CRAWFORD | LouCity FC hopes offseason moves help club 'bounce back' for USL title | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Here is how things are for the Louisville City Football Club heading into its 10th season. It is coming off its ninth straight trip to a USL conference final, but the club’s pregame materials refer to the team hoping for a "bounce back" season.

LouCity lost 12 games last season and finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, both club worsts, and went 8-6-3 in Lynn Family Stadium.

The result was a busy offseason that saw the club welcome some accomplished newcomers and bid farewell to some familiar names – none moreso than veteran midfielder and captain Paolo DelPiccolo, who retired and announced a move into a coaching role with the club.

There is a talented core of returnees, led by Brian Ownby, who played some of the best football of his career last season, and defender Sean Totsch, who played every minute of the regular season. Defenders Kyle Adams and Wes Charpie are also back in purple, along with striker Wilson Harris, who was hampered by injury for much of last season but still contributed 9 goals and, provided he can add another by August 1, would be the USL’s fastest player ever to accumulate 50.

Midfielder Niall McCabe also returns, the lone remaining player to be a part of all 10 LouCity FC seasons.

But it has been the building of a new cast that has captured most of the offseason attention – and effort -- of third-year manager Danny Cruz.

"From a motivation standpoint, we’ve put a focus on making sure we're bringing players in that obviously have quality, but that are hungry, that have the right mentality," Cruz said Thursday, on the team’s first day of preseason training. "I felt last year there were too many moments where we made excuses for ourselves. So, we tried to do a good job in our player recruitment, in our interviews, of making sure we're bringing in the right players. And from a motivation standpoint, a lot of these guys that we've brought in haven't won anything. They're good players who have had success in the league individually. But they're coming here to win. And they're coming here to win a trophy. And they understand those expectations."

Among the notable newcomers are former 2023 USL Defender of the Year Arturo Ordóñez from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Midfielder Taylor Davila joins off an All-USL first team season with Rio Grande Valley FC. And Cruz added Monterey Bay FC defender Sam Gleadle, who had five goals and six assists in 2023.

And Cruz said a few more additions likely will come in the coming weeks, particularly at goalkeeper. Gleadle, who traded the beaches of Monterey for the banks of the Ohio River, nonetheless praised his new surroundings.

"Honestly, you heard stuff about facilities here and how the club's standards are very high – it's definitely met and exceeded those. This is basically an MLS club here at this level. So it's, it's an honor to be here and get to work here every day. And with the group of guys we have and the staff as well, it just makes it a great place to work and compete every day. As far as the weather -- this is perfect for me if it can stay like this all year round. I love the clouds. So yeah, I'm loving everything."

You can’t be much more easy-going that Gleadle has been about his transition, especially considering he and his brother ran into some ice in their U-haul truck driving on the long journey from California to Louisville.

"My brother and I were driving a U-haul pulling my car on a trailer from Monterey to here," Gleadle said. "And just before we hit the Texas border, we actually hit black ice and flipped our U-haul. The truck, I think, is totaled. My car has some issues as well, but my dad's fixing that. My brother and I were OK, so obviously that's the main thing. My wife and I have to buy some more furniture and all that, so it hasn't been the most ideal move. But you know, we're getting settled in and have a rental car for now. So we're getting there. Can only go up from here."

As far as team business, Gleadle said that the veterans the club has brought in have meshed pretty seamlessly with the returning players, and have embraced the team culture.

"I think our vibe is we want to add another piece, another chapter to the history," he said. "You know, we have a lot of veteran pieces who have been here and all over the league bringing their own experiences. And the guys we've added I think will want to elevate our success on the pitch. We've gelled really quickly already. So I look forward to that growing as a group."

Preseason play begins for LouCity on Feb. 3 with a trip to play Major League Soccer’s Austin FC before heading on to training in Tucson, Arizona. While there, the club will face USL Championship foes El Paso Locomotive FC (Feb. 7) and Sacramento Republic FC (Feb. 12).

Games against MLS' St. Louis CITY SC (Feb. 15) and USL League One's Lexington SC (Feb. 18) are also set for the preseason.

The club will play a pair of preseason friendlies in Louisville. The first, against Pittsburgh at Thurman Hutchens Park, will be open to a limited number of season-ticket holders. The second will be on March 9 at Lynn Family Stadium against One Knoxville SC from USL League One. General admission tickets will go on sale for $10 the week of the game at LouCity.com and via SeatGeek.,

LouCity’s regular season starts March 16 at El Paso before the club welcomes Pittsburgh for the 2024 home opener on March 23.

Season, group and premium tickets for the 2024 season are on sale now by visiting LouCity.com/tickets or calling (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours.

2024 Louisville City FC Preseason Schedule