Soon, he’ll be a Kentucky Wildcat. But first, the chance to play pro soccer in Louisville.

Few boys’ soccer players in the commonwealth can claim to be as accomplished as Alex Kron is as a graduating high school senior.

A state champion goalkeeper at Louisville’s St. Xavier High School and a soon-to-be a freshman at UK, Kron has long established himself as one of the top in-state soccer talents.

But in the midst of high school graduation parties and the preparation that comes with getting ready to go to college, Kron brings something else to the table that is rare for any player at his age level: Professional soccer experience.

Kron is currently in his second stint with the Louisville City FC senior men’s team on a USL Academy contract, which allows Kron to train with and play for Lou City’s professional team in the USL Championship, the second tier of men’s professional soccer in the United States.

The contract allows Kron to maintain his amateur status while playing for Lou City, which will allow him to compete for the Kentucky Wildcats starting this fall.

Kron also signed a USL Academy contract with Lou City in fall 2021.

“When it first happened (joining the senior men’s team in fall 2021), it felt surreal because I was like ‘I’m a 16-year-old kid, coming into the first team with guys that are twice my age,’” Kron told the Herald-Leader via a Zoom interview last week. “It was good to have the reassurance of everyone just telling me that I was good enough to be in that position and they kind of gave me the confidence to keep going with it.”

In the time since Kron got his first taste of professional soccer in 2021, he’s elevated his play to become the top goalkeeper within the Louisville City academy’s current under-19 age group.

This came along with significant accolades for Kron: In December, he was one of four goalkeepers nationally, and the only boys’ player from Kentucky, to be recognized as a United Soccer Coaches High School All-American.

During his time playing for St. X, Kron and the Tigers won a state championship in 2020 and reached the state title game last year.

Louisville City goalkeepers coach Scott Budnick recalled first becoming familiar with Kron during individual and small-group practice sessions that occurred while the COVID-19 pandemic still affected the club’s normal training routine.

“I remember thinking at that moment, there’s something in there that, with some hard work, we could probably hone in on,” Budnick said. “He’s got good size, he’s got good athleticism, he checks a lot of the boxes: Decent feet, quick feet and you can tell that he’s received training in his development and he’s done a good job with his opportunities with us thus far.”

“I think some things for me that I’m really good at are reading the game. I think my knowledge of what’s happening and being able to see stuff before it happens is really, really good,” the 6-foot-3 Kron said. “I’m kind of a bigger guy so, commanding my box, coming for crosses, playing high off my line, being able to come off and sweep, I think those are some things that really nowadays you need to be able to do and I think I kind of thrive in those areas.”

As far as professional pathway models go in second-tier American soccer, Louisville City is establishing a reputation as one of the top clubs where pro playing time is a possibility for youth players who rise up through the academy ranks.

Both Elijah Wynder and his younger brother Josh (who is likely to leave Louisville for a major European club later this year), have completed Lou City’s path to pro route, rising to the senior men’s team after time spent with the academy.

Kron more than proved his worth during his time in Lou City’s academy system to earn a second go-round with the professional team: In April, Kron was part of a Louisville City academy team that won a division at the Dallas Cup, one of the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the world.

“The piece that I like best is that we’ve been able to get him to a point where he understands that if he’s making a mistake in the game, he can self diagnose,” Budnick said.

And while the Wynder brothers may represent the top percentile outcome for players who start in the Louisville City academy, Kron is the latest example of young players being given an opportunity to play for the senior men’s team.

Kron is the fourth academy player from Louisville City this season to be registered on an amateur contract, joining former Paul Laurence Dunbar high school standout forward Issac Cano, former Bullitt East High School forward Colin Elder (who is committed to play college soccer at Bellarmine) and defender Travis Smith, who played for duPont Manual High School in Louisville and is committed to play college soccer at Wake Forest.

“I think I always knew I was going to go to college. Talking to my parents, that’s something that I think I’ve always wanted to do just to experience it,” Kron — who committed to UK in January and will move to Lexington in early August — said. “I think when UK reached out to me for the first time, obviously I’ve been a fan my whole life. Once they gave me the offer, it was kind of like, ‘This is it. This is what I’ve always wanted.’”

Kron survived childhood cancer before soccer career

While Kron’s on-field accomplishments as a soccer player are noteworthy on their own, the fact that he is able to make a name for himself on the pitch is notable.

When he was a young child, Kron was diagnosed with leukemia, which was successfully treated with chemotherapy.

“Just knowing a little bit about him and his family, I know that he’s already handled adversity at a young age,” Budnick said. “So getting scored on probably pales in comparison to some of the trials and tribulations he’s experienced.”

“It’s definitely something that I look back on, when I was younger (it was) a challenge that me and my family had, but honestly now I don’t really think about it,” Kron said. “If I’m out there playing, no one’s like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to take it easy on this kid. He had all this stuff happen.’”

Kron admittedly doesn’t like to dwell on his cancer diagnosis and recovery, but he also acknowledges that going through the experience of surviving cancer has provided him with a valuable perspective that can sometimes be used when playing soccer.

“I don’t really like to make excuses about it, because it doesn’t really affect me now,” Kron said. “I just tried to get on with it and just play the best I can, but I think it does give me some sort of composure, I guess you could say.”