In a bit of a surprise move, Louisville City has acquired veteran midfielder Kenney Walker on loan from Indy Eleven for the rest of the 2020 season. Walker is no stranger to the city of Louisville. He spent his college years playing for UofL. In 2012, he was the 38th selection in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft for the LA Galaxy. From 2012 to 2015, he registered 17 appearances for the MLS side. During that time, he had several loan spells to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Carolina RailHawks (now North Carolina FC), and LA Galaxy 2 (Los Dos). From 2016 to 2018, the Ohio native tallied 80 appearances for longtime rivals, FC Cincinnati. He, however, did not make the jump with Cindy to MLS and instead wound up at the Eleven. In 2019, he had 24 starts and 31 appearances, but this season he has only seen the pitch three times.
Walker is no stranger to Coach Hackworth and Mario Sanchez. Walker and Hackworth met during Hack’s time with the U-17 National Team. “Kenney’s resume is outstanding,” said Lou City coach and sporting director John Hackworth. “He’s a person who our staff knows really well. He fits our culture and our locker room. He also brings a high level of character, and it’s an opportunity for both of us.” Sanchez served as a coach of Walker during his time at UofL. It appears that Walker will be a depth signing. “The staff has told me — and I know personally — I’m not going to come straight in and play games. It’s more about being an option if needed and supporting the guys who are already here, slowly getting in with the team and acclimating.”
Lou City is adding to an already deep roster, but it never hurts to have that depth! It was a very curious decision to have a move like this occur so late in the season. City only has two regular-season matches left before the playoffs. As he is seemingly not in Indy’s plans, this could serve as an extended trial period before an offseason signing. I’m very excited to see what he adds to the team and how he fits into the system.