There was a path for Kenney Walker to return to FC Cincinnati for 2019 and Major League Soccer. It wasn't a certainty by any means, but the pathway did exist, at least in theory.

But Walker, a three-year FC Cincinnati player and one of the best the club saw in its early years, has opted instead for continuing his career in the United Soccer League with Indy Eleven.

Walker told The Enquirer he'll play the 2019 USL season with Indy Eleven, an Eastern Conference club and former North American Soccer League organization now managed by Martin Rennie.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation also confirmed Walker's move to Indy Eleven.

Representatives from FC Cincinnati and Indy Eleven both declined to comment on Walker.

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Walker described the process of attempting to continue his career with FC Cincinnati as one of transparency for all parties involved.

Walker also said the process saw the business side of the game – a part of the game he's repeatedly said he does not enjoy – simply run its course.

“End of the season came around. It ended how it ended and pretty much some of us got the speech of 'we have to wait until the expansion draft and see who gets picked up,'” Walker said. “That’s December (11th) and you pretty much have to wait to see if they can get somebody better than you at your position. If they did, then you’re out of luck. If they didn’t, you had a pretty good chance of staying. That was all laid out on the table for the guys that didn’t get picked up right away. They gave us the opportunity to explore other options, see what was out there.

“With the season that we had, there’s probably a good amount of guys that are going to have options (elsewhere) on the table right away or soon after the season ended. So, for me, it was take one of the options and go and have something guaranteed for a while or pretty much flip a coin and see what happens at the expansion draft.”

Walker's announcement to The Enquirer puts an end to the conversation around a recent social media post by the soon-to-be-30-year-old that hinted strongly his time in Cincinnati was over. There was some ambiguity around the post as it didn't explicitly say he was leaving the club.

In fact, he is leaving, and he's excited about his future with Indy, one of the top second-division clubs in the country.

Walker said he'll take his time moving west to Indianapolis and was intrigued by the plans the club presented to him for 2019.

"I think for me it came down to deciding if I wanted to play or be a guy (in Cincinnati) that's mentally supporting the team and helping out at training, doing all that stuff and not being a contributing piece on weekends," Walker said.

The move by Walker to remain in USL shouldn't be totally unexpected. Over his remaining months at FC Cincinnati during the 2018 season, Walker indicated he'd rediscovered his love for the game in the second-division league.

Walker also indicated in his most recent Enquirer interview that he's satisfied to be able to maneuver outside the confines of MLS personnel and salary rules.

Walker leaves Cincinnati as a beloved FC Cincinnati original, and an integral part of the team's successes. He'll also encounter his now-former club again quickly – FC Cincinnati and Indy Eleven are scheduled for a Feb. 12 preseason friendly in Westfield, Indiana.

He fell just short of 100 appearances for the club through three seasons and tallied six goals and 11 assists during that time.

One of those goals – a volley from distance against Ottawa Fury FC – was recently selected by The Enquirer as one of the top 10 moments in FC Cincinnati's USL history.

"It's been so special for us here in Cincinnati," Walker said. "It's a special place and the fans are a big part of that. If the fans weren't there, we probably never would have been at this point and they showed up the first game and every game after that. Yeah, we played soccer and got the results but a lot of the reason we're in MLS now as FCC is the fans. The club wouldn't be in MLS without the fans."