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THURSDAY, FEB. 6, 2020 – Louisville City Football Club will welcome Cameron Lancaster back to the club for the 2020 season. The 2018 Golden Boot Winner will rejoin Louisville City FC while on loan from Nashville SC of MLS.

“Adding Cam to our roster for the 2020 season is instrumental to what we are trying to do in Louisville,” Louisville City Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth said. “Cam was a big part of our club’s USL Championship titles, and we look forward to him helping us pursue our third star.”

The 27-year old London native will join Louisville City for the remainder of the preseason schedule and will be eligible for USL Championship competition pending league and federation approval.

“I’m really happy to be back, Louisville is a club I owe a lot to. I am familiar with the setup, philosophy, players, and coaches. When the opportunity came to join on loan I had to take it,” Lancaster said.

Lancaster was part of the very first team at Louisville City back in 2015 and was with the club until he signed a deal with Nashville’s MLS franchise after the 2018 season. 

“It is an exciting time here, the club is heading in the right direction for success and I can’t wait to step onto Lynn Family Stadium with the best fans in the USL,” Lancaster said. “The team looks great and the coaching staff has a clear picture of how they want to play and what they want to achieve this season. I am grateful to be a part of that.”

Lancaster was a breakout star for Louisville City during the club’s 2018 USL Championship Title run. Lancaster scored a goal in his April 7 season debut against FC Cincinnati and proceeded to set the USL Championship single-season scoring record, notching 26 total goals in the most-impressive campaign by a player in Championship history. 

The 2018 USL Golden Boot Award winner, Lancaster scored a hat-trick vs. the New York Red Bulls in August, helped Louisville City make the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals, and helped Louisville City roll through the 2018 USL Championship Playoffs before he was injured in the Eastern Conference Final.  The club went on to beat Western Conference winning Phoenix Rising and Didier Drogba in the USL Championship Final.

In 2016, Lancaster scored four goals and had three assists in 26 regular season matches. In 2017, Lancaster scored eight goals in 24 appearances for the 2017 USL Championship Title-Winners. Lancaster averaged a goal every 134.1 minutes that season and began drawing buzz as a dangerous striker prior to his breakout 2018 performance.

LouCity’s current roster headed into 2020, listed alphabetically by position, is below:

Goalkeepers (3): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt, Muamer Ugarak
Defenders (6): Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Jimmy Ockford, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (7): Corben Bone, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams, Elijah Wynder
Forwards (6): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Cameron Lancaster, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam

THURSDAY, FEB. 6, 2020 – Louisville City Football Club is nearly a week into its preseason training at IMG Academy. On Thursday, LouCity will compete in its first preseason exhibition match of the year against D.C. United at Joe DiMaggio Park in Clearwater, Fla.

Louisville City brought back 17 players from the 2019 team that won the Eastern Conference Title and competed in LouCity’s third-straight USL Championship Final. With so many players returning with significant playing experience, Louisville City coach John Hackworth said most of preseason was working to refresh his team’s knowledge of the LouCity system and building on the progress the team made last season. 

D.C. United will be a different club than they were in 2019. D.C. United finished fifth in the 12-team MLS Eastern Conference last season and 10th out of the 24 teams in MLS. United competed in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, being eliminated in the fifth round. They also competed in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs but were eliminated in the first round. The 2019 season was captain Wayne Rooney’s last season with United. Rooney finished the campaign with 13 total goals for United.

“You take out Luco and you take out Wayne, it’s a very very different team,” D.C. United coach Ben Olsen said. “We’re going to be able to do some things differently with some new personnel coming in. That’s an exciting process, to get new guys in here and to tweak some things in both sides, in possession and out of possession because of the makeup.”

D.C. United will have 17 players who will be returning for the 2020 season. Players who were already under contract for the 2020 season include Yamil Asad, Paul Arriola, Ola Kamara, Felipe Martins, Moses Nyeman, Donovan Pines and Griffin Yow. D.C. United resigned three players goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr and Chris Seitz, and defender Frédéric Brillant. Also returning for the 2020 season are Steven Birnbaum, Russell Canouse, Júnior Moreno, Oniel Fisher, Joseph Mora, Júnior Moreno, and Ulises Segura. The Black-and-Red officially acquired Bill Hamid on a permanent transfer from FC Midtjylland.

“A lot of our attackers, they’re interchangeable,” Olsen said. “… It is really going to be part of the preseason figuring out who goes where and collectively where we are most effective.”

D.C. United acquired four new players: Chris Odoi-Atsem from Loudoun United, midfielder Julian Gressel Atlanta United, midfielder Edison Flores from Monarcas Morelia, and midfielder Emmanuel Boateng acquired from L.A. Galaxy.

