January 31, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
Louisville City FC and the Philadelphia Union have agreed to a transfer sending goalkeeper Oliver Semmle to the Major League Soccer club for a fee, it was announced Wednesday.
Semmle spent one memorable season in purple, establishing himself as LouCity’s starting keeper last year before going on to set a new USL Championship rookie record for clean sheets with 13.
Terms of Semmle’s transfer weren’t disclosed.
“We are happy that Ollie has earned this opportunity with Philadelphia,” said coach Danny Cruz. “Through his work with our goalkeepers coach, Scott Budnick, and in our environment we saw huge growth from the beginning of last season to the end. Our hope is that we can continue to show players before they arrive at Louisville City that this is a place where they will compete for trophies while pushing them to improve and reach their career goals. We want to thank Ollie for the year that he spent here, and we are looking forward to following his continued development in Philadelphia.”
“I appreciate the chance the club gave me,” Semmle said of LouCity, “and I want to thank the coaching staff, front office and my teammates in Louisville. It’s been a great time here, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to take the next step with the Philadelphia Union, a team with a strong history in MLS. I’ll be keeping an eye on Louisville and can’t wait to see the team lift a trophy next season.”
From Au am Rhein, Germany, Semmle also tied atop the league list for shutouts in 2023 in his first pro season. It followed a collegiate career that saw him win the 2020 national title at Marshall University.
The Colorado Rapids selected Semmle in the MLS SuperDraft before he wound up signing with LouCity. His departure marks City’s third paid transfer out in the last year following Josh Wynder (Portugal’s S.L. Benfica) and Manny Perez (Denmark’s AC Horsens).
Semmle, 25, totaled 72 saves in purple across his 34 league appearances.
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