Louisville City stars Devon “Speedy” Williams and Shaun “Frano” Francis hope to continue their successful run in the Gold Cup tonight when Jamaica takes on El Salvador.
Continuing the Group stage, Jamaica could put itself through to the next round with a win in tonight’s matchup (7 p.m., FS1).
And while their Louisville City teammates and coaching staff miss having them on the pitch, they are all rooting for Speedy and Frano’s success.
“I’m happy for them. I’m proud of them,” Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. “For both of them to start and go the full 90 minutes in a win against Honduras, it’s an excellent start for them. Obviously, they were both playing during a friendly against the United States earlier so as much as we miss them and we would love to have them here, we are really proud of the way they represented themselves and our club at the international level.”
Both Speedy and Frano played the full 90 minutes in a 3-2 win over Honduras in the first game of the Gold Cup.
Hackworth noted how effective both Francis and Williams have been for Louisville City the last year, helping LouCity win the 2018 USL Cup. Williams, in fact, has won the last three United Soccer League titles.
“Speedy is one of the most unheralded players in our league,” Hackworth said. “There are lots of guys in this locker room who we believe could be playing at a higher level, and Speedy is definitely one of those guys. Maybe his international tag has deterred some MLS clubs from looking at him, but he has certainly proved his worth for us. And winning three straight USL Championships? I don’t know that there’s anybody who can claim that – maybe (Sean) Totsch has three rings – very people have done that, and it’s impressive.”
After Louisville City players and coaches root for Speedy and Frano in tonight’s Gold Cup match, they’ll finalize prep for Saturday’s Louisville City vs. Charlotte Independence matchup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the game broadcast locally on WBKI and 840 WHAS and streamed online through ESPN+.
