Lexington Sporting Club
Full nameLexington Sporting Club
Nickname(s)Boys in Green
Short nameLexington SC
LSC
FoundedOctober 5, 2021 (2021-10-05)
StadiumToyota Stadium
Georgetown, Kentucky
Capacity5,000
Owner
List
  • Bill and Donna Shively
    Stephen Dawahare
    Carter Carnegie
PresidentVince Gabbert
Sporting DirectorSam Stockley
CoachDarren Powell
LeagueUSL League One
20239th of 12
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website
Blackout
colours

Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional soccer team based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2021 as an USL expansion side, the team their season in 2023. The team competes in USL League One, in the third division of the United States soccer league system, and temporarily plays its home matches at Toyota Stadium at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. The club's permanent stadium is being constructed just off Athens Boonesboro Road near Interstate 75.

History

On October 5, 2021, the United Soccer League announced that Tower Hill Sports had been granted a USL League One expansion team in Lexington to start play in the 2023 season.[1] Tentatively named "Lexington Pro Soccer," the team revealed its official colors, crest, and branding as Lexington Sporting Club on March 22, 2022.[2]

The club's inaugural match was against fellow expansion side One Knoxville SC on March 18, 2023, where they fell 1-2, with Don Smart scoring the first goal in the club's history from a penalty kick in the 28th minute. They won their first match on April 15, 2023, in a 2–1 victory over Tormenta FC in full time at Toyota Stadium.[3]

By the end of their inaugural season, LSC finished 9th in the USL League One table, ahead of the reigning Supporters Shield winners Richmond Kickers, 2022 runners up Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, and Wooden spoon winners Central Valley Fuego FC with Senegalese forward/midfielder Ates Diouf finishing 3rd in the Golden Boot standings with 15 goals.[4]

Women's Teams

Lexington Sporting Club also fields 2 women's sides within the USL's structure - a professional team in the USL Super League and a pre-professional team in the USL W League. Former New Zealand international Michelle Reyner[5] serves as the Women's Sporting Director, with Alan Kirkup[6] as Technical Director and head coach of the W-League side.

Super League

In May 2023, the USL announced that LSC would be an inaugural member of the USL Super League, kicking off in 2024 alongside Charlotte, Dallas-Forth Worth, Phoenix, Spokane Zephyr FC, Tampa Bay Sun FC, Tucson, and Washington D.C., with Chattanooga, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Madison, and Oakland set to join in subsequent seasons.[7] The league announced that Fort Lauderdale had been awarded a team and would be joining the inaugural 2024 campaign in November 2023[8]

The USL Super League (USLS) is a planned Division I professional women's soccer league in the United States. The league will be owned and operated by the United Soccer League. Originally planned to launch in August 2023, it is now slated to begin play in August 2024.[9]

On January 9, 2024, the club announced Michael Dickey as the women’s first team inaugural head coach for the inaugural 2024 season that is scheduled to kick off in August.[10]

USL W-League

Announced in October 2022, Lexington SC participated in the USL W League[11] a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2023. The team competes in the Valley Division alongside Indy Eleven, Kings Hammer FC, Racing Louisville, and St. Charles FC.[12] The inaugural team played its matches at Toyota Stadium (Kentucky). Former National Women's Soccer League player Morgan Proffitt notably appeared in a handful of matches for the inaugural team.

Rivalries

Lexington SC's main league and region rivals are One Knoxville SC, Louisville City FC, and Greenville Triumph SC

The Battle of the Barrel (Lexington vs. Knoxville)

Lexington SC and One Knoxville SC facing off in both club's first ever USL1 match

Lexington SC and One Knoxville joined USL League One as expansion sides together in 2023, and while many fans from outside the rivalry consider it to be a "league manufactured" one, the fans of the two clubs involved see it differently. The rivalry stems from the Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry as Lexington is home to the University of Kentucky and Knoxville is home to the University of Tennessee. The rivalry stems from the old name for the matchup between Kentucky and Tennessee in college football when a beer barrel trophy was presented to the winner.

Currently, the reported trophy for the season winner on aggregate score at the end of the USL1 season takes home "a full-size whiskey barrel and a bottle of bourbon from a distiller located in the losing club’s locale."[13] Although, neither fan group has yet to see a whiskey barrel be present at the end of the season.

