Sporting Kansas City (3-10-2, 11 pts.) returns home for the first time since the FIFA World Cup break this week when the team hosts Minnesota United (6-5-4, 22 pts.) at Sporting Park on Wednesday night.
Sporting has been streaky in the all-time series against Minnesota, winning four in a row from 2022-2023 before finding themselves mired in a five-game winless run against the Loons since the start of 2024 (0-4-1).
Sporting and Minnesota last met at Sporting Park early last season, playing out a wild 3-3 draw in snowy conditions on March 15, 2025. Sporting fell behind 3-0 on the night following a wondergoal from Hassani Dotson and a brace from Tani Oluwaseyi to give the Loons a seemingly unassailable lead by the 46th minute, only for the hosts to storm back and claim a point following goals from Daniel Salloi, Dejan Joveljic and a Minnesota own goal.
The two sides then closed out the season series with Sporting’s final road match of the 2025 campaign, falling to a 3-0 defeat on Oct. 4, 2025 after a brace from Anthony Markanich and a further goal from Joaquin Pereyra.
Sporting holds an 11-8-5 record against the Loons in MLS regular-season play, including a 9-1-1 mark at Sporting Park.
KC 0 at MIN 3 L Markanich brace and Pereyra goal seal defeat for SKC
KC 3 vs MIN 3 T Salloi and Joveljic tally as SKC comes back from 3-0 deficit
09/21/2024 KC 0 vs MIN 2 L Loons tally twice as SKC loses 100% home record vs. MIN
06/01/2024 KC 1 at MIN 3 L Russell scores late but Sporting falls to defeat
04/27/2024 KC 1 at MIN 2 L Two early goals sink SKC despite Pulido consolation
#SKCvMIN: PLAYER HISTORY
• Forward Dejan Joveljic has four goals and one assist against the Loons - one goal coming with Sporting in the 3-3 home draw on March 15, 2025 and the rest coming as a member of the LA Galaxy. Joveljic tallied an assist on his MLS debut - a 1-0 road win on Aug. 14, 2021 - before scoring in a 3-2 home loss on June 29, 2022, a 5-2 road defeat on Oct. 7, 2023 and a 2-2 road draw on May 15, 2024.
• Midfielder Manu Garcia has recorded one assist against Minnesota, coming in the 3-3 home draw on March 15, 2025.
• Goalkeeper John Pulskamp is 1-1-2 all-time against the Loons, with his win coming in the 4-1 home victory on Sept. 17, 2022.
• Forward Calvin Harris has two assists against Minnesota, the first coming as a member of FC Cincinnati on the game-winner in the 1-0 road win on May 7, 2022 and the other coming as a member of the Colorado Rapids on the gamewinner in the 2-1 road win on Aug. 10, 2025.
• Goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland is 0-1-0 all-time against Minnesota, suffering a 1-0 road defeat with the Seattle Sounders on July 18, 2021.
Sporting KC Stats
• Sporting duo Ian James and Jack Kortkamp were members of the Minnesota United Academy before joining the Sporting KC Academy in 2020.
• Forward Dejan Joveljic played alongside Minnesota’s Carlos Harvey at the LA Galaxy from 2021-2022.
• Defender Jayden Reid was teammates with Minnesota’s Kyle Duncan and Peter Stroud at Red Bull New York in 2023. Reid was also teammates with Loons defender Anthony Markanich at St. Louis in 2024.
• Forward Calvin Harris also played alongside Anthony Markanich at the Colorado Rapids in 2023.
• Minnesota assistant coach Josh Wolff is a Sporting Legend, having tallied 46 goals and 30 assists in 163 appearances across all competitions for the club across two separate stints from 2003-2006 and 2008-2010.
#SKCvMIN: BY THE NUMBERS
• Sporting ranks 29th in MLS with 16 goals this season.
• Sporting ranks last in MLS with 14.37 expected goals.
• Sporting ranks 29th in MLS with 39 goals conceded.
• Sporting ranks last in MLS with 41.4 expected goals allowed.
• Sporting ranks last in MLS with 9.7 shots per game.
• Sporting ranks 29th in MLS with 8.7 crosses per game.
• Sporting ranks last in MLS with 11.5 balls into the area per game.
• Sporting has received the fourth yellow cards this season with 24.
• After exceeding one expected goal just three times in the first 11 matches, Sporting has exceeded one expected goal in each of the team’s four matches since.
• Forward Dejan Joveljic reached 25 goals for Sporting in his 50th appearance in all competitions last Thursday in St. Louis. Joveljic became the second fastest player to reach 25 goals for the club, trailing Sporting Legend Preki.
• Midfielder Manu Garcia recorded an assist on Dejan Joveljic’s goal against St. Louis last Thursday, his fifth of the season. Garcia has now recorded goal contributions in four consecutive games - matching his longest streak for the club after tallying assists in four straight matches last June.
• Forward Capita Capemba scored his second goal of the season with a stunning strike from distance in St. Louis. Capita has recorded the highest top speed in MLS this season at 37.01 km/h.
Minnesota United Stats
• Minnesota ranks 26th in MLS this season with 18 goals scored.
• Minnesota leads MLS with eight headed goals this season.
• Minnesota ranks fourth in MLS with three goals off crosses from open play.
• Forward Kelvin Yeboah leads Minnesota with eight goals this season and ranks eighth in MLS with 8.35 expected goals.
• Defenders Morris Duggan (9th with 68) and Anthony Markanich (7th with 71) both rank in the top 10 of challenges made in MLS this season.
• Midfielder Joaquin Pereyra ranks seventh in MLS with 37 fouls suffered this season.
• Defender Jefferson Diaz is tied for third in MLS with six yellow cards this season.
• Midfielder Jake Davis is one shy of 100 regular-season appearances for Sporting.
• Forward Dejan Joveljic reached 25 career goals in his 50th appearance in all competitions for Sporting KC on July 16, 2026.
Team
• Sporting is three goals shy of reaching 1,000 home goals in all competitions.
• Sporting is two clean sheets shy of 300 shutouts in all competitions.
Stadium
• Sporting is three shy of 100 shutouts at Sporting Park in all competitions.
SPORTING KC SOCIAL PROPERTIES
PLAYER MILESTONE WATCH
CLUB MILESTONE WATCH
SPORTING KANSAS CITY NEWS AND NOTES
RETURNING TO SPORTING PARK
Sporting Kansas City will play the club’s first match at Sporting Park since the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup break this week when the team hosts Minnesota United on Wednesday night.
Sporting returned to MLS action last Thursday with a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to St. Louis at Energizer Park, while Wednesday’s match will mark Minnesota’s first match since the World Cup break began in May.
With new signings Or Blorian and Emir Karic making their debuts in St. Louis last week and fellow new defender Moises Mosquera building up fitness ahead of his debut, Sporting will be looking to kick on in the second half of the season with 19 games remaining to try to claw their way up the standings and reach the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Addressing the team’s home form will be a priority for Sporting the rest of the season as the team won just one of their first seven home matches before the World Cup break, going 1-4-2. However, improved performances in the team’s last two home matches saw the team pick up their first home win of the season over the LA Galaxy on May 13.
WELCOMING THE LOONS
Sporting Kansas City returns home for the first time since the FIFA World Cup break with a showdown against Minnesota United at Sporting Park on Wednesday night. Sporting resumed action last Thursday in St. Louis, while Wednesday’s match will be Minnesota’s first coming out of the break.
Sporting last hosted Minnesota in the nascent stages of the 2025 season, coming back to earn a 3-3 draw in a wild and snowy night at Sporting Park. After falling behind 3-0 just a minute into the second half, Sporting produced a rousing response with goals from Daniel Salloi and Dejan Joveljic along with a Minnesota own goal to pick up a point.
Minnesota claimed the season series last year by cruising to a 3-0 victory at Allianz Field on Oct. 4, 2025. In Sporting’s final road match of the season and penultimate game, Anthony Markanich bagged a brace while Joaquin Pereyra also got on the scoresheet to condemn Sporting to defeat.
All-time, Sporting leads the regular-season series 11-8-5 against Minnesota United, including a dominant 9-1-1 mark at Sporting Park. After winning four on the bounce against Minnesota from 2022-2023, Sporting is now winless in their last five against the Loons since the start of 2024 (0-4-1).
JOVELJIC REACHES 25 GOALS IN 50 GAMES
Sporting Kansas City forward Dejan Joveljic showed off his predatory instincts once again last Thursday, scoring an excellent goal against St. Louis in the team’s 3-2 defeat at Energizer Park.
Trailing 2-1 in the second half, Manu Garcia pounced on a turnover and fed Joveljic who sat down his marker before slotting the equalizer into the bottom corner for his teamleading seventh goal of the 2026 season.
