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LouCity, Virtual Telecomm partner for 2020 season in new stadium

September 26, 2019 – Louisville City and Virtual Telecomm are pleased to announce a partnership for the 2020 season at Lynn Family Stadium in the Butchertown neighborhood.

“We’re incredibly excited to continue supporting Louisville City FC as they move into their new stadium,” said Mark White, Managing Partner of Virtual Telecomm. “We’ve supported LouCity for a number of years and the team is so deserving of this new dedicated facility.”

The new stadium, scheduled to open in Spring 2020, will be a major upgrade for club. Having played at Louisville Slugger Field since the first game in 2015, next year will mark the first season Louisville City FC has played home games in a soccer-specific stadium.

With seating for 11,700, the Lynn Family Stadium will more easily accommodate the team’s growing fan base. Ticket sales have already begun for Louisville City’s first season at Lynn Family Stadium. 2019 Season Ticket Members were given priority access for tickets and the general public received access on Sept. 9. The club announced supporters had already bought more than 5,000 season tickets on the first day of the public sale.

For more information on Virtual Telecomm and our services, please visit www.virtualtelecomm.com.

To learn more about the new Louisville City FC facilities, please visit https://www.louisvillecityfc.com/stadium.

About Virtual Telecomm
Since 2004, Virtual Telecomm has supplied forward-thinking solutions and infrastructure to companies seeking value and scalability. As your point of contact for multiple service providers, we save your company time and money by selecting unbiased and perfect-fit solutions based on your unique needs. Our powerful carrier partnerships allow us to offer best-in-class solutions and services for cloud, network, and unified communications solutions.

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 in the Commonwealth. Louisville City won USL Championship Titles in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first back-to-back USL Championship Title Winners winner in the USL modern era. Finishing in the top five in average attendance in the USL at Slugger Field since 2015, Louisville City will move into its new home, Lynn Family Stadium, for the 2020 season. Get the latest news on Louisville City FC at LouisvilleCityFC.com and via the club’s channels on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

Lynn Family Stadium's field getting installed this week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 26, 2019) – In a major and visible milestone for Louisville City FC’s new stadium, the playing surface is changing from brown dirt to smooth green grass. Workers are installing more than 300 rolls of sod for the natural grass field at Lynn Family Stadium in Butchertown.

To celebrate this highlight in the stadium’s construction, Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith and Messer Construction project manager Jason Larkin joined Louisville City Football Club owners and executives to “roll out the green carpet” and install some of the sod onto the soccer team’s new field. The playing surface includes a state-of-the-art drainage system to ensure long-lasting growth and superb surface water removal.

“It was extremely important to me that our new stadium have a natural grass playing surface,” Louisville City Coach John Hackworth said. “Soccer is meant to be played on grass, and I am excited to see the field begin to be installed at Lynn Family Stadium. I can’t wait to see our players run out onto that pitch for our first home game in 2020.”

The Indiana-grown playing surface arrived this week in 12 truckloads, each carrying rolls of sod 48 inches wide and approximately 75 feet long. The Messer-Harmon JV construction team has begun the two-day installation process, using large laying machines to place sod strips to cover the nearly 100,000 square foot soccer field.

GrassMasters, a sod farm in southwest Indiana, grew the sand-based Bermuda grass field, which incorporates the Tahoma-31 strain grass over-seeded with rye to create the ideal soccer playing surface. Several regional professional sports teams have sourced grass for practice fields and other playing surfaces from the Indiana grower.

“You could say that this week, we’re ‘rooting’ for Louisville City by getting the grass well-rooted into our state-of-the-art field system,” said Larkin. “We are so invested in getting this field system right that I personally visited the sod farm twice to check in on the grass growth. We are thrilled to see the green field come to life — it accentuates the great progress our team is making in finishing out our city’s newest iconic stadium.”