SeasonDateCompetitionStadiumHome teamResultAway team Goal scorersAttendanceSeriesRef
2023March 18USL League OneRegal StadiumOne Knoxville SC2-1Lexington SC (KNX) Villalobos 17' (pen.), Keegan 40'

(LEX) Smart 28' (pen.)

2,512KNX 1-0-0[14]
May 27 Toyota Stadium (Kentucky) Lexington SC 1-1 One Knoxville SC (LEX) Brown 43' (Robertson)

(KNX) Keegan 66' (Leinhos)

2,282KNX 1-1-0

[14]

August 18 Regal Stadium One Knoxville SC1-0 Lexington SC (KNX) Kelly-Rosales 49' (Crisler) 2,522KNX 2-1-0 [14]

El Bluegrassico (Lexington vs. Louisville)

Lexington SC and Louisville City FC met for the first time in 2023 in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open Cup. The fans of both teams coined the term "El Bluegrassico" as a play on names of the classic Soccer derby nickname for derbies of "El Classico" and the nickname for Kentucky-The Bluegrass state. The rivalry is dormant due to LouCity. Lexington plays in a separate division of the United States soccer league system with Lou City playing the USL Championship, which is the 2nd division, and Lexington playing in the 3rd division league USL1. There is currently no trophy for this matchup, but supporters of both sides have been discussing creating one.

SeasonDateCompetitionStadiumHome teamResultAway team Goal scorersAttendanceSeriesRef
2023April 5U.S. Open CupLynn Family StadiumLouisville City FC1-0Lexington SC (LOU) Totsch 69' (DelPiccolo)4,205LOU 1–0–0

The Green Team Gauntlet (Lexington vs. Greenville)

This "rivalry" was created by Tyler Crane of Crane Kicks Lex (fan blog/podcast) and Gio Cañas, who is a notable Twitter presence within USL League One Twitter landscape, who now works for the Greenville Triumph SC. On the field, the rivalry has lived up to "hype," having multiple late-game thrillers in 2 out of the 3 matches.

  LEX win   GVL win   Draw

SeasonDateCompetitionStadiumHome teamResultAway team Goal ScorersAttendanceSeriesRef
2023April 22USL League OneToyota Stadium (Kentucky)Lexington SC0-2Greenville Triumph SC (GVL) Pilato 37', Castro 90+4' (MacKinnon)2,260GVL 1-0-0[15]
September 1 Toyota Stadium (Kentucky) Lexington SC 1-1 Greenville Triumph SC (LEX) Robertson 49' (Mohammed)

(GVL) Smith 90+8' (Pilato)

2,142GVL 1-1-0

[15]

October 14 Paladin Stadium Greenville Triumph SC1-1 Lexington SC (GVL) Smith 82' (o.g.), 90+5' 3,672GVL 1-2-0 [15]

Supporters

The Railbirds are currently the only officially recognized supporters group for the club. The group was founded in August 2011 by Jesus Robles, Sam Spencer, Jon Lunsford, and Alan Clark.[16]

The Railbird's unveil their "The Race Starts Now" tifo prior to the kickoff of Lexington's inaugural home match at Toyota Stadium. The tifo was designed by Railbird's treasurer Cait LeSaux.

The group's name is inspired by the horseracing term "Railbird" - a person who hangs on the fence of a horse track, cheering for their horse and helping to give that final push across the finish line.[17]

They can be found in The Stables or Section 109 at Toyota Stadium (Kentucky).

