On the heels of his debut in the FC Kaiserslautern friendly, Jabari Rasheed (IG/Twitter) has signed a USL Academy contract with Louisville City. The North Hardin High School senior is a University of Kentucky commit and was part of the LouCity Academy squad that won the prestigious Dallas Cup’s 19U title. The 5’11” defender was one of a few academy kids who had the opportunity to travel with the first team this preseason, taking on the likes of Nashville SC and Austin FC.
"I’m so grateful to (coach) Danny Cruz for this opportunity and the team for pushing to be able to accomplish this," Rasheed said. "I’m ready to keep working!”
Yet another academy product earning his way into the first team picture. The rise of the academy was one of the 2023 storylines I’ve been watching and it's been thrilling to see so many young men get an opportunity to experience the next level. As the squad begins to age, preparing for the future is a must and what better way to do that than leverage our pathway to professional play and let local kids who have earned it get an opportunity. While his future is already committed to UK, it’s not too far-fetched of a thought that he may one day return and sign for his hometown club post-college.
Parting Thoughts
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