What you need to know about Louisville's pro soccer team
The Louisville City Football Club will be announced at 2 p.m. Wednesday during a press conference at Louisville Slugger Field.
Get to know Louisville's new United Soccer Leagues Professional Division franchise:
• The Louisville City FC naming follows a tradition started by Phil Rawlins, owner and president of the Orlando City Soccer Club with which the local team will be affiliated. Rawlins, a United Kingdom native, was owner and director of the English Premier League's Stoke City Football Club before coming to the United States.
While Orlando City has a mascot, the Lions, Louisville City FC will start without one, Estopinal said, to promote the Louisville soccer brand. The team's logo maintains Orlando City's colors but pays homage to its new town, with a purple bourbon barrel placed behind a gold Fleur-de-lis.
• Orlando City, which was selected for Major League Soccer expansion last year, will affiliate with USL Pro partner Louisville. The clubs have signed a five-year deal that includes sharing four developmental players with the MLS franchise.
• Estopinal's ownership group is in final negotiations with Orlando City's James O'Connor, a player-assistant coach for the USL Pro club there, to come to Louisville. The Irish midfielder will coach for Louisville City after a career that includes English Premier League experience at Stoke City.
• Louisville City has set preliminary ticket prices at $10 to $25 per game and $240 to $420 for season tickets, based on an expected 15-game home schedule. Tickets go on sale to the general public after Wednesday's 2 p.m. announcement at LouisvilleCityFC.com.
• The Coopers, a supporters group started last year with no promise of landing a local team, have already pledged 2,000 season-ticket holders. The growing group launched in December and is accepting free memberships at LouisvilleCoopers.com.
• Louisville won't be the only city adding to USL Pro in 2015. Last month, St. Louis announced an expansion franchise that will play at the 5,000-seat Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. Also, teams in Colorado Springs, New York and Tulsa start competing in 2015, joining a league that already has 14 members.
Other markets are: Peoria, Ariz.; Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Dayton, Ohio; Harrisburg, Pa.; Los Angeles; Oklahoma City; Irvine, Calif.; Pittsburgh; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Wilmington, N.C.
Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199; follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.