Coaching Staff
Simon Bird
Simon Bird took over as interim head coach on March 17, 2026.
Bird joined the Louisville City first team as an assistant in 2021, after serving in the LouCity academy.
A native of Lincoln, England, Bird’s relationship with Louisville goes back two decades. He was a star at the University of Louisville from 2001 to 2004, earning Conference USA Player of the Year in 2003. He followed his collegiate career with a six-year professional career in England before returning as a University of Louisville Assistant Coach from 2009 to 2012.
A fixture on the local soccer scene, Bird has worked as Oldham Soccer Club’s Director of Coaching and Kentucky Fire Juniors Boys Director. Bird holds an A License from the U.S. Soccer Federation and is a Qualified Teacher for High School Physical Education and Sports Science.
Paolo delpiccolo
DelPiccolo began as a full-time assistant coach with the LouCity first team in 2026, after serving on the staff in a part-time role in 2025.
DelPiccolo previously served as the LouCity Academy’s Director from 2024 to 2025.
DelPiccolo played eight seasons for LouCity, and served as the team’s captain 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 experience as part of the “triumvirate” of player-coaches that successfully managed through a head coaching change. LouCity lifted six trophies – four Eastern Conference titles and two league championships – during DelPiccolo’s tenure. He among the club’s leaders in minutes logged (15,397) and third in games (227).
He played collegiately at the University of Louisville, helping the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA College Cup trip in 2010.
The Wheat Ridge, Colorado, native holds a USSF ‘B’ License and is pursuing his ‘A’ License.
Scott Budnick
With a steady hand and his keen eye for technical detail, Scott Budnick was brought in by LouCity coach John Hackworth in August of 2018 as interim goalkeepers coach, helping lead the boys in purple to winning the club’s second-straight USL Championship title.
Budnick’s role was made permanent after that, with a top accomplishment his tutelage of FC Cincinnati loanee Ben Lundt, who spent two seasons in purple, capping his stay by being named the USL Championship’s 2020 Goalkeeper of the Year.
Lundt led the league with nine clean sheets in a 2020 season shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also named to the All-League First Team, Lundt saw his option picked up by FC Cincinnati and will next get his shot in the Major League Soccer ranks.
As a player between the posts, Budnick represented the U.S. at the U-18 and U-20 levels, participating in the U-20 CONCACAF qualification tournament in 1990. After a strong four-year career at the College of William and Mary, Budnick began his professional career in 1993 with the Richmond Kickers and then Hampton Roads Hurricanes in the USISL the following year.
Budnick spent time in the English and German lower divisions before joining Major League Soccer with the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion, eventually retiring with the New England Revolution in 2000.
Making the move to Louisville in 2009, Budnick managed the Louisville Lightning of the Professional Arena Soccer League, winning Coach of the Year honors in 2010. The Alton, Ill., native also has experience at the youth level, assisting the U.S. Soccer YNT Identification Center Program for the Kentucky, Indiana and southern Ohio regions and the U.S.Y.S.A. Region II and Kentucky ODP programs. Budnick also assisted the Trinity and Assumption high school programs and local select youth teams.
Budnick and his wife, Shannon, have two children: Koepler and Dillon.
Support Staff
Jason Israel
Jason Israel is has led operations for Louisville City FC since 2022.
Born and raised in Edison, NJ, Israel graduated with a degree in Sports Administration from UConn in 2008. During his award-winning career, Israel has worked at every level of the game, from the youth ranks to the professional game, including stops with Seton Hall University’s men’s soccer program, New York City FC, the Philadelphia Union, and Sacramento Republic.
In 2023 and 2025, USL Championship recognized Israel as the Team Operations Award winner.
In February 2026, Israel was promoted from Director of Operations to Vice President.
Ben Hulsman
Training Staff
Stuart Wright
Stuart grew up in Newcastle, England before moving to the United States for higher-level education. He attended Limestone College where he played soccer and earned his BS in Athletic Training. Over the years he has continued his education by earning his MSc in Sports Therapy from Teesside University and his Doctor of Athletic Training from AT Still University. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the NSCS.
He has previously given coverage to Orlando City (USL), Jacksonville Armada (NASL), and El Paso Locomotive (USL) before making the move to Louisville to begin working with Louisville City FC.
Cesar torres
Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, Torres attended El Centro College to earn his AS in Science before transferring to Texas A&M – Commerce to earn a BS in Kinesiology and Sports Studies. He graduated with his Masters in Athletic Training from the University of Arkansas.
Torres was previously a seasonal athletic trainer with the University of Louisville, providing medical coverage to the baseball and men’s golf programs before joining Louisville City.