Colors and crest

Per the club's website, the crest and colors are broken down as follows-

Typography - "Our name, Lexington Sporting Club, is emblazoned in typography inspired by bourbon barrels. The letters are reminiscent of the barrels' graceful curves, giving our name the weight of local history and tradition."[18]

The Shield - "The shield reflects the longstanding traditions of soccer. The heraldic silhouette recalls soccer club crests from the sport's early days during the Victorian Era. And the tapered shape perfectly frames our horse and our name."[18]

The Horse - "Horses are synonymous with Lexington, the horse capital of the world. People speak with pride about the majestic, athletic, powerful, animal. The design of our horse is distinct yet traditional. Rearing upward gives the crest a sense of energy and power, striking a balance of historical and contemporary."[18]

The Colors - "Lexington's rolling hills and lush, leafy woodland that bolster Kentucky's major industries - bourbon and horses - inspire the colors for this design. Our community carries a strong sense of place, and we love the memorable green colors that dominate our landscape."[18]

Design Process

The Lexington SC crest was designed by Christopher Payne, a designer whose work with soccer clubs in the United Kingdom and the United States includes Eastleigh Football Club, Flower City Union, Monterey Bay FC, and Appalachian FC.[19] Payne coordinated with Lexington-based media and PR company Bullhorn Creative which oversaw project management, creative services, and messaging beyond the brand design.[20][21]

Over the course of several months, Lexington SC leadership held fourteen listening sessions with community members, gathering more than 300 responses to brand surveys and more than 1,500 responses to stadium surveys to identify key themes to reflect on the club's brand identity. Themes that emerged included the cultural landscape of the Bluegrass region and its lush green rolling hills and leafy woodlands, its equine and bourbon industries, and a communal sense of place.[22][23]

Surrounded by over 400 horse farms, Lexington is often referred to as the "Horse Capital of the World". It was also the first city outside of Europe to ever host the World Equestrian Games.[24] To reflect this heritage, as well as club ownership's involvement in the thoroughbred industry and President Vince Gabbert's professional connection to Keeneland Race Course,[25] the crest features a vibrant green stylized horse figure set against a dark green background.

Payne developed a typeface called Lex Type specific for Lexington SC branding. He states, "Like a horse, Lex Type is tall, powerful, and athletic. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice the typeface has subtle curves at the top and the bottom of the letters. This detail is inspired by the graceful curves of a bourbon barrel, tying the typography to this important element of local history and tradition."[20]

Sponsorship

Seasons Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2023 (USL1) Nike UK HealthCare Sports Medicine
2023 (USLW) Badass Coffee of Hawaii

Mascot

The club's mascot Thunder in her pen prior to kickoff

On May 12, 2023, LSC announced on their official "mini" mascot Thunder, who is a miniature therapy horse who is stationed in the southwest corner of Toyota Stadium during matches.[26] Thunder is very popular among fans, especially younger ones and helped pave the way for the green horse found on the club's crest to be nicknamed Thunder after her.

Stadium

Lexington SC currently plays at Toyota Stadium at Georgetown College while they are building an $82 million soccer complex off Athens Boonesboro Road near Interstate 75 that is scheduled to open in August 2024.[27]

The team's ownership group had proposed a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Lexington, but LFUCG denied that proposal. The stadium being built off Athens Rd will have a capacity of approximately 5,500 seats with the ability for the stadium to be renovated to be expanded to 11,0000 seats. Surrounding the stadium will be the training grounds for both the professional Men's and Women's teams as well as the fields for the academy.[28][29]

Proposed stadium

Originally, the team had plans for a downtown stadium as a part of the Lexington Center Corporation's High Street Development Project.[30] The stadium's design was being directed by architecture firm Gensler.[31] The firm is perhaps best known for designing Shanghai Tower, currently the world's third-tallest building by height.[32] The firm is also responsible for designing several other sporting-specific stadiums and entertainment facilities including Milwaukee Bucks Entertainment Blocks (Milwaukee Bucks), the Banc of California Stadium (Los Angeles Football Club), Q2 Stadium (Austin FC), and BMO Field, Canada's first soccer-specific stadium (Toronto Football Club).[33] The proposed location for the facility was in the heart of downtown, directly across the street from Central Bank Center[34] and Rupp Arena,[35] a multi-purpose venue which hosts the UK Wildcats men's basketball team, concerts, conventions, and shows. The team has since withdrawn this proposal and that site will be used for mixed-use development instead.[36]

Toyota Stadium in Georgetown, KY during a Lexington SC game against One Knoxville SC.

