Lexington SC
Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional soccer club based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2021 as an expansion side in USL League One—the third division of the United States soccer league system)—the club fields two professional and four amateur teams across the American soccer pyramid: USL Championship, USL Super League, United Premier Soccer League, USL W League, USL League Two, and USL Academy.
History
On October 5, 2021, the United Soccer League announced that Tower Hill Sports had been granted a USL League One expansion team in Lexington to start play in the 2023 season. Tentatively named "Lexington Pro Soccer", the team revealed its official colors, crest, and branding as Lexington Sporting Club on March 22, 2022.USL League One (2023–2025)
The club entered League One play with its inaugural match on March 18, 2023, against fellow expansion side One Knoxville SC, where they fell 1–2; Don Smart scored the first goal in the club's history from a penalty kick in the 28th minute. The Greens won their first match on April 15, 2023, in a 2–1 victory over Tormenta FC in full time at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown.By the end of their inaugural season, LSC finished ninth in USL League One, ahead of the reigning Supporters Shield winners Richmond Kickers, 2022 runners-up Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, and wooden-spoon winners Central Valley Fuego FC, with Senegalese forward/midfielder Ates Diouf finishing third in the Golden Boot race with 15 goals.
After two years in USL1, the club announced on August 13, 2024, that it would be leaving to join USL Championship starting in the 2025 season.
USL Championship (2025–present)
Ahead of the move to USLC, the team named former Oregon State and Austin FC coach Terry Boss as manager for the inaugural season.Lexington had a promising start to its first campaign with a historic 2–0 win at home against conference rival Hartford Athletic, but ultimately it was disappointing season for the Greens. LSC finished ninth in the Western Conference with a 9–9–12 record, missing the playoffs following a final-day loss to Oakland Roots SC.
Following the 2025 season, it was announced Boss would not return as head coach.
On Tuesday, December 8, 2025, in a unique move by the club, women's coach Masaki Hemmi was appointed as head coach of the USL Championship team, while assistant coach Kosuke Kimura would take over for the women's squad. Both coaching changes are scheduled to take effect in January 2026 during the Super League winter break.
Lexington SC Women
Lexington Sporting Club fields two women's teams within the USL structure: a professional team in the USL Super League and a pre-professional team in the USL W League. Former New Zealand international Michelle Reyner serves as the Women's Sporting Director, overseeing the entire player development process from youth to professional levels, with a focus on creating a seamless pathway for elite players.Gainbridge Super League
In May 2023, Lexington was announced as an inaugural member of the new USL Super League, kicking off alongside Carolina Ascent FC, Brooklyn FC, Dallas Trinity FC, Spokane Zephyr FC, Tampa Bay Sun FC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, and DC Power FC, with Indy Eleven, Sporting Club Jacksonville, Forward Madison FC and teams in Chattanooga and Oakland set to join in subsequent seasons. On January 9, 2024, the club announced Michael Dickey as the team's first head coach.The league is a Division I professional women's soccer league in the United States, alongside the National Women's Soccer League, and is owned and operated by USL. Originally planned to launch in August 2023, the league opened play on Saturday, August 17, 2024, with two matches: a 1–0 Carolina Ascent FC win against DC Power FC, and a 1–1 draw between Spokane Zephyr FC and Fort Lauderdale United FC.
Lexington Sporting Club played its first-ever Super League match on August 25, 2024, away against Carolina Ascent FC. They then hosted their first home game on September 8, 2024, at Lexington SC Stadium. Lexington finished the 2024–25 Super League campaign at the bottom of the league standings with a 4–18–6 record.
Following the season, Lexington named Masaki "Mac" Hemmi as the new head coach of the women's team on July 3, 2025. He was formally introduced in a press conference on July 7, following his departure from a stint as interim head coach of the NWSL's Chicago Stars FC. Under his leadership, the team has seen vast improvement, currently sitting in first place with a 5–0–7 record and riding a 13-game unbeaten streak going back to last season, while also breaking Carolina Ascent FC's season-opening record of 12 games unbeaten. However, Hemmi is set to be replaced by assistant coach Kosuke Kimura in January 2026, following the league's winter break, as part of a coaching move to the men's side.
Since the beginning of the 2025–26 season, digital finance company Gainbridge has held official naming rights, making the league officially known as the "Gainbridge Super League".
