LOUISVILLE, KY (November 25, 2019)— Louisville City Football Club announced the return of the nucleus of the club’s 2019 Eastern Conference champion team Monday.
“We are excited to announce a tremendous group of players who will lead our team forward into our new home for 2020,” said LouCity Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth. “It is important for us to keep our championship culture moving forward, and we believe these players can help us continue our success.”
The club has already secured commitments from nearly the entire starting lineup from the USL Championship Final and several more key contributors.
“We are certainly not done yet, but we wanted to let our supporters know many of their favorite players would be back for next season,” Hackworth said. “We look forward to working with this group to bring home more trophies to Louisville.”
Louisville native Chris Hubbard will return in goal for Louisville City next season. Hubbard, who took over in goal during the 2019 season and helped lead the club to the USL Championship Final, started 24 games had 78 saves and notched five clean sheets.
USL Championship Defender of the Year Finalist Oscar Jimenez headlines a group of strong defenders who played crucial minutes during LouCity’s 2019 playoff run. Jimenez is joined by fellow starters Sean Totsch and Pat McMahon as well as key contributors Alexis Souahy and Akil Watts.
In the midfield, LouCity stars Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Paolo DelPiccolo, Devon “Speedy” Williams, and Napo Matsoso will return for 2020.
McCabe, who has been with the club since its inaugural season in 2015, returns for his sixth season with the club. Rasmussen, who led LouCity with 17 goals this season including four goals during the 2019 playoff run, will be back for the 2020 season.
DelPiccolo and Speedy Williams provide incredible experience and stability in the midfield for Los Morados. Matsoso, who was recently named to the 18 USL Players to Watch list by The Athletic, was a revelation for LouCity this past season, stepping up to become a starter for most of the season.
LouCity forwards Luke Spencer, Brian Ownby, George Davis IV, Abdou Thiam, and Antoine Hoppenot will return for 2020. The group combined for 23 goals in 2019 with 2018 USL Championship MVP Luke Spencer scoring 10 goals. Davis IV owns the USL’s all-time appearance record after appearing in 32 matches in 2019.
Contract negotiations continue with a handful of players who may rejoin the club in 2020.
Louisville City will move into Lynn Family Stadium for the 2020 season. Built specifically for soccer, Lynn Family Stadium will have permanent seating for 11,700 and capacity near 14,000. Lynn Family Stadium will be equipped with 18 luxury suites and more than 400 club seats for a premium experience as well as safe-standing Supporter Zone sections for the most ardent supporters.
Tickets for the 2020 season start at only $16 per game in the Butchertown and Waterfront Supporter Zones to just $65 per game for Center Circle Premium Seats. Tickets are available at www.loucity.com or by calling 502-LOU-CITY.
LouCity’s current roster headed into 2020, listed alphabetically by position, is below:
Goalkeepers (1): Chris Hubbard
Defenders (5): Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (5): Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams
Forwards (5): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam
