Louisville City FC can today confirm that midfielder Napo Matsoso has been re-signed for the 2019 season, pending league and federation approval. Terms of the deal will not be disclosed, per club policy.
Matsoso originally joined Los Morados ahead of the roster freeze on September 14 having most recently played with Mississippi Brilla FC in the USL Premier Development League, the same club City standout Oscar Jimenez joined from ahead of the 2017 USL season. During his time with Brilla FC, Matsoso netted four goals and registered one assist in 10 games played.
Though the Lesotho-born midfielder did not register an appearance with LouCity in the 2018 season, head coach John Hackworth expressed his excitement in having Matsoso return and stressed his belief in the player’s ability to bring even more to the group in 2019:
“We’re excited to bring Napo back and believe he’ll again be an important part of this team. He performed well with the group during the final months of last season and we’re expecting him to play a bigger role now. What we’ve seen so far has led us to confidently believe he will be more impactful next season.”
A player with a team-first mentality, Matsoso highlighted his eagerness to contribute in the 2019 season:
“I’m delighted to be back with the back-to-back champions. There are a significant number of guys coming back from last year so that’s a positive for me because I can always learn more from the older guys. I’m already looking forward to starting preseason with the team.”
Matsoso joins as the 16th returning member from the 2018 USL Cup-winning team, tied for the highest number in club history.
Louisville City FC’s 2019 preseason is set to begin in early February with a trip to renowned training facility IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
As preparations continue, Season Ticket Membership packages for the 2019 USL season are still available for purchase. Through purchasing 2019 season ticket packages, you get priority access to season tickets in LouCity’s Butchertown stadium development, which is set to be completed in 2020. Visit www.loucity.com/seasontickets or call (502) LOU-CITY to secure your seats for the team’s final season at Slugger Field.
PLAYER INFORMATION
Name: Napo Matsoso
Position: Midfielder
Birthplace: Maseru, Lesotho
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Born: 5/27/1994
Height: 5’6
Weight: 150 lbs
Prev. Club: Mississippi Brilla (USL PDL)
Louisville City FC Permanent Roster as of Friday, November 30:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Chris Hubbard, Greg Ranjitsingh
DEFENDERS (5): Pat McMahon, Alexis Souahy, Oscar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Shaun Francis
MIDFIELDERS (6):Richard Ballard, Jose Carranza, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen
FORWARDS (3):George Davis IV, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer
