‘This is growing.’ In second year, Lexington Sporting Club discovers script for success.

Spirits were high around Toyota Stadium and among Lexington Sporting Club fans, players and staff last Saturday night.

With a 2-1 victory over the Richmond Kickers, Lexington managed to do something it had done only once previously in USL League One regular season play this year: Win a match.

“This team has underperformed in terms of what our expectations are and everybody’s expectations were,” head coach Darren Powell said after the win. “At the same time, we’ve had one of those seasons where we’ve had a couple of injuries, a couple of bad breaks in games (and) eventually they will balance themselves out. Hopefully, tonight was the start of that.”

The “bad breaks” Powell mentioned have contributed to Lexington’s current position (11th out of 12 teams) in the league table and six points off the final playoff spot.

But the win was an example of how LSC might be able to fix some of its struggles.

Lexington Sporting Club finds style of play and soccer identity

In its last USL League One match before Saturday night’s win — a 2-1 home loss to South Georgia Tormenta — Lexington took the lead through forward Ates Diouf just before halftime, but then struggled to convert its attacking opportunities in the second half. Tormenta was able to equalize before sealing its road win late in the game.

“I think the one thing we learned against Tormenta and what we shared with the players (was) we felt we sank in the second half a little bit,” Powell said. “What I mean by that is the space between our highest player and our lowest player was quite big, so what we’ve done — and we want to do a better job of — is staying connected as a team. That’s very important to us to be connected.”

The script looked similar against Richmond, with Azaad Liadi opening the scoring just before halftime, before Lexington conceded an equalizer about a minute into the second half. But, in defiance of its form, Lexington flew up the pitch from the restart kickoff to take the lead back through Diouf.

“We talked about it and knew they were going to come to the second half hard and I think we were all ready, but they got a goal and (to score immediately after) gave us a boost,” Diouf said. “We have a good group and a good coach that pushes us to be better and we showed it in tough moments.”

The goal was Diouf’s 20th with Lexington since he joined the club from San Antonio FC — which plays in the USL Championship, the division above USL League One — prior to the 2023 season.

What LSC players have stood out this season?

Ates Diouf, 24, midfielder

Diouf’s two goals this season in USL League One play are tied for the most by an LSC player, while he also leads the team in assists (two) and total shots (15).

“Ates comes with the right spirit every day to train, he wants to get better, he gives his all for this club and he’s a wonderful young man,” Powell said. “I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg for him. He can do more, he knows it and he’s going to improve. He’s improved his overall game and I’ve seen him even when he was in his San Antonio days.”

Tate Robertson, 27, defender

Last season, Robertson was dubbed Lexington’s “set-piece maestro” and registered 12 combined goals and assists. He’s an attack-minded fullback: Robertson can keep the defense organized, but is also often getting up the pitch and contributing to the attack.

Roberston has appeared in all 11 regular season games for Lexington this season, starting seven, while being deployed in various positions around the field. While he has yet to register a goal or an assist in USL League One or in USL Jagermeister Cup play this season, Robertson leads Lexington in chances created (15) and is a solid option to contribute.

Amal Knight, 30, goalkeeper

Despite keeping only two clean sheets in USL League One play this season, Knight has tallied 29 saves, which ranks sixth in the league.

In USL Jagermeister Cup play, Knight has made 16 saves and has kept two clean sheets in six appearances.

In his first season with the club in 2023, Knight — who has represented Jamaica internationally — made 80 saves while solidifying himself as Lexington’s first-choice keeper.

LSC enjoys success in new USL Jagermeister Cup

While there’s hope of a turnaround for LSC in regular season play, Lexington’s performance in the USL Jagermeister Cup, a new competition for USL League One teams this season, has been successful: LSC sits second in its group with 11 points, having collected three wins from six matches.

The USL Jagermeister Cup is an in-season, World Cup-style tournament that has added additional competition featuring all 12 USL League One teams. The competition has been modified to encourage goals and places an emphasis on attacking play. Penalty shootouts are used to determine a winner for matches that are tied at the end of regulation, and goals scored is used as the first tiebreaker in group standings, rather than goal difference.

Goals scored will also help determine one of the four teams that advances to the knockout stage of the competition: Lexington is currently second in its cup group, one point behind Forward Madison for a knockout-round spot.

“It’s great to have two competitions within the season because now the players have the opportunity to be successful and earn silverware in the regular season, postseason and the Jagermeister Cup,” Powell, LSC’s head coach, said. “I think having those three opportunities is really good.”

While the cup performances have been good, Powell said the approach doesn’t change for his team between the competitions.

“Last year they were league games,” he said. “If you combine the two, (the cup) obviously looks more favorable to us right now. But the bottom line is we’re focused.”

“We’re putting in some good processes for the club that I think can really impact the club long term,” added Powell, who is in his first season as LSC’s head coach. “We want to create and generate excitement for the local supporters (and) we’re starting to do that. Excitement is not always totally linked to winning, but we want it to be linked to winning.”

One of the pillars of that foundation is the construction of the club’s new 5,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium along Athens Boonesboro Road in Lexington. The new stadium will begin hosting matches in September.

“I hope we have passionate fans who want to get behind the local team. It will take time, that’s a given, but this is growing,” Powell said. “The owners have been absolutely magnificent in their investment in soccer in this community. Our job as custodians to that is to help and look after that project. We want to create a buzz that people want to go to the games on a Saturday night both on the men’s and women’s side.”

LSC aims to grow soccer culture in Central Kentucky

Lexington is still in its infancy as a professional soccer organization and it hopes to establish a united front with its men’s professional team that translates across the club, said LSC men’s sporting director Sam Stockley.

“Obviously, you’re trying to build a culture, a collectiveness, a togetherness and an identity for a football club,” Stockley said. “Within the first team, you’re trying to find the chemistry and the connection with the players as well as trying to win games because that’s really important for all of us.”

Stockley spent most of last season as both LSC’s men’s sporting director and head coach, before shifting to the sporting director role full-time last fall.

As the sporting director, Stockley said his focus is on culture and identity while providing pathways for younger players to work into the first team and continue to recruit within the club’s vision.

“(It’s) much more of a leadership position in the sporting director role, but I absolutely love it and feel very blessed to have a team and a group that I work for and work with.”

With Powell, Stockley said Lexington aims to be “everything you see in the modern-day game,” as a high-intensity team that presses high up on the pitch, moves the ball well, stays compact and connected, and can attack and defend as a unit.

“It doesn’t always happen and it’s a work in progress, but I think over the last two to three games we’ve seen spells of that intensity,” Stockley said. “Now, we’ve got to be able to piece it together for 90 minutes consistently for the next 10 or 11 games.”

Stockley’s approach as the sporting director is all-hands-on-deck, including helping Powell with tactics from the press box during matches.

“It’s an eye in the sky, just to let them know some things that are happening,” Stockley said.

It replicates what the club wants to bring to the team and the community: One collective family.

Next match

Lexington Sporting Club at Charlotte Independence

What: USL League One regular season match

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina

Live video stream: ESPN Plus

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