USL President Jake Edwards held a press conference today at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville to officially award Nashville FC its USL franchise. They’ll begin league play in USL in 2018. NFC has been operating as a wholly fan-owned club in the 4th division NPSL since 2014. The club’s entry into the USL marks another nearby rival for Louisville City, and a great road trip for two cities with quite a lot of mutual history.

I might be more excited about the arrival of Nashville FC than others. I’ve followed the club since they were founded in 2013. Back then, I was president of the Coopers, and whether or not Louisville City FC would ever exist still hung in the air. I spoke to their GM Chris Jones on a couple of occasions to pick his brain about NFC in the event that our club didn’t come to be. He was a great guy and always ready to talk soccer with me. Luckily, our club became a reality, and we/I didn’t have to fund our own team for a few years before becoming professional. I wouldn’t have minded it, but there’s no way it would’ve paid the bills for me or the other guys that started the Coopers.

I also have a personal attachment to Nashville, the city. It’s no secret I’m a University of Kentucky football fan, and I’ve never had anything less than a blast visiting Music City for a bowl game or the SEC men’s basketball tournament. My wife went to Vanderbilt, and we go back often for sports and class reunions. It’s kind of my family’s second city, really.

Why should you be excited? Well, for one, Nashville’s close. It’s a straight shot down I-65. Two, no open container laws. Three, Nashville’s entry into the league might mean yet another conference reorganization, which is fun to talk about, and would likely mean a reunion with St. Louis FC. The four most fun teams in the league, with Louisville City, FC Cincinnati, St. Louis FC, and Nashville FC being in the same conference or division would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than a new outfit somewhere with no fans. Looking at you, Charlotte. Four, a new rivalry is always a good thing as long as it doesn’t come with some lame-o generic name like River Cities Cup. The Battle for the Railroad Spike sounds a lot better, IMO.

So let’s welcome/badger Nashville FC into the league. We can’t wait to kick their ass all over the league in 2018.

COME ON, CITY