all of ORCA Life, I am extremely excited for the announcement of this partnership with Louisville City FC! Your successes not only on the pitch, but within our community are what the ORCA Family strives for every day. ORCA Life takes great pride in protecting beneficiaries that we may never meet and due to our strong commitment to family, funding soccer fields in the greater Louisville area through the Louisville Parks Foundation fits seamlessly with our Mission and Power Principles. We look forward to growing this relationship and watching Lou City bring home more championships!”

Louisville City has been partnered with the Louisville Parks Foundation for a year, helping build new soccer fields at the Beechmont Community Center and William Harrison Park. The Beechmont fields will celebrate their first anniversary on June 14. Louisville City employees and fans helped raise money to “Win for Wyandotte” during the Kentucky Derby Festival mini-Marathon this Spring, raising more than $6,000 for the new fields at Wyandotte Park.

“We believe strongly in the mission of the Louisville Parks Foundation,” Louisville City FC President Brad Estes said. “We believe soccer is everyone, and we want to make soccer more accessible for all the children in our city.”

The ORCA Life donations began with last weekend’s matchup at New York Red Bulls II and continue through the end of the 2019 season.

# # #

About Louisville City FC

Since its launch in 2014, Louisville City FC has been committed to serving the community of Louisville and state of Kentucky as the lone professional soccer team. LouCity’s remarkable 2017 campaign included winning the USL Cup in the club’s first appearance in the final. Despite a midseason coaching change, Louisville City won its second USL Cup in 2018, becoming the first back-to-back USL Cup winner in the USL modern era. Get the latest news on Louisville City FC at LouisvilleCityFC.com and via the club’s channels on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.­­­

About ORCA Life

ORCA Life planted its roots in the late 90s. When a discouraged manager decided Corporate America had taken its toll and he needed more for himself and his family. Glenn Crabtree, President, began selling pre-paid funerals and continued doing so for several years. One day he saw a better value in the market place and decided his future would be with Final Expense Insurance. Mastering Final Expense has been his focus since 2001. He teamed up with an intelligent group of young professionals and established ORCA Life in February 2016.

ORCA Life has two priorities: our clients and our agents. During our development, the leadership team established guiding principles. These principles are the base of every decision made through this company’s journey to becoming a Market Leader in the Final Expense Industry. We take responsibility for providing the best products, trustworthy service, and sincere care to our clients. For our agents, we believe in systematic training, competitive pay, proactive business, and transparent leadership. ORCA Life is on a mission!

About the Louisville Parks Foundation

The Louisville Parks Foundation (LPF)’s mission is to inspire donors to invest in our 120+ public parks and recreational facilities – for present and future generations. LPF was formed as a non-profit in December 2005 to support parks and community programs not funded by other local non-profits. In 2013, the Louisville Jack O’Lantern Spectacular opened and the producers of the show partnered with the Louisville Parks Foundation, which became the recipient of the proceeds. Since then, the Foundation has completed major projects in California, Lannan, and Russell Lee parks, installed a 5-a-side turf soccer field at Beechmont, an 8-a-side turf soccer field at William Harrison, and built the first “Skate Spot” in the Midwest at Breslin Park. The Foundation is currently raising funds for its final phase of additional turf soccer fields in South Louisville at Wyandotte Park. For more information, visit www.lpfky.org.

Louisville City FC fell 1-0 to NYRB II Sunday afternoon in a battle of two of the top clubs in the USL Championship. 

For much of the match it was a battle of dueling goalkeepers, with both LouCity’s Chris Hubbard and New York Red Bulls’ Evan Louro making save after dramatic save. 

Hubbard, the Louisville native who has returned from an injury that sidelined him for much of the preseason and early part of the season, was spectacular in replacement of previous starter Ben Lundt. The Red Bulls had 15 shots in the first half with Hubbard making six saves. 

