TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship today announced Louisville City FC’s Danny Cruz had been awarded the Championship’s Coach of the Month award for August after leading the side to a league-high four victories during the month that included three consecutive wins against LouCity’s closest rivals in the race for the Players’ Shield.

Currently in his fourth season as LouCity’s Head Coach, Cruz has guided the club to the front of the pack in the race for the Players’ Shield after a stellar month of August which saw the side’s dominant campaign continue. Between August 3 and 17, the side took consecutive wins against Western Conference leader New Mexico United, the West’s second-place side Sacramento Republic FC and defending Eastern Conference title holder the Charleston Battery.

LouCity’s 15 goals overall in the month ranked second in the league. The side’s performances put it in position to maintain a push for not only its first Players’ Shield in club history – to this date, the only league silverware it has not claimed – but to pursue some of the league’s all-time records for points, wins and goals scored in a single season.

“This recognition is a testament to the work our players and staff have done in the month of August,” said Cruz. “It’s a special group that collectively pushes one another to be better every single day. Our focus has been, and will continue to be, on putting together performances we can be proud of for the remainder of the season.”

The second-youngest active coach in the Championship to current Phoenix Rising FC interim Head Coach Diego Gómez, Cruz has this season become the winningest Head Coach in LouCity’s storied history. The club has recorded 72 wins in 125 regular season contests during his tenure, a winning percentage of 57.6 percent, while maintaining its streak of advancing to at least the Eastern Conference Final of the USL Championship Playoffs since the club was founded in 2015.

Cruz earned the award with 60 percent of the ballot. Rhode Island FC’s Khano Smith finished second on 29 percent after guiding the first-year club to two wins and three draws in six outings to move RIFC into contention for a home playoff game in its inaugural season.

The USL Championship’s Coach of the Month award is voted upon by the USL Championship National Media Panel and the USL Championship Technical Committee, with each group responsible for 50 percent of the overall vote.