Match Notes: Sporting KC vs. San Jose Earthquakes | March 16, 2024

SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT

Children’s Mercy Park (Kansas City, KS)

MLS Regular Season Game 4

Sporting Kansas City

0-0-3, 3 points (0-0-1 home; 0-0-2 away)

T-9th in MLS Western Conference

San Jose Earthquakes

0-3-0, 0 points (0-2-0 home; 0-1-0 away)

14th in MLS Western Conference

Apple TV: Free on MLS Season Pass

English Radio: Sports Radio 810 WHB

Spanish Radio: La Grande 1340 AM

Referee: TBA

Assistant ref: TBA

Assistant ref: TBA

4th official: TBA

VAR: TBA

SPORTING KANSAS CITY PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

No. Pos. Name Pronunciation

1 GK John Pulskamp

3 DEF Andreu Fontas ahn-DRAY-oo

4 DEF Robert Voloder VOLO-derr

5 DEF Dany Rosero danny roh-CERO

6 MID Nemanja Radoja nem-AHN-ya RAHD-oy-ah

7 FWD Johnny Russell

8 MID Memo Rodriguez

9 FWD Alan Pulido ah-LAHN pooh-LEE-doh

10 FWD Daniel Salloi shallow-EE

11 FWD Khiry Shelton KY-ree

14 DEF Tim Leibold LIE-bold

17 DEF Jake Davis

18 DEF Logan Ndenbe en-DEN-bay

19 DEF Robert Castellanos CASS-tee-YAH-nos

20 FWD Alenis Vargas uh-LEN-iss

21 MID Felipe Hernandez feh-LEE-pay

22 DEF Zorhan Bassong ZOR-uhn bah-SONG

23 FWD Willy Agada ah-GAH-dah

24 DEF Kayden Pierre

25 FWD Ozzie Cisneros sis-NAIR-oce

26 MID Erik Thommy tommy

28 DEF Chris Rindov rin-DOVE

29 GK Tim Melia MEE-lia

30 FWD Stephen Afrifa uh-FREE-fuh

31 MID Danny Flores

36 GK Ryan Schewe SHAY-way

54 MID Remi Walter vault-AIR

77 FWD Marinos Tzionis ma-REE-noss JOHN-eese

2024 MLS REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

2024 REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

SPORTING KANSAS CITY SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

0-0-3 (3 pts.) 1.00 3 T-9th in West 2 0.67 1 2 0.67 0

(15)

RECORD POINTS PER GAME

GAMES PLAYED

CONFERENCE POSITION GOALS GOALS/GAME ASSISTS

GOALS ALLOWED ALLOWED/GAME GOAL DIFFERENTIAL SHOTS (ON GOAL) ON GOAL %

FOULS COMMITTED FOULS SUFFERED CAUTIONS EJECTIONS

0-3-0 (0 pts.)

0.00

3 14th in West 2 0.67 3 7 2.33 -5 32 (12) 37.5%

2024 REGULAR SEASON INDIVIDUAL

LEADERS

SPORTING KANSAS CITY SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Thommy, Walter 1 Jake Davis 1 Johnny Russell 8 Daniel Salloi 4 N/A 0 N/A 0

Erik Thommy 6 Johnny Russell 8 Johnny Russell 2 N/A 0

Tim Melia 270

Tim Melia 0.67 N/A 0

Tim Melia 1

Tim Melia 11

GOALS ASSISTS SHOTS SHOTS ON GOAL

GAME-WINNING GOALS

GAME-WINNING ASSISTS

FOULS COMMITTED FOULS SUFFERED CAUTIONS EJECTIONS

GK MINUTES PLAYED GOALS AGAINST AVG. WINS SHUTOUTS SAVES

1 Judd, Kikanovic

2 Cristian Espinoza

8 Cristian Espinoza

4 Benji Kikanovic

0 N/A

0 N/A

10 Paul Marie

4 Costa, Morales

2 Preston Judd

0 N/A

270 Daniel 2.33 Daniel 0 N/A 0 N/A

11 Daniel

COACHES - REGULAR SEASON PETER VERMES LUCHI GONZALEZ

16th season (.536) 195-161-118

16th season (.536) 195-161-118

MLS EXPERIENCE

MLS RECORD YEAR WITH TEAM RECORD WITH TEAM

5th season

38-42-39 (.483)

2nd season

10-13-14 (.459)

1 John

3

4

5

6 Nemanja Radoja nem-AHN-ya

7 Johnny

8

9

11

14

17

18

SPORTING KANSAS CITY 2024 NUMERICAL ROSTER

SPORTING KANSAS CITY 2024 ALPHABETICAL ROSTER

#SKCvSJ: HEAD-TO-HEAD

Sporting Kansas City (0-0-3, 3 pts.) returns home this weekend to face off against the San Jose Earthquakes (0-3-0, 0 pts.) at Children’s Mercy Park Park on Saturday night. Sporting has the odd distinguishment of being both unbeaten and winless through three games this season, having drawn each outing, while San Jose as endured a tough start by dropping all three of their opening matches of 2024.

Since late 2016, Sporting has gone 9-2-3 against San Jose with a 6-0-1 mark at Children’s Mercy Park. All-time, Sporting is 30-26-10 against the Earthquakes, including a 23-8-2 record at home.

Last regular season, Sporting claimed a 3-0 win over San Jose at Children’s Mercy Park on Aug. 26, 2023 courtesy of goals from Daniel Salloi, Johnny Russell and Erik Thommy in the club’s first match out of the Leagues Cup break.

Sporting had fallen to San Jose in the return fixture on April 15, suffering a 3-0 defeat at PayPal Park. Cristian Espinoza gave the ‘Quakes an early lead before Sporting defender Robert Castellanos was shown a straight red card while conceding a penalty that Jeremy Ebobisse converted late in the first half. Ebobisse added his second and San Jose’s third to complete the scoring just after halftime.

The two teams met once more in 2023 in the MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Wild Card Match, with Sporting advancing 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation.

#SKCvSJ: Recent Meetings (SKC leads 30-26-10 in regular season)

Date Score Result Details

08/26/2023 KC 3 vs SJ 0 W Salloi, Russell & Thommy tally in dominant home win

04/15/2023 KC 0 at SJ 3 L Ebobisse (2) and Espinoza tally vs. 10-man Sporting KC

08/27/2022 KC 1 vs SJ 0 W Salloi scores early as Sporting holds on for narrow victory

05/22/2022 KC 1 at SJ 1 T Russell opener cancelled out by Yueill equalizer

07/21/2021 KC 1 vs SJ 1 T Salloi equalizes in stoppage time after Nathan opener

#SKCvSJ: PLAYER HISTORY

• Forward Daniel Salloi has four goals and two assists against the Earthquakes, scoring and setting up the game-winner in the 3-1 road victory on May 22, 2021 before helping set up Felipe Gutierrez’s game-winner in the 3-2 home win on March 17, 2018. He also scored a late equalizer in the 1-1 home draw on July 21, 2021 and game-winners in the 1-0 home win on Aug. 27, 2022 and the 3-0 home win on Aug. 26, 2023.

