When Louisville City FC returns to the pitch Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium, it’ll be with a revamped roster featuring a number of fresh faces to accompany a returning core squad that last season reached the club’s seventh Eastern Conference Final in as many seasons.
Given the turnover — which has seen a number younger players signed — here’s a guide to who will be new in purple for the season opener against Atlanta United 2.
Dec. 21 signing: Owen Damm (defender, Louisville City FC Academy)
An 18-year-old from Versailles, Ky., Damm familiarized himself with the first team last season while on a USL Academy deal preserving his amateur status. The Woodford County High School graduate three times made all-state lists, including a first team spot in 2020, and finished his amateur career with a 48-goal season in 19 games this past fall.
Dec. 28 signing: Kyle Morton (goalkeeper, Houston Dynamo)
The two-time USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year finalist appeared for Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo in its season finale but also saw action during a five-game loan spell with the USL Championship’s Memphis 901 FC. An eight-save performance in his Memphis debut earned Morton — who is familiar from his past stints with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Saint Louis FC — the league’s Player of the Week award back on July 13.
Jan. 10 signing: Jorge Gonzalez (forward, Portland Timbers)
The former loanee from MLS’ Portland Timbers netted 4 goals last season for the boys in purple, including a game winner against Miami FC in the opening round of the USL Championship Playoffs, and returns for 2022 having inked a permanent deal with LouCity. A versatile type, he wears No. 9 but can also feature on the wings, totaling last year’s numbers despite missing time due to a preseason injury.
Jan. 14 singing: Amadou Dia (defender, Sporting Kansas City)
A 28-year-old outside back who has spent much of his career on Major League Soccer rosters, most recently with Sporting Kansas City, Dia is also familiar with Louisville. He went up against the boys in purple in the 2018 USL Championship Final when with Phoenix Rising FC, where he was twice named the powerhouse Western Conference club’s Defender of the Year.
Jan. 18 signing Enoch “Matiti” Mushagalusa (forward, Sporting Kansas City II)
Mushagalusa has moved to Louisville fresh off a breakout season in which he led Sporting KC II in scoring. He netted 8 goals, added 4 assists and ranked among his former club’s top chance creators in what was his second professional campaign.
Jan. 26 signing: Ray Serrano (forward, Tacoma Defiance)
The 19-year-old winger numbered 4 goals and a team-high 6 assists for Tacoma Defiance, which is managed by Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and competed last year in the USL Championship. Serrano has represented United States youth national teams and going back to age 15 became the youngest professional to ever sign as part of the storied Seattle Sounders organization.
Feb. 3 signing: Wilson Harris (forward, Sporting Kansas City)
The 2020 USL Championship Young Player of the Year netted 25 goals across 66 appearances for Sporting KC’s USL Championship sides — first the Swope Park Rangers and then Sporting KC II – before earning a homegrown deal with its MLS team. In Louisville, he provides an intriguing option beside Cameron Lancaster.
Feb. 10 loan out: Elijah Wynder (midfielder, FC Tucson)
LouCity retains the right to recall Wynder, its first player to complete the path to pro from the youth academy, after June 1. The local native will be looking for minutes after missing all of 2021 due to injury and figures to get them at the USL League One club.
Feb. 15 signing Manny Perez (midfielder, Austin FC)
Perez made 10 appearances for MLS’ Austin FC last season while on loan from the Portland Timbers and inked a new permanent deal ahead of the season. Going back to his college days at NC State, Perez was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Freshman of the Year and turned professional before he ran out of eligibility, signing with Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC.
Feb. 18 signing: Ian Soler (defender, Zagłębie Lubin)
A 26-year-old Spanish center back who most recently featured in Poland’s first division, Soler began his career in his home country as part of RCD Espanyol’s youth system and spent two years with England’s Fulham F.C., where he worked with the U-21s and U-23s, before embarking on a senior career in Spain.
Feb. 18 transfer out: Jay Tee Kamara (midfielder, to Columbus Crew)
The club agreed to move Kamara — who never appeared for LouCity, spending last year on loan to League One’s North Carolina FC — to the Columbus Crew organization. Terms of the deal include a sell-on should Kamara leave Columbus for a fee later.
Feb. 22 signing: Danny Faundez (goalkeeper, Orange County SC)
The 29-year-old arrives after two seasons with Orange County SC, serving as a reserve in 2021 on a USL Championship title-winning squad. He earned a trial and eventually a contract with the boys in purple after impressing at January’s open tryouts.
March 1 signing: Jan-Erik Leinhos (defender, Marshall University)
A four-year starter for the Thundering Herd, he helped the program to a victory in the 2020 College Cup, NCAA Division I soccer’s national title. The German outside back signed with LouCity following a successful preseason trial.
