I don’t want to talk about FC Cincinnati joining MLS. I really don’t. It has next to nothing to do with Louisville City, the club we care about. Of course, FCC’s defection to MLS means Louisville City loses its biggest and fiercest rival. The league in general loses its biggest villain and whipping boy. That’s no fun.

It wasn’t so long ago that I eagerly anticipated having a rival club just up the road. Then they came out with that godawful chalk in the face video, a cheer instruction video featuring five interns teaching other interns how to cheer badly, and became super mock-able. Then their GM openly dismissed USL as a stepping stone league in one of his first recorded interviews. Then they bought a bunch of expensive players and a “name” coach and set their sights on winning everything. They never won anything, but you’d never know it if you asked their fans online. PRO TIP: don’t talk to people Online. Then they sold a bunch of tickets and bragged about it a lot, and acted like that was just as good as a trophy. FCC’s always been an organization with one foot out the door, and never apologized for being anything but. Nobody likes that.

So they’re gone. Bye. They’ll visit Slugger one last time late in the season, at which point the game may or may not mean anything. The Dirty River Derby is already won, so chances are FCC will just be playing for a playoff seed while looking ahead to dismantling their USL operation and doing whatever it is you have to do to become a shareholder in MLS.

Louisville City will be fine, of course. We’ve got a new stadium coming, our coach is one of the best in the country, our roster is small but mighty, our support gets more robust every game. As long as Louisville City Football Club focuses on itself, the sky is the limit. Let’s go win another trophy.