Kipp Keller sat at home in December 2021, waiting to hear his name called in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft to begin his professional career. Friends, family, and even members of the local press came to his house to commemorate the event. There was a chance he’d be called first overall and become the latest in a long line of outstanding St. Louis-based players to join MLS.
The college junior left school early to sign a Generation Adidas contract and knew he was going to be picked, but didn’t know where. A first overall selection would have been a nice feather in his cap, but the stakes were lower given his deal was already signed.
However, FC Cincinnati was high on his list because they had the second pick in the draft, which they used on Roman Celentano. The freshly announced NCAA All-American had become increasingly fond to FCC as a potential landing location during the pre-draft process. He met with the technical staff and began to picture himself in Orange and Blue.
But the stars didn’t align that day. Keller was selected sixth overall by Austin FC and would go on to start every game for the Verde.
Somewhere along the line though, Keller fell out of favor. The transition from NCAA to MLS is challenging and Austin struggled to find him moments to shine and grow through the challenges. He would play 13 MLS matches in Austin, starting just six, over the next two seasons. He would make appearances in Leagues Cup, the U.S. Open Cup, and even subbed on late in the Concacaf Champions League match against Violette AC. But the once highly touted draft pick found himself on the outside looking in.
Meanwhile, Keller was still held in high respect by FC Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright. While Celentano’s draft decision ended up working out very well for The Orange and Blue, Keller’s strong upside potential remained something Albright and his crew kept an eye on. So, two years later, when the defender became available, the faith was still there to pull the trigger and bring him to Cincinnati.
Keller will now play in the Queen City.
“I’m grateful for the past two years with Austin,” Keller said over Zoom from his family’s home in the St. Louis suburbs, while wearing an FC Cincinnati ball cap.
Thanks to the uniqueness of the MLS SuperDraft, Keller was sent merchandise for all MLS clubs in the event he was taken by any of them. Once the Austin green was used the rest found their way to a box in the house. When Keller signed with FC Cincinnati, he went through that box and pulled out the FCC section. The only club he wasn’t sent a scarf for? FCC. But the stylish hat would suffice until he arrives for preseason.
“I’m grateful for all the experience I had with Austin. Coming into the league, you go from college to first team in MLS, and it is definitely challenging,” Keller added. “But definitely looking forward to FC Cincinnati and just so grateful and pumped for this new opportunity for me.
I’ve learned so much. It’s only gotten me stronger, mentally. I’ve gotten stronger physically because of it. And I can say I’m grateful for everything that happened and transpired, and now I’m going to FCC, and I can’t wait for this new opportunity. I’m just pumped to start working and get ready for the season.”
The acquisition of the young center back also stands as a tidy bit of business that represents very little downside for FC Cincinnati and a fresh start for a player on the outside looking in to playing time at his former location.
After Austin FC declined the contract option on Keller, FC Cincinnati traded their third-round pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft for the rights to the defender and signed him to a deal through the 2024 season with options for 2025 and 2026, essentially flipping a pick that historically has very little yield in terms of translating to success on the pitch for, at the very least, a more proven commodity with MLS experience to fill out the depth chart at a position of need. At best, Keller represents a high ceiling for potential and should he succeed in Cincinnati and reach that potential, The Orange and Blue would capitalize on what was once considered a possible number one overall selection.
Given the balance of risk, it’s a shrewd move that many in the MLS community have come to expect from a general manager like Albright.
Now the task is getting the potential out of the player. It’s all good and fun as a thought experiment to say you’re going to recover the asset in theory, but the work of turning Keller back into that high-capability prospect rests with Pat Noonan and his staff on the field.
The Orange and Blue have shown an ability to develop SuperDraft picks and turn them into contributing MLS players. Since the Albright/Noonan era began at FCC prior to the 2022 MLS season, draft picks Roman Celentano (2nd overall in 2022) and Ian Murphy (17th overall in 2022) have become not just starters, but instrumental to the success of the club.
Bret Halsey, who came to FC Cincinnati after signing a Generation Adidas deal and being drafted by Real Salt Lake in 2021, represents another similar case. Despite being selected seventh overall, injuries and other unfortunate circumstances left Halsey on the outside at RSL. A quick loan spell to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC didn’t reassure the Utah club and Halsey was cast out. He was quickly picked up by Albright on a MLS NEXT Pro deal then promoted with a first team deal at FCC where he instantly made an impact as a wingback with attacking prowess, playing in 13 games across all competitions.
Ben Stitz, a draft pick of D.C. United, was picked up on a second team deal after not signing a deal with DCU. Stitz helped anchor the attack of FCC2 in 2023 and made his first team debut after a call-up in a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls in July. He would make two more appearances with the first team while also scoring seven goals for the second team.
The examples are abound; very few are as proficient at developing high potential talent into contributing members of the first team as Noonan and Co.
With Keller now in the system, the hope is that he follows in that pathway and reaches the potential that Albright believed he could have in 2022 despite being a few years older. While he will certainly get opportunities with the first team, especially considering the density of the 2024 calendar with Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup already cluttering the year, Keller would be an instant upgrade to the back line of FC Cincinnati 2 should he get time there and will bring a leadership and poise that the young squad lacked in 2023. Keller played 16 matches for Austin FC II, who ultimately won the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup.
The connections between Keller and Noonan run deep. Both grew up in St. Louis and played in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher academy system. Noonan’s De Smet Jesuit High School and Keller’s Principia School don’t play as they are different classes but both have won
State titles are won with reasonable frequency (Noonan won in 1997, while Keller was MVP during their state title run in 2015), and both teams are city powers in their respective sizes. Noonan went on to play at Indiana University, where he was named an All-American three times, while Keller stayed in St. Louis to play for the Saint Louis University Billikens (where he was coached by a teammate of Noonan’s from Gallagher, Kevin Kalish) and was named an All-American in 2021 while captaining the Billikens to an A-10 conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Quarterfinals.
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