The goal was the 25th of Joveljic’s Sporting KC career, coming in his 50th match across all competitions for the club. The Serbian tallied 18 goals in his first season with the club last season and he has now become the second fastest player to reach 25 regularseason goals for the club by doing so in 47 matches - only trailing Sporting Legend Preki who reached 25 goals in 44 matches.
Among all SKC players with 15 or more career regular season goals, Joveljic ranks first in goals per game with 25 goals in 47 regular season games (0.53).
GARCIA & CAPITA CONTINUE FINE FORM
Sporting Kansas City’s Manu Garcia and Capita Capemba continued where they left off in the team’s first match out of the FIFA World Cup break, as Garcia tallied an assist and Capita scored a stunning goal in the team’s 3-2 defeat to St. Louis last Thursday.
Garcia entered the break with goal contributions in three consecutive matches - all off the bench - and was restored to the starting lineup in St. Louis. With Sporting trailing 2-1 in the second half, Garcia picked off a pass from the St. Louis goalkeeper and set up Dejan Joveljic with a clever first-time pass, allowing the Serbian to equalize. Garcia has now tallied goal contributions in four straight matches, equaling his best run for the team from last June.
Garcia has recorded 14 assists in 42 games for a rate of 0.33 assists per game - the second highest in club history behind Preki.
Capita - who scored his first goal for the club against the LA Galaxy on May 13 - found the back of the net for a second time on Thursday, rifling a thunderous strike into the top corner to mark Sporting’s third goal from outside the area this season.
SPORTING ADDS THREE DEFENDERS THIS SUMMER
Sporting Kansas City has added three starting-caliber defenders so far this summer as the team continues to grow into a new era led by President of Soccer Operations & GM David Lee and head coach Raphael Wicky.
• June 2: Or Blorian (pre-contract)
• June 24: Emir Karic (transfer from Sturm Graz)
• July 1: Moises Mosquera (transfer from FC Juarez)
Both Blorian (started and played 75 minutes) and Karic (came on as halftime substitute) made their debuts for the club in the 3-2 setback at St. Louis on July 16.
Sporting signed defender Or Blorian as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Blorian arrives in KC having made 197 career appearances while playing in his native Israel. He led Hapoel Be’er Sheva to the Israeli Premier League title in his final season with the club, tallying two goals and four assists in 43 matches to help his club win their first title in eight years. Blorian has earned five caps for the Israeli National Team, making his international debut in October 2025.
Sporting acquired defender Emir Karic in a transfer from Austrian club Sturm Graz. Primarily deployed as a left back, Karic arrives in Kansas City following 343 career appearances while playing in Austria and Germany, tallying seven goals and 21 assists. After spending his early career in Austria before moving to Germany, Karic returned to Austria in 2024 and signed with Sturm Graz, helping the team retain the league title in his first season before enjoying a strong 2025-2026 campaign, recording five assists in 44 matches. Karic has earned one cap for the Bosnia & Herzegovina National Team after making the switch from Austria.
Sporting acquired defender Moises Mosquera in a transfer from Mexican club FC Juarez in July 2026. The Medellin, Colombia native previously made 109 senior appearances while representing Juarez in LIGA MX and CS Maritimo in Portugal. Mosquera is coming off his strongest season yet in 2025-2026, making 30 appearances in all competitions as Juarez qualified for the play-in round by finishing eighth in the Apertura as Mosquera ranked among the league’s top defenders for interceptions (99th percentile), aerial duels won (91st) and clearances (91st).
ANTONGIROLAMI SIGNED AS ONE FOR THE FUTURE
Sporting Kansas City announced on July 6 that the club has signed 15-year-old Academy defender Luca Antongirolami to a contract with Sporting KC II and the Sporting KC first team. Antongirolami joined the SKC II roster immediately under an MLS NEXT Pro contract and will elevate to the Sporting KC first team as a Homegrown Player a year from now ahead of the 2027-2028 season on an MLS contract.
Antongirolami, a Kansas City native and the son of Rockhurst University associate head coach Giorgio Antongirolami, joined the Sporting KC Academy at the age of 10 in 2021 and quickly rose through the ranks, resulting in his professional debut for Sporting KC II in the team’s season opener on Feb. 28, 2026 - becoming the second youngest player in SKC II history.
Antongirolami has been a regular member of the U.S. Youth National Team setup since 2024, representing his country at the U-14, U-15 and U-16 levels. He notably competed in the 2025 Concacaf U-15 Championship last August before most recently participating at the Vertex Cup with the U.S. U-16s in April 2026.
WICKY QUOTES: #STLvSKC
Sporting Kansas City head coach Raphael Wicky
Thoughts on the match…
It’s obviously right after the game. There is still the emotions. It’s quite a tough one, because I have the feeling that -- I usually don’t really talk about the referees -- and I just have the feeling that today little things which normally could go your way, were not going our way. But I think I’ll first start with the team before going with the referee. I think we started well. We had a couple of good pressing moments against them. We know this is a team who wants always to play, I think we did well. But I don’t think we were confident enough with the ball and we had the ball for quite a period of time. That got better, but only once we were 2-0 down. I think the team started playing with more confidence. We made some adjustments at halftime tactically and personnel. I think that then showed very quickly that that was a good choice to do. And then we came back and then I felt energy. And then you get a penalty where the player tells me, ‘To the life of my mother that the ball touched my chest.’ It hurts right now, because you fight so hard in a difficult place against a team who plays good football and you come back and then I feel like we weren’t treated correctly. I felt in the game that the second goal could be a foul on Ian James before the counter-attack goes. I feel like the first one -- I’ve played many, many years myself -- these situations, quite often when a striker bombs into a goalkeeper, the goalkeepers are protected. It wasn’t so tonight. Again, we have to start always with ourselves but tonight these things were a lot.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 2026 TRANSACTION TRACKER
Players In Players Out
GK - Ryan Schewe (New Contract - Oct. 28, 2025)
MID - Cielo Tschantret (Signed as Homegrown Player - Nov. 14, 2025)
GK - Stefan Cleveland (Acquired via Trade from Austin FC - Dec. 10, 2025)
MID - Erik Thommy (Out of Contract - Oct. 23, 2025)
DEF - Robert Voloder (Out of Contract - Oct. 23, 2025)
FWD - Daniel Salloi (Traded to Toronto FC - Feb. 19, 2026)
Oct. 23: OUT Sporting KC declines options on goalkeeper Ryan Schewe, defenders Tim Leibold and Khiry Shelton with midfielder Nemanja Radoja and forward Mason Toye. In addition, defender Alan Montes and forward Santi Munoz saw their loans come to an end, while defenders Andrew Brody, Joaquin Fernandez, Logan Ndenbe, Robert Voloder and midfielders Memo Rodriguez and Erik Thommy are out of contract.
Oct. 28: IN Sporting KC signs goalkeeper Ryan Schewe to a new MLS contract.
Nov. 14: IN Sporting KC signs midfielder Cielo Tschantret from Sporting KC II (MLS NEXT Pro).
Dec. 10: IN Sporting KC acquires goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland in trade from Austin FC (MLS).
Dec. 18: IN Sporting KC selects midfielder Kwaku Agyabeng in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft (4th overall) as a Generation adidas player out of Clemson University.
Dec. 30: IN Sporting KC acquires defender Justin Reynolds in trade with Chicago Fire (MLS).
Jan. 15: IN Sporting KC signs forward Calvin Harris via free agency, most recently with Colorado Rapids (MLS).
Feb. 3: IN Sporting KC signs defenders Wyatt Meyer and Jayden Reid via free agency, most recently with Nashville SC (MLS) and St. Louis City SC (MLS), respectively.
Feb. 18: IN Sporting KC acquires midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen in transfer from Malmo FF (Sweden).
Feb. 19: IN Sporting KC acquires forward Taylor Calheira in transfer from FC Tulsa (USL Championship).
Feb. 19: OUT Sporting KC trades forward Daniel Salloi to Toronto FC (MLS) in exchange for up to $1 million in GAM.
Feb. 20: IN Sporting KC signs defender Ethan Bartlow via free agency, most recently with the Houston Dynamo (MLS).
Feb. 27: IN Sporting KC signs defender Or Blorian to pre-contract starting on June 2, 2026 following expiration of contract with Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Israel).
