LOUISVILLE CITY FC
The Future for Louisville
City is Unwritten, But Bright
BY KEVIN KERNEN | COURTESY PHOTOS
For those who aren’t imminently familiar with
Louisville’s City beginnings, a brief history lesson:
It was the handiwork of some local and vocal
proponents of the sport. The team started play in
2015 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals
in both of their first two seasons, something that
most people, Coach O’Connor included, count
as a successful start to the team’s history. Having
34 EXTOL SPORTS / JUNE 2017
followed the team since its announcement, and
the USL (the league that Louisville City plays in)
for as long, I can testify that any staying power
at this level is hard to maintain.
In the USL, players generally aren’t contracted
more than two, maybe three years. One year
attachments are the prevailing convention.
Player attrition is rife in this league, which makes
the fact that Louisville City has a cadre of seven
players that have been with the club since its
debut season a testament to the work that coach
has done to cultivate a positive environment.
Between relatively short-term contracts, players
trying to showcase their skills for a potential
move onto a bigger team, trying to maintain
competitiveness and keep players with a like