LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville City FC dipped into Major League Soccer for its latest attacking piece, signing forward Chris Donovan from the Philadelphia Union to a two-year deal through the 2027 season with an option for 2028.
Donovan, 25, most recently played for Philadelphia's senior team. The contract is pending league and federation approval.
"I'm very excited to get going with LouCity and push myself to reach new levels," Donovan said. "I had a Zoom call with the staff in the offseason and it made what was an uncertain time so easy. I made the decision the same day that I wanted to sign here. Now, I'm just excited to start the season!"
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A proven scorer, Donovan has 23 goals and seven assists in 114 professional appearances across all competitions between the Union and Philadelphia Union II. Most of that production came with Union II in MLS Next Pro, where he scored 18 goals in 35 appearances from 2022-24 and averaged a goal every 143 minutes. That strike rate would have ranked sixth among USL Championship players with 10 or more goals in 2025.
In 2025, Donovan made 20 regular-season appearances (six starts) for Philadelphia as the club won the Supporters' Shield, awarded to the MLS regular-season champion. He also appeared in one MLS Cup Playoff game and was part of Philadelphia's 2022 team that advanced to MLS Cup.
"Chris is a player who we believe is going to be a great addition to our group," LouCity head coach Danny Cruz said. "He brings a lot of quality in front of goal and has shown us he understands the importance of working on both sides of the ball. You are going to see a player that has a great ability to head the ball while finding space in the box. He understands what it means to represent Louisville City and I am looking forward to continuing to integrate him into the group."
Donovan's professional career began in 2022 when he was selected by the Columbus Crew in the third round (68th overall) of the MLS SuperDraft. The club did not sign him and he instead joined Philadelphia Union II, eventually signing with the Union's senior team in the summer of 2022.
In college, Donovan played at Drexel, where he led the Dragons in scoring in each of his final three seasons. As a senior in 2021, he was named Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year and earned All-CAA First Team honors, along with a spot on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. He helped lead the program to back-to-back CAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 2012-13.
Donovan was also named to the All-CAA First Team as a sophomore in 2019 and junior in 2020, and he earned CAA All-Rookie honors as a freshman in 2018. The United Soccer Coaches named him United All-Atlantic First Team as a junior in 2018. In 2022, he won the John Semanik Award, given annually to a male and female senior Drexel athlete who best exemplify scholarship and athletic ideals.
Overall at Drexel, Donovan started 58 of the 60 games in which he appeared, scoring 30 goals and tallying 13 assists. He was the second player in Drexel history to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft and the third to earn an MLS contract.
While in college, Donovan played for West Chester United in 2019, while the club was a member of the National Premier Soccer League, and in 2021 in USL League Two — both are pre-professional collegiate summer leagues.
From Paoli, Pennsylvania, Donovan played high school soccer at Conestoga High School, where he led the Pioneers to two state championships. As a senior in 2017, Donovan scored 56 goals en route to First Team All-State and All-American honors. He was Pennsylvania's Gatorade Player of the Year for boys soccer in 2018.
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