# 2023 Lexington SC season

The 2023 Lexington SC season was the club's first season since their establishment on October 5, 2021. The club made its league debut in the USL League One as well as its domestic cup debut in the U.S. Open Cup.

## Background

On October 5, 2021, the United Soccer League announced that Tower Hill Sports had been granted a USL League One expansion team in Lexington to start play in the 2023 season. Tentatively named "Lexington Pro Soccer," the team revealed its official colors, crest, and branding as Lexington Sporting Club on March 22, 2022. The club named Sporting Director Sam Stockley as the club's first ever head coach on October 13, 2022. Following this announcement, the team announced that Warren Goodhind would be joining the coaching staff as the First Assistant Coach on October 18, 2022. On November 15, the team announced that Rangers F.C. legend Nacho Novo would be joining the coaching staff as an assistant coach and head coach of the U-23 squad. Connor Talbot was appointed the Head of Goalkeeping and the goalkeeping coach for the squad in September 2022.

## Coaching Change

In the afternoon of September 17, before their matchup against the Charlotte Independence, the club announced that head coach Sam Stockley would be stepping down from his role to focus on being the club's sporting director full-time. Nacho Novo was promoted to interim manager for the remaining 5 matches. The club's president Vince Gabbert, was quoted as saying the following about the move -
   “With our youth academy continuing to grow and permanent facilities coming to fruition, the Sporting Director role will require Sam’s full attention for the long-term success of this club,” Gabbert said. “Our original plan was for Sam’s dual role as Head Coach and Sporting Director to be short-term. Sam has been an integral part of the formation of Lexington SC and one of its centerpieces since the beginning. We can’t thank him enough for putting this club on the path to success.”

## Season squad

| Squad No. | Name | Date of birth (age) |
| Goalkeepers ||||
| 1 | Austin Causey | Aug 20, 2001 (21) |
| 13 | Amal Knight | Nov 19, 1993 (29) |
| 44 | Luke Phillips^ | Oct 25, 2006 (16) |
| Defenders ||||
| 2 | Tate Robertson | May 31, 1997 (26) |
| 3 | Owen Green | Sep 9, 1998 (24) |
| 4 | Kimball Jackson | Aug 2, 2004 (18) |
| 5 | Kaelon Fox | May 31, 1995 (28) |
| 17 | Erick Ceja-Gonzalez | Sep 1, 2001 (21) |
| 20 | Diallo Irakoze | Feb 10, 2001 (22) |
| 26 | Cesar Murillo | Feb 16, 1996 (27) |
| 33 | Franky Martinez | Aug 9, 1995 (27) |
| 57 | Terique Mohammed | Jan 27, 2000 (23) |
| Midfielders ||||
| 8 | Charlie Machell (C) | Oct 25, 1994 (28) |
| 10 | Don Smart | Dec 2, 1987 (35) |
| 11 | Seo-In Kim "SoSo" | Apr 18, 1995 (28) |
| 22 | Phila Dlamini | Feb 26, 1999 (24) |
| 25 | Pierre Mané | Jun 16, 1998 (25) |
| 32 | Ates Diouf | Mar 24, 2000 (23) |
| Forwards ||||
| 7 | Jalen James | May 10, 2000 (23) |
| 9 | Will Baynham | Jun 13, 1997 (26) |
| 14 | Khalid Balogun | Jul 25, 1998 (24) |
| 18 | Drew Patterson | Apr 20, 2001 (22) |
| 77 | Nico Brown | Aug 11, 1998 (24) |
| 80 | Josh Head | Jan 6, 2004 (19) |
^ - Lexington SC Academy Contract
Last updated: December 15, 2023. Source: Lexington SC, League One stats

## Transfers
### In

| Pos. | Player | Previous Club | Details | Date |
| DF | Kaelon Fox | FC Tucson | Free Transfer | January 9, 2023 |
| MF | Ates Diouf | San Antonio FC | Free Transfer | January 10, 2023 |
| MF | Charlie Machell | FC Tucson | Free Transfer | January 10, 2023 |
| GK | Amal Knight | Harbour View F.C. | Free Transfer | January 11, 2023 |
| DF | Tate Robertson | Chattanooga FC | Free Transfer | January 12, 2023 |
| FW | Will Baynham | Queen's Park F.C. | Free Transfer | January 12, 2023 |
| DF | Owen Green | South Georgia Tormenta FC | Free Transfer | January 13, 2023 |
| MF | Pierre Mané | Virginia Commonwealth Rams | Free Transfer | January 16, 2023 |
| DF | Kimball Jackson | Xavier Musketeers | Free Transfer | January 17, 2023 |
| FW | Khalid Balogun | Maryland Bobcats FC | Free Transfer | January 17, 2023 |
| DF | Diallo Irakoze | Lexington SC Academy | Free Transfer | January 18, 2023 |
| DF | Franky Martinez | Chattanooga FC | Free Transfer | January 18, 2023 |
| MF | Phila Dlamini | Saginaw Valley State Cardinals | Free Transfer | January 19, 2023 |
| FW | Nico Brown | Greenville Triumph SC | Free Transfer | January 20, 2023 |
| MF | Seo-In Kim "SoSo" | Chicago House AC | Free Transfer | January 23, 2023 |
| FW | Drew Patterson | Cal Poly Mustangs | Free Transfer | January 23, 2023 |
| FW | Jalen James | Campbell Fighting Camels | Free Transfer | January 24, 2023 |
| DF | Erick Ceja-Gonzalez | Reno United | Free Transfer | January 25, 2023 |
| GK | Austin Causey | Richmond Kickers | Free Transfer | January 25, 2023 |
| MF | Don Smart | Greenville Triumph SC | Free Transfer | January 26, 2023 |
| DF | Terique Mohammed | FC Edmonton | Free Transfer | January 27, 2023 |
| DF | Cesar Murillo | Forward Madison FC | Free Transfer | March 15, 2023 |
| GK | Luke Phillips | Lexington SC Academy | Academy Contract | March 28, 2023 |
| FW | Josh Head | FC Cincinnati 2 | Free Transfer | August 29, 2023 |

