Louisville Lightning
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| Full name | Louisville Lightning |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Stadium | Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club |
| Capacity | 1,500 |
| Owner | Wayne Estopinal Ted Nichols |
| Manager | Nick Stover |
| Coach | Ted Nichols Scott Budnick Mike Dickey |
| League | Professional Arena Soccer League |
| 2011-12 | 2nd Eastern Division |
| Website | Club home page |
Louisville Lightning were an indoor soccer team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They joined the Professional Arena Soccer League in 2009. They were confirmed as an expansion team in August of that year and began playing in November of the same year. The Lightning played three full seasons in the PASL before going on hiatus after the 2011–12 season. In a March 2013 interview, team owner Ted Nichols said that low attendance at games placed "somewhat of a financial drain" on the organization and that the team was "in a bit of a hiatus".
In 2009, the PASL was looking to expand following the collapse of the Colorado Lightning after the 2008-09 season. Louisville was awarded the team in August with the ownership group of Wayne Estopinal and Ted Nichols and the new team was aptly named the Lightning as well. The team joined the Eastern Division of the PASL with the 1790 Cincinnati Express, Detroit Waza, and St. Louis Illusion, moving the Texas Outlaws from the Eastern Division to the Western Division.
Only three months later, the Lightning opened the season at home against the 1790 Cincinnati Express, losing a tight match 6-5. The following week, Louisville notched their first-ever victory against the Detroit Waza 8-3, kicking off what was to be a highly successful inaugural year. The team evened out to 4-4 by mid-January, before throwing together a 5-game winning streak, including crushing the St. Louis Illusion 8-1, Detroit Waza 15-6, and Ohio Vortex 14-8 in consecutive home games. Despite ending the year with two wins against division-leading Cincinnati and Detroit, the Lightning finished one game out of playoff contention at 11-5 to the 12-4 1790 Cincinnati Express.
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