D.C. United selected goalkeeper Simon Lefebvre from Temple, Andrew Verdi from Michigan, and forward Josh Fawole from Loyola in the MLS Superdraft.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater, Fla. The game will not be televised or broadcast, but updates will be available at www.loucity.com after the match. 

LouCity’s current roster, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (3): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt, Muamer Ugarak
Defenders (6): Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Jimmy Ockford, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (7): Corben Bone, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams, Elijah Wynder
Forwards (5): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam

LOUISVILLE, KY (February 5, 2020)­— Louisville City Football Club announced new Academy contracts for midfielder Elijah Wynder and goalkeeper Muamer Ugarak Wednesday.

“Elijah and Mu are an important part of our team,” Louisville City Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth said. “Despite their young age, they have already shown the ability to compete at a high level in training. We look forward to their continued development with us this season.”

Under Academy contracts, both Wynder and Ugarak preserve their NCAA eligibility but are included in club training and development plans.  Wynder and Ugarak began training with the team in Louisville and earned a spot on the travel roster for the Florida phase of preseason. After proving themselves in Florida, Wynder and Ugarak were presented Academy Contracts and will potentially feature in the preseason matches on 2/6 and 2/9 against D.C. United and Nashville SC.

“We are encouraged by the initial growth we saw from Elijah and Mu and we are looking forward to their continued development,” Louisville City Director of Youth Development Mario Sanchez said. “It is exciting to see such young talent training with the First Team on their path to the pros.”

Wynder signed with Louisville City under the club’s first-ever Academy contract in June of 2019. A junior at Louisville Collegiate High School, Wynder appeared in the 18 for Louisville City three times last season including an appearance during Louisville City’s U.S. Open Cup run. He will be eligible to compete for LouCity’s U23 team this summer.

“I thank Louisville City for their belief in me,” Wynder said. “It is important to train against great players and to get that opportunity at a young age is a blessing for me. I’m looking forward to helping the club any way I can this season.”

Originally from Bosnia, Ugarak’s played with local clubs and DC United’s Academy program before joining Louisville City last year. Ugarak will continue to train with Louisville City in preparation for U23 season later this Spring. Pending League & Federation approval, Ugarak will be eligible to be added to Louisville City’s roster for upcoming USL Championship matches for the 2020 season. 

“I am excited to continue training with my club,” Ugarak said. “Louisville City has been my club since my family and I moved here five years ago. I thank Coach Hackworth, Coach Danny (Cruz), Coach Mario (Sanchez) and Coach (Scott) Budnick for believing in me.”

Louisville City will face a pair of MLS teams this week during their training camp at IMG Academy. LouCity will play DC United Thursday in Clearwater, Fla., and Nashville SC Sunday at IMG Academy.

Louisville City begins its season March 7 at North Carolina FC. The club will host its USL Championship opener in its new soccer-specific stadium April 11 vs. Birmingham Legion.

LouCity’s current roster, listed alphabetically by position:

Goalkeepers (3): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt, Muamer Ugarak
Defenders (6): Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Jimmy Ockford, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (7): Corben Bone, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams, Elijah Wynder
Forwards (5): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam

Half Season Tickets are now available for Louisville City’s first season at Lynn Family Stadium. Louisville City supporters can secure Half Season Ticket packages by placing a deposit at www.loucity.com. or by calling 502-LOU-CITY.

“We have seen a record-setting response to Season Tickets as we prepare to move into Lynn Family Stadium,” Louisville City Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mitch Ried said. “We also recognize that not everyone can make every game so we were able to weave in Half Season Ticket Plans as a more flexible option, giving our supporters a chance to experience professional soccer in Lynn Family Stadium.”

With a $50 deposit, Louisville City supporters will be able to select their Half Season Tickets before the general public has access to single-game tickets. The $50 deposit will go toward the cost of the tickets when the seats have been selected.

The Half Season Ticket Plans are divided right down the middle – with a Purple and a Gold package. The Purple Plan includes the April 11 USL Championship Home Opener as well as April 26, May 30, June 27, July 1, August 1 and 19, September 12 and October 3. The Gold Plan consists of April 17, May 9 and 23, June 20, July 18, August 8, September 4, October 17 and Louisville City’s first playoff game of 2020.

“We had great success with Half Season Ticket Plans at Slugger Field, and now fans will get a first-class experience watching LouCity in a stadium built for soccer,” Louisville City Ticket Sales Manager Dave Walkovic said. “We wanted to make sure the two plans were split as evenly as we could.”

With its USL Championship Home Opener now 68 days away, Louisville City has already announced a new all-time record for Season Ticket holders. The club has already sold out 18 full sections of Lynn Family Stadium and there are fewer than 2,000 Season Ticket packages left.

Lynn Family Stadium is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the region with seating locations for 11,600 fans. The stadium is equipped with 18 luxury suites and premium club seats as well as loge boxes and ledge tables for the premium in-game experience. Full Season Tickets are still available through the following Virtual Tour link or by calling 502-LOU-CITY.

