Louisville City adds New York City FC player on a loan through August

Justin Sayers | Courier Journal

Louisville City FC announced Wednesday that it has acquired midfielder James Sands from Major League Soccer's New York City FC through the end of the month.

Sands, 18, will join the United Soccer League team on loan through Sept. 1. He'll provide a much-needed body to the Louisville City defense as it gets ready to play five games in a 13-day span starting Saturday.

"We’re really excited to have a player of James’ quality come in and help this group," new Louisville City head coach John Hackworth said in a statement. "He’s a bright, young talent and we’re glad he is coming with the mindset to contribute as much as he can in this time."

Read more: Louisville City FC coach John Hackworth explains why he took the job

See also: Louisville City's Davis among league's all-time best with 50 USL goals

A Rye, New York native, Sands became New York City's first-ever homegrown player when he was signed in 2017. He and his twin brother, Will, got their start with the club in 2015 after joining the team's under-16 affiliate.

Sands, a defensive-minded midfielder, made his only MLS appearance last year against the Colorado Rapids, playing 23 minutes in a 1-1 draw on Sept. 16.

He also played with the U.S. Men's Soccer under-17 national team, where he was coached by Hackworth. In May 2017, Sands was named to the CONCACAF Under-17 Championships tournament team.

“I’ve known James for some time and have already had the pleasure of working with him, now it’s about hitting the ground running," Hackworth said. "He looked the part in training already so we will see what he can add during this stretch. We’re ready and I know he is, too.”

Louisville City plays next on Saturday, when it takes on USL rival Nashville SC at 7:30 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field.

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.