Louisville City had its chances as well, forcing Louro into two saves in the first half. In the 9′, Louisville City had a goal negated by an offsides call. During a two-on-one break for LouCity, Magnus Rasmussen passed to  Luke Spencer for the chip-in goal, but Spencer was called for offsides. 

Tied 0-0 at half, Louisville City came out with a renewed vigor in the second half and controlled the run of play for much of the early part of the half. George Davis IV had a shot blocked in the 49′, Rasmussen had a shot saved in the 51′, and a header by Alexis Souahy sailed just left of the goal in the 53′.  A chance for Davis in the 55′  just missed the frame to the right, and the score remained tied 0-0.

Louisville City brought on fresh legs in the 62′ with Sean Totsch and Niall McCabe and both tested NYRBII right away. The score remained knotted at 0-0 until the 83′ when Mathias Jorgenson took advantage of LouCity being a man down due to injury to score the game’s lone goal. 

Down a goal with time running out, Louisville City pushed everyone forward in the final10 minutes of play, but couldn’t find the equalizer. 

NYRBII rose to 2nd in the Eastern Conference table with three points. Louisville City is currently in sixth place. 

LouCity returns to action Saturday, hosting the Charlotte Independence at 7 p.m. at Slugger Field in downtown Louisville. 

Post-Match Recap: New York Red Bulls II 1 , Louisville City FC 0

MSU Soccer Park | Montclair, NJ

Attendance: 815

Scoring Summary:

NY – Mathias Jørgensen 5 83′

Discipline Summary:

LOU – Napo Matsoso (caution) 18′

LOU – Paolo DelPiccolo (caution) 18′

LOU – Paco Craig (caution) 45′

NY – Evan Louro (caution) 45′

New York Red Bulls II: Evan Louro; Jordan Scarlett, Janos Loebe, Sean Nealis, Edgardo Rito; Kyle Zajec, Christopher Lema, Vincent Bezecourt (Sebastian Elney 73′); Marcus Epps (Ben Mines 73′), Jared Stroud, Mathias Jørgensen (Preston Kilwien 87′)

TOTAL SHOTS: 22; SHOTS ON GOAL: 10; FOULS: 18 OFFSIDE: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 6

Louisville City FC: Chris Hubbard; Oscar Jimenez, Paco Craig, Alexis Souahy, Taylor Peay; Paolo DelPiccolo (Sean Totsch 62′), Napo Matsoso (Geoff Dee 79′), Magnus Rasmussen; George Davis IV, Luke Spencer (Niall McCabe 62′), Lucky Mkosana

TOTAL SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 10; OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 9

After an unexpectedly long day of travel Friday, Louisville City coach John Hackworth got his team out onto the field at Montclair State University in northern New Jersey for a quick, but intense workout Friday night. 

After the training session, Hackworth spoke about his team’s mindset, their focus in practice and some of what he expects to face vs. the New York Red Bulls II on Sunday. 

Louisville City’s first set of summer camps began last week with a boom as more than a hundred campers learned from the expert coaching and staff at Louisville City. 

“Our first LCFC summer camp was a great success,” Louisville City Director of Youth Development Mario Sanchez said. ” We had a blast with all the kids throughout the week.  For sure, one of the highlights of the camp was our 3 v 3 tournament and the final.  It was great to see the kids working together and showcasing their skills.”

There are a few spots available for Louisville City’s next camp. Fans can register their camper here: https://www.louisvillecityfc.com/camps

“Our next camp is June 17 – 21 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the LCFC training field at Thurman Hutchins Park,” Sanchez said. “It is a very similar camp in that we are focusing on individual development and small sided games for boys and girls ages 6 – 14.”

While campers will certainly learn quite a bit from the coaches at the camp, Sanchez made it clear what the goal of summer camps are: “Ultimately, with all of our camps, we want kids to come away with an even greater love for the game of soccer.” 

For more information on Louisville City FC Soccer Camps, click here.