New signings Tola Showunmi and Quenzi Huerman will help lead the line for Louisville City FC Friday in the 2026 USL Championship season opener at Lexington SC in the Commonwealth Cup, presented by Republic Bank.
Showunmi will start at center forward, marking his return to competitive action with Louisville. The 25-year-old made eight starts with LouCity in 2024 before a move to Crawley Town FC in his native England. He notably scored a hat trick in a 6-0 win over FC Cincinnati 2 in the preseason.
The Frenchman Huerman will start on the wing, making his full LouCity debut. The 24-year-old joined LouCity from Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC where he scored four goals over two seasons.
The rest of LouCity’s lineup features returning players.
Ryan Troutman will make his second career league start in goal. The 25-year-old Louisville native earned a clean sheet in a 1-0 home win versus Loudoun United FC in September 2024. His only other competitive appearance came in his professional debut, when he came off the bench to make two saves in 16 minutes, preserving a 3-1 win over Greenville Triumph in the U.S. Open Cup in April 2024.
The backline features USL Championship Defender of the Year Kyle Adams, who also captains the side, along with the all-time USL Championship appearances leader Sean Totsch, who will be making his 301st league appearance.
Between the two veterans, 17-year-old Brandon Dayes will make his third career league start. The former LouCity Academy player signed his first professional deal in the offseason after making two league starts last year while playing on a USL Academy contract.
Jake Morris and Manny Perez will occupy the wingback spots. Morris made just three regular-season starts last season, while Perez offered two goals and three assists in 16 USL Championship appearances in 2025.
USL Championship Player of the Year Taylor Davila will start in the midfield along with Zach Duncan, who returns from nearly yearlong injury rehabilitation. Davila led LouCity with nine assists last season. Duncan, meanwhile, scored the winning goal in a preseason victory over One Knoxville SC.
Jansen Wilson joins Showunmi and Huerman in the attack. The Elizabethtown, Ky., native scored six goals last year, tied for the lead among returning players.
On the bench, Ray Serrano could provide attacking punch — he is LouCity’s joint leading returning scorer with Wilson, having tallied six goals last year. All-League defenders Josh Jones and Aiden McFadden are available for defensive reinforcement. Newcomers Chris Donovan and Mukwelle Akale could also make their club debuts if called upon by head coach Danny Cruz.
Team Sheet at Lexington SC
30 – Ryan Troutman
3 – Jake Morris
32 – Kyle Adams (c)
5 – Brandon Dayes
4 – Sean Totsch
15 – Manny Perez
8 – Taylor Davila
6 – Zach Duncan
25 – Jansen Wilson
21 – Quenzi Huerman
14 – Tola Showunmi
Substitutes: 12 – Danny Faundez; 2 – Aiden McFadden, 7 – Ray Serrano, 9 – Chris Donovan, 23 – Sam Gleadle, 24 – Josh Jones, 31 – Kevon Lambert, 47 – Mukwelle Akale, 97 – Thomas Weinrich
