While most of us have been focused on Opening Day at Slugger Field for the 2017 USL season, Louisville City’s owners have been working behind the scenes to make sure the team’s future on the field is secure. The club today announced that it has extended the contracts of head coach James O’Connor, assistant Daniel Byrd, and goalkeeper coach Thabane Sutu through the 2020 season. Daniel Karell with the Courier-Journal got the scoop out first, beating Jonathan Lintner’s own press release in a tight race that surely came down to the wire.

This is good news! So much of Louisville City’s on-field success is directly due to James O’Connor’s work managing the team and finding hidden talent. The fact that he and his staff agreed to four year extensions also hints at the idea certain promises were made in regard to not only salary, but other more significant structural upgrades at Louisville City. That’s a very indirect way of saying I bet they’re pretty sure about a stadium deal and that it was a key factor in securing O’Connor’s signature on the extension agreement. I would also be surprised if some kind of academy commitment wasn’t a part of the package as well.

Of course, like most things I write around here, that’s all pure, uncut speculation. It could just be money! But I like to think the club is reasonably certain that its future is secure, which would be enough to entice the coaching staff to stick around. Congratulations to JOC, and let’s go win a damn trophy.