USL Louisville City FC

Louisville City Signs 16-Year-Old Local Star as First Academy Player

Published on April 10, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


LOUISVILLE - The Louisville City Football Club is pleased to announce the signing of its first Academy player, Elijah Wynder, of Louisville's Ohio Elite-KY Academy and Louisville Collegiate School.

"We are excited about signing Elijah and look forward to continue working with him to accelerate his development," Louisville City coach John Hackworth said. "Part of our vision for Louisville City is to grow and develop the next generations of stars in our community, and signing Elijah is our next step in that process."

Wynder, a 16-year-old from Oldham County, has been training with Louisville City alongside several other young local stars for several weeks, including more intensive training during the recent Spring Break.

"I have seen Elijah develop over the past few years. I'm thrilled to make Elijah the first of our affiliate signees," Louisville City Director of Youth Development and Community Relations Mario Sanchez said. "Elijah has an incredibly bright future. This signing is both an acknowledgement of the player he is now, but also a vote of confidence in the player he is going to become as he continues to mature and grow."

Wynder said the club's offer to join them as an Academy player was a surprise.

"It was unexpected, but it is exciting," Elijah Wynder said. "I'm excited about the opportunity to join the club."

Wynder was joined by his family at his signing in the Louisville City FC offices. Pending League & Federation approval, he will be eligible to be added to Louisville's roster for upcoming USL Championship matches for the remainder of the season.

"I'm very excited for our son," Elijah's father, Mike, said. "This is an incredible opportunity for him. We give God the glory for this opportunity for our son. Our family is so proud of Elijah and I'm looking forward to seeing him grow."

"We believe this is a win for everyone involved - for Elijah and his family, for Louisville City and for his club and high school," Hackworth said. "There's really no downside for local players as they view this opportunity to challenge themselves and continue to grow."

Under the terms of the USL Academy agreement, Wynder retains all amateur status and NCAA eligibility. Wynder will continue with his schoolwork at Louisville Collegiate and continue playing for his club team, Ohio Elite-KY.

Wynder's club coach, Charlie Traughber of Ohio Elite-KY Soccer Academy, said, "It is great for our Louisville soccer community to have one of our youth players who was developed in our local community to get signed and get the opportunity. This is a fantastic opportunity for one of our Ohio Elite players, and for future players in the community, to have this pathway to a higher level of play thanks to Louisville City FC. I'm so happy for Elijah and his family."

Wynder will join Louisville City for its upcoming road-trip to Tampa for the Tampa Bay Rowdies game. He has been working with the team this week in preparation to make the trip.

"It is fun, but it is hard," Wynder said. "It's exciting to be able to practice alongside the professionals, but it is very challenging."

Sanchez, who will guide Louisville City's efforts to build an team to compete in the USL Academy Cup in 2020, said finding talent like Wynders' is a key part of Louisville City's vision, "Several of the top young players in the region have come out to train with us over the last several weeks, and Elijah's talent was obvious to everyone. We have some tremendous young players in our area, and I am looking forward to working to grow the game in the Louisville community."

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 10, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central