• Forward Johnny Russell has two goals and three assists against San Jose. He had two assists in the 3-2 home win on March 17, 2018 and the equalizer in the 2-1 home win on Aug. 17, 2019, before scoring in the 1-1 road draw on May 22, 2022 and tallying a goal and an assist in the 3-0 home win on Aug. 26, 2023.

• Forward Alan Pulido has one goal and one assist against San Jose, both coming in the 2-1 road win on May 22, 2021.

• Midfielder Erik Thommy has a goal and an assist vs. the ‘Quakes, both coming in the 3-0 home win on Aug. 26, 2023.

• Midfielder Nemanja Radoja has two assists against the Earthquakes, tallying both in the 3-0 home win on Aug. 26, 2023.

• Midfielder Remi Walter has one assist against San Jose, coming on the gamewinner in the 3-0 home win on Aug. 26, 2023.

• Goalkeeper Tim Melia is 8-5-3 all-time against the San Jose Earthquakes in the regular season, posting a 1.43 goals against average and three shutouts.

• Goalkeeper John Pulskamp is 1-0-0 all-time against San Jose, posting a shutout in the 1-0 home win on Aug. 27, 2022.

• Midfielder Memo Rodriguez has a goal and an assist vs. the ‘Quakes. He scored his goal as a member of the Houston Dynamo in a 2-1 home win on April 16, 2021 before tallying an assist while with the LA Galaxy in a 2-1 home victory on May 14, 2023.

#SKCvSJ: PLAYER/COACH CONNECTIONS

• Midfielder Erik Thommy was teammates with San Jose’s Alfredo Morales at Fortuna Dusseldorf during the 2019-2020 Bundesliga season.

• Defender Tim Leibold was playing for Stuttgart’s second team while San Jose midfielder Carlos Gruezo was on the first team from 2014-2015.

• Goalkeeper coach Alec Dufty played alongside and was coached by San Jose assistant coach Steve Ralston at former USSF D2 club AC St. Louis in 2010.

• San Jose forward Preston Judd initially signed with Sporting KC II out of college before being selected by and signing with the LA Galaxy following the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.

#SKCvSJ: BY THE NUMBERS

Sporting KC Team Notes

• In last Saturday’s 0-0 draw at LAFC, Sporting became the first team in MLS history to record multiple regular season shutouts at LAFC (won 2-0 at LAFC in August 2018). Tim Melia was in goal for Sporting on each occasion.

• Sporting are one of five MLS teams that has yet to trail this season (Cincinnati, Columbus, Montreal, Toronto).

• Sporting are unbeaten in their first three matches of a regular season for the first time since 2017 when they went their first six games without a loss (3-0-3).

• Sporting have opened a regular season with three straight draws for the first time in club history.

• Only Toronto (zero), Vancouver (one) and Cincinnati (one) have conceded fewer goals than Sporting’s two through three weekends of the regular season.

• Sporting rank fourth in MLS in passing accuracy (86.9%) and second in long ball accuracy (63.2%).

• Sporting have played 98 accurate long balls this season, 28 more than any other team.

• Sporting have scored first in 20 of their last 29 matches in all competitions since May 31, 2023.

Sporting KC Player Notes

• Goalkeeper Tim Melia made six saves in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw at LAFC, becoming the 10th goalkeeper in MLS history to record 30 regular season shutouts on the road. Melia is 10-4-4 in his last 18 MLS starts since May 7, 2023 (including playoffs).

• Defender Andreu Fontas ranks second in MLS in successful passes (242) with a 92.6% completion rate. From 2021-2023, Fontas had 550 more completed passes (5,869) than any other MLS player has attempted passes (Ilie 5,319) in regular season play. Fontas also leads MLS this season with 26 accurate long balls, while fellow center back Dany Rosero ranks third in the league with 17.

• Midfielder Remi Walter has scored goals in back-to-back regular season home matches for Sporting, having scored in the 2023 regular season finale and a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia on March 2.

San Jose Team Notes

• San Jose is one of three MLS teams to open the season with three straight losses alongside New York City FC and the New England Revolution.

• San Jose has opened the season with a 0-3-0 record for the first time since 2019 when the club lost its first four games.

• San Jose has posted 10 straight non-winning seasons since 2014, the longest streak in MLS history.

• San Jose’s -5 goal differential through three matches is third worst in MLS, ahead of only New England and Orlando (-6).

• San Jose’s seven goals allowed through three matches are third most in MLS, fewer than only New England and Orlando (eight).

San Jose Player Notes

• Forward Christian Espinoza ranks fourth in MLS with six successful crosses. During the 2023 regular season, Espinoza led San Jose in both goals (13) and assists (13) as one of two players (Lucho Acosta) with at least 13 goals and 13 assists.

• Forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who was second on San Jose with 10 goals last season, has yet to attempt a shot through three games of 2024. He has started in each of the club’s last 72 regular season matches since Nov. 7, 2021.

• Defender Paul Marie is tied for third in MLS with 10 fouls committed.

• Defender Rodrigues is fifth in MLS in aerial duels (17) and eighth in successful passes (190).

NOTEWORTHY MILESTONES

• Forward Johnny Russell is one shy of his 200th appearance for Sporting in all competitions since joining the club in 2018.

• Midfielder Erik Thommy is one shy of his 50th regular season appearance for Sporting and one shy of his 50th start for Sporting in all competitions.

• Defender Dany Rosero is one shy of 350 appearances in his professional club career.

SPORTING KC SOCIAL PROPERTIES

Web Twitter Other Social Media

SportingKC.com @SportingKC Facebook.com/SportingKC

SportingKC.com/News @SKCMatchday Instagram.com/SportingKC

SportingKC.com/Videos @SportingKCII Facebook.com/SportingKCII

SportingKC.com/Media @CMPark Instagram.com/SportingKCII

SportingKCAcademy.com @SKCAcademy Instagram.com/SKCAcademy

SportingKCYouth.com @SportingKCYouth Facebook.com/SportingKCYouth

VictoryKC.org @VictoryKC Facebook.com/VictoryProjectKC

SportingStyle.com @SportingStyle Instagram.com/SportingStyle

SportingAthletics.com @SportingKC_PR TikTok: @SportingKC

NoOtherPubKC.com @NoOtherPub Facebook.com/NoOtherPub

SportingClubEventsKC.com @SportingKCSTM Facebook.com/SKCSeasonTicketMembers

CompassMineralsNPC.com @SoySporting YouTube.com/SportingKansasCity

SPORTING KANSAS CITY NEWS AND NOTES

LOOKING TO CLAIM FIRST WIN, MAINTAIN UNBEATEN START

Sporting KC has started the 2024 campaign unbeaten through three matches yet await their first taste of victory following a trio of draws. Sporting began the year with a 1-1 draw at Houston before settling for a frustrating 1-1 draw at home vs. Philadelphia and most recently picked up a solid point following a 0-0 draw at LAFC.

