Bluegrass Soccer fans! Last night was a tough one for Louisville City FC as they suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Sacramento Republic FC, one of the worst in franchise history. It’s hard to watch your team get dominated like that, but we must give credit where credit is due. Sacramento Republic FC played with skill, pace, and determination, leaving Lou City struggling to keep up.

The match started off poorly for Lou City, with Sacramento’s Luis Felipe scoring a goal in the first five minutes. It only worsened as Jack Gurr and Russell Cicerone scored their own goals, leaving Lou City down 3-0 at halftime. While Lou City had some opportunities to score, they couldn’t keep up with Sacramento’s pace and skill. Let’s not forget that Sacramento was a finalist in the U.S. Open Cup last year, and their roster is more similar to a bottom-tier MLS team than a USL Championship team. 

But let’s not dwell on the negative; too much. Lou City still has a long season ahead, and they have plenty of time to regroup and come back stronger. We know they’re a talented team, and we’ve seen them play much better in the past. So let’s take this loss for what it should be, a wake-up call, and see if Lou City comes back stronger and more determined than ever before; or do they lose to Lexington SC in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. We won’t have to wait long as they play on Wednesday night. 

Meanwhile, Racing Louisville FC faced off against Washington Spirit in an exciting match that ended in a 2-2 draw. The first half was dominated by the Spirit, who scored two goals within the first 32 minutes. However, Racing Louisville came back strong in the second half, with Abby Erceg scoring their first goal in the 46th minute and Ary Borges scoring the second in the 65th minute to tie the game. It was a thrilling game with shots on goal and fouls on both sides, and Ary Borges was awarded Player of the Match for her impressive performance.

Finally, Lexington Sporting Club fell to North Carolina FC with a final score of 2-1. While it was a disappointing loss, there were still some positive takeaways. Khalid Balogun scored the fastest goal of the USL League One season so far. Lexington SC demonstrated their strong defensive capabilities by not allowing a single shot on target in the first half. Despite falling behind in the second half, they continued to battle until the end, showing their determination and fighting spirit. 

The questions for Lexington are more about when will the points start trickling in and not if. We can see that they can compete in the USL League One. It is just a matter of time till the points start adding up. They will have an opportunity on Wednesday night to make a big statement as they will take on Louisville City in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup.

So there you have it, Bluegrass Soccer fans. It was a mixed bag of results for our Kentucky teams last night, but we must remember that it’s still early in the season. We have a lot of games left to play, and we know that our teams have what it takes to come out on top. Let’s keep supporting them and cheering them on, and let’s see what the rest of the season has in store!

Photo by: Fahad Alotaibi