US Soccer’s Worst Kept Secret

As I start this article, I am about 24 hours from going to Lynn Family Stadium to watch Birmingham Legion FC take on Louisville City FC. I have been to a Louisville City FC match before, and I have been to Lynn Family Stadium before, but I have never seen Lou City in Lynn Family. Funny how that works.

I am planning to make an entire day out of it as I am going to record an episode of Away Days for The USL Show. I’m not really sure what to expect from this. When I went to watch Louisville City before, the support was there but there’s only so much support you can get from playing at a baseball stadium. When I went to Lynn Family Stadium, Racing Louisville (NWSL club) was on a major slide so the attendance was a bit low. Now Louisville City FC is flying high, as always, in a beautiful new stadium. Surely this means the support will be insane, right?

The Away Days Vlog:

Day of the Match

Between The Louisville Slugger Museum, Quill Coffee House, and Chick’n & Mi, this is an incredible place for a single day Away Day. I’m sure there are other things to see, but for one day? I’m having a blast. I’ve seen so many Racing Louisville and Louisville City FC shirts around town. This is an underrated soccer town.

Speaking of being a “soccer town”, at least a dozen people stopped me and told me that they listened to me talk to Benton and Zach from Vamos Morados. The amount of people that listen to them on their podcast, read Benton’s website, and listen to Soccer City on FM radio is incredible. People cannot get enough of soccer content. What I would give to be able to help build something like that in Birmingham, Alabama.

Gold Lot Experience

If you’re an Away Fan and not looking to raise Cain, go to the Gold Lot. Louisville City fans take care of away fans. I know as a Birmingham Legion fan, we have built a solid reputation with Louisville City fans throughout the years. Even so, the kindness they showed was incredible.

At the very least, go socialize, go sip some bourbon (if you’re of age, of course), eat one of their burgers or brauts, and have a great time. Go specifically ask for Matt or Chris, and tell them that Kaylor sent you.

In-Stadium Experience

This is class. Everything about it class. I cannot speak highly enough of the stadium, the staff, the people. I was treated so well by the Front Office. Despite being an FC Cincinnati fan, my hatred for those boys in purple are going away.

The stadium is perfect for the size of the team. Even with threats of thunderstorms, there was a strong contingency of Louisville City FC fans. There were also Legion FC fans who made the trip that absolutely made noise in their tidy corner of the stadium.

During the match, it was an incredible experience. The intimacy of the fans was incredible. I was talking to Louisville City fans all night and they were so incredibly nice from Pre-Game to Post-Match. The space between the closest standing areas and the pitch is so close. The players can hear and feel everything. It’s something that I know pushed the players forward.

Throughout the night, the fans were into it, singing, chanting, stomping, clapping for all 90′. There were moments that their announced 9,700 felt more like 15,000. The noise before Sean Totcsh buried his penalty was incredible. The roar, the build up, the light show afterword. It was all perfect.

The Light Show

Oh, the dreaded light show. If you asked NWSL fans, it is the worst thing to ever happen. The light show is single-handedly the reason for famine and suffering. My opinion? It’s incredible. My only complaint? It lasts WAY too long after the match. It was seriously about five minutes of strobing. It was cool, but after a while, it completely loses its effect.

But come on, are you telling me that you wouldn’t love to see your stadium do THIS after you score?!

Overall Takeaways

Lynn Family Stadium and Louisville, Kentucky is a must stop away day. I don’t care if you’re a USL, NWSL, MLS, UPSL, UWS, whatever. I don’t care. Go. It’s incredible. The nicest people are around. They will take care of you. Yeah, they’ll give you a hard time for being an opposing fan, but it’s seriously all in good fun. The city is booming with soccer talent and exploding in love of the game. Go ahead and check it out, because if you don’t do it soon, all the seats will be sold out.