Sporting will take encouragement from their draw at LAFC on Saturday, as the club is now the only team to pick up two shutouts at BMO Stadium. While an 0-0-3 start can be skewed positive or negative, seven teams have started a season with that mark and five went on to make the playoffs - with the 2015 Portland Timbers winning MLS Cup.

Sporting is currently riding a five-match unbeaten streak at Children’s Mercy Park, going 3-0-2 since a midweek loss to Nashville SC on Sept. 20, 2023. Over their last 12 home games, Sporting has posted a 7-2-3 record since the start of July 2023.

Across all competitions, Sporting has lost just one of their last nine matches - the 1-0 loss in Houston in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals. In those nine games, Sporting has posted a 4-1-4 record since their most recent regular-season loss in St. Louis on Sept. 30, 2023.

PLAYOFF REMATCH vs. ‘QUAKES

Sporting Kansas City returns home this weekend to take on the struggling San Jose Earthquakes at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night in a match that marks a rematch from the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Wild Card Match. Sporting has started the season winless but unbeaten at 0-0-3, while San Jose are yet to pick up a point through three games, going 0-3-0.

Sporting won the most recent regular-season showdown with the ‘Quakes on Aug. 26, 2023 at Children’s Mercy Park 3-0 courtesy of goals from Daniel Salloi, Johnny Russell and Erik Thommy. Previously in 2023, San Jose cruised to a 3-0 win of their own at PayPal Park back on April 15 when the hosts took advantage of Robert Castellanos’ first-half red card to run out 3-0 winners following a brace from Jeremy Ebobisse and a Cristian Espinoza strike.

The most consequential match of the 2023 season between the two sides came on Oct. 25 with a single-elimination postseason opener. Both sides went close throughout the 90 minutes but with the game ending 0-0, Sporting would end up advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks following heroics from goalkeeper Tim Melia.

Since late 2016, Sporting has gone 9-2-3 against San Jose with a 6-0-1 mark at Children’s Mercy Park. All-time, Sporting is 30-26-10 against the Earthquakes, including a 23-8-2 record at home.

MELIA POSTS FIRST SHUTOUT OF 2024

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia posted his first shutout of the 2024 season in impressive fashion last weekend in the 0-0 draw against Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium on Saturday night.

The veteran shot-stopper made six saves on the night to earn a point for Sporting, repelling LAFC’s expected goal total of 1.95. Melia was on form throughout the night, from clawing away Eduard Atuesta’s early one-on-one opportunity to pushing away Cristian Olivera’s shot in the final play of the game.

Melia and Sporting have conceded just two goals in three matches so far in 2024 for a goals against average of 0.67 - a mark less than half of the 1.50 GAA that the team posted throughoutn 2023.

The shutout saw Melia extend his own club record with his 77th in all competitions and 67th in MLS regular-season action. In addition, Melia became the first goalkeeper in MLS to record two shutouts at LAFC’s BMO Stadium, having also kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 Sporting victory on Aug. 11, 2018.

RODRIGUEZ IMPRESSES IN FIRST START

Sporting Kansas City newcomer Memo Rodriguez earned his first start in his third appearance this past weekend with a 90-minute outing in the 0-0 draw with LAFC at BMO Stadium in Southern California.

Rodriguez impressed in his first start for the club, threatening with shots from distance - including a late second-half effort that Hugo Lloris pushed around the post. The 28-year-old was tied for the team-lead with two crosses and second on the team with two clearances on the night, while he completed 93 percent of his 31 passes in the heart of midfield.

Rodriguez arrived in the offseason as a free agent after spending the 2023 season with the LA Galaxy and Austin FC following his departure from hometown club the Houston Dynamo at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign.

VARGAS CALLED UP TO HONDURAS NATIONAL TEAM

Sporting Kansas City forward Alenis Vargas has been selected to the Honduras Men’s National Team for two matches during the FIFA international window in March.

Vargas, who signed for Sporting in December after a standout 2023 season with Sporting KC II in MLS NEXT Pro, will represent his country for the first time after never previously earning a national team selection at the youth or senior levels. The 20-yearold will join Honduras for a 2024 Copa America qualifying playoff against Costa Rica on March 23 and a friendly against El Salvador on March 26.

Vargas will depart for international duty on Sunday and is slated to miss Sporting’s home match against the LA Galaxy on March 23 before returning to the club ahead of a trip to Toronto FC on March 30.

• Saturday, March 23 vs. Costa Rica | 6:15 p.m. CT | Frisco, Texas

• Tuesday, March 26 vs. El Salvador | 10 p.m. CT | Los Angeles, California

Vargas is part of a Honduras squad assembled by head coach Reinaldo Rueda that will aim to qualify for the 2024 Copa America by defeating Costa Rica in a one-game playoff on March 23 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The winner of the match will enter Group D of the Copa America alongside world powerhouse Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay. Vargas and Honduras will then venture west for a friendly contest against Concacaf rival El Salvador on March 26 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

FEILHABER SET TO BE HONORED AS SPORTING LEGEND

Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday that MLS Cup champion and World Cup veteran Benny Feilhaber has been selected as the newest member of Sporting Legends.

Feilhaber, who spent six standout seasons at Sporting and now serves as Sporting KC II head coach in MLS NEXT Pro, will be formally inducted into the Sporting Legends hall of honor in an on-field ceremony on Aug. 24 when Sporting Kansas City hosts Orlando City SC at Children’s Mercy Park.

Feilhaber is the 13th club icon to join Sporting Legends, an initiative launched in 2013 that tributes all-time greats while providing a platform for inductees to engage with supporters and the Kansas City community. Like the previous 12 Sporting Legends, Feilhaber will have his name adorned outside The Victory Suite in the northwest corner of Children’s Mercy Park. A new UMB Sporting Legends Pylon will also be unveiled at the stadium, showcasing special memorabilia items donated by Feilhaber.

One of the best American midfielders of his generation, Feilhaber enjoyed a brilliant 15-year playing career highlighted by a 2013 MLS Cup and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups with Sporting as well as a 2007 Concacaf Gold Cup title and a 2010 FIFA World Cup appearance with the United States Men’s National Team.