March 13: IN Sporting KC acquires forward Capita Capemba in transfer from Radomiak Radom (Poland)
March 17: IN Sporting KC acquires defender Diego Borges in transfer from Zalaegerszeg TE (Hungary)
June 24: IN Sporting KC acquires defender Emir Karic in transfer from Sturm Graz (Austria)
July 1: IN Sporting KC acquires defender Moises Mosquera in transfer from FC Juarez (Mexico)
CONSTRUCTING SPORTING KANSAS CITY
2023 Stephen Afrifa (1st Round - #8)
2024 Ryan Schewe (1st Round - #22)
2025 Jansen Miller (1st Round - #8)
2026 Kwaku Agyabeng (1st Round - #4)
Zorhan Bassong (12/12/23)
Manu Garcia (2/3/25)
Shapi Suleymanov (2/3/25)
Lasse Berg Johnsen (2/18/26)
Capita Capemba (3/13/26)
Diego Borges (3/17/26)
Or Blorian (6/2/26)
Emir Karic (6/24/26)
Moises Mosquera (7/1/26)
John Pulskamp (2/24/20)
Jake Davis (8/19/21)
Dejan Joveljic (2/1/25) Ian James (12/6/24)
Jack Kortkamp (12/6/24)
Jacob Bartlett (1/9/25)
Stefan Cleveland (12/10/25)
Justin Reynolds (12/30/25)
Calvin Harris (1/15/26)
Wyatt Meyer (2/3/26)
Jayden Reid (2/3/26)
Taylor Calheira (2/19/26)
Ethan Bartlow (2/20/26)
Cielo Tschantret (11/14/25)
2026 REFEREE LOG (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
Feb. 28, 2026 vs. CLB Sergii Demianchuk
Sporting KC defender Ian James challenges for the ball on the edge of the penalty area and brings down Columbus forward Jamal Thiare, but referee Sergii Demianchuk allows play to continue. After reviewing the play, Demianchuk overturns his original decision and awards Columbus a penalty kick.
March 7, 2026 vs. SD Malik Badawi
Koroleva
San Diego forward Amahl Pellegrino fires home a cross from the right wing, and referee Malik Badawi allows the goal. After reviewing the play, Badawi overturns his original decision and disallows the goal since the ball struck Pellegrino’s arm on the way toward goal.
April 4, 2026 at RSL Tim Ford
Pekmic
Real Salt Lake forward Sergi Solans goes through one-on-one with the goalkeeper but sees his effort saved while under pressure from Sporting KC defender Ethan Bartlow, with referee Tim Ford deeming the contact to not be enough for a foul. After reviewing the play for both a penalty and denial of a goalscoring opportunity, Ford confirms his on-field decision of no foul.
April 11, 2026 vs. SJ Allen Chapman
Radchuk
Sporting KC midfielder Jake Davis fouls San Jose’s Nick Fernandez and spits on the field as he backs away with no action taken by referee Allen Chapman. After reviewing the play for violent conduct, Chapman confirms his on-field decision of no violent conduct.
July 16, 2026 at STL Allen Chapman Edvin Jurisevic
St. Louis forward Simon Becher fires on goal from close range but the ball is deflected out for a corner by SKC defender Ethan Bartlow. After reviewing the play,
man overturns his original decision and deems that Bartlow handled the ball, resulting in a
2026 VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE LOG (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
SPORTING KC MISCELLANEOUS STATS
2026 Regular-Season Record When...
Scoring first goal
Conceding first goal 1-9-2
Leading at halftime 2-0-0
Tied at halftime 0-2-1
Trailing at halftime 1-8-1
Scoring 0 goals
Scoring 1 goal
Scoring 2 goals
Scoring 3 goals
Scoring 4+ goals
Allowing 0 goals
Allowing 1 goal 3-1-1
Allowing 2 goals 0-1-1
Allowing 3 goals 0-5-0
Allowing 4+ goals 0-3-0
Wearing Sporting Blue 2-6-1
Wearing 18th & Vine 1-4-1
Leading at 75’
Tied at 75’
Trailing at 75’
Outshooting opponent
Outshot by opponent
Shots even
Shutouts 0-5-0
One-goal games 2-3-0
games
With SKC red card 0-0-0 With opponent red card 0-0-0
In Pacific time zone 1-3-0 In Mountain
Regular Season Record By Month Feb.
SPORTING KC IN 2026 (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
June 2026 0-0-0
June all-time 51-42-32
July 2026 0-1-0
July all-time 62-53-34
Aug. 2026 0-0-0
Aug. all-time 58-58-22
Sept. 2026 0-0-0
Sept. all-time 44-60-24
Oct. 2026 0-0-0
Oct. all-time 34-24-20
Nov. 2026 0-0-0
Nov. all-time 1-2-0
Regular Season Team-By-Team (in 2026)
vs. Atlanta United 1-2-1 (0-0-0) vs. Austin FC 4-7-1 (1-0-0) vs. Charlotte FC 1-0-0 (0-0-0) vs. Chicago Fire 19-29-12 (0-1-0)
vs. Colorado Rapids 32-28-19 (0-1-0)
vs. Columbus Crew 26-23-10 (0-0-1)
vs. D.C. United 22-23-13 (0-0-0) vs. FC Cincinnati 1-1-1 (0-0-0) vs. FC Dallas 29-33-14 (0-0-0)
vs. Houston Dynamo 15-14-17 (0-0-0)
vs. Inter Miami 0-2-0 (0-0-0) vs. LAFC 4-9-2 (0-0-0)
vs. LA Galaxy 29-29-18 (2-0-0)
vs. Minnesota United 11-8-5 (0-0-0)
vs. CF Montreal 8-5-3 (0-0-0)
vs. Nashville SC 2-2-0 (0-0-0) vs. NE Revolution 25-20-13 (0-0-0)
vs. New York City FC 2-3-2 (0-0-0)
vs. Red Bull New York 22-23-15 (0-1-0)
vs. Orlando City 3-4-2 (0-0-0) vs. Philadelphia Union 6-6-7 (0-0-0) vs. Portland Timbers 9-11-7 (0-1-0) vs. Real Salt Lake 13-20-10 (0-1-0) vs. San Diego FC 0-2-1 (0-1-0) vs. SJ Earthquakes 33-29-10 (0-2-0) vs. St. Louis 2-4-3 (0-1-0) vs. Seattle Sounders 12-15-5 (0-0-1) vs. Toronto FC 15-4-8 (0-0-0) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps 12-11-5 (0-1-0)
Regular Season Home, Away & Neutral
Overall All-time 380-381-210 2026 at home
2026 MLS REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS
SPORTING KC 2026 MLS REGULAR SEASON BOX SCORES
Feb. 21, 2026: San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 Sporting KC MLS Game 1 | PayPal Park | San Jose, CA Attendance: 16,367 Weather: 50 degrees and
Sporting KC (0-1-0, 0 points)
San Jose Earthquakes (1-0-0, 3 points)
Sporting KC San Jose Earthquakes GK Pulskamp GK Daniel
D Reynolds (Agyabeng 38’) D Kikanovic
D James D Roberts
D Meyer D Munie
D Reid D Jones (Costa 71’)
M Bartlett M Leroux (Gonzalez 83’)
M Garcia M Vieira (C) (Harkes 66’)
M Davis M Bouda
F Suleymanov (Miller 68’) M Tsakiris
F Joveljic (C) M Ricketts (Marie 83’)
F Harris (Calheira 91+) F Judd (Skahan 71’)
Subs not used: Subs not used: Cleveland (GK) Montali (GK)
Raphael Wicky was appointed as Sporting KC’s head coach in January 2026 on a two-and-a-half-year contract through the 2027-28 season with a club option for the 2028-29 season. Wicky oversees the Sporting KC first team and reports directly to President of Soccer Operations & General Manager David Lee.
Prior to joining Sporting, Wicky was at the helm of Swiss giants BSC Young Boys from 2022-2024, guiding the club to the 2022-23 Super League and Cup double in his native Switzerland. Appointed in June 2022, Wicky enjoyed a brilliant maiden season with Young Boys – winning the Swiss Super League with a 21-4-11 record and finishing 16 points clear at the summit. Wicky and Young Boys completed the domestic double by winning the Swiss Cup following a 3-2 victory over FC Lugano in the final on June 4, 2023.
The Leuggern, Switzerland native previously coached in the United States, leading the U.S. Under-17 National Team at the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship and the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Wicky shifted to MLS for the following two years, serving as head coach of the Chicago Fire in 2020 and 2021.
Wicky began his coaching career in Switzerland as a youth coach with FC Thun and Servette FC before joining Swiss giants FC Basel in 2013. After coaching the club’s U-18 and U-21 teams, Wicky was named first team head coach ahead of the 2017-18 season. In his lone full season in charge, Basel posted a 29-11-9 record across all competitions and finished second in the Super League.
Wicky enjoyed a decorated 16-year playing career, highlighted by 75 caps with the Switzerland National Team. Wicky started every match for his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and also represented Switzerland at the 1996 and 2004 UEFA European Championships.
Wicky started his career with FC Sion in Switzerland where he won a Swiss Super League title and three Swiss Cups from 1993-1997. Wicky continued his career at German side Werder Bremen from 1997-2000, helping the team win the DFB-Pokal German Cup in 1999. Following a brief stint in Spain with Atletico Madrid in 2001, Wicky headed back to Germany and joined Hamburger SV where he spent the bulk of his career from 2001-2007, winning the DFL-Ligapokal German League Cup in 2003. Wicky returned to boyhood club Sion in 2007 before ending his playing career following a season in MLS with Chivas USA in 2008.
