Louisville City FC and Danny Cruz have agreed to terms of a new multi-year contract that will see the reigning USL Championship Coach of the Year return to the club in 2025.
Cruz is fresh off leading LouCity to its first Players’ Shield. At 24-6-4, the boys in purple tied the league’s record for wins in a season while setting new team marks for goals scored (86) and points earned (76).
However, City bowed out of the USL Championship Playoffs in the conference semifinal round — a result that left Cruz motivated to go further next year.
“I am grateful to John Neace, Chris Harding and our entire ownership group for the opportunity to continue my time here at Louisville City FC,” Cruz said. “I don’t take for granted how special it is to work at a club like this with the group of people that I do on a daily basis. When I reflect on the 2024 season, staff, players and I recognize that we fell short. My hope is that everyone associated with this club feels an immense amount of pride in the consistency we showed throughout the long season while also knowing we needed to be better when it mattered most.
“I was fortunate to be in a position at the end of this season to make a decision on where I wanted to coach in 2025. After discussing with my wife, we both agreed that at this moment in time, there is not a better place for me to be than Louisville. I’m a young coach who is still constantly looking to evolve and grow. I have high ambitions, but in making big decisions I always choose to look at the people who I work with first. Here, I’m at a club that allows me to work with and for people that want to push me and help me become a better coach every day. On top of that, I am extremely excited about the chance to push forward with this amazing group of players. I cannot wait to get back on the field, and I’m looking forward to seeing this group continue to push toward our ultimate goal of winning a USL Championship title.
“Lastly, I want to thank my wife and my son for their support in my pursuit of accomplishing something special here at Louisville City FC. I take no greater joy in the world than when driving past Lynn Family Stadium, my son yells from the back seat, ‘Look, its Daddy’s team.’ I’m excited about more years of hearing that.”
Cruz, 34, will make 2025 his fifth season managing LouCity. He is both the club’s winningest and longest-tenured head coach having taking over on an interim basis one game into the 2021 campaign. Since then, LouCity went on to win its Central Division as Cruz earned the permanent job in his debut season; City claimed an Eastern Conference title in 2022; and the boys in purple advanced to their ninth straight conference final in 2023.
Cruz has maintained a solid record of player recruitment and development along the way. He signed each of LouCity’s 2024 All-League First Team selections: Taylor Davila, Wilson Harris and Arturo Ordóñez. From the academy ranks Josh Wynder also completed a record USL Championship transfer last year to Portuguese powerhouse Benfica, and his older brother, Elijah, was recently named the league’s 2024 Young Player of the Year.
“We believe that in Danny, we have the best young coach in the country,” said LouCity’s president, James O’Connor. “Our 2024 regular season was record-breaking and one we are all very proud of. However, we all feel we have unfinished business going into 2025 and are delighted to have Danny lead the charge toward our third star.”
Born in Virginia, Cruz grew up in California and Arizona before going on to a nine-year professional career spent mostly in the Major League Soccer ranks. He transitioned to coaching in 2018, first at Real Monarchs, then joined LouCity later that same year as the boys in purple were en route to their second consecutive USL Championship title.
Cruz lives in Louisville with his wife, Brittany, and son, Santiago. The Cruz family is expecting a new addition this offseason.
