The Louisville Lightning will take on the San Diego Sockers on Saturday, April 10th at 7:30 PM at Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex for the finals of the U.S. Open Arena Championships. This match is brought to you by SpringHill Suites Louisville Downtown and Louisville Marriott Downtown.
The single elimination tournament has been going on since last December and featured all 9 teams from the professional division and 14 teams from the amatuer division of the PASL. The Lightning (11-5) defeated the Cincinnati 1790 Express at home on February 29th for the semi-final of the Eastern bracket, and the San Diego Sockers (13-3) defeated Vitesse on March 4th for the semi-final of the Western bracket. San Diego is the champion of the Western Divison of the PASL-pro and won the championship tournament on March 12-14 at their home arena.
Tickets for this special event are available for $10 general admission only. They are first come first serve so be sure to purchase your tickets today!
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After a 20-year absence from professional soccer, the expansion franchise Louisville Lightning will cap off its inaugural season with the biggest game in Louisville’s history of the sport. On Saturday, April 10at 7:30 PM the Lightning will host the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) 2009-10 Champion and legendary indoor soccer giant San Diego Sockers. The Sockers have been a staple in West Coast soccer for over 30 years boasting ten national championships and earning the right to be called one of the most successful teams in the history of indoor soccer.
The post-season championship match at Mockingbird Valley Soccer Arena is the final of the US Open Cup, the nation’s largest pro-am indoor soccer tournament. The single-elimination, bracket style competition began last December with over forty teams is down to the final two survivors. The match-up presents an opportunity for a dramatic finish for the first-year Lightning, which was launched last August and has taken Louisville by storm.
The Louisville Lightning has become a household name in the Louisville soccer community in just its first season. With a consistent turnout of packed-house, sell out crowds averaging over 1,000 fans at home games, the Lightning matches have become popular for their unique, entertaining atmosphere. The Family friendly environment features a Kid Zone with games and inflatables, a DJ and Emcee, the Lightning Ladies Dance Team, an energetic fan zone, party rooms available for groups, a VIP lounge, and not to mention high quality, fast-paced indoor soccer with constant action and scoring.
The Lightning team finished the season with an 11-5 record (8-1 at home) and second place finish in the Eastern Conference of the PASL. The team is made up of mostly local products, with 19 of its 22 players under contract having graduated from Kentucky high schools or colleges. Head Coach Scott Budnick was named the PASL Coach of the year. Leading goal scorer Safet Kovacevic garnered First Team All-PASL league honors, defender John Kincheloe earned Second Team, and goalkeeper Frank Peabody and defender Adam Boyer were named to the Honorable Mention Team.
The team has been featured in print and web publications such as The Courier Journal, The Voice Tribune, Louisville.com, Louisvillemojo.com, The Louisville Cardinal, The Turret, and El Dia En America. The Lightning has been featured on local television news broadcasts such as WHAS 1, FOX 41, WAVE 3, and WLKY. Their website (louisvillelightning.com) features up to 1,000 hits per day, their facebook page has over 3,000 interactive fans, and their E-Newsletter goes out to over 5,000 supporters.
The expansion franchise is owned and chaired by local businessmen Wayne Estopinal and Ted Nichols. Estopinal and Nichols are also the owners of Mockingbird Valley Sports Arena, which has served as the team’s venue for the 2009-10 season. “We are very pleased to have brought the Louisville Lightning to reality this year. Continuing to build upon our area’s soccer history and enthusiasm is our goal,” said Estopinal. Added Nichols, “The opportunity for our locally produced talent to continue their careers at the professional level has been a major step toward putting Louisville soccer on the national scene.”
The front office is lead by general manager and player David Horne. Horne, a product of Saint Xavier High School and an Academic All-American at Centre College, previously played professionally for rival Cincinnati Express and while serving as the men’s assistant soccer coach at Centre. Along with VP of Operations Nick Stover, the Lightning front office staff features 22 interns from the University of Louisville’s Sports Administration Department.
More about the Open Cup Final Match
Louisville (11-5) has been idle since it’s last home game on February 26.
San Diego (13-3) last played on March 13 when they clinched the PASL North American Championship with a 9-8 win over La Raza de Guadalajara.
Louisville arguably had the more difficult path to the final. The Lightning count wins over the West Virginia Quantum Force (PASL-Premier), Ohio Vortex, Detroit Waza, and Cincinnati. San Diego’s draw included a bye and three wins over top PASL-Premier (amateur) teams, the San Diego Fusion, Estadio Azteca All-Stars, and Vitesse Dallas. Both Estadio and Vitesse upset PASL-Pro teams to advance in the tournament.
While the Sockers are enjoying the spoils of their championship, the Lightning was the odd team out, missing the playoffs by just one game. The teams did not meet in the regular season, but the Open Cup Final has quickly become a match up that both teams are looking forward to get underway.
Lightning Head Coach Scott Budnick won the league’s Coach of the Year honors after leading the expansion team to an 11-5 record despite having just one player (GM David Horne) on his roster with prior professional indoor experience. This didn’t sit well with some Sockers players who felt their own coach Phil Salvagio should have won the award. Despite a roster deep with veteran talent, the Sockers, an expansion team in their own right, finished with the league’s best record and went on to win the title.
"We look forward to competing against the San Diego Sockers. They are a storied organization and have several championship banners to their name. To get a result against them for our fans would be quite an accomplishment,"
said Lightning Head Coach Scott Budnick.
This has the makings of an arm-wrestling contest between the western swagger of the Sockers and the upstart brashness of the eastern Lightning.
"After a long and hard-fought inaugural season, it is great that the Lightning has a chance to play for the U.S. Open Cup against a team with such a strong indoor soccer tradition as San Diego, it will be a very good game," said Lightning owner Wayne Estopinal.
Added owner Ted Nichols, “As an organization, we are very pleased to be hosting the US Open Cup. It is a wonderful reward for the boys and a great way to cap off the year. For myself, I have followed the Sockers since the 1980’s and to be hosting this historic club in our facility in Louisville is not only special for me but for all of our fans. San Diego will display a wealth of talent and will demonstrate for all what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of indoor soccer.”
For tickets to this exciting event * visit our website www.louisvillelightning.com * call our ticket sales line 502-727-9070 * Or pick them up at Mockingbird Valley Sports Arena
About the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
The PASL (Professional Arena Soccer League) has 10 teams in the United States and has partnerships with the professional indoor leagues in Canada and Mexico. The Louisville Lightning played a 16 game schedule as members of the Eastern Division along with the St. Louis Illusion, Cincinnati Express, Detroit Waza, and the Ohio Vortex in Canton. The Lightning hosted 9 home games beginning in November and featured a season high crowd of 1,547 spectators at their February 19 game against their instant rival Cincinnati Express.
History of professional soccer in Louisville
In 1987 the former professional indoor soccer team Louisville Thunder ceased operation. Many of those players and officials became the core of coaches, managers, and enthusiasts, which have led the Louisville area’s soccer interest for the last 20 years. The name of the Louisville Lightning was selected to acknowledge the history and dedication of the original professional franchise.
