Lexington Sporting Club holding home opener this weekend

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (WKYT) - The Lexington Sporting Club is holding its home opener this weekend.

The club is spending its inaugural season at Georgetown College.

It’s been a year and a half since plans to form the Lexington Sporting Club were first announced.

For those who have been anticipating pro soccer’s arrival in the Bluegrass, the wait finally ends on Saturday.

“It’s been a whirlwind just getting to this point, but we’re so excited to finally get to play in front of our community that’s been so special,” said Lexington Sporting Club Communications Director Kyle Piercy.

The club has spent months building its brand and its squad from scratch. However, it’s an experience that Head Coach Sam Stockley has embraced.

“From the offset, I think we’ve built a clear identity of how we wanted to play,” said Stockley. “The type of football we wanted to play that we felt the community could relate to. Passion, energy, intensity.”

Stockley identified 22 players to match that style and brought them in.

They have suffered two narrow defeats on the road to start the season. But Stockley says they’ve only had 10 weeks together, so they are continuing to get better each and every day.

Stockley’s hopeful the product they put out on the pitch Saturday will keep fans coming back all season long.

“We play the game. The players play this game, and I was fortunate enough to play this game, and you do it is for the gameday on Saturday. They want to do everything they can to put in a performance, and hopefully, that engages the community,” said Stockley.

Depending on the weather, the club has a chance to make its first statement in the Commonwealth Wednesday night.

A rivalry will be born as LSC plays against Louisville City FC, one of the USL’s perennial powerhouses, in its first-ever U.S. Open Cup match.

You can watch tonight’s match for free on youtube.

The club encourages fans to show up early on Saturday as they will be handing out rally towels, a commemorative ticket and a match poster while supplies last.

Parking lots open at 5 p.m., and the match kicks off at 7.