## Competitions
### Preseason

Lexington SC played five preseason exhibition matches in preparation of their first season.

### USL League One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Union Omaha (S) | 32 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 65 | Qualification for the semi-finals |
| 2 | North Carolina FC (C) | 32 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 58 | 39 | +19 | 63 | Qualification for the semi-finals |
| 3 | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 59 | 37 | +22 | 62 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 4 | Charlotte Independence | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 50 | 42 | +8 | 49 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 5 | Greenville Triumph SC | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 48 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 6 | Forward Madison FC | 32 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 43 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 7 | Tormenta FC | 32 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 42 | |
| 8 | One Knoxville SC | 32 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 36 | 39 | −3 | 38 | |
| 9 | Lexington SC | 32 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 32 | |
| 10 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | 32 | 8 | 17 | 7 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 31 | |
| 11 | Richmond Kickers | 32 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 42 | 55 | −13 | 29 | |
| 12 | Central Valley Fuego FC | 32 | 6 | 21 | 5 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 23 | |
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Match reports

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 |
| Stadium | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | L | L | D | W | L | L | W | L | D | D | D | W | D | L | L | L | L | W | D | L | W | W | L | W | D | L | D | D | L | D | L | D |
| Position | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |

#### Matches
### U.S. Open Cup

As a member of the USL League One, Lexington SC entered their first-ever Open Cup tournament in the 2nd round, with their Cup opener played on April 5, 2023. They opened the competition against USL Championship powerhouse Louisville City FC. The match was the first competitive match against a fellow professional club from the state of Kentucky for both teams. Fans of both sides named the in-state matchup "El Bluegrassico" inspired by soccer derbies from around the world.

## Player statistics
### Goals

| Place | Pos. | No. | Name | USL1 | USOC | Total |
| 1 | MF | 32 | Ates Diouf | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | FW | 77 | Nico Brown | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | MF | 10 | Don Smart | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | DF | 2 | Tate Robertson | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | FW | 14 | Khalid Balogun | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | DF | 3 | Owen Green | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | 22 | Phila Dlamini | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | 25 | Pierre Mané | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | FW | 9 | Will Baynham | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | 11 | Seo-In Kim "SoSo" | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | 4 | Kimball Jackson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 43 | 0 | 43 |

### Assists

| Place | Pos. | No. | Name | USL1 | USOC | Total |
| 1 | DF | 2 | Tate Robertson | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | MF | 8 | Charlie Machell | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | DF | 57 | Terique Mohammed | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | FW | 14 | Khalid Balogun | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | MF | 22 | Phila Dlamini | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | 3 | Owen Green | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | MF | 32 | Ates Diouf | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | FW | 77 | Nico Brown | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | DF | 26 | Cesar Murillo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | FW | 7 | Jalen James | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 23 | 0 | 23 |

### Clean sheets

| Place | Pos. | No. | Name | USL1 | USOC | Total |
| 1 | GK | 13 | Amal Knight | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | GK | 1 | Austin Causey | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 5 | 0 | 5 |

### Disciplinary

| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | USL | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | Total | Total |
| 5 | DF | Kaelon Fox | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 32 | MF | Ates Diouf | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Charlie Machell | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | Amal Knight | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Tate Robertson | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | ST | Will Baynham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | FW | Owen Green | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Pierre Mané | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | Kimball Jackson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | Khalid Balogun | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Diallo Irakoze | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Phila Dlamini | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 77 | FW | Nico Brown | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Seo-In Kim "SoSo" | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Drew Patterson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Jalen James | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | Erick Ceja-Gonzalez | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | Austin Causey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Don Smart | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 57 | DF | Terique Mohammed | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 26 | DF | Cesar Murillo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 33 | DF | Franky Martinez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 44 | GK | Luke Phillips | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | FW | Josh Head | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | 95 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 100 | 5 |