WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will kick off their 2024 USL League One season with a trip to take on Lexington SC on Saturday.
It will be a new look Hailstorm side to start 2024 as 2023 USL League One Player of the Year Trevor Amann and Defender of the Year Arthur Rogers have departed, along with former captain Rob Cornwall. One player who is returning is forward Irvin Parra, who led Hailstorm with 11 goals in 2022 before missing most of the 2023 season battling cancer.
“This is my first ever trip to Lexington,” Parra said. “I’ve had a good preseason, combining with my teammates and getting my feet wet and I’m looking forward to starting my goal scoring for the season.”
Lexington were among the busiest USL League One teams over the offseason, most notably adding forward Cameron Lancaster from USL Championship club Louisville City FC, bolstering a front line that already included Ates Diouf, who scored 15 goals for Lexington last season.
“Lexington seem to be everybody’s favorites at the moment to potentially go win the whole thing,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said. “It’s a tough game but we’ll be ready for whatever comes our way.”
Hailstorm have drawn each of the opening matches in their first two league seasons, getting a 1-1 draw at Richmond in 2022 and a 0-0 result in Chattanooga last season. Zayed said a strong defensive performance will be key to getting a result in the opener this season.
“When you play away from home to start the season, you have to have a good defense, be nice and compact,” Zayed said.
Kickoff is at 5 p.m. Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Lexington and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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The home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature 6,500-seat TicketSocket Park, 2,500-seat 4Rivers Equipment Stadium, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports leagues, tournaments, events and more.
More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com.