
Game Day: LouCity vs. North Carolina FC
March 7, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City will travel to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina Saturday for its 2020 USL Championship regular-season opener against North Carolina FC at 2:30 p.m. Saturday's match will be the first of four consecutive away matches to begin the season for Louisville City.
After posting a 17-8-9 record last year, Louisville City will start their season with 17 returning players from the club's roster which won the 2019 Eastern Conference Title, and 10 starters from their USL Championship Final team.
North Carolina, who posted a similar record of 16-10-8, yet finished three-spots behind Louisville City, is returning 14 players from last year's roster. NCFC lost 3-2 against Birmingham Legion FC in the Play-In Round of the USL Championship Playoffs.
Saturday afternoon's tilt between Louisville City and NCFC is set to bring a high level of intensity throughout the match.
"You've been kind of sitting on it for a long time and as much as you try and get it out of your head or whatever, we shouldn't have lost [The USL Championship]," Louisville City midfielder Niall McCabe said. "We should have had the three-peat or the triple crown, whatever you want to call it. So, to come up short knowing what we have in the dressing room and stuff like that, it burns the fire inside of you so that you can come out next year and hopefully do it again with that added motivation as well."
Four newcomers and one former Louisville City player have joined the club for the 2019 season in hopes of bringing a third championship to Louisville. Off-season additions to the club consist of defenders Jimmy Ockford, Jonathan Gomez and Wes Charpie, midfielder Corben Bone and 2018 Golden Boot winner, striker Cameron Lancaster.
North Carolina signed four USL Championship veterans in the offseason, defenders Conor Donovan and Akeem Ward, midfielder Pecka and forward Hadji Barry while also inking three USL Championship rookies: defender Malick Mbaye, striker Daniele Proch and goalkeeper Paulo Pita.
Saturday's match is a rematch of last season's USL Championship season opener.
HOW TO WATCH
Saturday's 2:30 p.m. match between North Carolina FC and Louisville City FC will be available for streaming on ESPN+. The match will also be streamed locally on WDRB Now app, which is available on the WDRB.com web site.
HOW TO LISTEN
Saturday's match will be broadcast locally on 1080 WKJK radio with Howie Lindsey and Heidi Mueller on the call. The live stream link is available here: Talk Radio 1080 LIVE Stream
United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 7, 2020
- New Mexico Drops Opener - New Mexico United
- Young squad performs well in Head Coach Sven Gartung's debut - Philadelphia Union II
- STLFC Wins 4-1 over the Miami FC in 2020 Season Opener - Saint Louis FC
- Energy FC Drops Opener, 1-2 - OKC Energy FC
- San Antonio FC Earns 1-0 Victory over Reigning Champions Real Monarchs SLC - San Antonio FC
- Real Monarchs Fall 1-0 at San Antonio FC - Real Monarchs
- Indy Eleven Storms Back for 4-2 Win at Memphis 901 FC in 2020 Season Opener - Indy Eleven
- Switchbacks FC Win on the Road to Open 2020 Season - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Houston Dynamo Loan Three Players to RGV FC for Opening Day - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Louisville City Opens the Season with a 1-0 Win at North Carolina - Louisville City FC
- RGV FC Add Ten Players to 2020 Roster - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- North Carolina FC Falls 1-0 in Season Opener to Louisville City - North Carolina FC
- Hounds Complete Preseason with Tie against Toronto FC II - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Drawing Positive Conclusions: Orange County Happy with Effort in Opening Tie - Orange County SC
- Gameday: Rowdies Visit Red Bulls - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Nashville SC Loans SuperDraft Picks to Independence - Charlotte Independence
- Midfielder Ariel Martinez Named Captain of FC Tulsa in 2020 - FC Tulsa
- Preview: Rgv FC Host Los Dos in Home Opener - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- San Antonio FC Hosts USL Championship Title Holders in Season Opener - San Antonio FC
- Game Day: LouCity vs. North Carolina FC - Louisville City FC
- Orange County and El Paso Split Points in Hard Fought Contest - Orange County SC
- Tacoma Defiance Opens 2020 Campaign with 3-1 Home Loss - Tacoma Defiance
- Three Second-Half Goals Lead Reno to Season-Opening Win - Reno 1868 FC
- El Paso Locomotive Opens Season with a Draw against Orange County SC - El Paso Locomotive FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Louisville City FC Stories
- LouCity Claims First Place with Win Over Tampa Bay as Club-Best Unbeaten Start Continues
- What to Watch for as LouCity Hosts the Tampa Bay Rowdies
- LouCity Thwarted by Familiar Foe Loudoun United in USL Cup Play
- Soccer Holdings Front Office Expands with First C-Suite Roles
- Registration Open for Hanger Clinic's 2025 'Louisville Moves' Workshop

