LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville City FC announced on Thursday it had signed Cameron Lancaster, the club’s all-time leading scorer, to a multiyear contract that will keep the English forward in purple as the club moves into the 2021 USL Championship season.
Lancaster has recorded 50 goals for LouCity across 106 appearances in the regular season and playoffs in his career, and is coming off a season in which he was named for a second time to the Championship’s All-League First Team and nominated as a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award.
“Securing Cam to a long-term contract is a huge step for our club,” said LouCity Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth. “Furthermore, it is an important moment for the USL when a player of his quality chooses to stay in the league at the prime of his career.
“Cam is one of the best goalscorers that I have ever coached. He also understands the expectations of every player who represents this club. We look forward to his contributions to Louisville City FC’s success for years to come.”
Lancaster netted 12 goals during the 2020 season in a variety of ways, sinking everything from a free kick at distance to a crafty back-heeled finish that marked his 50th regular season goal in the Championship overall. The 28-year-old notched seven goals in as many games down the stretch of the season as he played a key role in leading LouCity’s run to the Eastern Conference Final for a sixth consecutive year.
A member of club’s original roster in 2015, the Englishman earned a Major League Soccer contract with Nashville SC after a 2018 campaign in which he scored a Championship-record 26 goals and won the league’s Golden Boot. Nashville sent Lancaster back to Louisville on a season-long loan this year, when he hit the half-century mark in scoring.
“I’m delighted to sign for Louisville City FC,” Lancaster said. “I love this club, the fans and the direction the ownership is taking it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to repay the trust and belief shown in me in the coming years. The hard work begins now. Since 2015, I’ve seen this club grow in so many ways. The sky is the limit, and I can’t wait to contribute to that.
“I’m really looking forward to next season and playing in the best stadium and in front of the best fans in the league. See you then.”
Lancaster is tied for eighth in the Championship all-time with 51 regular season goals overall, but his efficiency rate has outstripped his contemporaries in the league. Since Louisville joined the Championship in 2015, Lancaster’s goals have arrived at an average of a goal every 116 minutes, with current all-time leader Dane Kelly sporting the second-best scoring rate at 153.7 minutes per goal among players with at least 50 goals in the Championship.
Such success was gradual in Louisville – Lancaster suffered an early injury and was sidelined for the club’s debut season – but certainly not surprising. He came up through the Tottenham Hotspur Academy, earning a professional contract and, eventually, a Premier League appearance during the 2011-12 season.
Since then, Lancaster has assembled an unparalleled resume in the Championship that also includes the game-winning goal in the 2017 Championship Final that won LouCity its first title.
“In bringing Cam back, we get a proven goal scorer who has the ability to change the game at any moment,” said LouCity assistant coach and Sporting Director Danny Cruz. “He continued to show this year that he belongs in a Louisville City FC jersey, and we are happy that he has chosen to stay. It is a testament to this club, the players, the staff and our ownership group that we are able to secure this type of talent for years to come.”