Academy

On the same day the club revealed its branding, Lexington SC also announced that two local youth soccer clubs, Lexington F.C. and Commonwealth Soccer Club, would merge to form Lexington SC Academy.[37] In April 2022, Lexington SC announced that it will join the Girls Academy League to add a girls’ youth program in Fall 2022.[38] The following week, the club announced its participation in the USL Academy as part of its pathway-to-pro development model for youth.[39] Their teams play in leagues like Kentucky Premier League (KPL), Kentucky Select Soccer League (KSSL), Great Lakes Conference (GLC), Girls Academy (GA), and more.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of January 16, 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Austin Causey
2 DF United States USA Tate Robertson
4 DF United States USA Kimball Jackson
5 DF United States USA Kaelon Fox
13 GK Jamaica JAM Amal Knight
14 FW United States USA Khalid Balogun
17 DF United States USA Erick Ceja-Gonzalez
25 MF Senegal SEN Pierre Mané
32 FW Senegal SEN Ates Diouf
No. Pos. Nation Player
77 MF Jamaica JAM Nico Brown
GK Spain ESP Nico Campuzano
DF Ghana GHA Ebenezer Ackon
DF England ENG Michael Agboola
DF United States USA Christian Lue Young
DF Cuba CUB Modesto Méndez
MF Venezuela VEN Abel Caputo
MF England ENG Jayden Onen
MF United States USA Anthony Patti
MF Malta MLT Yannick Yankam
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract

Staff

Front Office Staff
President Vince Gabbert
Chief Operating Officer Steven Short
Director of Business & Finance Denver Pratt
Operations & Projects Manager Gretchen Mills
Marketing and Community Engagement Coordinator Emily Fields
Creative Content Specialist Jacob Bramley
Director of Retail Operations Leslie Delk III
Director of Ticketing Vacant
Head Youth Administrator Tyler Lolla
Professionl Technical Staff
Men's Sporting Director Sam Stockley
USL1 Head Coach Darren Powell
USL1 Assistant Coach Warren Goodhind
Director of Goalkeeping and USL1 Assistant Coach Chris Barocas
Women's Sporting Director Michelle Reyner
W-League Coach Alan Kirkup
Academy Technical Staff
Women’s Technical Director Alan Kirkup
Girls Academy Director & Recruiting Coordinator Kurt Fischer
Girls Pathway to Pro Phase Director (U17-U19) Megan Skinner
Boys Pathway to Pro Phase Director (U16-U19) Diego d’Angelo
Girls Preparation Phase (U15-U16) TBD
Boys Preparation Phase (U13-U15) Brent Chase
Girls Technical Refinement Phase (U13-U14) Scott Lowery
Girls Technical Refinement Phase (U11-U12) Chris Teesdale
Boys Technical Refinement Phase (U11-U12) Joe Adams
Girls Skill Acquisition Phase (U9-U10) Paul Garcia
Girls Skill Acquisition Phase (U7-U8) Alex Byrne
Boys Skill Acquisition Phase (U7-U10) Sam Tyagi

[40][41]

Team records

Year-by-year

USL League One

As of December 6, 2023
Season USL League One Playoffs US Open Cup Top Scorer 1 Head Coach Average

Attendance

Div M W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos Player Goals
2023 3 32 7 11 14 46 57 -11 32 9th Did not qualify R2 Senegal Ates Diouf 15 England Sam Stockley and Spain Nacho Novo (interim) 2, 232

^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

USL Super League

TBA

USL W-League

As of December 6, 2023
Season USL W League Playoffs Top Scorer 1 Head Coach
M W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos Player Goals
2023 10 3 1 6 10 17 -7 10 3rd Did not qualify United States Kailey Utley 4 England Alan Kirkup

^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coaches

USL League One

CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinDrawLossWin %
Sam Stockley[42] England England October 13, 2022 September 17, 2023 28 7 8 13 39.29
Nacho Novo (interim)[43] Spain Spain September 17, 2023 October 23, 2023 5 0 2 3 30
Darren Powell[44] England England November 10, 2023 Present

USL Super League

TBA

USL W League

CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinDrawLossWin %
Alan Kirkup England England October 18, 2022 Present 10 3 1 6 35

