Louisville, Kentucky – Louisville City FC announced Thursday that the club has signed Jabari Rashid to a USL Academy deal for the remainder of the 2023 USL Championship season. The defender will be selected for Saturday night’s game against Lux City against Las Vegas Lights FC at the Lynn Family Stadium.
A deal with the USL Academy allows young talent to train and play for professional teams while retaining their NCAA eligibility. Rashid, an up-and-coming senior at North Hardin High School, will be needed by an injury-ridden side as Luis City prepare for Saturday’s kick-off at 8pm in an international friendly against Germany’s FC Kaiserslautern on Wednesday. provide a strong force.
“Thank you very much [LouCity Head Coach] I would like to thank Danny Cruz for giving me this opportunity and the team for pushing me to achieve this,” said Rashid. “I am ready to continue working!”
A native of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Rasheed entered the University of Kentucky in April just days after helping the LuCity Academy win the prestigious Dallas Cup U19 title. In addition to his Academy duties, Rasheed boasts extensive experience playing alongside club professionals, including major league football pre-season matches with his clubs such as Nashville SC and Austin FC.
A first-team all-state selection, Rasheed was named Area Defensive Player of the Year by local newspaper News Enterprise. North Hardin and Rasheed advanced to the finals of the 5th Regional Tournament. Rasheed is also in charge of kicking for the school football team.
The defender is currently under contract at the USL Academy, with Lu City youth system graduates Isaac Cano (Paul Lawrence Dunbar), Colin Elder (Brit East), Alex Kron (St. Joined the first team roster with Smith (DuPont Manual) and others. This is a path previously blazed by five City pro-turned-pros Owen Dam, Carlos Moguer Jr., Sebastian Sanchez and brothers Elijah and Josh Winder.
