When Elijah Wynder became the first Louisville City FC academy player to sign a pro deal, he probably saw himself influencing games like the one played last Saturday night — LouCity up 1-0 on the road, holding down a lead late to win at El Paso Locomotive FC.
But the circumstances that led Wynder to enter as an 82nd-minute substitute were far beyond predicting when he put pen to paper in December of 2020.
Months after signing leading into the 2021 season, Wynder was playing in his final academy tournament when an errant opposing tackle “basically snapped” his leg, he said. So began a rehab process that included two surgeries, a foiled mid-year comeback bid and an ensuing loan spell.
“I’m finally feeling as healthy as I’ve felt since the injury,” Wynder said. “It’s been a long road back.”
The 19-year-old came on at El Paso to spark a unique strategy for the boys in purple, who switched from four to five at the back over the final 10 or so minutes. Wynder normally plays in the holding midfield, but he trained as a defender leading into the Locomotive FC matchup.
“Elijah played at the back this week with the idea that if we were going to go into it, he was going to be the one to come on,” said coach Danny Cruz. “I thought he came on and did an excellent job. This was not an easy game to come into. He was dealing with some powerful forwards in a fast-paced game and a game where you’re up 1-0.”
LouCity held on at Southwest University park to remain atop the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference standings. City’s on a run of seven games unbeaten, with six of those wins.
Wynder only recently returned from a half-season loan with USL League One’s FC Tuscon. Going back to this time last year, he attempted to get back in training mid-year only to face another surgery in November when pain in his leg wouldn’t subside.
“The injury certainly set him back,” Cruz said. “But when you look at his progression and what he’s done to come back from it both mentally and physically … he’s got a lot to be proud of.”
“It just felt good to be back out thee, get a few minutes and show I can play,” Wynder added. “It’s my job to make it hard on Danny to pick the best players to put out there.”
Wynder’s younger brother, 17-year-old Josh, stole the spotlight of late. But Elijah’s return Saturday served as a reminder of who came first. Wynder signed his original USL Academy Contract in April of 2019, debuted for the club in U.S. Open Cup play that season, then made it in a USL Championship game in 2020.
In addition to his club success, Wynder was a high school star at Louisville Collegiate School, named the Courier Journal’s Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year for 2019 after an All-State season.
“I talked to him during the week and told him he was practicing really well,” said Jorge Gonzalez, who scored the game’s only goal Saturday. “It’s not easy to come into these kind of games, and he really helped. We’re really proud of him and talked about it after the game. A huge congratulations for him. He’s going to keep going for sure.”