USL W League
Announced in October 2022, Lexington SC has also participated in the USL W League, a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States, since it officially began play in May 2023. The team competes in the Valley Division alongside Indy Eleven, Kings Hammer FC, Racing Louisville Academy, and St. Charles FC. The inaugural team played its matches at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown, though now both the W League team and men's USL League Two team play in Lexington at the LSC Sports Complex.Former National Women's Soccer League player Morgan Proffitt notably appeared in a handful of matches for the inaugural team.
Paul Dolinsky serves as the USLW head coach. Prior to LSC, Dolinsky served as the head coach for Indy Eleven's W-League squad, leading them on their 2023 title run.
Rivalries
Lexington SC's main league and region rivals are One Knoxville SC, Louisville City FC, and Greenville Triumph SC.The Battle of the Barrel (One Knoxville SC)
Lexington SC and One Knoxville joined USL League One as expansion sides together in 2023. The rivalry stems from the Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry as Lexington is home to the University of Kentucky and Knoxville is home to the University of Tennessee. The rivalry name comes from the old name for the matchup between Kentucky and Tennessee in college football where a beer barrel trophy was presented to the winner.The reported trophy for the winner on aggregate score at the end of the USL1 season is "a full-size whiskey barrel and a bottle of bourbon from a distiller located in the losing club's locale." Despite this, neither fan group has yet to see such a prize as of the start of the 2024 season.
| Season | Date | Competition | Stadium | Home team | Result | Away team | Goal scorers | Attendance | Series | Ref |
| 2023 | March 18 | USL1 | Regal Stadium | One Knoxville SC | 2–1 | Lexington SC | Villalobos, Keegan Smart | 2,512 | KNX 1–0–0 | |
| 2023 | May 27 | USL1 | Toyota Stadium | Lexington SC | 1–1 | One Knoxville SC | Brown Keegan | 2,282 | KNX 1–1–0 | |
| 2023 | August 18 | USL1 | Regal Stadium | One Knoxville SC | 1–0 | Lexington SC | Kelly-Rosales | 2,522 | KNX 2–1–0 | |
| 2024 | March 23 | USL1 | Regal Stadium | One Knoxville SC | 2–0 | Lexington SC | Castro Jr Ritchie | 1,975 | KNX 3–1–0 | |
| 2024 | June 8 | USL Jägermeister Cup | Regal Stadium | One Knoxville SC | 2–0 | Lexington SC | Crisler Ross | 1,955 | KNX 4–1–0 | |
| 2024 | August 10 | USL Jägermeister Cup | Toyota Stadium | Lexington SC | 0–0 5–3 | One Knoxville SC | The match ended in a 0–0 draw. Lexington won the penalty shoot-out 5–3 for the extra point in the Central Group standings | 1,173 | KNX 4–2–0 | |
| 2024 | September 13 | USL1 | Lexington SC Stadium | Lexington SC | 1–0 | One Knoxville SC | Richard Ballard | 2,416 | KNX 5–2–0 | |
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The Commonwealth Cup (Louisville City FC)
Lexington SC and Louisville City FC met for the first time in 2023 in the 2nd round of the U.S. Open Cup. The fans of both teams coined the term "El Bluegrassico" as a play on the name of the classic La Liga derby El Clásico and the nickname for Kentucky, "The Bluegrass State." Along with that, during their first match, an announcer coined the game as being "The Kentucky Derby Derby," in reference to both city's horseracing culture and the Kentucky Derby. Eventually, the rivalry was dubbed the Commonwealth Cup by both teams.| Season | Date | Competition | Stadium | Home team | Result | Away team | Goal scorers | Attendance | Series | Ref |
| 2023 | April 5 | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | Lynn Family Stadium | Louisville City FC | 1–0 | Lexington SC | Totsch | 4,205 | LOU 1–0–0 |
In the first match after Lexington joined the USL Championship, the event was recognized as an official part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The name given by supporters was replaced by a formal name for the series: The Commonwealth Cup presented by Republic Bank.
| Season | Date | Competition | Stadium | Home team | Result | Away team | Goal scorers | Attendance | Series | Ref | - |
| 2025 | May 1 | USLC Commonwealth Cup | Lynn Family Stadium | Louisville City FC | 2–0 | Lexington SC | Gilbert Goodrum | 8,233 | LOU 2–0–0 | ||
| 2025 | July 26 | USL Cup Commonwealth Cup | Lexington SC Stadium | Lexington SC | 1–2 | Louisville City FC | Jacob Greene Jake Morris | 8,252 | LOU 3–0–0 | - |