A high-tech SubAir drainage system was installed beneath the playing surface to combat inclement weather on game days, address challenges of the Ohio Valley climate and extend the growing season of the grass. On rainy days, the SubAir system quickly drains water off the field; on cold days, the system blows heated air into the roots to keep the grass greener longer.

Once in place, the grass will be watered, raked and fertilized. Ongoing maintenance will include its first mowing in about six weeks, regular watering and using heat to restart growth in advance of the first Louisville City game next spring.

“The pitch is the most important part of this project, and with the technology we’ve implemented, we’ll have one of the finest surfaces in America,” Louisville City President Brad Estes said. “Tahoma-31 Bermuda grass is specifically engineered for the transition zone climate that has cold winters and hot summers. Lynn Family Stadium’s SubAir system will enable us to keep our pitch green year-round and will drain water at a rate that will ensure we never have a rainout.”

Since its inception in 2014, Louisville City has played home games at Slugger Field, a baseball stadium which does not allow for traditional soccer field dimensions and incorporates a mixture of natural and artificial playing surfaces. Messer-Harmon JV crews continue to work diligently to complete the 11,700-seat facility, which was designed by global architecture firm HOK, in advance of Louisville’s City’s 2020 USL season.

“The excitement in Louisville and around the region continues to grow as this world-class stadium makes impressive strides toward completion,” said Fischer. “This ambitious venture will help us create another destination district for visitors and residents alike, and today’s rolling of the green is literally helping lay the groundwork for Louisville’s future.”

“This amazing ‘green carpet’ is one more example of the greatness within our community has to offer when we work together,” said Sexton Smith. “Everything and everyone we needed is right here in our region and Butchertown is thrilled to be the official home of LouCity!”

About Messer-Harmon JV:

Messer Construction and Harmon Construction teamed for the joint venture of building Louisville City Football Club’s new stadium. The two construction leaders previously teamed to manage the expansion of the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Stadium. Messer Construction is one of the region’s largest building contractors and is employee-owned with nearly 160 workers in the Louisville area. Strong Louisville ties for Harmon Construction, based in North Vernon, Ind., include firm president William A. “Billy” Harmon, a former University of Louisville basketball player from 1973-77. For more information, visit messer.com.

About Louisville City FC:

LouCity hosts Tampa Bay Rowdies Saturday night

TICKETS >> LOUvTBR @ Slugger Field

After collecting points in all eight of its recent matches and moving up in the Eastern Conference table, Louisville City FC takes another shot at the top of the table Saturday night when 3rd-place Tampa Bay Rowdies come to Slugger Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

“I like our team right now,” Hackworth said. “I like the way we are working, our process, our belief in each other. We have a very good opponent coming into town and we have to respect them and give them our full attention.”

After 30 games, Tampa Bay is currently tied atop the Eastern Conference Standings with 56 points. The Rowdies are currently third based on tiebreakers with the New York Red Bulls II and Indy Eleven. Louisville City moved up to 6th in the East after taking three points from NYRBII on Saturday. The Boys in Purple have 50 points after 20 games played.

“It’s another challenge for us to see if we can continue to get better and get results. This is another six-pointer,” Louisville City FC coach John Hackworth said. “They have a game in hand so if we are able to win this and get three points it would put us relatively even with them. It’s a huge game.”

Tampa is coming off a 6-1 route of Bethlehem Steel on Saturday. The Rowdies got goals from five different players.

“Their movement in their front five in the attack is excellent,” Hackworth said. “Leo Fernandez is an excellent player. I know him from Philly because he played for me there. He played with Danny (Cruz) and Antoine (Hoppenot) there. The movement of their two nines and the playmaking ability of (Andrew) Tinari has been excellent. (Malik) Johnson has been excellent as the right wing back. They have good players and their movement in that front five is something we are really going to have to account for.”

Louisville City and Tampa Bay are linked because of a trade executed near midseason. Louisville City gained Antoine Hoppenot, sending Lucky Mkosana to Tampa.

