Two new signings in less than a week! These are surely halcyon days for Louisville City if you exclude, you know, winning trophies and stuff. This new player acquisition approach is going to take some getting used to for all of us. James O’Connor liked to mold his squads in the offseason and at February training camp, and then ride them until the season was over. That method ultimately had some drawbacks, though it was hard to argue with the results.

John Hackworth, on the other hand, has no problem addressing a personnel need that was pretty obvious. I admire the quick way he’s gone about it, and am really intrigued to see how the new additions fit into games. That’s really the only way we’ll know how well they work out, anyway. It’s a bit of a shame James Sands is only with us for such a short while because he’s the kind of player with a ton of potential that could go a long way with in the right hands. Jose Carranza might have a similar trajectory – maybe he just needs a chance.

City has had most of its success relying on veteran leaders. The average age of the squad is one of the higher ones in the league, for sure. There’s a lot of value in guys with a lot of experience and self-awareness about their abilities and limitations, and how to best fit those into a team. I hope that can bleed into the much younger reservists joining the squad now. I hope even more that the injection of new blood in the locker room translates to a very strong finish to the season. We’ll find out soon enough.