Jonathan Lintner

@JonathanLintner

Still working back from offseason hip surgery, Louisville City FC's third-leading scorer a year ago, Magnus Rasmussen, won't make the trip for Saturday's season opener. But for the first time in the United Soccer League franchise's brief history, he won't be alone.

James O'Connor has decisions to make regarding which 18 players he'll dress against the Charlotte Independence with 23 on his roster. The coach had 18 players available in all for 2015 while receiving few additions from former affiliate Orlando City SC once the Major League Soccer club suffered a rash of injuries.

"Last year, when we had Charlotte away, we had 14, 15 players, and I was one of the players on the bench," said O'Connor, a 36-year-old Irishman who finished his career in the USL.

"... I had my raincoat on and track suit bottoms. Normally I wear my trousers, but I had shorts in case I needed to go on. Thankfully, I didn't have to."

LouCity did suffer its first defeat in that May 6 match. Later in the season, a broken nose slowed defender Conor Shanosky, while midfielder Kadeem Dacres missed time due to a knee sprain. Rasmussen also dealt with the beginnings of his injury that required an operation to fix.

"We'll obviously miss him because he's a really good player," O'Connor said of Rasmussen, who scored eight goals last season, including LouCity's first-ever. "For us, it's something we were aware of, so it's a matter of managing that as best we can."

Rasmussen returned to practice this week. He's expected to be cleared for contact the next, with his return then a matter of conditioning.

The battle back for playing time could be stiff, however, with his position – the midfield – loaded. The returner Dacres netted a shot during LouCity's preseason, in which the club outscored four opponents by a combined 9-0. So, too, did newcomer Andrew Lubahn, a 24-year-old addition who played last season for the Harrisburg City Islanders.

A larger roster has allowed for full 11-on-11 drills in City's training sessions.

"There's going to be a few left out this weekend," O'Connor said. "That side of it is not that nice, because they've worked really hard, but that's part of the game."

The coach is ready for a return to the sidelines more than five months after a defeat to the eventual USL champion Rochester Rhinos knocked Louisville out of the playoffs.

"I'm itching for a game myself," O'Connor said.

With this kind of depth – a new luxury – he'll have to stick to coaching.