Good morning! Yesterday was a busier news day in LouCityLand than normal, so if you missed the thing about going back to the old crest or the thing about the USL Academy Cup, go bone up on that first and then come back here. I’d be great at making money by back linking my own content if this site actually had paid advertising and stuff, but alas. It doesn’t.

Now, on to OTHER, STILL VERY IMPORTANT NEWS! Maybe!

Duffy Checks Out

Former Louisville City president Amanda Duffy announced that she would be stepping down as NWSL president and assuming an EVP front office role with Orlando Pride SC in about a month. The move comes after a lot of non-progress on an agreement between the league and US Soccer, and a couple of failed attempts at league expansion for the 2020 season. Duffy did, however, manage to get a solid broadcasting deal with ESPN during her tenure, helped to solidify the existing clubs’ positions in their own markets, and oversaw the league’s best-ever season in 2019. Best of luck to Amanda as she moves into her new role.

Her departure widens the leadership vacuum with the league, however, as the owners hadn’t named a commissioner for a few years and now will also be without a president, too. That’s not great, especially for Louisville’s team is making preparations to join for 2021. Duffy had been a candidate for the commissioner position. The tea leaves suggest that the owners weren’t keen on the idea, and her departure indicates that she could have been fed up with their indecision or lack of faith in her. More to come from a league-office standpoint, I’m sure.

Charlotte Independence could probably use some players

The Independence, now under the shadow of the new MLS team that will be playing at Bank of America Stadium, have been pretty quiet on the signings front since the end of last season. The USL transfer tracker has zero entries for the Independence. GM and coach Mike Jeffries, quoted in this Charlotte Post article, says he “has enough to play,” which even if true is not encouraging. Enzo Martinez, Jorge Herrera, Hugh Roberts, and Brandon Miller area all expected to return, however.

Still, it will be interesting to watch how the Jacks proceed under the MLS cloud. The Independence wisely bought up a lot of big local youth clubs in Charlotte and now have a lot of control over that segment of the player pool. Charlotte’s MLS team has stated it’s got big aspirations, but some local cooperation, as well as an academy system, is typically encouraged by the league. It seems likely that there will be at least a partnership between the two organizations, if not an outright purchase. Where that leaves the Independence’s senior team, I don’t know, but my guess is “with a rebrand as CLT MLS 2 and a drop to USL League 1.” We’ll find out.