QUOTES: #LAFCvSKC

Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes

Thoughts on the match…

“I think we could have taken two more points, but I don’t necessarily think that I would say that we deserved it. I think we gave up some counters due to our own mistakes, but we also created some really good chances. (Hugo) Lloris made a couple of really good saves. Tim (Melia) made an unbelievable save in the first half when (Eduard) Atuesta came in on the one-two. He made a great save there and then he made a couple more in the second half. Tim was outstanding in the game. We were very good tonight. Don’t get me wrong, we were very good, but they were also good. I think, if you want to watch a game in MLS, that’s the kind of game you want to watch. Both teams play. There’s a little difference in the styles of both teams, but it was a good match. They probably think they could have scored a few. We probably think we could have scored a few. I think at the end of the day, the result is pretty fair and the goalkeepers deserved to get shutouts because they both played well.”

On the team’s sharpness…

“I think the team was a lot sharper. I might be saying this for a long time because I think what happens a lot of times is you get into situations where, when you get in the final third, you want everything to be as sharp and clinical as everywhere else on the field is. But as you guys know, that’s where the money is, right? The money is in those parts of the field. So we’re getting stronger in that area. We’re creating good chances.”

On the defensive performance…

“Our back four needed to control their front three. They’re very dangerous as a front three, as we all know. They did a really good job of that. I also think we put them under pressure with our front three against their back four. It was a very interesting game. I’m really proud of the guys with the way they played.”

KC 3 at SJ 2 W Spartan Stadium

KC 0 at SJ 2 L Spartan Stadium

10/06/1999 KC 0 at SJ 1 L Spartan Stadium

04/15/2000 KC 2 vs SJ 0 W Arrowhead Stadium

05/20/2000 KC 2 vs SJ 0 W Arrowhead Stadium

07/04/2000 KC 0 at SJ 0 T (2OT) Spartan Stadium

08/16/2000 KC 3 at SJ 0 W Spartan Stadium

04/28/2001 KC 0 vs SJ 0 T (2OT) Arrowhead Stadium

06/23/2001 KC 0 at SJ 2 L Spartan Stadium

09/01/2001 KC 0 at SJ 3 L Spartan Stadium

09/08/2001 KC 1 vs SJ 0 W Arrowhead Stadium

04/13/2002 KC 2 vs SJ 0 W Arrowhead Stadium

06/08/2002 KC 0 at SJ 3 L Spartan Stadium

06/29/2002 KC 1 at SJ 2 L Spartan Stadium

07/27/2002 KC 2 vs SJ 1 W Arrowhead Stadium

04/19/2003 KC 1 at SJ 1 T (2OT) Spartan Stadium

06/28/2003 KC 0 at SJ 0 T (2OT) Spartan Stadium

08/08/2003 KC 0 vs SJ 1 L Arrowhead Stadium

09/20/2003 KC 1 vs SJ 4 L Arrowhead Stadium

06/26/2004 KC 1 at SJ 1 T Spartan Stadium

08/14/2004 KC 0 vs SJ 2 L Arrowhead Stadium

09/18/2004 KC 1 vs SJ 0 W Arrowhead Stadium

10/09/2004 KC 0 at SJ 0 T Spartan Stadium

04/23/2005 KC 2 at SJ 3 L Spartan Stadium

05/28/2005 KC 1 vs SJ 0 W Arrowhead Stadium

08/30/2008 KC 1 at SJ 2 L Buck Shaw Stadium

10/18/2008 KC 3 vs SJ 2 W CommunityAmerica Ballpark

04/05/2009 KC 2 vs SJ 0 W CommunityAmerica Ballpark

08/22/2009 KC 0 at SJ 1 L Buck Shaw Stadium

08/14/2010 KC 0 at SJ 1 L Buck Shaw Stadium

10/23/2010 KC 4 vs SJ 1 W CommunityAmerica Ballpark

06/17/2011 KC 1 vs SJ 0 W Livestrong Sporting Park

10/01/2011 KC 1 at SJ 1 T Buck Shaw Stadium

05/27/2012 KC 2 vs SJ 1 W Livestrong Sporting Park

08/18/2013 KC 0 at SJ 1 L Buck Shaw Stadium

03/22/2014 KC 1 vs SJ 0 W Sporting Park

08/19/2015 KC

10 Preki

9 Preki

80 Preki

37 Preki

43 Matt McKeon

50 Preki

8 Tim Melia

7 Tony Meola

7 Tony Meola

74 Tony Meola

23 Tim Melia

ALL-TIME REGULAR SEASON GAME HIGHS

SPORTING KANSAS CITY SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

3 Diop, Preki

2 10 players

8 Preki, Pulido

4 Six Players

6 Three Players

8 Cam Duke (7/21/21)

9 Ammann, Meola

5 Tim Melia (8/19/15)

SAVES GOALS ALLOWED

GOALS SCORED IN SERIES BY INTERVAL

SPORTING KANSAS CITY TRANSACTION TRACKER

Players In Players Out

DEF - Zorhan Bassong (Signed as Free Agent - Dec. 12, 2023)

FWD - Alenis Vargas (Acquired from Futbol Consultants Desamparados - Dec. 15, 2023)

MID - Memo Rodriguez (Signed as Free Agent - Feb. 1, 2024)

GK - Ryan Schewe (MLS SuperDraft Selection - Feb. 5, 2024)

GK - Kendall McIntosh (Out of Contract - Dec. 1, 2023)

DEF - Kortne Ford (Option Declined - Dec. 1, 2023)

DEF - Graham Zusi (Option Declined - Dec. 1, 2023)

MID - Cam Duke (Out of Contract - Dec. 1, 2023)

MID - Roger Espinoza (Option Declined - Dec. 1, 2023)

MID - Felipe Gutierrez (Option Declined / Retired - Dec. 1, 2023)

MID - Gadi Kinda (Out of Contract - Dec. 1, 2023)

DATE IN/OUT DETAILS

SPORTING KANSAS CITY TRANSACTION TIMELINE

Dec. 1: OUT Sporting KC declines options on defenders Kortne Ford and Graham Zusi along with midfielders Roger Espinoza and Felipe Gutierrez. In addition, goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh and midfielders Cam Duke and Gadi Kinda are out of contract.

Dec. 12: IN Sporting KC signs free agent defender Zorhan Bassong, most recently with Farul Constanta (Romania).

Dec. 15: IN Sporting KC acquires forward Alenis Vargas in a transfer from Futbol Consultants Desamparados (Costa Rica). Vargas had spent the 2023 season on loan with Sporting KC II (MLS NEXT Pro).

Feb. 1: IN Sporting KC signs free agent midfielder Memo Rodriguez, most recently with Austin FC (MLS).

