Louisville City FC will break from USL Championship play to host its first-ever international friendly at 8 p.m. Wednesday when welcoming FC Kaiserslautern to Lynn Family Stadium.
FCK visits in the preseason run up to its 2023-2024 2. Bundesliga campaign, offering a rare opportunity to see traditionally strong clubs from the German and American second divisions face one another.
Tickets remain on sale by visiting LouCity.com/friendly, with the Lynn Family Stadium Fan Zone opening at 6:30 p.m. for a $2 beer and bratwurst happy hour. Once all stadium gates open at 7 p.m., German-inspired beer will be served in commemorative steins while supplies last. Other unique offerings, such as a schnitzel sandwich, will be available at concession stands.
Located in close proximity to the Ramstein Air Base, FCK maintains a solid American following. The Kaiserslautern military community consists of more than 50,000 people and is the largest U.S. military community outside of the country. This will mark the Red Devils’ first game in America before the second leg of their trip on June 28 at Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United.
One of the most storied teams in Germany, FCK won its nation’s highest division in 1951, 1953, 1991 and 1998 — with that most-recent title secured the same season the Red Devils were promoted back to the Bundesliga. The club is also a two-time German Cup Winner in 1990 and 1996.
FCK is three weeks separated from the end of its 2022-2023 season. The Red Devils finished ninth on the table and boast top support, averaging attendance at their Fritz Walter Stadium of 40,490 — No. 2 worldwide for a second division club.
U.S. international Terrence Boyd — who played alongside LouCity coach Danny Cruz in the youth national team ranks — led FCK in scoring with 13 goals and figures to star on the U.S. summer tour.
“We are really looking forward to having our training camp in the United States,” said FCK’s managing director, Thomas Hengen. “This will certainly be a great new experience for everyone involved. Due to the large number of Americans who live in the region around Kaiserslautern, we at FCK have always had a great connection to the United States. It is something very special for us to travel to the USA and represent German soccer.
“Soccer in the U.S. has developed very positively in recent years. We will have excellent conditions for our training camp and challenging preseason matches at Louisville City and Minnesota United. A trip like this is a major team building opportunity with many new impressions and insights.”
LouCity meets FCK amid a run of three games in eight days. Having played last weekend at Phoenix Rising FC, the boys in purple also host Las Vegas Lights FC this Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium. CIty’s second international friendly, against Mexico’s Atlanta FC, falls on Saturday, July 15.
The FCK game will air locally on MyTV 58 and ESPN Louisville’s 680/105.7 with streaming coverage in the U.S. via ESPN+.
