Louisville City FC made its first offseason acquisition a notable one by signing dynamic midfielder Dylan Mares following arguably his best campaign yet, the club announced Tuesday.
Mares — pronounced MARE-is — poured in a career-high 10 goals during his third and final season for USL Championship Western Conference member El Paso Locomotive FC. He also numbered five assists, and his 2,395 minutes logged ranked second on the team for outfield players in 2022.
Terms of Mares’ deal with LouCity, which is pending league and federation approval, were not disclosed.
“We are excited to add Dylan to our roster,” said coach Danny Cruz. “He is a player we know very well and, when going through our process, felt would be a great addition to our group. When you look at his quality with the ball at his feet and his ability to have success in the final third, he is someone who can have an important impact within the group. We are looking forward to having him and his family here in Louisville.”
Born in Michigan, Mares grew up outside of Indianapolis, winning the 2009 IHSAA state title with Zionsville Community High School. He went on to play collegiately for the University of Louisville and Indiana University before embarking on a professional career going on a decade.
Mares first helped launch his hometown club, Indy Eleven, from 2014-2016, plus returned there in 2018. In between, he featured for Miami FC in 2017 and 2019 prior to his move to El Paso. The 30-year-old totaled 18 goals and 16 assists during his time with Locomotive FC.
Mares moved to St. Matthews with his wife Kimberly, daughter Enzly and son Daxton.
“I’m very excited to sign with LouCity,” Mares said. “Louisville has an immense amount of meaning for my family and me. We have a lot of family and friends from here, and I’m eager to play in front of them. The fans and the organization are incredible, and I’m very happy to be part of such a tremendous club. I look forward to meeting the players, staff and other members of the organization.
“It’s a club with high standards to win every year, and I’m excited to help continue that.”
Mares’ signing marks the first new addition to a LouCity roster that already features 22 returners from a record-breaking 2022 campaign. The boys in purple surpassed 20 wins for the first time, accumulated a club-record 72 points during the regular season and won the Eastern Conference title.
More information on the 2023 USL Championship campaign, which kicks off in March, is expected after the new year. Season ticket memberships are on sale by visiting LouCity.com/tickets or calling (502) LOU-CITY during regular business hours.
Current 2023 Louisville City FC Roster
Forwards: Jorge Gonzalez, Wilson Harris, Cameron Lancaster, Enoch Mushagalusa, Brian Ownby and Ray Serrano
Midfielders: Paolo DelPiccolo, Tyler Gibson, Dylan Mares, Niall McCabe, Carlos Moguel Jr. and Elijah Wynder
Defenders: Wes Charpie, Owen Damm, Amadou Dia, Oscar Jimenez, Manny Perez, Sebastian Sanchez, Ian Soler, Sean Totsch and Josh Wynder
Goalkeepers: Danny Faundez and Kyle Morton