Feb. 5: IN Sporting KC signs goalkeeper Ryan Schewe, the club’s first round pick (22nd overall) in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft out of Georgetown.

2015

2016

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023 Stephen Afrifa (1st Round - #8)

Chris Rindov (2nd Round - #37)

CONSTRUCTING SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Tim Melia (12/23/14)

Johnny Russell (1/31/18)

Andreu Fontas (8/8/18)

Khiry Shelton (12/9/19)

Alan Pulido (12/10/19)

Remi Walter (12/22/20)

Logan Ndenbe (1/14/22)

Robert Voloder (1/19/22)

Marinos Tzionis (1/24/22)

Willy Agada (6/23/22)

Erik Thommy (6/23/22)

Nemanja Radoja (10/26/22)

Tim Leibold (1/12/23)

Robert Castellanos (2/17/23)

Dany Rosero (3/2/23)

2024 Ryan Schewe (1st Round - #22) Zorhan Bassong (12/12/23)

Alenis Vargas (12/15/23)

Danny Flores (1/13/23)

Memo Rodriguez (2/1/24)

Daniel Salloi (1/13/16)

Felipe Hernandez (8/30/19)

John Pulskamp (2/24/20)

Ozzie Cisneros (1/20/21)

Kayden Pierre (5/4/21)

Jake Davis (8/19/21)

2024 REFEREE LOG (MLS REGULAR SEASON)

2024 VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE LOG (MLS REGULAR SEASON)

2024

SPORTING KC MISCELLANEOUS STATS

SPORTING KC IN 2024 (MLS REGULAR SEASON)

Quickest Goal...

Quickest Goal Against...

Remi Walter (3/2 vs. PHI) - 19th Minute

Gabe Segal (2/24 at HOU) - 69th Minute

Scoring

Scoring

Scoring

Wearing

With

card 0-0-0

With opponent red card 0-0-0

In Pacific time zone 0-0-1

In

vs. Western Conference 0-0-2

Eastern Conference 0-0-1

On grass 0-0-3

On turf 0-0-0

With zero subs

With one sub 0-0-0

With two subs 0-0-0

With three subs 0-0-1

With four subs 0-0-0

With five subs 0-0-1

With six subs 0-0-0

April

May

June 2024

June

July 2024

July

Aug. 2024

Sept. 2024

Oct. 2024

Oct.

Nov. 2024

Nov.

Regular Season Team-By-Team (in 2024)

vs. Atlanta United FC 1-2-1 (0-0-0)

vs. Austin FC 2-4-1 (0-0-0)

vs. Charlotte FC 0-0-0 (0-0-0)

vs. Chicago Fire FC 19-28-12 (0-0-0)

vs. Colorado Rapids 29-26-19 (0-0-0)

vs. Columbus Crew 26-22-9 (0-0-0)

vs. D.C. United 22-22-13 (0-0-0)

vs. FC Cincinnati 1-0-1 (0-0-0)

vs. FC Dallas 28-30-14 (0-0-0)

vs. Houston Dynamo FC 14-13-16 (0-0-1)

vs. Inter Miami CF 0-1-0 (0-0-0)

vs. Los Angeles FC 4-6-2 (0-0-1)

vs. LA Galaxy 26-26-18 (0-0-0)

vs. Minnesota United FC 11-4-4 (0-0-0)

vs. CF Montreal 8-5-3 (0-0-0)

vs. Nashville SC 2-2-0 (0-0-0)

vs. NE Revolution 25-20-12 (0-0-0)

vs. New York City FC 2-3-1 (0-0-0)

vs. New York Red Bulls 22-22-14 (0-0-0)

vs. Orlando City SC 2-3-2 (0-0-0)

vs. Philadelphia Union 6-6-7 (0-0-1)

vs. Portland Timbers 9-7-6 (0-0-0)

vs. Real Salt Lake 13-16-9 (0-0-0)

vs. St. Louis 1-2-0 (0-0-0)

vs. SJ Earthquakes 30-26-10 (0-0-0)

vs. Seattle Sounders FC 11-12-4 (0-0-0) vs.

(0-0-0) vs.

Regular

Game-winning goals after 75’...

Game-tying goals after 75’...

Game-winning goals against after 75’...

Game-tying goals against after 75’... Alejandro Bedoya (3/2 vs. PHI) - 95+ Minute

Red Cards...

Red Cards Against...

Penalty Kicks...

Penalty Kicks Earned...

Penalty Kicks Against...

Youngest Goalscorer...

Oldest Goalscorer...

Youngest Starter...

Remi Walter (3/2 vs. PHI) - 28 years and 311 days

Erik Thommy (2/24 at HOU) - 29 years and 188 days

Jake Davis (2/24 at HOU) - 22 years and 52 days

Youngest to play in a game... Alenis Vargas (2/24 at HOU) - 20 years and 82 days

Oldest Starter... Tim Melia (3/9 at LAFC) - 37 years and 299 days

Oldest to play in a game... Tim Melia (3/9 at LAFC) - 37 years and 299 days

2024 MLS REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

SPORTING KC ALL-TIME WIN/LOSS RECORDS IN COMPETITIVE MATCHES

Sporting KC Game Notes | March 16, 2024 vs. San Jose Earthquakes |

SPORTING KC 2024 MLS REGULAR SEASON BOX SCORES

Feb. 24, 2024: Houston Dynamo 1-1 Sporting KC

MLS Regular Season | Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, TX

Attendance: 18,818

Weather: 69 degrees and clear 1 2 F

Sporting KC (0-0-1, 1 point) 0 1 1

Houston Dynamo (0-0-1, 1 point) 0 1 1

Sporting KC Houston Dynamo FC

GK Melia GK Clark (C)

D Davis D Dorsey

D Rosero D Sviatchenko

D Fontas D Micael

D Leibold (Bassong 74’) D Schmitt

M Radoja M Artur

M Thommy (Rodriguez 74’) M Carrasquilla

M Walter M Raines (Gregus 67’)

F Russell (C) (Afrifa 59’) F Kowalczyk

F Pulido (Agada 59’) F Aliyu

F Salloi (Vargas 86’) F Smith (Segal 67’)

Subs not used: Subs not used:

Pulskamp (GK) Tarbell (GK)

Castellanos Awodesu

Voloder Sargeant

Hernandez Steres Gonzalez Sylla Gyamfi

Scoring Summary:

SKC - Erik Thommy 1 (Unassisted) 61’

HOU - Gabe Segal 1 (Ibrahim Aliyu 1, Coco Carrasquilla 1) 69’

Misconduct Summary:

SKC - Johnny Russell (Yellow Card; Dissent) 57’

