I love the Clash as much as anyone, but “Will I Stay or Will I Go” is played out. We expect the club to start releasing news about the team sheet within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, your venerable www.louisvillecoopers.com writing staff got together to give you answers to all of your questions, unless those questions have to do with things other than what the Louisville City roster will look like in 2017. In order of who responded to my emails, here you go:

Taylor Sorrels:

Staying:

Ranjitsingh, Abend, Reynolds, Craig, Rasmussen.
Greg’s got a half season’s worth of starts under his belt, and the club probably will be able to extend his contract for at least another year. Sean Reynolds kind of falls in the same boat, though I’d wager he’ll be more expensive. I took Abend over Quinn for similar reasons; I’d be a little surprised if the club can keep Quinny if he’s after bigger and better things. I don’t know what his prospects are, just guessing. This time last year I would’ve said MAG RAM would be gone, but, again, limited minutes means limited exposure, and I think we can keep him for another year. Finally, Paco Craig was probably on a two year deal, so he’ll see out his contract unless something weird happens overseas.

Going:

Hoffman, Dacres, DelPiccolo.
I’d like to keep all three, but I have to believe Chandler Hoffman was on a one year deal. He didn’t have the second half he wanted, be it due to lack of playing time or performances that didn’t make the grade for James O’Connor. Kadeem Dacres was shopping himself around all last offseason and his deal with City has expired.  I’ll be shocked if he’s back for 2017. Paolo DelPiccolo barely saw the field in the second half of the season. While I think he’s a useful player, he’s basically a like for like for Aodhan Quinn without the same ability on dead balls. If you keep Quinn, Paolo’s just depth and I don’t think he’s ready to accept that at this point in his career.

Kevin Kernen:

It’s not exactly in keeping with James O’Connor’s setup, but I think our side could play better with a 4-3-3 formation at Slugger. We kept getting bogged down trying to play it to the fullbacks on the wings. Stick a tall forward up top and use wingers to cross it and let central midfielders trickle in.
As for transfers:

If we keep 3 of the 5 of Hoffman, Dacres, Reynolds, Quinn and Rasmussen, I will consider the offseason a success. After Shanosky left we will certainly be signing at least one center back. We’ll probably also look for another natural left back to compliment Newnam or Smith, as Montano fell out of favor. I’d assume, after a dissapointing season, that Enrique Montano is probably gone, too.

I’m not too concerned with Greg Ranjitsingh or Sean Reynolds leaving. Strong CBs and GK are abundant in the USL.

Kadeem Dacres trained with Minnesota United last preseason. My money is on him going there. Should Kadeem leave, I’d like to see us sign a guy like Memo Rodriguez from Rio Grande Valley. RGV play with a little higher tempo than us, and he plays down the wings well.

Taylor Hamblin:

Going:

Quinn, Dacres, Hoffman, and Montano.

Quinn has shown for two years that he’s a great quality as a midfielder to add attack and defense to any team. Hoffman will leave as he started hot and cooled off quick. He will likely not enjoy playing second fiddle to Ilic or Lancaster who are just as good. Dacres should really stay but he should also go. No winger is as poised and quick on the ball as Dacres in the USL. Montano is my sleeper pick. After a great first season and a sophomore slump he may try to find more playing time elsewhere. However he shouldn’t want to leave as he and Dacres have become legends of LCFC over Matt Fondy and Bryan Burke in my opinion.

Staying:

Ranjitsingh, Rasmussen, Abend, McCabe, Newnam.
I really think most of the defense will stay including Newnam, Reynolds, and others. Newnam is coming off a solid season in the back and should want to continue that at a club like LCFC who have had a great defensive unit for 2 years now. Ranjitsingh already had a big year and with international call ups and he’ll likely want to prove himself as the first one on the lineup sheet every gameday. Rasmussen was welcomed back like a king which should speak volumes to how much value we LCFC fans see in him. Hopefully he will renew or continue to stay on and become the club’s first true legend. Abend has emerged as the sole number 8 player. He’s a great holding midfielder who offers a lot for LCFC. I am sure James O’Connor will want to keep him on the roster. McCabe, who did not play a major role this season due to injury, will likely want to come back like Rasmussen and prove he still has the quality we saw in the 2015 campaign.

Jason Ence:

GOING:

Quinn, Hoffman, Dacres, Montano.
I believe that Aodhan Quinn is going to get an offer to play somewhere else, or he’s going to look to play somewhere else, and with the free kick skills he has, he will be an attractive buy for another club.
Enrique Montano was a fan favorite the first season, and a phantom player the second. I am not sure what happened, but he never played beyond a few sporadic appearances earlier in the year. From what I understand, he left town as soon as the season ended, prior to meeting with coach. It’s safe to assume we have seen the last of him at Slugger Field.
Kadeem Dacres shopped himself last season, and that did not endear him to Coach O’Connor. I truly believe that, had another option presented itself to JOC, Kadeem would not have seen the pitch as much as he did this season. It was evident in the first half of the season that for some reason he was not being played, and eventually results mattered more than personal feelings. Even though they likely patched things up, I think Kadeem has done enough to earn himself a look from another team, especially if he is out of contract, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him at a higher level next year.
Chandler Hoffman is the most difficult one for me to choose, but I simply don’t think he will start next year. Off the pitch, Hoffman is as good of a guy as they come. However, he simply isn’t a good fit in this system. Matt Fondy was so good because of his work rate, his runs off the ball, and his positioning. Chandler is a poacher, and that’s not a bad thing. It just simply doesn’t work in an offensive attack predicated on getting the ball on the wings and crossing it in. Too many times, those crosses turned into simply giving the ball away to the opposition, because Hoffman was easily kept off the ball.

STAYING:

Reynolds, DelPiccolo, Lancaster, Rasmussen, Morad, Craig, Davis IV, McCabe, Abend, Smith
Sean Reynolds is the hardest of all players to predict for me, but I believe he stays. I think that his relationship with the fans is a big help, but I also think that he does not want the red card in the conference finals to be the last memory fans have of him. Paolo DelPiccolo is also a tough one, but I think if Quinn leaves, combined with his ties to the community, then PDP will be in the starting XI much more often. Cameron Lancaster should be the starting striker going forward, and I know that JOC loves his energy and his set piece ability. I think we keep him another year. Rasmussen, with a full year to impress, is likely gone, but his injury will likely keep him here another season. Tarek Morad and Paco Craig are good enough to get chances elsewhere, but I think they remain here. George Davis IV did a great job down the stretch, and I think he is the likely replacement for Kadeem, making a move to the right side. Niall McCabe is another player good enough to move elsewhere, but he will stay here and work on getting healthy after his hip procedure, and he will be here another season. Guy Abend settled in nicely this year and should be one of the two pivots next season. Finally, I think Kyle Smith hangs around after a breakout year, and rewards the faith that LCFC had in him.