LouCity sets attendance record against rival FC Cincinnati
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Support for Louisville professional soccer team continued to build Saturday night as 11,632 fans flooded Louisville Slugger Stadium to watch Louisville City FC take on rival FC Cincinnati at home, setting a club record for attendance.
I spent Saturday's game on the field and was yet again amazed by how much LouCity fans care about their club. Throughout the entire 90 minutes, fans were on their feet, chanting and cheering their team on. On a regular game night, LouCity fans are rowdy. But bad blood between the two teams from previous meetings only fueled the crowds passion even more. The fans support never wavered the entire night; even with LouCity trailing 3-1 late in the second half, fans were on their feet encouraging LouCity through the final minutes.
The crowd - exceeding almost 2,000 more than what will fit in the club's potential new stadium that will hold 10,000 fans when completed - and its excitement did not go unnoticed by the club.
"I want to thank our supporters, because our supporters were fantastic tonight – they really were,” said coach James O’Connor following Saturday's loss. “The energy the supporters had was great. I thought the atmosphere was fantastic."
Scoring a second goal in stoppage time, LouCity was unable to attempt for an equating goal on Saturday and fell to FC Cincinnati 3-2. The harshest part for the players? Not giving their record crowd the performance they thought they deserved.
@loucityfc[/caption]
Support for Louisville professional soccer team continued to build Saturday night as 11,632 fans flooded Louisville Slugger Stadium to watch Louisville City FC take on rival FC Cincinnati at home, setting a club record for attendance.
I spent Saturday's game on the field and was yet again amazed by how much LouCity fans care about their club. Throughout the entire 90 minutes, fans were on their feet, chanting and cheering their team on. On a regular game night, LouCity fans are rowdy. But bad blood between the two teams from previous meetings only fueled the crowds passion even more. The fans support never wavered the entire night; even with LouCity trailing 3-1 late in the second half, fans were on their feet encouraging LouCity through the final minutes.
The crowd - exceeding almost 2,000 more than what will fit in the club's potential new stadium that will hold 10,000 fans when completed - and its excitement did not go unnoticed by the club.
"I want to thank our supporters, because our supporters were fantastic tonight – they really were,” said coach James O’Connor following Saturday's loss. “The energy the supporters had was great. I thought the atmosphere was fantastic."
Scoring a second goal in stoppage time, LouCity was unable to attempt for an equating goal on Saturday and fell to FC Cincinnati 3-2. The harshest part for the players? Not giving their record crowd the performance they thought they deserved.
“I noticed big emotion. You hear people screaming from both sides, and I know it means a lot to these people," LouCity forward Ilija Ilic said. "I feel the most pain right now because they brought out the biggest crowd this year – biggest crowd in the history (of Louisville City FC) – and we didn’t do our job well.”
The rivalry - while only three years old - has grown to be one of the more intense rivalries in the United Soccer League. With only 103 miles separating Louisville Slugger and Cincinnati's home field of Nippert Stadium, fans on both sides are able to travel to either site, making the rivalry not just between the team, but between the fans.
FC Cincinnati will return to Louisville Slugger Field for a final time on August 12. Don't miss out on another opportunity to experience all the LouCity and FC Cincinnati rivalry (and the rest of the home schedule) has to offer by purchasing your tickets here. Use promo code "KSR" for a discounted price.
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