SKC - Erik Thommy (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 67’

HOU - Ben Olsen (Yellow Card; Dissent) 89’ Stats

March 2, 2024: Sporting KC 1-1 Philadelphia Union

MLS Regular Season | Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, KS

Attendance: 19,942

Weather: 65 degrees and clear 1 2 F

Sporting KC (0-0-2, 2 points) 1 0 1

Philadelphia Union (0-0-2, 2 points)

Sporting KC Philadelphia Union

GK Melia GK Semmle

D Davis D Mbaizo (Wagner 46’)

D Rosero D Elliott (C)

D Fontas D Lowe

D Leibold D Harriel

M Radoja M Martinez (Bedoya 46’)

M Thommy (Rodriguez 80’) M Bueno

M Walter M McGlynn (Anderson 82’)

F Russell (C) M Rafanello (Gazdag 46’)

F Pulido (Agada 80’) F Donovan (Uhre 57’)

F Salloi (Afrifa 87’) F Sullivan

Subs not used: Subs not used: Pulskamp (GK) Rick (GK)

Bassong Glesnes

Castellanos Real

Voloder Baribo

Hernandez

Vargas

Scoring Summary:

SKC - Remi Walter 1 (Jake Davis 1) 19’

PHI - Alejandro Bedoya 1 (Unassisted) 95+

Misconduct Summary:

PHI - Alejandro Bedoya (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 49’

PHI - Damion Lowe (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 58’

SKC - Johnny Russell (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 93+

Stats Summary SKC PHI

March 9, 2024: LAFC 0-0 Sporting KC

MLS Regular Season | BMO Stadium | Los Angeles, CA

Attendance: 22,175

Weather: 60 degrees and clear

Sporting KC (0-0-3, 3 points)

LAFC (1-1-1, 4 points)

Sporting KC LAFC

GK Melia GK Lloris

D Davis D Hollingshead

D Rosero D Murillo

D Fontas D Long

D Leibold D Campos

M Radoja M Tillman

M Thommy M Ilie (C) (Martinez 78’)

M Rodriguez M Atuesta

F Russell (C) F Olivera

F Pulido F Bogusz

F Salloi F Bouanga

Subs not used: Subs not used: Pulskamp (GK) Romero (GK)

Bassong Palencia

Castellanos Segura

Pierre Duenas

Voloder Musto

Hernandez Angel

Afrifa Ordaz

Agada Vargas

Scoring Summary: None

Misconduct Summary:

SKC - Memo Rodriguez (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 27’

LAFC - Omar Campos (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 31’

SKC - Andreu Fontas (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 49’

SKC - Dany Rosero (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 60’

LAFC - Eduard Atuesta (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 88’

SKC - Jake Davis (Yellow Card; Unsporting Behavior) 92+

Stats Summary SKC LAFC

SPORTING KC STARTERS BY POSITION (2024 REGULAR SEASON)

Formation: 4-3-3 (3 games)

Left forward

Center forward

Right forward

NOTE: Charts do not account for players interchanging and/ or switching positions over the course of a match. Substitute players are not listed.

A leading independent children’s health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, educating caregivers and breakthrough innovation to create a world of well-being for all children, Children’s Mercy Kansas City began a 10-year partnership with Sporting KC in 2016. Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.”

The comprehensive partnership between Sporting KC and Children’s Mercy Kansas City – which includes naming rights to Sporting KC’s world-class stadium, Children’s Mercy Park, as well as the Sporting KC II and Sporting KC Academy complex at Swope Soccer Village – is also at the forefront of Sporting’s state-of-the-art training ground at Compass Minerals National Performance Center. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a professional sports team, a national sports federation and a sports medicine provider, the facility opened in 2018 and features the Children’s Mercy Sports Medicine Center alongside Sporting Kansas City and U.S. Soccer.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City is also the official health care and sports medicine provider for the Sporting Kansas City Academy and Compass Minerals National Performance Center as part of a multi-faceted partnership that focuses on the following three components to impact the local community:

1. Strengthening community

• The partnership directly supports The Victory Project, Sporting’s foundation to help children - including those with cancer and disabilities – through all of life’s challenges.

• Sporting KC players and staff engage with, encourage and inspire Children’s Mercy patients throughout the year during hospital visits and special events.

• FLEET, an innovative team of remote experience robots operated via an iPad, regularly attends Sporting KC home matches to provide an all-access interactive experience for patients at Children’s Mercy. Manufactured by Double Robotics, the robot allows users to enjoy two-way live audio and video captured from a 150-degree wide-angle lens while navigating to control their own VIP behind-the-scenes journey.

• Launched in 2018, the RED CARD campaign addresses one of the most significant social issues impacting children nationwide by empowering youth and adults to prevent and intervene in bullying. Through school assemblies and community-wide messaging, the RED CARD initiative aims to reach children, parents, teachers and coaches who have daily opportunities to create supportive environments and stop bullying in its tracks. In 2023 and 2024, Sporting and Children’s Mercy teamed up to provide 90 students at 30 local elementary and middle schools with SKC jerseys on National Random Acts of Kindness Day as part of a Kindness In The Schools (K.I.T.S.) initiative.

2. Improving access to pediatric-trained sports medicine

• The Children’s Mercy Sports Medicine Center at Village West is located inside Compass Minerals National Performance Center and offers a full range of sports medicine services, resources and programming for youth athletes. More than two million high-school athletes and 3.5 million children under age 14 are injured each year in the U.S. playing sports. Only a small percentage are treated by pediatric-trained sports medicine specialists who truly understand the youth’s growing body, developing brain and unique psychosocial stressors.

3. Protecting youth athletes and educating parents and coaches

• The partnership provides athletic training, rehabilitation and conditioning programs for the Sporting KC Academy’s six teams at Swope Soccer Village, which hosts Sporting KC II home matches as well as year-round athletic leagues, tournaments and other marquee events.

