LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville City FC will have the welcome presence of midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye back in its squad for Saturday evening’s visit to the Richmond Kickers, with the young midfielder having worked this week to regain his place in the starting XI after being absent with the Canada U23 National Team for the first two games of the USL regular season.

With Louisville coming off an impressive 3-1 victory against Orlando City B last time out, though, Kaye had his work cut out for him in practice.

“When the team’s doing well, it’s not easy to get into the lineup,” Kaye told LouisvilleCityFC.com’s Tate McGarvey. “I just have to buckle down and work hard. That’s what [Louisville Head Coach] James [O’Connor] likes, and hopefully I can get back into the lineup.”

That said, it would probably be a surprise if Kaye didn’t make his 2017 debut for City against the Kickers (5 p.m. ET | Preview). After 26 appearances in his first season for the club across the regular season and playoffs, and coming off two good performances in Qatar for Canada – one of which saw him earn Man of the Match honors in a 2-0 win against the hosts – the 22-year-old is looking ready to up his contributions for his club this season.

Kaye’s work ethic since joining Toronto FC II for his first season in the USL two years ago has helped drive his progression. It’s a trait that both new Canada Head Coach Octavio Zambrano and O’Connor both like about him, and could open up bigger opportunities as the year goes on with Canada looking to turn around its fortunes at the international level.

“I’m delighted for Mark that he was able to go and play so well,” said O’Connor. “Great little bit of a profile there for himself, and now he comes back in here to us. We’re really pleased. He’s showing again what we’re really happy with.”

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With the countdown to the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup on, Kaye is hoping his experience with Canada’s U23s can reflect in his play for Louisville, and continue to drive him toward a full international call-up.

“It’s always good to get call-ups,” Kaye said. “It adds experience to your game, and it’s just good to see different levels of the game. I’m happy to be back, and I’m excited to get on the road and hopefully have a good performance in Richmond.”