Everything you need to know about Lexington Sporting Club’s first match of the 2024 season

LEXINGTON, KY (WTVQ)- Lexington Sporting Club’s second season in existence begins with a foe who finished third in the United Soccer League One last season, Northern Colorado Hailstorm.

The two sides kick off at 7 p.m. at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown on Saturday March 9.

Goals Galore in Previous Meetings

Despite Lexington SC’s poor form leading to an ninth place finish last year, both teams produced some fireworks during the matches they played in 2023.

In the three meetings with Northern Colorado, 16 goals were scored between the two sides.

The first meeting was on June 3 as the pair shared the points after a 2-2 draw in Georgetown. Ates Diouf scored a brace to get Lexington even with the visitors.

The heat rose from there in the series.

On August 5, Lexington won a 4-3 thriller away from home by way of a Diouf hat trick and a Tate Robertson tally. The third fixture at Toyota Stadium on September 6 provided another spectacle with Hailstorm taking all three points by a score of 3-2.

Turning the Ship Around

Last season, LSC went 7-14-11 to start their story as a club. Other statistics also paint the picture of a poor first season. Lexington finished tied for seventh in goals scored with 46 and third in goals conceded with 57.

The aspiration for the club is that the players and staff can win more games to challenge for trophies. A glimmer of hope can be found in the path of the Hailstorm.

Northern Colorado has been a USL1 club for just a season more than Lexington. They began play in 2022 and finished seventh in the league before jumping up the table by four places last year.

A one year turnaround like Northern Colorado’s is what Sporting will be aiming for after an off-season with plenty of change.

The (New) Gaffer is Here

New Head Coach Darren Powell comes in to catapult the club to the top of the league table. His staff is complete with goalkeeping coach Chris Barocas and assistant coach Javier Cano, who both were signed in January.

Powell, a Nottingham, England native, previously coached at Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer and was the south Florida club’s Director of Player Development. He previously managed in USL1 when he was the head coach of Fort Lauderdale CF in 2021.

Old Faces in the Same Places

Powell decided to return 10 players from Lexington’s first season as a professional outfit.

The highlights of the holdovers are the club’s leading goal scorer in Diouf, second leading scorer in Nico Brown, starting goalkeeper Amal Knight and former Kentucky Wildcat Kaelon Fox.

The full list of returners is below.

• Goalkeepers Amal Knight and Austin Causey.
• Defenders Erick Ceja-Gonzalez, Kimball Jackson, Kaelon Fox and Tate Robertson.
• Midfielders Ates Diouf and Pierre Mane.
• Forwards Nico Brown and Khalid Balogun.

New Kids on the Block

Powell and his team have recruited 14 newcomers to wear Lexington’s colors this campaign.

Sporting’s marquee signing is Louisville City FC’s all-time leading goalscorer Cameron Lancaster. The London, England native is not alone when it comes to players with United Soccer League Championship experience coming down a league to play for the club. Six of the new faces have played significant minutes in the USL’s top flight.

Lexington also was able to secure the signature of local talent Issac Cano on loan from LouCity for the 2024 season. Cano is a 2021 state champion with Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School’s boys soccer team. He signed his first professional contract with the Derby City side in January.

The full list of newcomers is below.

• Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano.
• Defenders Modesto Mendez, Ebenezer Ackon, Christian Lue-Young, Anthony Patti, Michael Agboola and Jorge Corrales.
• Midfielders Abel Caputo, Jayden Onen, Yannick Yankam and David Loera.
• Forwards Cameron Lancaster and Issac Cano.

Predicted Starting XI versus Northern Colorado

Sporting have spent a lot of time and effort to bolster their back line. The team has 10 defenders signed on for the new season which is the highest total at any position on the team.

But, the firepower needed to compete for trophies is expected to be found in Lancaster, Brown, Diof and their supporting cast

The first starting lineup of 2024 will most likely be a mix of returners and newcomers given the solid options in both groups. A predicted starting 11 is below for the club’s first match.

Match Information

Lexington SC plays at Toyota Stadium on the campus of Georgetown College. Parking opens at 5 p.m. Gates, the club shop and concessions stands open a half hour later. Also starting at 5 p.m., The Railbirds supporters group will have a tailgate in the softball stadium’s parking lot with food for sale. Other information, including ticket purchases, can be found here.