Judson McKinney Signs with Indy Eleven

A former MLS player and scout with Toronto FC, Indy Eleven assistant coach Tim Regan’s familiarity with McKinney dates back to the player’s days at the University of Cincinnati. As time went, Regan periodically kept tabs on the defender, but ultimately got a recommendation from longtime Chicago-area club coach Bret Hall, who runs Bridges FC, a club that helps players stay sharp as they prepare for professional trials.

“Bret got in touch and talked to me a bit about Juddy,” Regan said. “He was a guy that was coming off an injury and was having a bit of trouble latching on with a team. I went to Bridges a couple times, watched him train.

“He has competitiveness and work rate. In a game where there’s nothing on the line, it’s really just players training to stay sharp, he’s putting in an extra effort above all those around him. Those traits were pretty easy to identify.”

McKinney impressed enough to earn a preseason trial with the club and his time out in Arizona and back in Indianapolis were enough for him to earn a contract.

While McKinney as proud to step back into professional outdoor soccer, he’s brimming with joy about doing it with a club that’s found a lot of early success.

“I’d been hearing buzz,” he said. “I’ve been in Chicago for two years and you see and hear things about this team in Indy and  the NASL. You come here, look around and I definitely see this as a step up from the USL as far as the professionalism of the club in general, obviously with the fan attendance here in Indy – every seat being filled up, and the atmosphere with people going crazy – it feels as close to MLS as you can get.

“That’s how I found out about Indy Eleven and from day one I’ve just wanted to live up to that expectation and perform.”

Click here to read the full article about McKinney’s soccer journey before and now with Indy Eleven.