“I know both teams felt like it would improve their teams and I believe it has,” Hackworth said. “We like what Antoine provides for us. Certainly, that will be a storyline coming into this game especially with both players scoring over the weekend.”

Louisville City’s recent run has consisted of wins over Charlotte, Atlanta, Charleston, North Carolina, Hartford, and New York draws vs. Indy Eleven and Pittsburgh. Hackworth said the run started with defense.

“We have fixed a lot of little details and it starts with our defending,” Hackworth said. “We put an emphasis on making sure that we didn’t give up goals early in the game for most of this run – even though we gave up one against Red Bulls – I think that has meant we are more confident in everything we are doing. You saw that in the second half against Red Bull, how we answered there. We didn’t necessarily play our game, but that’s OK because we were up by three goals at one point and we were being more pragmatic.”

Louisville City FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Slugger Field. The game will be broadcast on 790 KRD radio and WBKI TV. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ in America and on YouTube worldwide.

Napo Matsoso named to USL Championship Team of the Week

Louisville City midfielder Napo Matsoso continued his remarkable run of play Saturday, scoring a pair of goals vs. New York Red Bulls II during LouCity’s 5-3 win.

Matsoso played impeccable defense vs. the Bulls and had a tremendous match applying pressure in the midfield. Matsoso was also named Visionworks Man of the Match for the third straight match.

The Lesotho native and University of Kentucky alum has scored three goals during USL Championship play this season. He has played 17 games for Louisville City this season, starting 14 while only being subbed off the field once. Matsoso’s 85.9 percent passing is among the league leaders.

GK – CJ Cochran, Fresno FC: Cochran made seven saves across two contests – including a penalty kick save in each – as the Foxes took victories against Rio Grande Valley FC and Phoenix Rising FC.

D – Bryam Rebellon, El Paso Locomotive FC: Rebellon scored the opening goal, completed 53 of 62 passes and made one interception and six recoveries in Locomotive FC’s victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

D – Michael Orozco, Orange County SC: Orozco recorded the assist on Orange County’s late game-winner, had three chances created overall and completed 42 of 48 passes against Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

D – Justin Davis, Nashville SC: Davis contributed to back-to-back shutouts for NSC over the week, making nine recoveries, winning 12 of 20 duels and recording seven chances created against Birmingham Legion FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

M – Napo Matsoso, Louisville City FC: Matsoso scored a pair of goals, went a perfect 24 of 24 passing and made three interceptions and five recoveries in LouCity’s 5-3 victory against the New York Red Bulls II.

M – Felipe Hernandez, Swope Park Rangers: Hernandez had one assist, eight chances created and completed 37 of 43 passes while winning 7 of 8 duels in the Rangers’ 3-0 win against the Charlotte Independence.

M – Dairon Asprilla, Portland Timbers 2: Asprilla scored two goals, added one assist and completed 31 of 36 passes to lead T2 to a 6-3 victory against Tacoma Defiance on Friday night.

M – Malik Johnson, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Johnson recorded three assists as the Rowdies romped to victory against Bethlehem Steel FC while completing 22 of 25 passes and 13 of 15 dribbles and winning 16 of 22 duels.

F – Kleber, Austin Bold FC: The Brazilian recorded a hat trick and completed 41 of 51 passes overall to lead Bold FC to a 4-1 victory in its home finale against Las Vegas Lights FC.

F – Hadji Barry, Ottawa Fury FC: Barry scored a hat trick, twice converting from the penalty spot, as Fury FC wrapped up a two-win week with a 4-1 win against Hartford Athletic at TD Place on Sunday.

F – Jaime Chavez, Fresno FC: Chavez recorded three goals – including the game-winner against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday – and one assist and had five chances created over two contests as the Foxes clinched a playoff place.

