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Louisville City FC 2022 Season Preview

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 03/03/22, 5:00PM EST

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2022 Outlook

One of the keys to the enduring success of Louisville City FC – which reached the Eastern Conference Final of the USL Championship Playoffs for a seventh consecutive season last fall – has been the side’s continuity. Seven players have now surpassed 100 regular season appearances with the club, with six of them – including all-time leader Niall McCabe (162) – set to return for the new campaign after the retirement of George Davis IV after his 11-season career.

There’s no question the likes of captain Paolo DelPiccolo, forward Cameron Lancaster – who bagged the second 20-goal campaign of his career last season – defenders Sean Totsch and Oscar Jimenez and winger Brian Ownby will remain key parts of the club’s lineup this season. The side has also added a notable veteran in goal with two-time Championship Goalkeeper of the Year finalist Kyle Morton making the move after a season at Houston Dynamo FC.

At the same time, to remain a contender LouCity has looked to refresh its squad with some younger additions that could become the core for the club moving forward. Attacking midfielder Jorge Gonzalez has joined on a permanent deal after his loan from Portland Timbers FC saw him earn a consistent starting spot last year, while new arrivals like 22-year-olds Enoch Mushagalusa and 2020 Championship Young Player of the Year Wilson Harris from Sporting Kansas City and ex-U.S. youth international Manny Perez all bring something new to the table. As Head Coach Danny Cruz enters his first full season at the helm, the combination of young talent with the veterans leading the way should result in another successful campaign at Lynn Family Stadium, and the sort of excitement and quality that has been LouCity’s hallmark since its launch.

Notable Arrivals

Kyle Morton – Two-time Goalkeeper of the Year finalist makes move to LouCity from Houston Dynamo

Wilson Harris – 2020 Championship Young Player of the Year should add firepower to attack

Amadou Dia – Experienced left back in both MLS and USL Championship will fit into side’s system

Ray Serrano – Former Tacoma Defiance winger will add new option in attacking third

Notable Departures

Jonathan Gomez – 2021 Championship Young Player of the Year departed via transfer to Real Sociedad

Antoine Hoppenot – Veteran winger joined Championship newcomer Detroit City FC as free agent

Alexis Souahy – Newly-minted Comoros international hoined New Mexico United

George Davis IV – Championship’s all-time appearances leader called it a career after 11 seasons

Two To Watch


Cameron Lancaster, Forward

While Dane Kelly may be the current all-time leading scorer in the USL Championship’s history, Cameron Lancaster has established himself as the heir to that throne. The former Tottenham Hotspur Academy product moved into fourth place in the league’s history with 71 regular-season goals by the end of the past season, and with a scoring rate of a goal every 109.4 minutes in the league’s regular season for his career, it seems unlikely Lancaster’s pace will slow much with LouCity again assembling an impressive attacking group around him. The 29-year-old’s instincts inside the penalty area have made him difficult to handle and should lead Louisville to continued success this campaign.

Kyle Morton, Goalkeeper

If there was an area of underperformance for Louisville in the 2021 season, the analytics said it was between the sticks. The duo of Parker Siegfried and Chris Hubbard both finished in the red in terms of goals conceded vs. expected goals conceded, with LouCity sitting at +5.36 in surplus goals over the campaign. Enter Kyle Morton, a two-time finalist for the Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year award after a season spent with Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo FC, who should provide the solution. Morton has posted a -3.04 differential over the past five seasons in the Championship, and behind what looks like a solid LouCity back line should help plug the leaks the side experienced a season ago.

Coach


Danny Cruz (2nd Season)

Elevated as LouCity’s interim Head Coach following John Hackworth’s abrupt departure early in the 2021 season, Danny Cruz ensured the perennial title contender didn’t miss a beat as it advanced to a seventh consecutive Eastern Conference Final before falling in extra time to Tampa Bay. This offseason will have allowed Cruz to put a bigger imprint on the side as it looks for its third league title in November.

Key Number


29.16 Louisville City FC’s Expected Goals Against mark of 29.16xGA was the lowest in the league in the regular season according to Opta, but the side ended up allowing 37 goals in 32 games on the field. An upgrade in goal with Kyle Morton’s arrival could help firm up LouCity as the best defensive side in the league its underlying numbers indicated it might be a campaign ago.

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Tag(s): Features  Louisville City FC  Cameron Lancaster  Kyle Morton  Amadou Dia  Ray Serrano  Wilson Harris 

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