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Louisville City FC Coach Will Leave For Major League Soccer Job In Orlando

A rendering of the Butchertown soccer stadium.
Courtesy Louisville City FC
A rendering of the Butchertown soccer stadium.

A day after developers broke ground on a new $65 million soccer stadium in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood, the team's coach has announced his departure.

Louisville City FC head coach James O'Connor is leaving to accept a coaching job in Orlando. Assistant coach Daniel Byrd will go to Orlando too; the team — Orlando City FC — is a Major League Soccer franchise.

“While we are obviously disappointed to see Coach O’Connor go, we are confident in the short and long-term success of Louisville City FC in our city,” said LouCity chairman John Neace in a press release. “No one in the USL is doing what we’re doing — building a state-of-the-art dedicated soccer stadium, turning out hundreds of fans on the hottest day of the year for a groundbreaking, and winning against MLS opponents in the US Open Cup. We are looking forward to continuing the growth of this club.”

The team added in a statement that O'Connor and Byrd's departure won't slow construction of the stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2020. Players George Davis IV, Paolo DelPiccolo, and Luke Spencer will serve as joint interim head coaches.