Bench: Kyle Morton (PIT), Prosper Kasim (BHM), Luiz Fernando (ATL), Maikel Chang (SLC) Cam Lindley (MEM), Eric Bird (RGV), Corey Hertzog (RNO)

Visionworks Man of the Match: Napo Matsoso

Thanks to a two-goal performance in his side’s 5-3 win over New York Red Bulls II, midfielder Napo Matsoso earned a third straight nod for Man of the Match.

His recent scoring burst came after a bit of nagging from head coach John Hackworth, as noted by Matsoso himself.

“He’s been giving me a hard time since preseason,” Matsoso said. “It’s been a long waiting. I’m happy to finally score now, but we just have to keep going.”

Two goals in a three-minute stretch from number 27 opened the Louisville City lead to 3-1, including a strike off a rebound with another slotted in the bottom right corner on a long run.

“Oh, it felt good, especially with how New York Red Bulls play,” Napo said on the importance of his attack. “They press every time. They don’t really let any goals in, so it was massive to get that many goals.”

Great timing and brilliant skill from the Louisville native came in arguably the biggest match of an 8-game unbeaten streak for the Boys in Purple, with a chance at a win over the top-ranked Red Bulls II and a jump up the table on the line.

“Oh, it’s massive,” he said on the win. “I mean they’re the number one team in the East, so it was a huge motivation for us to continue winning, continue beating the top teams and showing the whole league that we are up there too.”

When asked about the last time the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Lesotho-born midfielder scored twice in a league match, Matsoso did not hesitate to answer.

“Never. That was the first one and felt amazing to have another win at home. Massive win against Red Bulls. All the goals came because of the team. We all believe in each other.”

Up next for Matsoso and the now 6th ranked Louisville City club is a Saturday night clash with a Tampa Bay Rowdies side sitting at 3rdin the table. Kickoff at Slugger Field is set for 7 p.m.

LouCity signs goalkeeper Muamer Ugarak to Academy agreement

LOUISVILLE – (Sept. 23, 2019) – The Louisville City Football Club is pleased to announce the signing of Muamer Ugarak to an Academy Agreement, marking the club’s second signed player in the development program.

“We are excited to add a young, talented goalkeeper like Mu to our locker room,” Louisville City FC coach John Hackworth said. “We believe this gives him an opportunity to develop in our competitive culture and will ultimately help him grow in a professional environment.”

Ugarak is originally from Bosnia. His family moved to America when he was 12, and Ugarak played with local clubs for a year and a half and then worked with DC United’s Academy program.

“We’re excited to sign Mu to an Academy Agreement. He’s a bright young talent,” Louisville City goalkeepers coach Scott Budnick said. “He has good technique, he’s good with his feet and he has a great attitude. We are happy that he’ll be a part of our club.”

Ugarak knows Louisville City’s first signee, Elijah Wynder, well. Wynder, of Louisville’s Ohio Elite-KY Academy and Louisville Collegiate School, signed with Louisville City FC back in June. Wynder has appeared in the 18 for Louisville City three times this season including an appearance during Louisville City’s U.S. Open Cup run.

“This means the world to me,” Ugarak said. “This has become home to me. My family and I moved here five years ago, and we have supported Louisville City ever since we came here. It just means that Coach Hackworth, Coach Danny (Cruz), Coach Mario (Sanchez) and Coach (Scott) Budnick trust me, and that means a lot to me at such a young age.”

Ugarak will train with Louisville City FC’s Academy workouts this winter. Pending League & Federation approval, Ugarak will be eligible to be added to Louisville City’s roster for upcoming USL Championship matches for the remainder of the season.

“We’re excited to bring another local product into the Louisville City fold,” Louisville City Director of Youth Development Mario Sanchez said. “We are looking forward to his development and hopefully one day he’ll be able to represent the first team.”

Ugarak, who said his dream is to be a professional soccer player, said Louisville City’s interest in him as a prospect is motivating for him.

