There are several factors contributing to Louisville City FC’s success year over year. A committed ownership group, a strong coaching staff, and roster consistency. In a league known for frequent one-year contracts and regular turnover of players, LouCity has been a leading squad in establishing a continuity of players. This on-the-pitch consistency has been key to the club's six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances and two championships. Now in year seven, many of Louisville's familiar faces are on the wrong side of thirty posing the question “What will the future look like?”
Louisville City has the second oldest roster in the USL at 28.6 years old and 11 of 24 rostered players will be 30+ by the end of the year. Turning 30 is by no means a death sentence. Nobody is expecting the likes of Niall McCabe or Paolo DelPiccolo to hang up their boots at the end of this season. But it is a milestone signaling that father time will catch up to our beloved stars of today sooner than later. Those in a position of power with the club are certainly looking towards the future. In years past, the solution was retention. Going forward, a succession plan will need to be in place. Fortunately for the LouCity faithful, action has already been taken on that front as the team has been steadily ramping up their reliance on the academy program.
On 05/16/2019, 16-year-old Elijah Wynder became the first academy player to make an appearance for Louisville City. In the lead up to this 2021 season, Wynder put pen to paper and signed his first professional contract, forgoing college eligibility to play for his hometown club. Only a few months later, seven academy players would be offered two-way contracts that would allow them to maintain their college eligibility and still represent LouCity on the pitch. Of those, Joshua Wynder has already signed a pro deal (who is showing promise on a national level as well) while Carlos Moguel and Sebastian Sanchez have made