PRESIDENT OF SOCCER OPERATIONS & GM | DAVID LEE
David Lee was appointed as the club’s President of Soccer Operations and General Manager in September 2025 and serves an executive leadership role overseeing all areas of Sporting’s soccer enterprise, including first-team roster management, player recruitment, scouting, analytics, technical staff oversight, and the continued development of Sporting KC II and the Sporting KC Academy.
Lee arrived at Sporting from NYCFC, who he joined in 2014 as part of the club’s inaugural technical staff, specializing in player recruitment and scouting operations before his promotions to Technical Director in 2017 and Sporting Director in 2019.
NYCFC enjoyed sustained success during Lee’s tenure, winning the 2021 MLS Cup and 2022 Campeones Cup in addition to making seven straight playoff appearances from 2016-2022 before returning to the postseason in 2024 and 2025. In the final 10 seasons of Lee’s tenure, NYCFC led MLS in points (523) and playoff appearances (nine).
As NYCFC’s Sporting Director from 2019-2025, Lee managed the club’s entire soccer infrastructure, including coaching, sports performance, operations, player personnel and scouting at the MLS, MLS NEXT Pro and academy levels. His decade-long tenure at the club has seen NYCFC post eight winning seasons while developing numerous players who have succeeded in MLS, European leagues and international competition.
Lee began his professional career in his native England before joining Major League Soccer in 2011, working as Performance Analyst at the New York Red Bulls - during which time the club won the 2013 Supporters’ Shield - prior to joining NYCFC ahead of its inaugural campaign in 2015.
Edu Rubio joined Sporting KC as an assistant coach ahead of the 2026 season. The Spaniard most recently coached in the English Premier League, serving as an assistant manager at West Ham United (2024-2025) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (2022-2023) under manager Julen Lopetegui and as a coach at Crystal Palace (20202022) under the leadership of Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson. Rubio cut his teeth at the English FA, Crawley Town and the Nike Academy while also gaining extensive experience at the youth level, coaching various academy teams in England and his native Spain at Chelsea FC, Valencia CF, Crystal Palace and MK Dons.
ASSISTANT COACH | DOMINIC KINNEAR
Dominic Kinnear joined Sporting KC as an assistant coach ahead of the 2026 season. Kinnear has coached in MLS for 25 years, including stops at the San Jose Earthquakes, the Houston Dynamo, the LA Galaxy and Cincinnati. Kinnear enjoyed a 15-year playing career, ranging from his native Scotland to the United States and Mexico. Kinnear earned 54 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team before ending his playing career in 2000 following a five-year stint in MLS with the Colorado Rapids, San Jose Clash and Tampa Bay Mutiny. After starting his coaching career as an assistant with San Jose in 2001 and winning a pair of MLS Cups in 2001 and 2003, Kinnear was named San Jose head coach in 2004 and won an MLS Supporters’ Shield in 2005, culminating in MLS Coach of the Year honors. Kinnear famously led Houston to the most successful period in the club’s history – serving as head coach from 2005-2014 and winning back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. Kinnear held various roles at the LA Galaxy from 2017-2020 before serving as an assistant with Cincinnati from 2022-2025, helping the team win their first Supporters’ Shield in 2023.
ASSISTANT COACH | ROGER ESPINOZA
Roger Espinoza joined the Sporting KC technical staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2025 season. Espinoza stepped into professional coaching after retiring as a player in the summer of 2024. He enjoyed a 16-year playing career highlighted by 14 seasons in Kansas City from 2008-2012 and 2015-2023. He helped Sporting to three U.S. Open Cup titles as one of the most accomplished players in club history and one of the longest-serving midfielders in MLS. From 2013-2014, Espinoza had a two-year stint at English side Wigan Athletic, scoring three goals in 57 appearances while gaining experience in the English Premier League and UEFA Europa League. On the international stage, Espinoza played 52 times for Honduras from 2009-2017, representing Honduras at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Espinoza also starred at the 2012 Summer Olympics in England – leading Honduras to the quarterfinals of the competition and scoring against Brazil at Wembley Stadium.
Ash Wallace has served on Sporting Kansas City’s technical staff since 2012, aiding the first team coaching staff in a variety of roles. Wallace, originally from England, had his first involvement with the club in August 2012 when he was contracted to produce a detailed scouting report on Seattle Sounders ahead of the U.S. Open Cup Final, helping Sporting claim their first of four major titles during a trophy-laden decade. Prior to joining Sporting KC, Wallace was a member of the Preston North End coaching staff and served as an opposition scout for Fleetwood Town in his native England, while earning a Degree in Sports Coaching from the University of Central Lancashire.
coach in 2026 after serving as the goalkeeper coach for SKC II (2021-2025) and the SKC Academy (2020) over the previous six years. MacLeod has also worked with the U.S. Soccer Federation in the past, aiding with the development of the goalkeeping curriculum. During his playing days, MacLeod made 10 appearances for SKC II in the USL Championship from 2017-2018. After departing Kansas City, MacLeod linked up with North Carolina FC for the 2019 season before returning to Kansas City in a coaching role in 2020. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario in Canada, MacLeod trained with the academies of English Premier League club Newcastle United and Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon as a youth player before playing collegiate soccer at Drake University in Iowa.
ASSISTANT COACH | ASH WALLACE
HEAD COACH | RAPHAEL WICKY
Darrin MacLeod joined the Sporting KC first team as the club’s goalkeeper
GOALKEEPER COACH | DARRIN MACLEOD
#17 | F | STEPHEN AFRIFA
Height: 5-10
Weight: 155 Birthday: 2/19/2001
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
College: Florida International University
Acquired: 2023 MLS SuperDraft 1st Round (#8)
Forward Stephen Afrifa was selected by Sporting Kansas City as the eighth overall pick of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He enjoyed a standout career at FIU, where he amassed 23 goals and 11 assists in 63 appearances from 2019-2022. He made his debut for Sporting on May 17, 2023 at LAFC before earning his first start at Austin on July 15, 2023. Afrifa scored his first goal for the club in a 4-0 Open Cup win over FC Tulsa on May 21, 2024 and has seven goals and four assists in 58 matches across all competitions.
Capable of playing as a striker or a winger, Afrifa began his professional journey on the heels of a phenomenal campaign in 2022 that yielded a team-high 10 goals, four assists and USC Second Team All-American honors. He guided the Panthers to the 2022
Regular Season Game Highs:
Goals 1, 5 times, last: May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Assists 1, 2 times, last: March 14, 2026, KC at LA
Fouls Suffered 2, 6 times, last: July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Last Regular Season...
Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Goal May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Assist March 14, 2026, KC at LA
2026 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 1-0-0
American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and was named the AAC Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Afrifa ended his senior season as a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist and a member of the USC All-East Region Team. As a freshman, Afrifa tallied three goals and three assists, and added two goals and an assist during his sophomore year. As a junior, Afrifa helped FIU make its first of two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with eight goals and three assists.
On the international stage, Afrifa has earned two caps for the Canadian Men’s National Team. Afrifa made his international debut in a 2-1 win over the USMNT at Sporting Park on Sept. 7, 2024 before appearing against Mexico three days later.
Height: 5-9 Weight: 150 Birthday: 6/27/2006
Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana
College: Clemson University
Acquired: 2026 MLS SuperDraft 1st Round (#4) as Generation adidas player
Sporting Kansas City selected midfielder Kwaku Agyabeng with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft out of Clemson University as a Generation adidas player. He made his professional debut in the 2026 season opener in San Jose before earning his first start on April 17, 2026 at the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Agyabeng made 16 appearances for Clemson in lone season at the school during his freshman season in 2025 as the Tigers reached the NCAA tournament. The Ghana native
earned ACC All-Freshman Team and Third Team All-ACC honors in addition to being named the No. 6 player on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Top 100 Freshmen list.
Prior to college, Agyabeng led Cedar Stars Academy Bergen to two national titles and a spot in the MLS NEXT Cup U-19’s final in 2025. In addition, Agyabeng won two state titles and garnered first team all-state recognition while attending high school powerhouse St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey.
Height: 6-1
Weight: 165 Birthday: 10/7/2005
Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
College: University of Notre Dame
Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 1/9/2025
#16 | M | JACOB BARTLETT
Regular Season Game Highs: Goals 1, April 11, 2026, KC vs. SJ
Assists 1, 2 times, last: May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Shots on Goal 1, 2 times, last: April 11, 2026, KC vs. SJ
Shots 1, 5 times, last: April 11, 2026, KC vs. SJ
Fouls Committed 4, May 9, 2026, KC at POR
Fouls Suffered 4, June 25, 2025, KC vs. CLT
Last Regular Season... Appearance May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Goal April 11, 2026, KC vs. SJ
Assist May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
2026 Record when: he starts 1-6-2 he scores 0-1-0
Sporting Kansas City signed midfielder Jacob Bartlett as a Homegrown Player ahead of the 2025 campaign. Bartlett is the 22nd Homegrown Player to emerge from the Sporting KC Academy. Bartlett climbed the ranks in the SKC Academy, competing at the U-12 through U-19 levels, and represented SKC II as an amateur player in 2023 and 2024. Bartlett has made 45 appearances for Sporting’s first team and scored his first professional goal against San Jose on April 11, 2026.