Link: SELECT YOUR SEAT in Lynn Family Stadium

Louisville City Football Club is training at IMG Academy in Florida for the next week before heading to Utah for the Wasatch Cup. LouCity coach John Hackworth spoke about the team’s first training. 

“Really good first training session here at IMG,” Hackworth said. “The boys were spirited. I think they recovered well from a hard first phase of training in Louisville. It is exciting to be down here and have the ability to workout in these fantastic facilities. I thought the quality of what we did this morning was really good.”

Hackworth said he was not surprised by how strong the first session was at IMG Academy. In fact, he expected it.

“We expect that,” Hackworth said. “When we push the guys as hard as we did during those six days in Louisville and then give them a day to recover, we expect that next day to be at a high-level.”

Louisville City is the defending Eastern Conference Title Winners and is expected to challenge for the USL Championship Title again this season. The club returned 17 players from last season’s team including 13 of 14 players who saw action in the USL Championship Final. 

“We have the ability to come down here and build on a really good first phase, his second phase is really important,” Hackworth said. “We want to hold each other accountable in all aspects and especially on the field.”

Louisville City will take on DC United Thursday in Clearwater, Fla., at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex. Then on Sunday, Feb. 9, Louisville City will close its run at IMG Academy by playing Nashville SC. 

FRIDAY, JAN. 31, 2020 –  For the fifth consecutive season, Louisville City Football Club will start its season with a trip to Florida’s IMG Academy. Why do so many soccer teams flock to Bradenton each January? Louisville City coach John Hackworth explains why his team makes the trip down south.

“We don’t have to worry about any of the elements that we do here in Kentucky,” Hackworth said of training in Bradenton, Fla. “The facilities at IMG are great. You get away, you get to hold more meetings, and everyone is together 24 hours a day.”

While training in Florida, LouCity will also take on two MLS clubs in preseason training games: DC United on Feb. 6 at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater, Fla., and Nashville SC on Feb. 9 at IMG Academy. 

“It is more important that we get some really meaningful competition,” Hackworth said. “Playing two MLS, DC United and Nashville, will give us an excellent test of exactly where we are.”

Each year IMG Academy draws in soccer clubs from around the country to its fields for preseason training. Hackworth explains what it is about the IMG Academy atmosphere that brings this flock of soccer clubs.

“It is all just about location,” the LouCity coach said. “The hotel is on-site. We will have a team meeting room that is for us, so we can do our video and any tactical meetings that we would have. There is a locker room right there, which we will have the entire time, and it walks out to the field.”

Hackworth explained the trip is not just about getting in quality training time, but that it is also about having a space to review sessions and get in recovery quickly after.

“From a logistical standpoint it is ideal,” Hackworth said. “You can maximize all the times you are on the field or in the meeting room. We can also make sure we get the right meals quickly and get our legs up in a timely manner.”

After training at IMG Academy, Louisville City will return to Louisville briefly before heading to Utah for the Wasatch Cup in the third week of February. The two-time USL Championship Title Winners will face three USL clubs in Utah, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and Real Monarchs from the USL Championship and Union Omaha from USL League One.

LouCity will begin its Eastern Conference Title defense on March 7 on the road at North Carolina FC. Louisville City’s USL Championship home opener will be April 11 vs. Birmingham Legion at Lynn Family Stadium. 

LouCity’s current roster headed into 2020, listed alphabetically by position, is below:

Goalkeepers (2): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt
Defenders (6): Oscar Jimenez, Pat McMahon, Jimmy Ockford, Alexis Souahy, Sean Totsch, Akil Watts
Midfielders (6): Corben Bone, Paolo DelPiccolo, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Magnus Rasmussen, Speedy Williams
Forwards (5): George Davis IV, Antoine Hoppenot, Brian Ownby, Luke Spencer, Abdou Thiam

Just before leaving for training camp at IMG Academy in Florida, Louisville City Football Club players got a chance to tour the ongoing construction of Lynn Family Stadium. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2020 – After 11 training sessions in six days to start training camp, Louisville City Football Club loaded up and headed south Thursday to begin its training camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

The three-time Eastern Conference Title Winners will train in Florida from Jan. 30 through Feb. 10 while facing a pair of MLS clubs in preseason training games: DC United on Feb. 6 and Nashville SC on Feb. 9.

“It is our time to really concentrate on everything we want to do,” Louisville City head coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth said. “On top of that, it is more important that we get some really meaningful competition. Playing two MLS teams, DC United and Nashville, will give us an excellent test of exactly where we are.”

IMG Academy annually attracts soccer clubs from around the country to its training grounds for preseason workouts. Having clubs in close proximity makes it easier for Hackworth and other head coaches to test their teams against other quality competition each preseason.

