If there’s one thing you should know about Tyler Gibson, it’s that he’s always ready to do the work.
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder from Knoxville, Tenn., has been a solid presence in midfield for Louisville City FC this season, his first in a purple jersey.
Gibson has logged 1,368 minutes for the boys in purple, making him one of the most consistent figures on the pitch. He has appeared in 19 of the team’s 20 games, notching 15 starts. The only player with more minutes in matches played is Sean Totsch, who has appeared in all of LouCity’s 20 games.
Gibson has also proven to be a mainstay in Louisville’s buildup and attack, with 87% passing accuracy and six key passes so far this season, as well as two crosses.
Gibson previously played across the league for rival Indy Eleven, where he featured in the club’s 2019 and 2020 campaigns. Through his two seasons in Indy, the midfielder started in every one of the club’s 50 regular season matches, playing a total of 4435 minutes for the Eleven. Gibson netted one goal and one assist for the club.
“I mean I played against Louisville for a while and they’ve always been a tougher opponent to play, but being in a close vicinity it was always fun to have a little rivalry with them,” Gibson said. “They’ve always been super organized and have had such a winning culture. They always find ways to win games and fight, so that’s something that I noticed.
“When the opportunity came about to come here, I definitely wanted to be a part of that environment and culture.”
But breaking into this season’s LouCity roster, which featured 17 returning players, was no small feat. Last year’s squad also appeared in the club’s sixth straight Eastern Conference Final.
“I think it took a little bit of time to break in and earn their respect and everything like that but now I love it,” Gibson said.
“It’s a special group of guys. On and off the field we all get along. There’s no cliques. Everybody gets along with each other, but the biggest thing is, everybody wants to win. And that’s one thing that I wanted and what makes it special here is that there’s no off days here. In training, everybody’s on each other, everybody wants to win, everybody’s so competitive and they hold each other to the standards and hold everybody accountable on the field and then with off the field stuff as well.”
Recently, Gibson’s off-field career has just as busy as his on-field one. He is currently studying for his second financial advisor certification in addition to getting his start in real estate.
“Obviously soccer’s going to end at some point so the past few years I’ve been trying to use my free time wisely and trying to figure out what I’d be interested in,” Gibson said, “and there’s things I can do while I’m playing. I’m currently studying – I have one financial license already and I’m studying for the second one that I need, so I’ll hopefully get that sorted in the next couple of weeks.
“And then when I was living in Cincinnati I got into real estate a little bit, and my brother in-law and two of my old teammates, we all started a real estate company and we started building in Ottawa, Canada, and we’re looking at doing more stuff in the states as well, so we’ve been working on that. So I’m just using my free time wisely to get that set up and going – I find both of those things interesting.”
Prior to going pro, Gibson was a four-year starter at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he earned numerous academic and athletic accolades, including being named to All Atlantic-10 first team four years straight, and the Hermann Award watch list twice. Gibson helped the 49ers to Conference USA tournament championship titles in 2010 and 2013 and NCAA tournament appearances from 2011 to 2013, making a run to the finals and losing to eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels in 2011, the team’s deepest tournament run ever.
Upon graduation, Gibson spent three seasons in the now-defunct North American Soccer League and won a league title with the San Francisco Deltas in 2017 before signing with FC Cincinnati in the USL that same year.
His time in Cincinnati was cut short – Gibson appeared in only seven matches for the club – due to a leg injury requiring surgery. After rehab and recovery, he signed across the league with Indy Eleven, where he spent the past two years before signing with LouCity.
In addition to Louisville’s history of winning in the USL, Gibson credits the environment in Derby City that he noticed as an opposing player with helping in his decision to come to the club this offseason.
“They’re just doing things right here, especially with the new training facility, the new stadium, everything about it is just going in the right direction. It’s very professional and that’s just something I wanted to be a part of,” he said.
This season, Gibson ranks in the top of almost every distribution stat for Louisville: He is second on the team in passes made and passing accuracy in the opposition’s half, third in passing accuracy, third in passes per 90 minutes, third in forward passes, and first in passing accuracy in own half.
Gibson, who has traditionally played in both center and defensive midfield, has slotted in the No. 6 spot after previous starter Devon Williams signed with Miami FC in the offseason.
“It definitely took a little bit of time to break in, but I feel like I’ve been playing well and have been getting in more and more games and I definitely feel like I have an important piece in the way we play, so I’m enjoying getting to play more and be a part of this group, and we have an amazing team,” he said.
“All of our guys can play. And as we’ve seen, there’s been a lot of changes through the lineups, so that’s something you have to prove every day. I think we’ve been doing better and progressing as the year’s gone on and I’ve enjoyed playing a role in that.”
Besides adding strength in the LouCity buildup, Gibson is also solid on defense, recording 24 interceptions, 12 clearances, and three blocks so far this season. He credits his teammates with holding each other to a high competitive standard, which only makes everyone better.
“Everybody wants to win. So nobody’s letting anybody take a day off in training or not give 100%. People get called out all the time if they’re not putting in the right work, and that’s what makes this team special and that’s why it’s been so consistent with a winning culture. I think that’s a main piece of why they’ve been successful in the past and why we’re doing well right now.”
Louisville City currently holds the top spot in the Central Division standings, with 40 points through 20 matches, at 12-4-4. The team suffered only its fourth loss of the season at Birmingham on Saturday, but has a chance to bounce back at home vs. FC Tulsa on September 3.
LouCity has two wins and a loss against Tulsa so far this season but remains nine points clear of the third-place foes in the Central Division.
“Even though we have been doing well, there’s little things that we need to fix to make sure that we continue to do well and we’re not happy with just winning games,” Gibson said. “That’s what makes it special, is that we’re not happy unless we clean up everything.”
When he’s not training or developing his non-soccer career, Gibson loves getting outside and exploring his new city.
“I’m enjoying it, especially now in summer… I love food and it’s a good food scene. The outdoor stuff too, the river and park and everything, so just riding your bike around there, that stuff has been really cool. I like getting our and exploring the city so that’s been fun just to check out a new city. It’s a really cool place and it’s definitely growing on me more and more.”
Gibson says his favorite restaurant that he’s tried in River City thus far is La Bodeguita de Mima, a Cuban stop at 725 E. Market Street. But he added that “to be honest, the food at our training facility is unreal.”
“I enjoy coming to training every day and being involved in the competitive environment, the winning environment,” Gibson said. “You want to feel like a professional, from the organization, the training facilities, the stadium, the fans – and everything feels very professional here. And coming to play every day is awesome, I look forward to it every day.”
