Louisville City has announced the signing of former UofL captain, Josh Jones. Jones (Twitter, Insta) is a 6’5” center back whose announcement comes on the heels of Wes Charpie’s departure.
The Philadelphia-area native was twice named to the All-ACC Third Team and helped the Cardinals reach three NCAA Tournaments between 2021 and 2024. He also boasts experience with the Ocean City Nor'easters in USL League 2, the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals in the NPSL, and was included in the 32-player roster for the 2019 Generation Adidas Invitational at Real Madrid.
After his junior season at UofL, Jones was selected 47th overall by Real Salt Lake in the MLS SuperDraft (listed as the #5 RCB prospect in his class) but returned to UofL for his senior. He reunites at LouCity with former UofL teammate Ryan Troutman, a goalkeeper for the boys in purple.
"Going into the 2025 season, we wanted to bring more size and strength to the back line, and Josh certainly gives us that,” Coach Danny Cruz said of his latest acquisition to the roster. “He is a player that we have been following for multiple years now, and we believe that in him we have added another important piece to the roster. I am looking forward to having him with the group and pushing him in his development to be the best version of himself.”
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join such a historic club," Jones said. "The city of Louisville quickly became home over the past four years, and I can’t think of a better place to start my professional career. I’m looking forward to meeting all the fans and helping deliver a championship to Louisville.”
Coach Cruz has begun to develop a solid recruiting track record with last season's pickup of Jansen Wilson coming to mind. Center back was a position of need (even before Wes’ departure, I’d argue), and acquiring a young talent could prove to be quite helpful in the long term. It is always nice to sign players with some sort of local ties. He may not be here but the city has become something of his adopted home after having just completed a full four years at UofL. He will be one to watch in preseason to see how he adapts to professional play.