Having secured the majority of the 2022 roster for 2023 (believed to be a record for a USL Championship club’s roster year over year), attention has shifted to filling the vacancies left by the few departures. Who better to plug a Corben Bone-sized hole than one of the league’s best midfielders? Dylan Mares has put pen to paper to become Louisville City’s first new signing for the 2023 campaign. Mares is no stranger to Louisville as he was once teammates with Paolo DelPiccolo at UofL. Following his time at UofL (and IU), he went undrafted in the MLS Draft before joining Indy Eleven for their inaugural campaign (in the NASL). He joined the NASL version of Miami FC in 2017 before returning to Indy in 2018 (now in the USLC). And then back again to Miami for the 2019 NISA season. His most recent club was El Paso, where he has played in 73 matches, scoring 18 goals and 16 assists. He is coming off his best season having scored 10 goals and eight assists in 27 starts with a player rating of 7.44!
“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.”
“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.”
After learning of our departures, I asked the wise John Morrissey (aka USLTactics) who could be potential midfield signings for the boys in purple. Mares was one of three he listed and was referred to as “*the* free agent”. Coach Danny Cruz has yet again found a way to level up an already stacked roster. He is an experienced player and a leader who will add an offensive bite to the midfield (a role historically occupied by Bone). His ties back to UofL and PDP should help in his quick assimilation into the squad. This is exactly the level of signing we have quickly come to expect from the Cruz-era LouCity. He doesn’t just talk about winning trophies, his actions (like this signing) back it up. Can’t wait to see who else he will be adding to the team in 2023!
If you want to hear from the man himself, he joined the Seriously Loco podcast to talk about his career up until joining El Paso. You can also catch him in a few clips below.
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
Parting Thoughts
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