Philly Soccer Notebook: Josh Jones signs new deal, Deus scores, Free fanfest and more

Hatfield, Pa. native Josh Jones has inked a new three-year deal with Louisville City that will keep him on the books of the USL Championship club through 2028. Jones had a notable rookie season in Louisville, earning a spot on the All-League team and becoming a finalist for the Defender of the Year award.

The 23-year-old former Ocean City Nor’easters defender made 20 appearances and 16 starts for Louisville City, which won the Players’ Shield for best record in the regular season.

“We are happy to extend Josh here at Louisville City,” head coach Danny Cruz said in a news release announcing the new contract. “We have enjoyed watching his development both on and off the field as he played such an important role for us in 2025. I am looking forward to continuing to play a role in his development and believe that he will continue to play an important role in our pursuit of another USL Championship title.”

Jones played youth soccer locally for Montgomery United and Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals and won a PIAA state title as a junior at North Penn High School. He was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the second round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

Deus Stanislaus scores for the U.S. Under-17 team
The U.S. Under-17 women’s national team played Germany to a 2-2 draw on Sunday in Spain. Deus Stanislaus (Fort Washington, Pa.) opened the scoring for the U.S. in the 25th minute.

In other notable local U-17 national team news, Penn Fusion standout Jade DelCollo (Penn Fusion / Garnett Valley) earned a call-up to the El Salvador U-17 team for Concacaf U-17 World Cup qualifying.

Penn State Goalkeeper Shuffle
There’s been a lot of movement in Happy Valley following the arrival of new head coach Rob Dow, which includes movement of two local goalkeepers who spent time with the Philadelphia Union. Jonathan Evans (Collegeville, Pa.) is transferring to SMU while Justin Ross (West Chester, Pa.) is transferring to Penn State from Clemson.

And speaking of Penn State goalkeepers. Former Nittany Lion and Philadelphia Union Academy keeper Kris Shakes is joining fellow keepers Andre Blake and Jahmali Waite on the Jamaica national team provisional roster.

FanFest in Philadelphia Will Be Free
If your excitement for the World Cup coming to Philadelphia has been spoiled by the price of tickets, you can at least take comfort in knowing that the fan fest at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park will be free.

Aubrey A Three Time All-Pro
Former Bethlehem Steel FC defender Brandon Aubrey made it three All-Pro selections in three seasons as the kicker for the Dallas Cowboys.

A Good Week to Be A Castellanos 
It was a good week to be a Castellanos last week. Sammy Castellanos was named the new head coach of FC Cincinnati 2 and David Castellanos was inducted into the inaugural class of the Penn State Abington Athletics Hall of Fame.

Ryan Cromer Scores in National Select Game
FC Delco and Lower Merion High School forward Ryan Cromer had a chance to play in and score a goal in the ECNL Regional National Selection Game in Florida.

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