Honors

USL League One

USL Super League

USL W League

USL Academy Cup

Super Y League

League Honors

USL League One

USL Super League

USL W League

Other Honors

References

  1. "United Soccer League Welcomes Lexington Pro Soccer as League One Expansion Club". 5 October 2021.
  2. "Lexington Sporting Club Reveal Brand Identity". 22 March 2022.
  3. "Lexington Sporting Club earns first win in club history, sinks South Georgia Tormeta 2-1". 15 April 2023.
  4. "2023 USL League One season", Wikipedia, 2023-12-08, retrieved 2023-12-08
  5. "Lexington's Michelle Rayner: "Never overlook USWNT at the Women's World Cup, but..."". USL Super League. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  6. "TECHNICAL STAFF". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  7. https://www.uslsuperleague.com/news/2023/05/16/usl-super-league-announces-initial-markets/
  8. https://www.uslsuperleague.com/news/2023/11/21/usl-super-league-awards-franchise-to-fort-lauderdale/
  9. https://www.uslsuperleague.com/about/
  10. "Lexington Sporting Club Announces Michael Dickey as Super League Head Coach Ahead of the Inaugural Season". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  11. https://www.lexsporting.com/news/lexington-sporting-club-to-join-usl-w-league-in-2023/
  12. https://www.uslwleague.com/league-teams
  13. USLLeagueOne com Staff (2023-03-15). "Knoxville & Lexington reveal rivalry trophy". USL League One. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  14. 1 2 3 "One Knoxville SC vs Lexington SC - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats". FotMob. 2024-03-23. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  15. 1 2 3 "Greenville Triumph SC vs Lexington SC - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats". FotMob. 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  16. https://www.lexsporting.com/our-supporter-groups/
  17. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railbird
  18. 1 2 3 4 "OUR CREST". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  19. "One Pager". Football Brand Designer.
  20. 1 2 Payne, Christopher (2022-03-22). "Behind the scenes: Designing Lexington Sporting Club's visual identity". Football Brand Designer.
  21. "Lexington Sporting Club". Bullhorn Creative.
  22. "Lexington's new pro soccer team releases name, crest". FOX 56 News. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  23. "OUR CREST". Lexington Sporting Club.
  24. "61 Reasons Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World". www.visitlex.com. 2020-07-02.
  25. Wood, Campbell (2021-11-18). "BizLex Q&A: Vince Gabbert". Smiley Pete Publishing.
  26. https://x.com/LexSporting/status/1657081504978141186?s=20
  27. "Lexington Sporting Club to play inaugural professional season at Georgetown College". Lexington Sporting Club. February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  28. "Lexington Pro Soccer Release Renderings for Downtown Soccer Stadium". 21 January 2022.
  29. https://www.lexsporting.com/news/lexington-sporting-club-announces-new-state-of-the-art-stadium/
  30. "Lexington Center Corporation requests proposals for High Street Development Project". WLEX. 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  31. "Lexington leaders: USL stadium will bring jobs, excitement downtown". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  32. Mikel, Aaron (2022-01-21). "Lexington Pro Soccer releases stadium renderings". LEXtoday. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  33. "Pro soccer team pitches downtown stadium complex". ABC 36 News. 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  34. Lofton, Shelby. "Business owners ready for increased foot traffic following the official opening of Central Bank Center". WKYT.
  35. Lofton, Shelby. "Lexington Pro Soccer releases renderings of proposed stadium". WSAZ.
  36. Hedrick, Chad. "Lexington Sporting Club plans to build complex off Newtown Pike". www.wymt.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  37. "Lexington Football Club and Commonwealth Soccer Club to Merge Under Lexington Sporting Club Soccer Academy".
  38. "Lexington Sporting Club to join Girls Academy for 2022-23 season". WLEX. 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  39. "Lexington Sporting Club signs on for pre-professional league". WLEX. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  40. "Front Office Staff". lexsporting.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  41. "Technical Staff". lexsporting.com. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  42. "Sam Stockley selected as first ever head coach for Lexington Sporting Club senior team". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  43. "Stockley Turns Full Focus to Sporting Director Role as Lexington SC names Nacho Novo Interim Head Coach". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  44. "Lexington Sporting Club Announces Darren Powell as Men's Head Coach Ahead of the 2024 Season". Lexington Sporting Club. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
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