Midfielder Tyler Gibson will return for a second season with Louisville City FC having signed a new contract pending league and federation approval, the club announced Tuesday.
The 30-year-old central midfielder made 19 starts in his 28 appearances last year, suffering an injury down the stretch of the campaign that limited his time entering the USL Championship Playoffs.
“We are extremely excited to be re-signing Tyler,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “His character both on the field and in the locker room exemplifies that of a Louisville City player. This is an important signing and one that we believe will help put us in a position to compete for a trophy this year.”
From Knoxville, Tenn., Gibson made his move to LouCity after two seasons with rival Indy Eleven. There, he played every minute of Indy’s abbreviated 2020 campaign after a breakout 2019 in which he led the USL Championship with 2,174 passes.
His original signing with the boys in purple coincided with the departure of All-League First Team midfielder Devon “Speedy” Williams, with Gibson slotting into that same No. 6 role for LouCity. Gibson proved to be a crucial distributor, ranking third on the roster by completing 86.4% of his passes.
“I’m excited and thankful for the opportunity to play for Louisville City again this season,” Gibson said. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the field with the guys and getting started. See you all soon.”
Gibson’s re-signing brings the current LouCity roster to 17 players — 15 returners, plus newcomer goalkeeper Kyle Morton (from Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo) and defender Owen Damm (from the club’s youth academy). Negotiations have continued with other potential signings with more news to be announced in due time.
Current 2022 Louisville City FC Roster
Forwards: Cameron Lancaster, Brian Ownby
Midfielders: Corben Bone, Tyler Gibson, Jay Tee Kamara, Napo Matsoso, Niall McCabe, Carlos Moguel Jr., Paolo DelPiccolo, Elijah Wynder
Defenders: Wes Charpie, Owen Damm, Oscar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Josh Wynder
Goalkeepers: Kyle Morton, Parker Siegfried