Alan Pulido 3

Defensive midfielder

Nemanja Radoja 3

Left back Tim Leibold 3

Right back Jake Davis 3

Left center back Andreu Fontas 3

Goalkeeper

Tim Melia 3

Right center back Dany Rosero 3

Left-center midfielder

Remi Walter 2

Memo Rodriguez 1

Right-center midfielder

Erik Thommy 3

Johnny Russell 3

Daniel Salloi 3

March 16 vs. San Jose Earthquakes

March 23 vs. LA Galaxy

March 30 at Toronto FC

April 7 vs. Portland Timbers

April 13 vs. Inter Miami CF

April 20 vs. St. Louis

April 27 at Minnesoota United FC

May 4 at Real Salt Lake

May 11 vs. Houston Dynamo FC

May 18 at Austin FC

May 25 at Portland Timbers

May 29 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

June 1 at Minnesota United FC

June 8 vs. Seattle Sounders FC

June 15 at LA Galaxy

June 19 vs. Real Salt Lake

June 22 at Columbus Crew

June 29 vs. Austin FC

July 4 at Colorado Rapids

July 7 vs. FC Dallas

July 13 at San Jose Earthquakes

July 17 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC

July 20 vs. St. Louis

August 24 vs. Orlando City SC

September 7 at New York Red Bulls

September 15 at Seattle Sounders FC

September 18 vs. Colorado Rapids

September 21 vs. Minnesota United FC

September 28 at St. Louis

October 5 vs. Los Angeles FC

October 19 at FC Dallas

GAME-WINNING GOALS: None

GAME-WINNING ASSISTS: None

PENALTY KICK GOALS/ATTEMPTS: None

SPORTING KANSAS CITY INDIVIDUAL GOALKEEPING

AFRIFA SUB-31 SUB-3 DNP

AGADA SUB-31 SUB-10 DNP

BASSONG SUB-16 DNP DNP

CASTELLANOS DNP DNP DNP

CISNEROS INJ UNAV SKCII

DAVIS RB-90 RB-90 RB-90

FLORES INJ SKCII SKCII

FONTAS CB-90 CB-90 CB-90

HERNANDEZ DNP DNP DNP

LEIBOLD LB-74 LB-90 LB-90

MELIA GK-90 GK-90 GK-90

NDENBE INJ INJ INJ

PIERRE SKCII SKCII DNP

PULIDO CF-59 CF-80 CF-90

PULSKAMP DNP DNP DNP

RADOJA DM-90 DM-90 CM-90

RINDOV SKCII SKCII SKCII

RODRIGUEZ SUB-16 SUB-10 CM-90

ROSERO CB-90 CB-90 CB-90

RUSSELL RW-59 RW-90 RW-90

SALLOI LW-86 LW-87 LW-90

SCHEWE SKCII SKCII SKCII

SHELTON INJ INJ INJ

THOMMY CM-74 CM-80 CM-90

TZIONIS SKCII UNAV SKCII

VARGAS SUB-4 DNP DNP

VOLODER DNP DNP DNP

WALTER CM-90 CM-90 INJ

AFRIFA

AGADA

BASSONG

CASTELLANOS

CISNEROS

DAVIS

FLORES

FONTAS

HERNANDEZ

LEIBOLD

MELIA

NDENBE

PIERRE

PULIDO

PULSKAMP

RADOJA

RINDOV

RODRIGUEZ

ROSERO

RUSSELL

SALLOI SCHEWE

SHELTON

THOMMY

TZIONIS

VARGAS

VOLODER WALTER

MANAGER & SPORTING DIRECTOR | PETER VERMES

Peter Vermes is in his 16th season as Sporting Kansas City Manager in 2024 and is the longest-tenured active head coach in MLS. He is the team’s longest-serving manager and his 238 coaching victories in all competitions are the most club history. During his tenure, he has won four major trophies – the 2012, 2015 and 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups and the 2013 MLS Cup championship – and finished atop the Eastern Conference regularseason standings in 2011 and 2012, as well as the Western Conference in 2018 and 2020. His three U.S. Open Cup championships are the third most in Open Cup history. He is the first coach in club history to lead Sporting KC to eight straight postseason appearances, as well as the only person to ever win the MLS Cup as both a player and a coach with the same team. His 195 regular-season wins top the club’s all-time chart and rank third most in MLS history. He passed his former coach Bob Gansler as the winningest manager in team history with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Aug. 12, 2015, his 109th victory in all competitions.

On August 4, 2018, Vermes coached his 302nd MLS regular-season game with Sporting KC, becoming the league’s all-time leader in games coached for one club. He was named the first-ever MLS Sporting Executive of the Year by his peers in 2018. Vermes has coached 562 total games during his Kansas City coaching career, most in club history.

With over 15 years of service at Sporting KC, Vermes is one of the longest serving managers in world soccer. Among all leagues with an average attendance of 10,000+, Vermes ranks second, only behind Bundesliga side FC Heidenheim’s Frank Schmidt (Sept. 17, 2007 – present). Among the top 126 leagues in the world as denoted by the CIES Football Observatory in March 2022, Vermes’ tenure at ranks as the fifth longest active run.

Vermes oversees all soccer operations for Sporting KC, including the active roster, Sporting Kansas City II (MLS NEXT Pro) and the Sporting KC Academy. Vermes entered MLS ahead of its inaugural season in 1996 and retired from the league in 2002, closing out his playing career in Kansas City after stints with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Colorado Rapids.

Following a standout high school career in which he was named New Jersey Player of the Year, Vermes was a star forward and All-American at Rutgers University. After college, Vermes represented the United States in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, and was named 1988 Chevrolet U.S. Male Soccer Athlete of the Year for his efforts.

Vermes was an integral part of a young U.S. team at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where he nearly scored against the host Azzurri. It was the first time the U.S. had qualified for the World Cup in 40 years and set the stage for the progress of the U.S. National Team. In 1989 and 1990, Vermes became the first American to play in the Hungarian and Dutch First Divisions, playing for Raba ETO and FC Volendam, respectively. He later spent five years with Figueres of the Spanish Second Division.

For MLS’s inaugural season in 1996, Vermes served as captain of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. In 1997, he was traded to the Colorado Rapids for current Sporting KC Assistant Coach Kerry Zavagnin and played in Denver through the 1999 season, leading the Rapids to the 1997 MLS Cup Final.

Vermes joined Kansas City in 2000 for what would be the most successful season of his MLS career. During his first year in Kansas City, he anchored one of the best defenses in league history and won MLS Defender of the Year honors in helping lead the Wizards to the 2000 MLS Cup Championship. He retired in 2002 after appearing in 209 MLS matches (including playoffs) and playing more than 18,000 minutes. In 2013, Vermes was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

ASSISTANT COACH | KERRY ZAVAGNIN

Kerry Zavagnin currently holds the MLS record as he enters his 25th season with one club as a player or coach. Zavagnin first joined Kansas City in 2000 as a holding midfielder and was an integral part of the club’s midfield for the next nine seasons, during which time he helped lead the Wizards to MLS Cup (2000) and U.S. Open Cup (2004) Championships. He was named to the MLS All-Star team and the Best XI in 2004. Zavagnin’s primary duties as an assistant include scouting, developing Sporting Kansas City’s younger players, breaking down film and assisting with training sessions. He started his professional career with the MetroStars, where he played in 39 games over two seasons. After spending one season with the Lehigh Valley Steam (USL-1), Zavagnin came to KC in 2000. He played 237 games and logged 20,516 minutes for Kansas City, setting team records in both categories before being overtaken by Matt Besler early in 2018. He scored eight goals and added 22 assists in his nine seasons in KC. Zavagnin was named Team Defender of the Year in 2001. On top of his club success in Kansas City, Zavagnin also appeared 21 times for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He recorded one assist for the U.S., who went 15-2-4 when Zavagnin featured.