Bartlett joined the SKC Academy as an 11-year-old in 2017 and was part of the U-14 team that won the 2019 LA Galaxy Cup and placed second at the 2020 US Youth Futsal National Championships. Bartlett ascended to the U-15, U-17 and U-19 squads as a
standout performer over the next three years, helping the U-19s to a 2023 UPSL regular season division title. He signed his first amateur contract with SKC II in early 2023 and earned his MLS NEXT Pro debut that April with a start against FC Cincinnati 2.
TopDrawerSoccer tabbed Bartlett a top-50 prospect nationally and the No. 2 player in the Heartland Region ahead of his debut season with Notre Dame in 2024, where Bartlett played in 16 of the team’s 17 games. Bartlett’s oldest brother, Alec, played for the USL’s Charlotte Independence in 2016 while his other brother, Lucas, is entering his fifth MLS season and his third year with D.C. United. His sister, Grace, plays collegiately at Grand Canyon University.
#23 | D | ETHAN BARTLOW
Height: 6-1 Weight: 185 Birthday: 2/2/2000
Hometown: Woodinville, Washington
Last Club: Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 2/20/2026
Sporting Kansas City added defender Ethan Bartlow to the roster as a free agent ahead of the 2026 season after the center back had impressed on trial during preseason. Bartlow spent the first five seasons of his professional career with the Houston Dynamo, logging 96 appearances in all competitions.
Bartlow joined Houston as the sixth overall selection in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft on a Generation adidas contract out of the University of Washington. Bartlow debuted for Houston on April 2, 2022 in a 3-1 victory over Inter Miami and logged 17 total appearances in 2022, before becoming a regular starter in 2023 – making 32 appearances across all competitions. Bartlow played in five of Houston’s six matches as
the club won their second U.S. Open Cup title in 2023, only missing the final due to injury, and helped his side reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Woodinville, Washington native appeared in another 47 matches for Houston in 2024 and 2025, helping the team reach the postseason once again in 2024.
Collegiately, Bartlow made 38 appearances for the Washington Huskies from 2018-2019 and became the first-ever Washington defender to win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore while also being named an All-American Second Team selection. The Huskies posted 22 shutouts in Bartlow’s 38 games, recording a stout 0.68 goals against average.
#22 | M | ZORHAN BASSONG
Height: 5-11
Weight: 180 Birthday: 5/7/1999
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Last Club: Farul Constanta (Romania)
Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 12/12/2023
Sporting Kansas City added midfielder Zorhan Bassong ahead of the 2024 campaign. The Canadian has previously spent time in France, Belgium, Romania and Major League Soccer, including 43 matches in all competitions with CF Montreal. He played two MLS seasons in Montreal from 2021-2022 before spending 2023 in Romania with Arges Pitesti and Farul Constanta. Bassong - who can play in midfield or at left back - has made 57 appearances for Sporting in all competitions, tallying one goal and five assists.
Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, Bassong moved to Belgium in 2013 to join the Mouscron academy. Bassong furthered his development in the heralded academy systems at Belgian side Anderlecht and French club Lille, beginning his professional
Regular Season Game Highs:
Goals 1, April 26, 2025, KC at CIN
Assists 1, 6 times, last: May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Shots on Goal 2, April 26, 2025, KC at CIN
Shots 3, 2 times, last: May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Fouls Committed 5, 2 times, last: May 17, 2025, KC at SD
Fouls Suffered 3, 2 times, last: Oct. 4, 2025, KC at MIN
Last Regular Season...
Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Goal April 26, 2025, KC at CIN
Assist May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
2026 Record when: he starts 2-2-0
career at the latter in 2016. He joined Belgian outfit Cercle Brugge in January 2019 and left the club in July 2020. Bassong enjoyed a two-year MLS stint with CF Montreal that began in early 2021. Following his time with Montreal, Bassong spent 2023 with two Romanian clubs, Arges Pitesti and Farul Constanta.
On the international stage, Bassong represented the Belgium U-19s in 2017 before switching his allegiance to Canada. He has earned nine caps for Canada’s national team: two in January 2020 before returning to the squad for the Gold Cup and beyond in 2025.
In March 2021, Bassong played three matches for Canada U-23s at the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico, reaching the semifinals.
| M | LASSE BERG JOHNSEN
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175 Birthday: 8/18/1999
Hometown: Stavanger, Norway
Last Club: Malmo FF (Sweden)
Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 2/18/2026
Sporting Kansas City acquired Norwegian midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen in a transfer from Swedish club Malmo FF ahead of the 2026 season. Berg Johnsen arrives in KC having made 258 career appearances - tallying 18 goals and 21 assists - representing clubs across Scandinavia in his native Norway, Denmark and most recently in Sweden with Malmo.
After starting his career with Viking FK in Norway’s top division, Berg Johnsen was loaned to second-tier side Tromsdalen in 2019 and later moved to Raufoss in 2020, racking up 56 professional appearances during his time in Norway by the age of 21. Berg Johnsen moved to Randers FC in 2021 in Denmark’s top division, recording four goals and three assists in 98 appearances for Randers from 2021-2023, helping the team win the 2021
Danish Cup. In the summer of 2023, Berg Johnsen was transferred to Swedish giants Malmo FF where he made an instant impact, playing a key role in the second half of the campaign as Malmo won the Allsvenskan title. Berg Johnsen enjoyed stellar 2024 season for Malmo, helping guide the club to the Swedish league and cup double. Berg Johnsen served as captain on several occasions in 2025 while tallying a career-high seven goals and four assists in 43 competitive matches - including appearances in UEFA Champions League qualifying and the UEFA Europa League.
Internationally, Berg Johnsen has earned three caps for the Norway National Team. He made his debut in 2024 during a UEFA Nations League victory over Slovenia before appearing in FIFA World Cup Qualifying wins over Israel and Estonia in 2025.
#4
#5 | D | OR BLORIAN
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
Hometown: Petah Tikva, Israel
Last Club: Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Israel)
Birthday: 3/7/2000
Acquired: Signed to pre-contract starting on 6/2/2026
Sporting Kansas City signed defender Or Blorian in the summer of 2026 as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Blorian arrived in KC having made 197 career appearances while playing in Israel for Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Hapoel Tel Aviv and his hometown Maccabi Petah Tikva.
Blorian rose through the Maccabi Petah Tikva academy and made his debut for the first team in August 2019. In 2019-2020, he helped the team win the Israeli second division title while reaching the final of the Israeli State Cup. He played in 38 matches during his maiden Israeli Premier League season in 2020-2021. Blorian’s performances earned him a move to Israeli Premier League runners-up Hapoel Be’er Sheva ahead of the 2022-2023 season before joining Hapoel Tel Aviv on loan for the 2023-2024 season
where he made 29 appearances, tallying three goals and one assist. Upon his return to Be’er Sheva, Blorian solidified his place during the 2024-2025 season, making 36 appearances as Be’er Sheva finished second in the league, while also playing in all five rounds on the way to winning the Israeli State Cup. Blorian then led Be’er Sheva to the Israeli Premier League title in his final season with the club, tallying two goals and four assists in 43 matches to help his club win their first title in eight years, while also appearing in UEFA Europa League and Conference League qualifying earlier this season.
Blorian has earned five caps for the Israeli National Team, making his international debut in October 2025. Blorian previously represented Israel extensively at the youth levels, appearing in 49 matches from the U-16s to the U-21s.
#57 | D | DIEGO BORGES
Height: 6-4
Weight: 195 Birthday: 12/15/2004
Hometown: Agudos, Brazil
Last Club: Zalaegerszeg TE (Hungary)
Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 3/17/2026
Sporting Kansas City acquired Brazilian defender Diego Borges in a transfer from Zalaegerszeg TE in Hungary as a U22 Initiative player in March 2026. Borges joined Sproting after spending the previous six months in the top division in Hungary, making six appearances for ZTE.
Borges developed in the youth academies of Ferroviaria and Falcon before joining Brazilian giants Santos FC in 2023, quickly establishing himself on the club’s U-20 team. He scored three goals in 23 total appearances for Santos’ U-20 side before joining
Brazilian Serie B team Amazonas on loan in February 2025. He broke into the lineup late in the season, making his professional debut in a 1-1 draw against Coritiba FC on July 27, 2025 and playing in five of the team’s final six matches of the campaign.
