Jonathan Gomez

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville City FC is starting the 2020 season by adding some youth to its roster. 

Meet Jonathan Gomez. The 16-year-old from North Richland Hills, Texas, became the youngest signee in club history Thursday. The young prospect will serve as a backup defender when the team opens the 2020 season at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Cary, North Carolina, against North Carolina FC.

Gomez spent some time in Louisville working out with the team during the preseason and impressed the staff with his performance on the field and chemistry with his soon-to-be teammates. 

"I enjoyed the coaching staff, my teammates and everything, and that helped me make my decision easier to sign," Gomez said. "... It's an older locker room, but there's a few teenagers and obviously with the older experience in the locker room that will help me learn, and hopefully we can win another championship."

Coach John Hackworth called Gomez one of the top young players in America. Gomez was invited to his first U.S. Youth National Team training camp at age 12 and has represented both the United States and Mexico in youth international play, according to Louisville City's official website. 

Jonathan Gomez holds Lou City jersey with family and coach, officials

Jonathan Gomez, 16, signed with Louisville City FC on Thursday. 

"In particular, when you're talking about a young player, their mentality, their character, their personality and them having a growth mindset is huge for us, and all of those boxes checked off along the way when we were dealing with Jonathan," Hackworth said. "... he is a 16-year-old, and at the same time, he is a mature 16-year-old, and we feel like it's a perfect opportunity for us to grow and, really, to help Jonathan reach his ultimate goals of becoming a pro for many, many years to come and playing at the highest possible level that he can." 

Gomez will live with a roommate in team housing and will continue his high school education online, according to a team spokesperson. He will learn under defender Oscar Jimenez, who has been with the club since 2017. 

"His family came and visited, and we tried to make sure that they had every opportunity from a living standpoint to see where he would live, who he would be with, the schooling situation, and we tried to go through all the details that are unique to a young professional signing at this age," Hackworth said. 

"It's a brand-new thing for me," Jimenez said of his mentor role with Gomez. "The first thing I've noticed is that he is fast and he is fit. ... I like to be the fittest on the team, so with that it's going to have me pushing myself to be a little fitter. ... He's very coachable. He wants to learn. He wants to get better about things in his game, and that's very important, I think, as a young player.

Oscar Jimenez

Oscar Jimenez will serve as a mentor for Louisville City FC's latest signee, 16-year-old Jonathan Gomez.

"I like his humor," Jimenez added. "He's very quiet at first, but he's got some humor." 

Louisville City FC will play four consecutive road games before returning home to open the new Lynn Family Stadium with a U.S. Open Cup match on April 7 followed by the team's 2020 United Soccer League home opener against Birmingham Legion FC at 7 p.m. April 11. 

Here is Lou City's 2020 roster heading into Saturday's season opener (listed alphabetically by position):

Goalkeepers (3): Chris Hubbard, Ben Lundt, Muamer Ugarak

Defenders (8): Wes Charpie, Jonathan Gomez, 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

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