Hackworth was pleased with the work his team has put in so far in Louisville.

“I feel really good about what we have been able to do as a group,” Hackworth said. “We got in all the sessions. We never really changed from our tactical periodization in regard to what we really wanted to accomplish. I think because we have such a large number of returning players that it really wasn’t so much about teaching new ideas as making sure it was a review for the new guys. Yes, for them, it was a little new, but for the most part, I thought the guys, players, and staff, dealt really well with it. In addition, we had a good number of academy guys joining us this week, which is an excellent way to build our pathway to the pros. So, a lot was accomplished this week.”

Hackworth and company closed out their week of training in Louisville with an intense team workout at Shred 415 on Baxter Ave.

“We closed out the first phase of our preseason with one more session, but it was a gym session,” Hackworth said. “Besides that, (Thursday) I want them to make sure that they take care of all of their personal business. Get a little bit of rest, it’s a day off from any physical demand, but we do have the travel. We are traveling a little later in the afternoon so really we just want them to be ready to go when we have our first session Friday morning at IMG.”

In addition to the two preseason matches scheduled with MLS clubs in Florida, Louisville City will also face three USL clubs in the previously announced Wasatch Cup in Utah. The Cup, hosted at Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman, Utah, will consist of the final two teams in the USL Championship Playoffs: Louisville City and Real Monarchs, as well as the Colorado Springs Switchbacks from the USL Championship and Union Omaha from USL League One.

Louisville City will face the Switchbacks on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. MT, Union Omaha on Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. MT. The match with the Monarchs, a rematch of the 2019 USL Championship Title game, will be played at 9 a.m. MT on Feb. 22.

“The training center for Real Salt Lake and the Monarchs is fantastic, but the most important aspect of our Utah trip will be playing USL opponents in meaningful matches,” Hackworth said. “It’s still preseason, but anytime you can play in a competition with a trophy and title on the line, it adds another level of importance to the competition”

On April 7 at 7 p.m., Louisville City will host the winner of the Nashville United and Cleveland SC (NPSL) matchup at Lynn Family Stadium. LouCity will open its USL Championship slate on Saturday, April 11 vs. Birmingham Legion.

UPCOMING PRESEASON SCHEDULE :

Feb. 6            vs. DC United                      DiMaggio Complex, Clearwater, Fla.    4 pm

Feb. 9            vs. Nashville SC                 IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.              4 pm

Feb. 16          vs. Switchbacks FC           Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah   9 pm

Feb. 19          vs. Union Omaha               Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah   3 pm

Feb. 22          vs. Real Monarchs             Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah   11 am

TUESDAY, JAN. 28, 2019 – Louisville City Football Club proudly announced a new agreement with its healthcare partner, Baptist Health, for the club’s 2020 season and beyond. The five-year partnership continues Baptist Health’s position as the exclusive sports medicine provider for Louisville City FC, the most successful club in modern USL history.

“Baptist Health and LouCity have been a great team from the beginning,” Louisville City President Brad Estes said. “Baptist Health kept our players healthy, and they share our values. We are proud and excited about our continued partnership with this fine organization.” 

The partnership continues the club’s long-standing use of Baptist Health Athletic Trainers and sports medicine professionals to care for its players on the USL Championship team and will include training services for the club’s Academy Cup and U23 teams. 

“As the first official sponsor of Louisville City FC in November of 2014, we are proud to continue that sponsorship for the next chapter in their history. From the beginning, we felt strongly we could provide the medical expertise and athletic training to help the first and only professional soccer team in Louisville achieve great success and we couldn’t be more excited to continue that,” said Larry Gray, president of Baptist Health Louisville, “We look forward to more championships and making sure the players are in shape to be at the top of their game.”

Baptist Health has been bringing advanced medical technology, modern facilities and many of the region’s most prominent physicians to the community for nearly a century since its founding in 1924. Counting all nine local hospitals, Baptist Health has more than 300 points of care in our community.

Louisville City is the back-to-back-to-back Eastern Conference title winners in the USL Championship. The club won the USL Championship Final in 2017 and 2018.

“Having proper medical care is crucial to a football club,” said Louisville City coach John Hackworth. “Our partnership with Baptist Health has provided us with constant care from top-notch Athletic Trainers and access to experts in sports medicine when needed. We look forward to continuing working with Baptist Health this season and for years to come.”

With training opening last weekend, Baptist Health Athletic Trainers are already working with Louisville City players for the 2020 season.

“As the largest health system in Kentucky, we are proud to be associated with Louisville City FC and bring our excellence in orthopedics from the sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons to this partnership,” says Jody Prather, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for Baptist Health.

LouCity will begin its sixth season on March 7 on the road at North Carolina FC. The club will open its new soccer-specific stadium called Lynn Family Stadium on April 11.