Lost in some of the shuffle over the weekend was the announced return of Napo Matsoso to Louisville City. Welcome back, Napo! I’m very excited about the prospect of seeing him get some time on the field in 2019.

Speaking of Napo, his and George Davis IV’s alma mater, Kentucky, lost their NCAA tournament quarterfinal match last week against Maryland 0-1.

Another item of some admittedly morbid business is what’s to become of a couple of Wayne Estopinal’s businesses, Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club and their competitive affiliate, Kentucky Fire Juniors. If you’ve played indoor soccer in Louisville ever, you’ve probably played at Mockingbird. KFJ is one of the biggest youth competitive soccer clubs in the region and are affiliated with the Chicago FIre’s academy setup. I’ve never really understood why that affiliation exists or what made it attractive, but it’s there.

Secretary of State records indicate that Estopinal owned those two businesses with a couple of partners. I’m not privy to any of the organizational documents that binds either business, so there could be mechanisms in place where his ownership share is transferred to his estate, to the remaining partners, or to some other person or business entirely. If it goes to his estate, however, once an estate is opened, the executor(s) or administrator(s) and the heirs or beneficiaries will have to determine whether they want to continue the business in some way or sell it. Estopinal’s estate documents might have instructions on that front; knowing Wayne I’d be a little surprised if they didn’t.

This is where Louisville City might come in. The club, when it hired John Hackworth, has indicated an interest in setting up a youth academy. I understand they don’t want to put the cart (the academy) before the horse (the stadium). But if Mockingbird and/or KFJ go up for sale, it’s hard to imagine a more ready-made setup for Louisville City. The facility at Mockingbird is old but it’s the largest of its kind in the area and is a well-run outfit in my personal experience. Given the frequency with which City’s current practice facility at Thurman-Hutchins floods or is otherwise rendered unusable, you could certainly do worse than MVSC a backup option. KFJ has regular success in local and regional competitions, especially with girls, though the perception is that their best boys talent tends to end up with Javanon, another local club. Still, a large chunk of the Louisville area’s youth soccer players get started at Mockingbird, and so the pipeline from there to KFJ is a short one. KFJ also has an impressive roster of coaches, including former Jordan women’s national team manager Mike Dickey and LouCity goalkeeper coach Scott Budnick.

Youth soccer in Louisville can be tribal and Louisville City’s entry into that scene was going to make waves no matter when or how it happened. This particular avenue might not even be open, as there hasn’t been any indication from anyone that Mockingbird and/or KFJ won’t just continue plugging along, doing business as usual with the remaining owners. But if this is how Louisville City decides to foray into academy soccer, at least this way it might be a little less disruptive. Something to keep an eye on.