Louisville City FC made a second consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference Final as the side reloaded to replace the departures from its successful inaugural season. New faces such as Chandler Hoffman, George Davis IV and Kyle Smith fit in well around the established core of players at James O’Connor’s disposal to keep Louisville in contention for the club’s first silverware.

Arguably the best story of Louisville’s second season, however, was that of goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh. A backup in 2015, the young goalkeeper took center stage to not only claim the No. 1 role early in the season, but got his first opportunity to impress with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team in September, something few could have foreseen at the start of the season.

2016 USL SEASON IN REVIEW

Record: 17-4-9, 60 points
Place: Second in the Eastern Conference
Goals For: 52
Goals Against: 27
USL Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Final (W 2-0 vs. Richmond Kickers; W 1-0 vs. Charleston Battery; L 1-1 (3-4 PKs) at New York Red Bulls II)

2016 leaders: Chandler Hoffman (14 goals), Kyle Smith (6 assists), Greg Ranjitsingh (50 saves)

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Louisville’s 17-game undefeated streak pushed it to the top of the Eastern Conference, while the six-game shutout streak in the month of May was topped only by Rio Grande Valley FC’s exploits later in the season. The side continued to play exciting, attractive soccer to the tune of 52 goals in the regular season as new additions fit in well to the side’s existing structure.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Back-to-back defeats to FC Cincinnati and Orlando City B saw Louisville slip out of first place in the Eastern Conference, and a run of one win in six games as New York hit a late-season surge effectively gave the Red Bulls II the regular season championship. Louisville still has yet to beat New York in the five meetings between the teams, something City will be eager to rectify next season.

GOALS OF THE SEASON

Cameron Lancaster’s stoppage-time winner in Louisville’s opening game of the season in Charlotte provided an ideal start to the season against a side that would emerge as a playoff contender.

George Davis IV’s goal against Saint Louis FC was emblematic of the intricate passing that created numerous chances for Louisville over the season, and was capped by a perfect chipped finish.

SAVES OF THE SEASON

Scott Goodwin left Louisville in midseason to begin his studies at Harvard Medical School, but not before pulling off more outstanding saves, such as this penalty save on Charlotte’s Jorge Herrera.

Greg Ranjitsingh’s emergence over the course of the season drew plaudits, and the young goalkeeper’s positioning and reactions were on show with this stop against the Rochester Rhinos.

HE SAID IT

"When you put so much effort into something, and it ends like that, it's pretty tough to take. There's some valuable lessons in there we can take from those experiences and use them to fuel us for next year. We've got to the final twice and, unfortunately, come up short. We need to make sure that next year we go all the way.” – Louisville City FC Head Coach James O’Connor