Greatest LouCity Rival

This past Thursday was the first official USL Championship meeting of the Commonwealth Cup (sponsored by Republic, don’t want to get sued) between LouCity and Lexington (Bluegrassico is still the best name). With it being Lexington and Louisville involved, of course there is potential for a rivalry, and a contentious one at that. The first USL match saw that come to fruition as Lexington had a player receive a straight red card for kicking LouCity’s Aiden McFadden in the face during a tussle. These two teams have met in feisty preseason meetings the past couple seasons and now will have the opportunity to let their rivalry simmer and blossom in official matches, though in non-conference play as Lexington is in the Western Conference (yes, you read that right). The beginning of this rivalry got me thinking about who are LouCity’s greatest rivals in their history.

5. This spot was the toughest. It was easy for me to identify the first four on this list, but #5 was a downright struggle. The newest contender is Rhode Island who had City’s number all of last year and ended their Eastern Conference Finals Streak. Pittsburgh and Ben Lilley have been a consistently tough opponent throughout City’s existence. The Charleston/LouCity relationship has gotten hotter the last couple of years as they battle at the top of the Eastern Conference, and as Charleston Manager Ben Pirmann stokes the rivalry with idiotic quotes.
I settled on Detroit City FC as the 5th ranked rival. It is more of a supporters and social media rivalry than anything, as DCFC Fans (especially the Northern Guard) are very vocal. They play us quite tough in their parking lot known as Keyworth (hardest pitch in the league) and they always travel and bring good numbers to Lynn, which adds to this rivalry.

4. New York Red Bulls 2: Louisville City hit the ground running in their inaugural years, but their first boogeyman they couldn’t seem to tame was the Sugar Free Red Bulls. It took until their 6th meeting for City to earn a result, which was a 3-0 away win. City lost to the Junior Bulls in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals on penalties before finally getting over the hump and winning the Eastern Conference in 2017 in a penalty shootout at Slugger. It wasn’t just that City couldn’t beat Red Bulls 2, it was that the NYRB2 destroyed City with only two of their early wins being by a single goal. The rivalry was never the same after 2017 as Red Bulls 2 only won once against City and the sides didn’t play each other during the pandemic. The final match was a 6-0 destruction by LouCity as all the MLS “2” teams left the USL and restructured as a minor league under MLS. It was a sad ending to City’s first rivalry.

3. FC Cincinnati: Don’t shoot the messenger! This may be the most intense of City’s rivalries, and for good reason, but it doesn’t have the longevity. Cincinnati entered the USL the year after Louisville City, and unsurprisingly a new rivalry was born. Maybe it was the proximity, maybe it was the historic issues between UL and the University of Cincinnati, but whatever it was, this rivalry took off immediately. The teams would play each other tough, usually trading wins depending on who the home team was. This rivalry saw blowouts (City winning 5-0 at Slugger with Sean Reynolds dodging teammates after the 5th to run to left field and remind the traveling fans their team had given up 5 goals) and knockouts as FC Cincy’s Djiby Fall was retroactively suspended after City claimed, and proved, he had bitten Niall McCabe during a match. 2019 saw FC Cincy move to MLS and the rivalry demoted to occasional match-ups in the U.S. Open Cup, which Cincinnati has won. The Dirty River Derby is still my favorite rivalry nickname though!

2. Indy Eleven: The LIPAFC (Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest) is the greatest rivalry in all of sports. That is not to be debated. The on-the-field rivalry has left a little to be desired at times as City have been the dominant side with 11 wins in 23 meetings, a 10-match unbeaten streak at one point, and a current 3-game winning streak. This rivalry did witness one of City’s biggest moments in franchise history as Antoine Hoppenot “parted the seas” in stoppage time in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals at Indy to equalize and send the game to extra time, which City ultimately won 3-1. A 2024 match was the first USL match be nationally broadcast on network tv on CBS and saw a thrilling 5-3 City win. The draw of the Indy rivalry is its history with matches for the LIPAFC dating back centuries!

1. Tampa Bay Rowdies: This rivalry is centered around the playoffs and these two titans meeting routinely in the USL postseason. There isn’t a cheeky name or geographic proximity at play here; just soccer played at the highest level, begrudging respect, and a penchant for match-ups and moments with the most on the line. This rivalry has nothing to do with the regular season, even though Al Lang in Tampa has been a nemesis for City until this year. This rivalry is about the Eastern Conference Finals. Tampa took City down in the 2020 ECF at Lynn. That bastard Lucky Mkosana came on to score two late goals to complete the Tampa comeback in Tampa in 2021. 2022 saw LouCity exorcise some demons as Elijah Wynder finished a frantic scramble in front of goal in extra time, while a man down due to a Corben Bone red card. That Wynder goal might be the loudest I have ever heard Lynn Family Stadium. They haven’t met in the playoffs since 2022, but those three straight years of ECF matches made this rivalry different; more intense, more dramatic, and impactful.