Louisville City FC has signed former MLS defender Shaun Francis for the 2018 season pending league and federation clearance, the club announced today. The defender joins the ranks as the 20th rostered player for head coach James O’Connor. Terms of the deal will not be disclosed, per club policy.
“Delighted to be able to sign someone of Shaun’s caliber,” said O’Connor. “Really pleased with his attitude and his quality, and we’re very excited to have somebody like that on board.”
Francis joins the “Boys in Purple” after spending time with San Jose Earthquakes before a trade to Montreal Impact. Drafted in the fourth round (63rd overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew, Francis spent his first two years with the Black & Gold before landing in Chicago in 2013, making a combined 29 appearances between the two clubs. The versatile defender’s lengthiest spell was his three years with San Jose Earthquakes, where he appeared in 69 matches in all competitions after being selected in stage two of the 2013 MLS Re-Entry Draft.
“James and his staff have done an excellent job of retaining and attracting talented players. Shaun’s signing further proves this. Go City!” added LouCity chairman, John Neace.
Joining Devon “Speedy” Williams as one of two Jamaican internationals on the roster, Francis has netted three times in 11 appearances for the “Reggae Boyz,” including goals in the 2010 Caribbean Cup, in 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification, and in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“I’m excited to be here and want to thank James and Dan [Byrd]. You can see they really care about the players,” said Francis. “The players really trust in this process and we can definitely be a championship team. They push us but you can tell they care about the players first and I’m ready to get going.”
Carrying a green card, the defender does not count against LouCity’s allotted number of international slots.
PLAYER INFORMATION
Name: Shaun Francis
Position: Defender
Hometown: Mandeville, Jamaica
Born: 10/2/1986
Height: 6’0
Weight: 165 lbs
Prev. Club: Montreal Impact (MLS)
Twitter: @rivi29
Louisville City FC Roster as of Friday, March 9:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Dobrolowski, Chris Hubbard, Greg Ranjitsingh
DEFENDERS (6): Paco Craig, Shaun Francis, Pat McMahon, Alexis Souahy, Kyle Smith, Sean Totsch
MIDFIELDERS (8): Richard Ballard, George Davis IV, Paolo DelPiccolo, Oscar Jimenez, Niall McCabe, Brian Ownby, Magnus Rasmussen, Devon “Speedy” Williams
FORWARDS (3): Ilija Ilic, Cameron Lancaster, Luke Spencer
