GUILLERMO SANCHEZ
ACADEMY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sanchez was born in France, raised in Venezuela and moved to Denmark at age 17 as an exchange student. At 20, he arrived in the United States to compete collegiately for NAIA side Graceland University, where he also earned a degree in psychology and modern foreign languages. Upon graduation, Sanchez returned to Venezuela to play professionally before returning to Graceland to coach his alma mater, where he stayed for seven seasons — first as an assistant and then head coach. Sanchez went on to coach top-flight Venezuelan club Deportivo Tachira (2014-15) before stops at clubs in India (Northeast United, 2015), Paraguay (Cerro Porteño, 2016) and Bolivia (The Strongest, 2016).

KRISTEN WALLACE
ACADEMY BUSINESS DIRECTOR

Having worked with Mockingbird Valley SC and Kentucky Fire Juniors since 2007, when eventual Louisville City FC founder Wayne Estopinal purchased the club, Wallace has had a presence full-time in youth soccer since 2011. She helped launch the Louisville Lightning PASL team in 2009 and assisted the fledgling Louisville City FC before it had full-time staff. Prior to working in soccer, Wallace worked on the business development team at TEG Architects and worked two seasons with the Louisville Fire arena football team. 

PAOLO DELPICCOLO
LOUCITY ACADEMY DIRECTOR

DelPiccolo played eight seasons for LouCity, captained for seven of those years, including both of City’s back-to-back USL Championship title runs in 2017 and 2018. The 2018 campaign brought about DelPiccolo’s first coaching gig as part of the “triumvirate” of player that successfully managed through a head coaching change. LouCity lifted six trophies – four Eastern Conference titles were won in addition to the league championships – during DelPiccolo’s tenure. As the club's all-time appearance leader, he played 230 games and ranks second in club history in minutes logged at 15,397. He played collegiately at the University of Louisville, helping the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA College Cup trip in 2010. DelPiccolo holds a USSF C license and is working toward his B license.

TIM NOWAK
RACING ACADEMY DIRECTOR

Tim Nowak joined Soccer Holdings in Racing Louisville’s inaugural season (2020) as their first ever Racing Academy Director of Coaching. With over two decades of coaching both girls’ youth and women’s collegiate soccer, including 12 years as a youth club director, and 17 years as an NCAA Division I and Division II head coach or assistant, Nowak brings a wealth of experience to the Racing Louisville FC Academy. The St. Louis native and Western Illinois University alum arrived in Louisville in 2001 as an assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Louisville. Nowak has also coached collegiately at the University of Arkansas, Eastern Illinois University, Bellarmine University and Western Illinois University. Since 2010 he has been part of several local clubs where he has been influential in helping to grow the game for local young women in the Louisville area. Nowak holds a US Soccer B License and a United Soccer Coaches Association Advanced National Diploma.

JOE JESSOP
LOUCITY ACADEMY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

The Lincoln, England, native came to America to play collegiately at St. Catherine College. After three seasons with the Patriots, Jessop played his final season at Midway University in 2017. Currently also an assistant coach at Bellarmine University, Jessop was the academy director at Oldham Soccer Club from 2017 until earlier this year, when the organization joined the LouCity and Racing Academy. Jessop currently holds a USSF C License and is working toward his B License.

THABANE SUTU
LOUCITY ACADEMY GOALKEEPING DIRECTOR

A native of Maseru, Lesotho, Sutu has coached goalkeepers at the top levels of American soccer with Orlando City of MLS and Louisville City FC of the USL Championship. Sutu, who played professionally in Lesotho with Arsenal and in Egypt with the club Al Ahly, has been coaching top-level goalkeepers in the Louisville area for nearly two decades first. Sutu was inducted into the Kentucky Soccer Hall of Fame in 2018 for his work with Louisville City and his time with United 1996, winning Kentucky’s Coach of the Year in 2006 and a state title in 2009.

LIBBY STOUT
RACING ACADEMY GOALKEEPER DIRECTOR

Libby Stout most recently helped Southern Illinois University launch its women’s soccer program as an assistant coach there since 2018. The Louisville native now has the chance to mentor a number of players who were once in her shoes. A DuPont Manual graduate, Stout starred collegiately at Western Kentucky University, where she was an All-American while setting school records for wins, shutouts, goals against average and save percentage. Her 39 career shutouts still rank among the most all-time in NCAA Division I history. As a professional, Stout made stops in France, Germany, England and Cyprus. In 2014, she was a member of a Liverpool squad that won the league title while captained by current Racing first team defender Gemma Bonner. Stout also played in 2016 and 2017 for the former Boston Breakers of the NWSL.

JOSH DENTON
ACADEMY SPORTS PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR

Denton arrives in Louisville after most recently working as both the strength and conditioning coach and director of soccer at D1 Training in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he developed training plans to maximize athlete performance while also coaching club soccer with the Knoxville Reds.

Denton earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from East Tennessee State University where he also played four years of college soccer. He currently holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification

CRAIG JONES
ACADEMY OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

A successful head coach at Hanover College and a longtime assistant coach at Bellarmine University, Jones has been working with elite local soccer players for nearly two decades. A native of Washington where he played for Western Washington University, Jones earned his Master’s in sports administration from Louisville in 2002. In addition to his experience coaching collegiate soccer, Jones has more than a decade of experience coaching at the youth level with United 1996 and Kentucky Fire Juniors. He holds a USSF A License and a National Youth Coaching License.

KILEY POLK
U8-U10 ACADEMY DIRECTOR

Born and raised in Louisville Kentucky, Polk played for the University of Louisville for 3 years. And then began her coaching career with Racing Louisville FC's first team. Currently also an assistant coach at Sacred Heart Academy, Polk is the LouCity/Racing Oldham Assistant Director. Polk currently holds her USSF C License and will begin her B License in 2024. 

SHAUN FRANCIS
LOUCITY/RACING OLDHAM DIRECTOR

Frano's illustrious playing career, spanning more than 10 years in Major League Soccer and including his tenure as a Jamaican International — alongside his time with our very own LouCity pro side during its 2018 USL Championship title-winning campaign — provides a wealth of experience and insight. His coaching qualifications, including a USSF C License, further solidify his suitability for the role of LouCity-Racing Oldham Director.

CLAY DEVEAU
LOUCITY/RACING OLDHAM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Deveau serves as the Recreation Director with the Louisville City and Racing Louisville Academy. He has been coaching with the club since 2021 and has eight years of coaching experience in club, high school, and collegiate soccer. Deveau is also currently the Technical Director and Assistant Coach with the Boyce College Men’s Soccer program where he led them to a 2023 Conference Championship victory and National Championship Runners-up. With Boyce College, he has produced a National Championship Golden Ball winner, two First Team All-Americans, and a National Player of the Year. Alongside his experience as a coach, Deveau brings 13 years of education experience to his role. He finds tremendous value in transferring educational practice to the soccer field. Deveau is pursuing his USSF C License and possesses Barcelona Universitas’ Level 1 Coaching Certificate alongside his educator’s license.