“It motivates me and gives me something to work for,” Ugarak said. “They saw the potential in me, and that motivates me to want to get better to prove them right.”

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Muamer: MOO-ah-mer

Ugarak: OO-gah-rek

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. Finishing in the top five in average attendance in the USL at Slugger Field since 2015, 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, 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.

LouCity beats NY Red Bulls 5-3 in thrilling match

Louisville City FC notched a season-high five goals in a 5-3 win over league-leading NY Red Bulls II Saturday night at Slugger Field. The Boys in Purple extended their Eastern Conference-best unbeaten streak to eight games with six wins and a pair of draws since their last loss on July 28.

“I think it’s just one of those statement games really,” Hackworth said. “I feel like we’ve been doing really well. I think this is eight games unbeaten and no one’s really given us a lot of credit for that run. That’s a really amazing run at this time. You play the top team in the league right now and on the table and nothing speaks more than to go out and execute the way that we did.”

The New York Red Bulls II came into Slugger Field as the top team in the Eastern Conference.

“It’s what we have to do and what we believe we should do,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said of knocking off the top-rated Red Bulls. “I give them a lot of credit because they’ve had an excellent season and they’re in a great position. This is the position that we want to be in. I’ve said it all along, I believe that we are playing the best soccer of anybody right now, so that gives us a lot of confidence when we go face a team like New York.”

New York drew first blood with a goal by Vincent Bezecourt in the 20’, but Louisville City scored three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead.

“It was a fantastic response,” Hackworth said. “The character of this group is really amazing. I just told them that not only am I proud of them but the way that they responded. Especially against a team like New York, who is really a tough team to play against and to break down. Especially if they go a goal up on you, I can’t say enough about it.”

Louisville City’s first goal, a screamer from Oscar Jimenez after an assist by Speedy Williams, equalized the score at 1-1 before Napo Matsoso had back-to-back goals in the 31’ and 33’ to put Louisville City up 3-1.

“That was the first time (scoring two goals in a game as a pro) and it felt amazing to have another win at home,” Napo Matsoso said. “It’s a massive win against Red Bulls. All the goals came because of the team. We all believe in each other. We say every time after training, before training, ‘We believe in ourselves. We believe in what we are doing every game.'”

A handball call in the box gave the NY Red Bulls a penalty kick in the 37’, and Jared Stroud buried the shot to pull within a goal. But Louisville City got a goal in stoppage time from Antoine Hoppenot (assist to Brian Ownby) to give the Boys in Purple a 4-2 lead going into halftime.

LouCity midfielder Niall McCabe drilled a beautiful strike from 10 yards beyond the 18 to push LouCity’s lead to 5-2 in the 59’. The booming goal brought the 9,846 fans to their feet. A 71’ minute goal by Omar Sowe pulled the Red Bulls to within 5-3, but they couldn’t inch any closer.

STANDINGS UPDATE:

The win moved Louisville City from 7th to 6th in the Eastern Conference standings with 50 points. LouCity is two points behind fifth-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds and five points behind 4th place Nashville SC. NY Red Bulls II are now in a three-way tie for the league lead with 56 points but remain in 1st due to the goal differential tiebreaker.

GOALS:

20’ – Bezecourt – NYRB, 0-1

24’ – Jimenez – LouCity, 1-1

31’ – Matsoso – LouCity, 2-1

22’ – Matsoso – LouCity, 3-1

37’ – Stroud – NYRB, 3-2

45+2’ – Hoppenot – LouCity, 4-2

59’ – McCabe – LouCity, 5-2

71’ – Sowe – NYRB, 5-3

Game Day: LouCity hosts NY Red Bulls II tonight

LouCity vs. @NYRBII | Tickets: LOUvNY on Seatgeek

Local TV: WBKI | Streaming Link: LOUvNY on ESPN+

Louisville City FC hosts Eastern Conference rival New York Red Bulls II Saturday night in a showdown which includes the last three USL Cup winners and two of the best clubs in the American Second Division.

