Louisville City FC has been a strong contender for a title in each of its first two seasons, reaching the Eastern Conference Final in the USL Cup Playoffs during both seasons. Driven forward by the goal scoring of leading marksmen Matt Fondy in 2015 and Chandler Hoffman in 2016, City has put together a brand of strong attacking soccer while also maintaining a sturdiness defensively that makes the club hard to break down. This year the side will need to find a new leading light for its attack, but Head Coach James O’Connor’s team figures to be in the conversation yet again when the postseason arrives in October.

Head Coach: James O’Connor
Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field
2016 results: 17-4-9, 60pts
2016 postseason: W 2-0 vs. Richmond Kickers; W 1-0 vs. Charleston Battery; D 1-1 (3-4 PKs) at New York Red Bulls II

Goalkeeper: The emergence of Greg Ranjitsingh was one of the major storylines of the 2016 season for not only Louisville, but in the USL as a whole, as the shot-stopper recorded five consecutive shutouts in May and earned his first call-up to the Trinidad & Tobago National Team. Ranjitsingh’s perfect performances couldn’t last forever, but he still finished third in the league with a 0.83 goals against-average.

Defense: Louisville’s defensive play has been a strength in each of the past two seasons, and the side returns the center back pairing of Paco Craig and Sean Reynolds that had firmly established itself by the end of last year along with Kyle Smith, whose rookie season included a team-high six assists. The departure of Ben Newnam to San Antonio FC and Conor Shanosky to Richmond has been mitigated by the arrival of former Rochester Rhino Sean Totsch and Irish defender Sean Russell, with Totsch likely to bring the strong mentality that has made the Rhinos so difficult to break down.

Midfield: City saw two major departures this offseason go to rival FC Cincinnati, with Kadeem Dacres and Aodhan Quinn now on the other side of the River Cities Cup. To address those departures, Louisville went out and signed two players from other top Eastern Conference clubs, with former New York Red Bulls II midfielder Speedy Williams and the Richmond Kickers’ Brian Ownby both joining the side. Ownby is reunited with George Davis IV, who had five goals and two assists in his first season for City, while the return of Paolo DelPiccolo, Guy Abend should allow Louisville to remain solid in the center of the field, while Niall McCabe can make up for the creativity that has moved on.

Forward: Another year, another leading scorer moves on, with Chandler Hoffman heading west to Real Monarchs SLC after his 14-goal season a year ago. Louisville went out and signed Luke Spencer from FC Cincinnati to help address the absence, and he’ll likely compete with Cameron Lancaster as to who will take the lone striker spot in Louisville’s conventional 4-2-3-1 setup. Lancaster could also fit in the central attacking midfield role and will likely take over set-piece duties with the departure of Quinn, while Ilija Ilic will look to break out after notching two goals off the bench a year ago.

Strengths: Louisville’s defense has been a strong foundation to build on in each of the past two seasons, conceding 61 goals in 58 regular-season games over that time. The continuity among the likes of Reynolds and Craig in central defense, and Abend and DelPiccolo in central midfield should allow the spine of the side to remain strong, and keep Louisville in contention for another high finish in the Eastern Conference.

Weaknesses: Last year, the departure of 2015 USL Golden Boot winner Matt Fondy was a blow, but the signing of Chandler Hoffman and his proven USL goal-scoring record made it feel like there would be little drop-off. So it proved, as Louisville again topped 50 goals to finish second in the East in that category. There could be a little more concern this season given the departures of Quinn and Dacres, but if Louisville continues to create chances at a similar clip after averaging more than 12 shots per game last season, someone within the ranks should step forward to provide a consistent scoring threat.

Key number: 36 – Louisville recorded a league-high 36 assists last season as Kyle Smith (6), Paolo DelPiccolo (5) and Niall McCabe (4) led the way. Louisville’s fluid style of play should see it reach similar heights this season.

Noteworthy matchups: Louisville’s season opener at home to Saint Louis FC is one of the highlight games of the opening weekend of the 2017 USL season, and the meetings between the two rivals for the Kings’ Cup and between Louisville and FC Cincinnati for the River Cities Cup will also be circled on fans’ calendars. The first meeting at Slugger Field between City and FCC on July 15 should be a particularly fascinating one as Aodhan Quinn and Kadeem Dacres return in Cincinnati’s colors.

Coach’s view: “People try to generate team spirit, and the best way of generating team spirit is through hard work. If I’ve gone through something that’s really, really difficult, and I can look at you and know you’ve gone through what I’ve gone through and we’ve helped each other, you generate a bond and some spirit.” – Louisville City FC Head Coach James O’Connor

Current roster (updated: March 6, 2017):

Goalkeepers: Greg Ranjitsingh, Tim Dobrowolski
Defenders: Sean Russell, Sean Totsch, Tarek Morad, Sean Reynolds, Paco Craig, Kyle Smith
Midfielders: Mark-Anthony Kaye, Guy Abend, Brian Ownby, Niall McCabe, Oscar Jimenez, George Davis IV, Richard Ballard, Paolo DelPiccolo, Speedy Williams
Forwards: Cameron Lancaster, Luke Spencer, Ilija Ilic