Following the conclusion of his loan, Borges departed Santos permanently to sign with Zalaegerszeg TE in Hungary in September 2025. He made his debut shortly after arriving as a halftime substitute against MTK Budapest on Sept. 21, 2025 and went on to start five matches for ZTE in the first half of the season, helping the team tally a pair of shutouts.
#19 | F | TAYLOR CALHEIRA
Height: 6-0
Weight: 185 Birthday: 4/26/2002
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Last Club: FC Tulsa (USL Championship)
Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 2/19/2026
Sporting Kansas City acquired forward Taylor Calheira in a transfer from FC Tulsa in the USL Championship ahead of the 2026 season. Calheira enjoyed a prolific start to his professional career, tallying 38 goals and 10 assists in 69 matches while representing FC Tulsa in the USL Championship in 2025 and NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro in 2024.
Calheira joined Sporting after an impressive debut campaign with FC Tulsa in 2025, recording 21 goals and four assists in all competitions as Tulsa finished atop the Western Conference with a 16-5-9 record and reached the USL Championship Final. Calheira finished 2025 as the second top scorer in the USL Championship with 17 goals while being named to the 2025 USL Championship All-League First Team. Calheira also posted a league-high +11.11 Goals Added mark.
Regular Season Game Highs: Goals 0
Assists 1, May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Shots on Goal 2, May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Shots 2, 2 times, last: May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Fouls Committed 1, 3 times, last: May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Fouls Suffered 1, 3 times, last: May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Last Regular Season...
Appearance May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY Goal N/A
Assist May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
2026 Record when: he starts 2-1-0 he scores 0-0-0
The Baltimore, Maryland native began his professional career with NYCFC II after being selected in the third round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. In his lone season with NYCFC II, Calheira tallied 17 goals and six assists on his way to earning MLS NEXT Pro Best XI honors while playing a pivotal role in the club’s remarkable run to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.
Calheira played collegiate soccer close to home at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he recorded 32 goals and 16 assists in 61 career matches. Calheira was named America East Striker of the Year in both 2022 and 2023 after earning America East All-Rookie Team honors in 2020.
Height: 5-8
Weight: 140 Birthday: 1/10/2002
Hometown: Luanda, Angola
Last Club: Radomiak Radom (Poland)
Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 3/13/2026
Sporting Kansas City has acquired forward Capita Capemba in a transfer from Polish side Radomiak Radom in March 2026. Capita arrived at Sporting having developed into one of the premier attacking players in Poland over the previous two seasons, tallying 12 goals and two assists in 38 appearances for Radomiak from 2024-2026.
Born and raised in Angola, Capita spent the early years of his development in his hometown of Luanda before moving to Portuguese side C.D. Trofense in January 2020. After six months in Portugal, Capita joined Lille B in France where he tallied two goals and two assists in 10 games while also enjoying loan spells at Belgian side Mouscron and back at Trofense in Portugal. He joined fellow Portuguese team Estrela da Amadora on a permanent move in the summer of 2022 before spening the 2023-2024 season on loan
Regular
Last
with Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Premier League. Capita moved to Radomiak Radom in the Polish top division in a permanent transfer ahead of the 2024-2025 season and enjoyed a strong first season in the Ekstraklasa, recording six goals and one assist in 17 appearances. He continued his fine form in the 2025-2026 season, tallying another six goals and one assist in 21 matches.
Capita has earned three caps for the Angola National Team, breaking into the squad as a 19-year-old in 2021. He previously represented Angola at the Under-17 level, scoring four goals in nine appearances across the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019.
#7 | F | CAPITA CAPEMBA
#30 | GK | STEFAN CLEVELAND
Height: 6-2 Weight: 175 Birthday: 5/25/1994
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Last Club: Austin FC (MLS)
Acquired: Acquired via trade on 12/10/2025
Sporting Kansas City acquired goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland in a trade from Austin FC ahead of the 2026 MLS season. Cleveland arrived in Kansas City having made 65 appearances in his professional career with the Chicago Fire (2017-2019), the Seattle Sounders (2020-2023) and Austin FC (2024-2025).
Cleveland has spent the majority of his career in Seattle, making 29 appearances for the club across all competitions. Cleveland made his debut for the Sounders on May 16, 2021, posting a shutout in a 2-0 victory over LAFC – kicking off a run of 15 starts between May 16 and Aug. 29, helping Seattle go 6-4-5 with three shutouts in that time. Cleveland made 13 further appearances for Seattle in 2022 and 2023. The 26th overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, Cleveland spent the first three years of his professional career with
Regular Season Game Highs: Goals Allowed 6, May 9, 2026, KC at POR Saves 8, Aug. 4, 2018, CHI at RSL (w/ CHI)
Last Regular Season... Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL Shutout July 2, 2022, SEA at TOR (w/ SEA) 2026 Record when: he starts 2-3-1
the Chicago Fire. After gaining experience on loan with FC Tulsa in the USL Championship in 2017 and 2018, Cleveland made his MLS debut for Chicago on Aug. 4, 2018, recording a career-high eight saves in a 2-1 road loss at Real Salt Lake.
Collegiately, Cleveland played three seasons at Dartmouth College from 2013-2015, earning First Team All-Ivy League selections in 2014 and 2015 and was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2015. After earning his engineering degree from Dartmouth in 2016, Cleveland spent the final year of his NCAA eligibility at the University of Louisville as a graduate student where he tallied 10 shutouts in 22 matches along with a 0.71 goals against average in 2016.
#8 | M | JAKE DAVIS
Height: 5-10
Weight: 165 Birthday: 1/3/2002
Hometown: Rochester, Michigan
Last Club: Sporting Kansas City II (USL Championship)
Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 8/19/2021
Sporting Kansas City signed midfielder Jake Davis as a Homegrown Player in August 2021 as the 19th Homegrown Player to emerge from the SKC Academy.
Since debuting for the club on Sept. 15, 2021, Davis has tallied three goals and 13 assists in 119 matches across all competitions and was named team Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and team MVP in 2024. Davis broke into the team at right back in 2023 before splitting time at right back and in central midfield in 2024. Davis scored his first goal for the club with the game-winner in a 3-1 win at Toronto on March 30, 2024 and scored a goal nominated for MLS Goal of the Year against Austin on May 18, 2024.
Davis spent significant time developing with SKC II under former Sporting greats Paulo Nagamura and Benny Feilhaber from 2019-2022 before breaking out with the first team in 2023, helping the team post a 12-7-5 record in the 24 regular-season matches he started.
A native of Rochester, Michigan, Davis moved to Kansas City in 2017 at age 15 to join the SKC Academy. He represented Sporting at the U-17 and U-19 levels, amassing eight goals across 54 appearances. In July 2024, Davis was named as an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, his first international recognition since November 2019 when he was selected to the U.S. U-17 National Team.
#6
| M | MANU GARCIA
Height: 5-7
Weight: 150 Birthday: 1/2/1998
Hometown: Oviedo, Spain
Last Club: Aris Thessaloniki (Greece)
Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 2/3/2025
Sporting Kansas City acquired Spanish midfielder Manu Garcia as a Designated Player from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki ahead of the 2025 season. Garcia arrived at Sporting having amassed 21 goals and 40 assists in nearly 300 professional matches, playing in the top divisions of England, France, Netherlands, Spain and Greece. Garcia has tallied three goals and 14 assists in 44 appearances for Sporting KC.
Garcia developed as a youth at Astur CF and Sporting Gijon prior to joining the academy of Manchester City in early 2014. He made his first-team debut for Man City on Sept. 22, 2015, replacing Sergio Aguero in a League Cup victory at Sunderland. Garcia scored his first Man City goal the following month to seal another League Cup win over Crystal Palace and later made his Premier League debut on March 5, 2016. Garcia was loaned to
Regular Season Game Highs:
Goals 1, 3 times, last: May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Assists 2, 2 times, last: June 25, 2025, KC vs. CLT
Shots on Goal 1, 6 times, last: May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Shots 3, March 1, 2025, KC vs. SJ
Fouls Committed 4, May 17, 2025, KC at SD
Fouls Suffered 6, April 17, 2026, KC at VAN
Last Regular Season...
Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Goal May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Assist July 16, 2026, KC at STL
2026 Record when: he starts 1-9-2 he scores 1-0-0
two clubs for the 2016-17 season - Spanish La Liga side Alaves and Dutch outfit NAC Breda. He played an instrumental role in NAC’s promotion to the top-flight Eredivisietallying two goals and nine assists in half a season - and continued his loan spell at the Dutch club for 2017-18. The 2018-19 campaign saw Garcia go on loan to Toulouse in the French Ligue 1. In July 2019, Garcia moved to Sporting Gijon on a club-record transfer fee. He made 76 appearances for Gijon over the next two seasons before going on loan to La Liga’s Alaves in 2021-22. Garcia signed for Aris in Super League Greece in July 2022 and bagged his first hat-trick in a 3-0 home win over Volos on Jan. 21, 2023.
