With the bulk of its roster returning for the 2021 season, Louisville City FC has also started acquiring new players for next year. The first such move was made to sign midfielder Tyler Gibson, the club announced Monday.
A central midfielder who most recently played for USL Championship rival Indy Eleven, Gibson arrives to Louisville on the heels of an impressive 2020 campaign. He started each of Indy’s 16 games — including four matchups against the boys in purple — while boasting a club-leading 84 percent pass success rate.
“Tyler is a tremendous addition to our roster for the upcoming 2021 season,” said LouCity’s head coach and sporting director, John Hackworth. “He is a technically gifted midfielder that fits well into our style of play. More importantly, we know that Tyler suits our competitive culture as a person of high character.”
Gibson, a journeyman player before settling down for two years in Indianapolis, led his team with 1,385 minutes on the pitch last season. That was expected after a breakout 2019 campaign, when he played all but six minutes of the Indy Eleven’s 37 games.
The Knoxville, Tenn., native in 2019 also paced the USL Championship in passes at 2,174 to go with a goal and two assists. One of those assists came in a playoff victory sending Indy to its first Eastern Conference Final — which happened to go down as an extra time victory for LouCity, his future club.
“Playing against Louisville City was always difficult,” Gibson said. “That style of play and type of culture in place isn’t everywhere. I’m very excited to get started in Louisville, and I can’t wait to play in front of the fans and be part of their city.
“The organization is doing a lot of things right in terms of building a professional club. Becoming part of the winning culture in Louisville is the No. 1 thing I want to be part of.”
Gibson made a career of soccer after his time as a four-year starter for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he started every game of a 2011 season capped by a national championship game appearance. He also twice made the Hermann Trophy Watch list for the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer.
Before his time with the Indy Eleven, Gibson’s professional career began with stints playing for the San Antonio Scorpions, Rayo OKC and San Francisco Deltas until he landed in the USL Championship with FC Cincinnati. Gibson was limited to nine appearances at Cincinnati having rehabbed from a broken leg suffered during the 2018 preseason.
Uniquely, each of Gibson’s former clubs aside from the Indy Eleven either shuttered or moved divisions after he spent one season there.
“It’s a crazy journey I’ve had so far,” Gibson said. “I joke about it: Most of my jerseys are vintage. It was nice to end up in Indy for two years in a stable environment, and now I’m moving on to Louisville City, which is obviously growing. It’s a great opportunity to be with this club where there are so many positives moving forward.”
“We have been looking at Tyler for a couple years now and admire the way he goes about his business every weekend,” added Danny Cruz, assistant coach and technical director for LouCity. “We are excited to be able to add another quality midfielder to this impressive group. He is a player of high character who will be an excellent fit to the culture here at Louisville City. We are happy to have him and look forward to getting him integrated with the group.”
Gibson joins a contingent of 17 LouCity returners thus far announced, including a core of nine starters who led the boys in purple through a 13-game unbeaten streak and back to the USL’s Eastern Conference Final.
As player negotiations continue, more announcements are expected in the coming weeks regarding returning players and new signings.
CURRENT LOUISVILLE CITY FC 2021 ROSTER
Goalkeeper – Chris Hubbard
Defender – Wes Charpie, Jonathan Gomez, Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielder – Corben Bone, George Davis IV, Tyler Gibson, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe
Forward – Antoine Hoppenot, Cameron Lancaster, Brian Ownby, Abdou Thiam
