by Taylor Sorrels (@AbGatorade)

After teasing us with announcements that the season schedule would be announced by the end of the month, USL Pro finally gave us something to talk about on Friday: They’d announce the home openers on Saturday, and release the full schedule on Monday*.  Louisville City FC’s first ever league game will be at home against St. Louis FC on March 28, time TBD. Here’s the full home opener schedule by conference (H/T: /u/LDGoals at /r/MLS):

Two things:

First, it’s awesome to kick off the season against STLFC! We’ve already been in touch with their supporters group, the St. Louligans, regarding a seasonal rivalry trophy, which we’re calling the Kings’ Cup (named after our respective cities’ namesakes, naturally). More to come once everyone agrees on rules and who pays for the thing. We’ve already poked some at St. Louis FC, and they’ve been more than happy to return the favor via stlouligans.com, Twitter, and elsewhere.

Second, the date of the home opener falls on the same weekend as the regional finals in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Kentucky is a prohibitive favorite to be playing in one of those games, and UofL will more than likely be involved that same weekend. Your Coopers club liaison has been in contact with Louisville City staff regarding this point, as there’s no doubt basketball will have an effect on attendance at and interest in the home opener around town, which is less than ideal. More details to come as we learn more.

* The delay in releasing the schedule is probably what prompted Louisville City FC to extend the deadline to become a Founding Member. Get your season tickets now, if you haven’t already!