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]
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.
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, Brooklyn FC (USL), Spokane Zephyr FC, Tampa Bay Sun FC 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 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]
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] Despite this, neither fan group has yet to see a whiskey barrel be present at the end of the season.
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.
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.
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]
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]
The club's mascot Thunder in her pen prior to kickoff
On May 12, 2023, LSC announced on their official "mini" mascotThunder, 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.
The team's ownership group had proposed a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Lexington, but the Lexington–Fayette Urban County Government 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 11,000 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), BMO Stadium (Los Angeles FC), Q2 Stadium (Austin FC), and BMO Field, Canada's first soccer-specific stadium (Toronto FC).[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 Kentucky Wildcatsmen'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 February 3, 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