On the international stage, Garcia represented Spain at the U-16, U-17, U-19 and U-21 levels before debuting for Spain’s senior national team in June 2021.
#11 | F | CALVIN HARRIS
Height: 6-0 Weight: 165 Birthday: 3/20/2000
Hometown: Middlesborough, England
Last Club: Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Acquired: Signed as a Free Agent on 1/15/2026
Sporting Kansas City signed forward Calvin Harris as a free agent ahead of the 2026 MLS season. Harris joins Sporting after tallying 22 goals and 11 assists in his professional career, including 11 goals and 10 assists in 101 MLS regular-season appearances with FC Cincinnati (2021-2022) and the Colorado Rapids (2023-2025).
Harris arrived in Kansas City following a career-best season with the Colorado Rapids in 2025, scoring five goals and adding four assists in all competitions while predominantly playing on the right wing. Harris began his professional career when he signed a Generation adidas contract with MLS and was selected by FC Cincinnati as the second overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. Harris made 26 appearances for Cincinnati across all competitions from 2021-2022, recording two goals and one assist, before being
Regular Season Game Highs: Goals 2, June 22, 2024, COL at MTL (w/ COL)
Assists 2, May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Shots on Goal 4, May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Shots 6, May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Fouls Committed 3, 4 times, last: May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Fouls Suffered 7, July 4, 2025, COL vs. KC (w/ COL)
Last Regular Season... Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Goal May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Assist May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
2026 Record when: he starts 3-9-1 he scores 1-1-0
traded to Colorado ahead of the 2023 season. After scoring four goals in five games for Colorado Rapids 2 in the early stages of 2023, Harris earned a larger role with the Rapids first team and ended the season with a goal and three assists in 21 competitive appearances. Harris more than doubled his output in his second season with the Rapids, scoring six goals and adding three assists throughout the 2024 season.
Born in England, Harris grew up in Malaysia and Hong Kong and played youth soccer with Hong Kong FC before moving to New Zealand to join Wellington Phoenix. Harris moved to the United States in 2019 to play collegiate soccer at Wake Forest University, tallying 10 goals and five assists in 32 matches across two seasons for the Demon Deacons, resulting in ACC All-Freshman Team honors in 2019.
#2 | D | IAN JAMES
Height: 6-1
Weight: 205 Birthday: 6/6/2008
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Last Club: Sporting KC Academy
Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 12/6/2024
Sporting Kansas City signed defender Ian James as a Homegrown Player ahead of the 2025 campaign, becoming the fourth youngest signing in Sporting KC history at the age of 16 years and 183 days. James made his first MLS start on June 28, 2025, becoming the second-youngest player to start a match in Sporting history at the age of 17 years and 22 days. James represented Sporting at the U-14 through U-19 youth levels and broke into the U.S. U-16 and U-17 Men’s National Teams in 2024. James also played 10 matches for Sporting KC II during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.
A native of Minnesota, James captained the Sporting KC U-15s during the 2022-23 MLS NEXT season before spending most of the 2023-24 campaign with the U-17s. James
Regular Season Game Highs: Goals 0
Assists 0
Shots on Goal 1, May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Shots 1, 4 times, last: May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Fouls Committed 3, Feb. 28, 2026, KC vs. CLB
Fouls Suffered 1, May 16, 2026, KC at ATX
Last Regular Season... Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL Goal N/A
Assist N/A
2026 Record when: he
participated in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game on July 23 in Columbus, Ohio, as one of the top 44 academy players from across the country. James signed an amateur academy contract for Sporting KC II in 2024 and earned his SKC II debut on March 17, 2024. James logged 10 appearances in his first MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
James earned his first selection to the U.S. U-16 Men’s National Team in April 2024 for a training camp in Florida before returning to the U-16 squad the following month for a training camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In November 2024, James was called up for a U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida - his first inclusion at that age level.
#9 | F | DEJAN JOVELJIC
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170 Birthday: 8/7/1999
Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia
Last Club: LA Galaxy (MLS)
Acquired: Acquired in cash-for-player trade on 2/1/2025
Sporting Kansas City acquired striker Dejan Joveljic from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $4 million on Feb. 1, 2025, marking the first cash-for-player trade in MLS history. Joveljic signed a new Designated Player contract upon arrival in Kansas City and has tallied 25 goals and four assists in 50 appearances for the club.
Joveljic joined Sporting following a 2024 campaign where he recorded 21 goals and eight assists, including six goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs as LA won MLS Cup. Joveljic amassed 85 goals and 26 assists during an accomplished professional career that has spanned Serbia, Germany and MLS in addition to loan spells in Belgium and Austria. The center forward was a Serbian SuperLiga champion at Red Star Belgrade and in 2021 joined the Galaxy, where he totaled 45 goals and 18 assists in four seasons as an integral
Regular Season Game Highs:
Goals 2, 9 times, last: Feb. 28, 2026, KC vs. CLB
Assists 2, May 29, 2022, LA vs. ATX (w/ LA)
Shots on Goal 4, 5 times, last: Aug. 30, 2025, KC vs. COL
Shots 7, June 25, 2025, KC vs. CLT
Fouls Committed 5, May 13, 2026, KC vs. LA
Fouls Suffered 4, 2 times, last: March 21, 2026, KC vs. COL
Last Regular Season...
Appearance July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Goal July 16, 2026, KC at STL
Assist April 11, 2026, KC vs. SJ
2026 Record when: he starts 3-10-2 he scores 2-2-2
part of LA’s attack. Joveljic developed in the academy of Serbian powerhouse Red Star Belgrade, turning pro as a 16-year-old in 2016 and helped Red Star to the 2017-18 SuperLiga title. Joveljic enjoyed a breakout 2018-19 campaign that yielded 11 goals and his debut in the UEFA Champions League. Joveljic was transferred to German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 and spent the latter half of the 2019-20 season on loan at Belgian heavyweight Anderlecht. Joveljic then enjoyed a loan stint at Austrian Bundesliga club Wolfsberger, tallying 20 goals and five assists during the 2020-2021 campaign.
On the international stage, Joveljic has scored two goals in nine appearances for the Serbia Men’s National Team, having previously represented his country at the U-16 through U-21 youth levels.
#18 | D | EMIR KARIC
Height: 6-1
Weight: 185
Hometown: Linz, Austria
Last Club: Sturm Graz (Austria)
Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 6/24/2026
Birthday: 6/9/1997
Sporting Kansas City acquired defender Emir Karic in a transfer from Austrian club Sturm Graz in June 2026. Primarily deployed as a left back, Karic arrived in Kansas City following 343 career appearances while playing in Austria and Germany, tallying seven goals and 21 assists.
Born and raised in Linz, Austria, Karic was a member of the LASK youth system and made his professional debut for the Austrian giants at the age of 17 in May 2015 before joining FC Liefering and spent three seasons developing in the Austrian second division, logging five assists in 63 appearances for Liefering. In the summer of 2018, Karic moved to SC Rheindorf Altach in the Austrian Bundesliga and cemented himself as a regular starter in the top division, playing 84 matches and recording one goal and six assists over
Last Regular Season...
July 16, 2026, KC at STL
the three ensuing seasons. Karic made the jump to Germany in 2021, signing with SV Darmstadt 98 in the German 2. Bundesliga where he made 85 appearances and scored four goals to go along with three assists. Karic returned to Austria in 2024, signing with Sturm Graz and helped the team retain the Austrian Bundesliga title in his first season. He enjoyed a strong 2025-2026 campaign, recording five assists in 44 matches - including 10 appearances in UEFA Champions League Qualifying and the UEFA Europa League.
Internationally, Karic has earned one cap for the Bosnia & Herzegovina National Team. After representing Austria at the U-18, U-19 and U-21 levels, Karic made the switch to Bosnia and made his international debut last year in a 1-1 draw against Austria in FIFA World Cup Qualifying on Nov. 18, 2025.
#12 | GK | JACK KORTKAMP
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190 Birthday: 1/28/2008
Hometown: Maple Grove, Minnesota
Last Club: Sporting KC Academy
Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 12/6/2024
Sporting Kansas City signed goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp as a Homegrown Player ahead of the 2025 MLS season, becoming the fifth youngest signing in Sporting KC history at the age of 16 years and 13 days and the youngest goalkeeper in club history.
