LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Back in 2015, when James O'Connor was leading Louisville City FC as its head coach, he would've had a difficult time envisioning where he is now.
"If you go back to 2015, and you told me that I would have been the president of the organization, I probably would have laughed and said, 'Okay, I don't think that will happen,'" O'Connor said.
But now, the former coach finds himself in that exact position.
Soccer Holdings, LLC, which owns both the United Soccer League's LouCity and National Women's Soccer League's Racing Louisville FC, named O'Connor its permanent president on Wednesday. He had been serving in the role on an interim basis since January when former club president Brad Estes left.
"I'm obviously delighted to get the opportunity to lead the organization," O'Connor said. "I look at the talent that we have on the field and off the field, and I think there's a huge opportunity for us to go on and excel even further."
As a head coach, he's seen the heights of those achievements, leading LouCity to an USL Championship win in 2017. The Ireland native brings 25 years of pro soccer experience as a player, coach and executive. It spans from the English Premier League to Major League Soccer to USL and the NWSL.
"Soccer is the world game," Soccer Holdings CEO and Chairman John Neace said. "So if we're going to be relevant in the world game, we have to have participation with clubs and people who are in the game from around the world."
Neace said O'Connor was the top candidate from the start of the process, giving him 90 days to consider if he'd want the job permanently after being given the interim title. The chairman credited O'Connor's persistent work ethic and passion for the organization as key factors, while also expressing a desire to promote from within the club.
"If he asked if you can help him with something and you say yes, you better be there," Neace said. "Because he's just going to keep harassing you until you are there to do those things."
O'Connor said the big thing for him is he cares about the organization.
"I want to make sure that we're put in the best possible place to be able to grab the opportunity that presents itself," said O'Connor. "And I think that's the big attraction to me as I look at where we are in this organization, and where we want to get to."
Now having the full-time position, O'Connor wants to focus on more fan engagement and selling out the new Lynn Family Stadium. But he also said he is looking at the club becoming more efficient in its management.
That could lead to some restructuring of the organization, as he oversees the business and soccer sides for both LouCity and Racing.
"There are a couple of areas we want to restructure," O'Connor said. "And we want to be more diligent and a bit more effective. You're always looking at different aspects and trying to come up with different ways of being more efficient."
"You always need a point person for anything, someone where the buck stops," Neace said. "And I think as James looks at that, he'll make a decision on what that might be or who that needs to be. Hopefully, again, we have that person already in the organization."
It's one that's seen quite a bit of change over the past year. Exactly one year ago, Louisville City FC mutually parted ways with former head coach John Hackworth.
While LouCity did not disclose the reasons for that separation, The Athletic reported a contract clause that allowed former Louisville star and current Real Sociedad defender Jonathan Gomez to leave the club for free after a season if Hackworth left Louisville.
His transfer fee to the La Liga club reportedly ended up being just $100,000, which led LouCity to issue a statement, calling the situation "a learning moment" that led it to reevaluate club oversight.
Current head coach Danny Cruz ended up being LouCity's choice to replace him. Hackworth is now the director of coaching for St. Louis City SC, which will soon be in the MLS. He is coaching St. Louis City SC II, which is in the MLS development circuit until the transition to the top league.
As for Racing Louisville FC, the club fired its first head coach in Christy Holly for cause on August 31, 2021. The reasons for Holly's dismissal have still not been disclosed, but the NWSL Players Association released a statement in support of Louisville's handling of it. Former captain and goalkeeper Michelle Betos later said the team was protecting its players.
Holly was one of four NWSL head coaches to be dismissed last season, with most of those firings dealing with allegations of abuse. LouCity Academy assistant director Mario Sanchez took over as the interim head coach for the rest of the season until Racing hired its current head coach in Kim Björkegren in December 2021.
"I think they're good examples of things that happen," O'Connor said when asked about learning from the Hackworth and Holly situations. "I think you need to be able to manage different scenarios. Being able to adapt to change and manage change, they're easy things to say. But I think to be able to work through those processes, and to have good people around you while being able to help them, I think that's been the biggest thing here."
Racing Louisville FC Captain and Defender Gemma Bonner said O'Connor was there for the players while handling the Holly firing.
"I think it was a rough time for everybody throughout the league. And the most important thing you could have was somebody that was open and you could listen to," said Bonner. "So I think for us, it was hugely positive in terms of what we had available at our club and the support that the players had."
Bonner also praised O'Connor for getting some player feedback in the final parts of the process that led to Racing hiring Björkegren.
"My leadership style is being a pretty direct communicator," O'Connor said. "I'm very fair, I like to believe I'm fair. But I think the biggest thing for me is transparency. You need to be able to lead with authenticity and be straight with people."
That's key in both roles involved with the position. O'Connor admits he's learned more on the business side of things after the departure of Estes. When it comes to soccer, he's already had plenty of experience on the technical side, identifying talent and collaborating with staff members to evaluate it.
"He has a clear idea and understanding of how we want to play," Cruz said. "Him and I see the game very similarly, which makes those conversations even easier."
Bonner said O'Connor has been influential in setting the foundations of the club.
"And I think you can see the progression, what's been set from the beginning to where we are now as a club. It was definitely something that attracted me to the club, knowing how much he wanted to win and be successful," said Bonner.
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