New York Red Bulls II are traveling to Louisville having already sewn up a spot in the USL Championship Eastern Conference Playoffs by clinching a spot two weeks ago. If the playoffs started today, NYRBII would be the top seed in the East. Louisville City, currently sitting in 7th in the East Conference, is looking for more points to move up a seed line (or two) before the playoffs begin.

While New York is the higher-ranked of the two teams, Louisville City appears to be in better form. The Boys in Purple have not lost since July 28 and have five wins in the last seven matches. The Red Bulls have dropped their last two of their last three matches, two of just seven losses on the entire season.

The Red Bulls figure to start a talented lineup with Evan Louro in goal and forward Mathias Jorgensen leading the way. Jorgensen scored the game-winner in the 80′ of NYRBII’s 1-0 win over Louisville back on June 16.

Tonight’s match is LouCity’s Noche Latina, which will include music to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. The Mariachi Band Zelaya will play our pre-game Party Around the Pitch from 5:45 to 6:45.

Photo Gallery: LouCity preps for New York Red Bulls II

Louisville City FC finalized preparation for Saturday’s showdown with East-leading New York Red Bulls II with a Friday morning training session. The Boys in Purple largely dodged the heaviest rain, but a light rain came down near the end of the workout.

Here are some photos from this week’s training:

Eastern Conference showdown as New York comes to LouCity

New York Red Bulls II, currently at the top of the Eastern Conference table, will square off against two-time defending champion Louisville City FC Saturday night at Slugger Field in Louisville, Ky.

It’ll be the top-ranked team the East vs. the hottest team in the East in a battle that could have huge playoff implications.

“We have our hands full with New York coming to town,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “They have been excellent all year long. They are really a difficult team to play against and they are so good at transition.”

New York was the first team in the East to clinch a playoff spot, earning three points in a win over Charlotte Friday night. At 56 points, New York currently leads the East along with Indy Eleven (56, Tampa Bay (53), Nashville (51) and Pittsburgh (51). Louisville City caught North Carolina FC at 47 points with its win over Hartford Athletic Saturday.

“We have said it all year long regardless of where we are in the standings that we feel we are as good as anyone else in this league, if not better,” Hackworth said. “And that’s exactly what we plan to do this week. This gives us the best opportunity to do what we say we are going to do, and then if we win we have the right to make that claim.”

Louisville City is the only team in the East which is unbeaten in the last five matches as the Boys in Purple are currently riding a seven-game unbeaten streak. After losing on July 28, Louisville City reeled off four straight wins, then a pair of draws, and then a win Saturday at Hartford.

The last time Louisville City faced New York Red Bulls II, the Red Bulls got a goal in the 83′ from 18-year old phenom Mathias Jorgensen to win 1-0 at Montclair State in New Jersey. Jorgensen is now on the 30-man active roster for the Red Bulls.

These two teams have tremendous history as Louisville City and New York Red Bulls II have been two of the strongest clubs in the USL in its modern era.

Louisville City beat NYRBII 5-1 in the Eastern final last year before beating Phoenix Rising 1-0 in the final. In 2017, LouCity beat New York on penalty kicks (4-3) during LouCity’s path to the 2017 USL Cup. In 2016, the two teams met in the Eastern Conference final and the top-seeded Red Bulls advanced on penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation and extra time.

“It’s a little bit of a chess match for both of us,” Hackworth explained. “We want to control things more and we want to dictate the tempo. They are okay with a team doing that, but they want to catch you in turnovers and counter off of you. It’s an interesting matchup for us, and at this point, we feel good about the way we are playing, but we know we have one of the best teams coming into town.”

Saturday’s match is LouCity’s Hispanic Heritage Night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised by WBKI locally, ESPN+ streaming nationally and YouTube internationally. The radio broadcast will be on 1080 WKJK.