Kortkamp represented Sporting at the U-14 through U-19 levels, helping the U-19s win their second consecutive UPSL regular season division title in 2024 and leading the U-17s to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Generation adidas Cup. Kortkamp trained with Sporting’s first team during the 2024 preseason in Miami before signing an amateur contract with Sporting KC II in May 2024. He earned his SKC II debut on June 12 at Real Monarchs. Kortkamp is an experienced U.S. youth international who has competed in the U-15, U-16 and U-17 age groups. He participated in his first U.S. U-15 training camp in
October 2022 at Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, before making his U.S. U-15 debut in April 2023. Kortkamp earned his first selection to the U.S. U-16s with a Florida training camp in April 2024 and returned to the squad the following month for a training camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In September 2024, Kortkamp featured twice for the U-17s at the Vaclav Jezek Tournament in Europe. In November 2024, he was called up for a U-17s training camp in Florida before joining the U-17s once again for the 2025 Concacaf U-17 Men’s Qualifiers in February 2025 and later for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in November 2025.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Last Club: Nashville SC (MLS)
#28 | D | WYATT MEYER
Regular Season Game Highs: Goals 0 Assists 0
Shots 2, Feb. 22, 2025, NSH vs. NE (w/ NSH)
Fouls Committed 1, 2 times, last: March 14, 2026, KC at LA Fouls Suffered 2, May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY
Last Regular Season... Appearance May 23, 2026, KC vs. NY Goal N/A
Assist N/A
2026 Record when: he
Birthday: 11/12/2001
Acquired: Signed as a Free Agent on Feb. 3, 2026
Sporting Kansas City signed defender Wyatt Meyer as a free agent ahead of the 2026 MLS season. Meyer spent the first year of his professional career with Eastern Conference side Nashville SC in 2025. After being selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of California, Berkeley, Meyer joined Nashville for preseason in 2025 and signed with the team ahead of the season.
The Berkeley, California native made eight appearances for Nashville in his rookie year, including starts in the team’s opening two matches of the 2025 MLS season – making his
debut with a 90-minute outing in a 0-0 draw against New England on Feb. 22, 2025. Meyer scored his first professional goal with a long-range winner late in Nashville’s 3-2 win over Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 in May 2025.
Collegiately, Meyer tallied four goals and six assists in 66 appearances for the Cal Golden Bears and was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors while serving as team captain in 2023.
#15 | D | JANSEN MILLER
Height: 6-3
Weight: 175 Birthday: 2/10/2002
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
College: Indiana University
Acquired: 2025 MLS SuperDraft 1st Round (#8)
Sporting Kansas City signed Jansen Miller ahead of the 2025 season after selecting the defender with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft out of Indiana University. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Miller became SKC’s highest draft pick for a defender since longtime captain and U.S. international Matt Besler was also taken eighth overall in the 2009 draft. Miller has made 39 appearances for Sporting KC, tallying one assist.
Miller played 77 total matches in four college seasons, logging 27 appearances at Xavier in 2021 before transferring to Indiana and featuring in 50 games or the Hoosiers from 2022-2024. He was a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2024, concluding his collegiate career with a third straight NCAA tournament berth and scoring a golden goal
against Akron in the second round of the postseason. During his time at IU, the Hoosiers were College Cup finalists in 2022, Big Ten tournament champions in 2023 and finished atop the conference regular season standings in each of his final two years. In addition to his time on campus, Miller also played for USL League Two teams St. Louis Scott Gallagher (2021), Long Island Rough Riders (2023) and Ocean City Nor’easters (2024).
Miller played for Saint Louis FC in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, where he was named to the USC Youth Boys All-Central Region Team in 2019. He signed amateur academy contracts with Saint Louis FC in 2019 and 2020, training regularly at the USL Championship level.
C.J. Sapong (2011), Ilie Sanchez (2018), Graham Zusi (2018), Luis Martins (2021), Felipe Hernandez (2022), Remi Walter (2022)
SINGLE SEASON RECORDS (GOALKEEPERS)
SPORTING KANSAS CITY INDIVIDUAL ALL-TIME CHARTS (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
GAMES STARTED Player GS
1. Graham Zusi 305
2. Roger Espinoza 285
2.
5.
ASSISTS
1.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY INDIVIDUAL SINGLE-SEASON CHARTS (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
John Pulskamp 34 120
Kevin Hartman 30 117
Bo Oshoniyi 32 112 2019 Tim Melia 32 111
Player GP SO 2000 Tony Meola 31 16 2012 Jimmy Nielsen 34 15 2013 Jimmy Nielsen 34 13
2018 Tim Melia 34 13
2008 Kevin Hartman 30 10
2010 Jimmy Nielsen 29 10
2017 Tim Melia 31 10 GOALKEEPER WINS Year Player GP GW 1997 Mike Ammann 29 21 2012 Jimmy Nielsen 34 18
2018 Tim Melia 34 18 2013 Jimmy Nielsen 34 17 2000 Tony Meola 31 15 1996 Garth Lagerwey 23 12 2011 Jimmy Nielsen 31 12 2017 Tim Melia 31 12
Player GP GA GAA
Tim Melia 31 24 0.78 2012 Jimmy Nielsen 34 27 0.79 2013 Jimmy Nielsen 34 30 0.88
2000 Tony Meola 31 29 0.92
2004 Tony Meola 21 22 1.05
*Minimum 1,000 minutes played
SPORTING KANSAS CITY INDIVIDUAL HIGHS (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
GOALS
Career: 71 Preki
Season: 22 Dom Dwyer (2014)
Game: 3 10 times
Half: 3 Vitalis Takawira (05/16/1998 at NE, 2nd)
Half: 3 Eddie Johnson (06/02/2007 vs. NY, 2nd)
Half: 3 Gerso Fernandes (05/17/2017 vs. SEA, 2nd)
ASSISTS
Career: 98 Preki
Season: 17 Preki (1997)
Season: 17 Preki (2003)
Game: 4 Chris Henderson (06/20/1999 vs. MET)
Half: 3 Chris Henderson (06/20/1999 vs. MET, 1st)
Half: 3 Preki (06/21/2003 vs. CHI, 1st)
SHOTS
Career: 693 Preki
Season: 140 Preki (1996)
Game: 12 Preki (04/12/1997 at TB)
Half: 8 Preki (04/12/1997 at TB, 2nd)
Half: 8 Onandi Lowe (08/12/2001 at COL, 2nd)
Half: 8 Preki (07/06/2002 vs. DAL, 2nd)
GOALS
Season: 65 in 2018
Game: 7 03/30/2019 vs. MTL
2-Tms: 10 05/02/1996 vs. CLB
Half: 5 05/02/1996 vs. CLB (2nd)
Half: 5 06/21/1997 vs. DC (2nd)
ASSISTS
Season: 69 in 2018
Game: 10 06/20/1999 vs. MET
2-Tms: 12 07/04/2001 vs. CHI
Half: 8 06/20/1999 vs. MET (1st)
SHOTS
Season: 583 in 2018
Game: 34 05/15/2016 vs. ORL
Game: 34 04/20/2018 vs. VAN
Game: 34 10/06/2018 vs. LA
2-Tms: 44 4 times
Half: 23 04/20/2018 vs. VAN (2nd)
SHOTS ON GOAL
Career: 283 Preki
Season: 61 Preki (1996)
Game: 6 Preki (05/19/1996 at LA)
Game: 6 Eddie Johnson (06/02/2007 vs. NY)
Game: 6 Alan Pulido (10/24/2020 vs. COL)
Half: 4 10 times
FOULS COMMITTED
Career: 517 Roger Espinoza
Season: 79 Chris Henderson (2000)
Game: 8 Davy Arnaud (05/29/2010 at RSL)
Game: 8 Oriol Rosell (07/27/2013 at MTL)
Half: 7 Scott Uderitz (05/11/1996 vs. DAL, 1st)
FOULS SUFFERED
Career: 528 Davy Arnaud
Season: 111 Davy Arnaud (2004)
Game: 10 Davy Arnaud (10/14/2006 at NY)
Half: 6 8 times
CORNER KICKS
Career: 800 Graham Zusi
Season: 150 Graham Zusi (2012)
Game: 12 Alex Zotinca (07/22/2006 at NY)
Half: 8 Chris Henderson (04/10/1999 vs. SJ, 2nd)
Half: 8 Chris Henderson (05/20/2000 vs. SJ, 1st)
Half: 8 Johnny Russell (08/14/2019 at ORL, 2nd)
GOALS ALLOWED
Career: 347 Tim Melia
Season: 70 John Pulskamp (2025)
Game: 7 Bo Oshoniyi (07/04/2001 vs. CHI)
Game: 7 Tim Melia (09/15/2019 at LA)
Game: 7 Tim Melia (05/14/2022 at POR)
Half: 6 Tim Melia (09/15/2019 at LA, 2nd)
Half: 6 Tim Melia (05/14/2022 at POR, 2nd)
SAVES
Career: 746 Tim Melia
Season: 129 Tony Meola (2000)
Game: 10 Tim Melia (04/08/2018 at LA)
Half: 7 4 times
SPORTING KANSAS CITY TEAM HIGHS (MLS REGULAR SEASON)
