THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020 – Louisville City Football Club announced the signing of 16-year-old left back Jonathan Gomez Thursday. One of the top young prospects in America, Gomez will be added to Louisville City’s roster immediately pending league and federation approval.
“We are excited about adding a player of Jonathan’s ability to our roster,” Louisville City Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth said. “He is truly one of the top young players in America. We look forward to working with him to develop his overall abilities as he matures. Jonathan has the skill set and mentality to play at the highest levels in our sport.”
Jogo, as his friends and family call him, is an elite talent who joins Louisville City’s First Team with a goal to develop his skills while playing against the top USL Championship players with an eye on helping the club win its third USL Championship title.
“It is an amazing opportunity to contribute to a team that has had such great success,” Gomez said. “I want to play with all of these players who know and have what it takes to win. The fan base here at LouCity is incredible as well as the coaching staff, and I believe this will help me develop into the player I want to become, and hopefully bring another championship back to Louisville.”
Gomez said the opportunity to work with Hackworth and the LouCity technical staff was among the many positive aspects that drew him to the club.
“Coach Hack has extensive coaching experience from players my age to MLS players,” Gomez said. “Coach Danny has recent playing experience and I think that the two complement each other well on and off the field. Coach Scott, Coach Danny and Coach Hack (and the entire Louisville staff) welcomed me with open arms since our very first conversation. I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Just 16, Gomez already has a wealth of experience in international soccer. At age 12 he was invited to his first U.S. Youth National Team training camp and he worked with the U.S. futsal national team. In 2016, he helped FC Dallas finish second in the Copa Chivas Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. Jogo has been called up to represent both the United States and Mexico in international play, with four U-16 call-ups and one U-17 call-up for America and a U17 call-up for Mexico.
In the last year, Jogo has helped the U.S. team win the prestigious 2019 Nike International Friendlies, which included the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team, the Netherlands and Turkey. Jogo’s goal against the Netherlands, a laser from just beyond the box, earned praise from his coaches and drew interest from many of the international scouts in attendance.
“He has all the qualities that fit the profile for an international player of his age. We are looking forward to having him train alongside Oscar Jimenez at left back with us,” Hackworth said. “We believe we have the best left back in the USL in Oscar, and for Jogo to train with him and learn from him will be a great opportunity.”
Jogo returned to Louisville City after a multi-week training stint in Europe where he was evaluated by international clubs. Louisville City opens the 2020 USL Championship schedule on March 7 at North Carolina FC.
LouCity’s 2020 roster, listed alphabetically by position:
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt, Muamer Ugarak
Defenders (8): Wes Charpie, Jonathan Gomez, Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Jimmy Ockford, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (7): Corben Bone, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams, Elijah Wynder
Forwards (6): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Cameron Lancaster, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam
