Louisville City FC head coach Danny Cruz wins USL Championship's Coach of the Year

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For the first time in his career, Louisville City Football Club head coach Danny Cruz was named the USL Championship's Coach of the Year. 

Cruz led LouCity to a historic regular season in which the team set multiple club and league records while winning the Players' Shield for the first time. USL club management and a league-wide media panel vote for this award at the end of the regular season.

"I'm grateful and humbled to receive an award like this, especially considering how many great coaches are in our league," Cruz said. "This is possible because Louisville City surrounds me with incredible players and staff. Without their belief, work ethic and values we would not have had the regular season we did."

Despite a disappointing postseason where the franchise failed to reach the conference finals for the first time in its history, Louisville's 24 regular season wins, 76 points and 86 goals were the best marks in club history. That number of victories also set a new league record.

"I recognize that we fell short of our ultimate goal in the playoffs, but we're looking forward to coming back stronger next season," Cruz said.

Louisville finished with a vaunted 16-1 regular-season record at Lynn Family Stadium this season to earn homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. But the same club who handed Cruz's squad its lone loss in that regular season, Rhode Island, also ended LouCity's campaign later in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

LouCity hired Cruz, who previously served as interim head coach following former head coach John Hackworth's departure, for the full-time head coaching position in 2021. His record in the interim and permanent role is 82-31-31.

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