ASSISTANT COACH | ZORAN SAVIC

Zoran Savic joined Sporting Kansas City late in the 2009 season after a 30-year career at all levels of the game in the United States. A native of Gornji Milanovac, Yugoslavia, Savic began his journey through American soccer with the Buffalo Stallions of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1980. Savic would go on to star for several MISL teams, with his most prosperous period coming with the Kansas City Comets, with whom he scored 70 goals in just over 100 appearances from 1982-1984. After retiring as a player in 1991, Savic turned his attention to coaching in the indoor game. Savic led the Kansas City Attack from 1992-1996, winning Coach of the Year honors for the 1994-1995 season while also serving as the team’s General Manager. Savic later coached the Kansas City Comets from 2000-2005. In 2007 Savic switched to the outdoor game, joining Chivas USA as an assistant to then-head coach Preki before moving into the commentary booth for Kansas City matches in 2008 and 2009. Savic’s career as a commentator was cut short, however, when newly installed Manager Peter Vermes tabbed Savic to be part of his coaching staff late in the 2009 season.

ASSISTANT COACH | ASH WALLACE

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, helps scout and develop game plans for upcoming opponents, assists in planning and executing training sessions and provides valuable analysis for coaches and players regarding strategy. Wallace holds a U.S. Soccer A License. Wallace’s first involvement with the club came in August 2012 when he was contracted to produce a detailed scouting report on Seattle Sounders FC 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 also served as an opposition scout for Fleetwood Town in his native England. Earlier in his career, he worked with Preston North End’s women’s academy teams and Penwortham Boys academy teams while earning a Degree in Sports Coaching from the University of Central Lancashire.

GOALKEEPER COACH | ALEC DUFTY

Alec Dufty is in his ninth season with Sporting Kansas City having been introduced to the organization as the Sporting KC II goalkeeper coach in the side’s inaugural season in 2016. In his first season working with the Sporting KC first team, starting goalkeeper Tim Melia enjoyed a recordbreaking season where he was named the 2017 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. A former MLS player, Dufty began his playing career with the New York Red Bulls in 2009, making one appearance before joining the MLS reserve goalkeeper pool. In 2010, Dufty joined USSF D2 Pro League side AC St. Louis, making 30 appearances before returning to MLS with the Chicago Fire in late 2010. He announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2011 season. Dufty then took to coaching, first working with Florida Gulf Coast University and then the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2015, Dufty served as goalkeeper coach for Toronto FC II in their inaugural USL Championship season.

DIRECTOR, SPORTS PERFORMANCE & SCIENCE | JOEY HARTY

2023

Joey Harty was named Sporting Kansas City’s Director of Sports Performance and Science ahead of the 2020 season, stepping up from his role as assistant fitness coach which he held from 2018-2019. Harty manages all aspects of the club’s performance department from the academy to the senior team. He oversees day-to-day training plans on and off the field, including work in the weight room, soccer session planning, onfield movement training, data analysis and more, aiming to optimize player health and performance. Harty joined Sporting’s organization in January 2016, serving as a fitness coach for the Sporting Kansas City Academy before spending the 2017 season as head fitness coach for Sporting KC II. The Colorado native then transitioned to assistant fitness coach for Sporting’s first team in January 2018 before landing his current role with the club. Prior to arriving in Kansas City, Harty worked for Phoenix Rising FC and Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Harty attended Grand Canyon from 2010-2014, played for the men’s soccer team from 2010-2012 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science. In addition to holding several professional licenses and certifications in athletic performance, Harty is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Height: 5-10

Weight: 155

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

College: Florida International University

Birthday: 2/19/2001

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 before signing with the team at the conclusion of his senior year in April. He enjoyed a standout career at Florida International, 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.

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 United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American honors. He guided the Panthers to the 2022 American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and was

AFRIFA

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 0

Shots on Goal 0

Shots 0

Fouls Committed 1, 2 times, last: Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

Fouls Suffered 0

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI Goal N/A Assist N/A

named the AAC Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Afrifa ended his senior season as a 2022 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 COVID-shortened sophomore year. As a junior, Afrifa helped FIU make its first of two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with a team-best eight goals and three assists. Afrifa competed for USL League Two side One Knoxville SC in 2022, scoring 10 goals and leading the club to a first-place finish in the South Central Division and a run to the national quarterfinals.

#23 | F | WILLY AGADA

Height: 5-9

Weight: 185

Hometown: Bauchi, Nigeria

Last Club: Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 6/23/2022

Birthday: 9/17/1999

Willy Agada joined Sporting KC in a transfer from Israeli side Hapoel Jerusalem in June 2022. A native of Nigeria, Agada scored 37 goals across four seasons in Israel before heading to the United States. Agada enjoyed an incredible start to his Sporting KC career, tallying eight goals and two assists in just 12 appearances to close out 2022 - placing him among the best goalscorers by a per-game basis in the league.

Agada turned professional as an 18-year-old and bagged eight goals during his first season with Hapoel Jerusalem in 2018-2019. He doubled his goal haul the following year, scoring a team-best 15 times across 36 appearances in the Israeli second division.

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 2, 3 times, last: Sept. 17, 2022, KC vs. MIN

Assists 1, 2 times, last: Sept. 4, 2022, KC at LA

Shots on Goal 5, Oct. 2, 2022, KC vs. SEA

Shots 7, Oct. 2, 2022, KC vs. SEA

Fouls Committed 5, Aug. 6, 2022, KC vs. LA

Fouls Suffered 3, 3 times, last: March 18, 2023, KC at DAL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI

Goal Sept. 30, 2023, KC at STL

Assist Sept. 4, 2022, KC at LA

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

Agada’s excellent 2019-2020 campaign paved the way for a loan to Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Premier League where he finished second on the team with six goals in 20202021. The 2021-2022 season saw Agada return to Hapoel Jerusalem, which had gained promotion to the Premier League and led the team with eight goals.

#22 | D | ZORHAN BASSONG | @BassongZ

Height: 5-10

Weight: 175 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 left back 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.

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 career at the latter in 2016.

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Hometown: Palmdale, California

Last Club: KuPS (Finland)

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 1, May 29, 2021, MTL at CHI (w/ MTL)

Shots on Goal 1, July 31, 2021, MTL at MIA (w/ MTL)

Shots 1, 7 times, last: May 22, 2022, MTL vs. RSL (w/ MTL)

Fouls Committed 3, 2 times, last: Sept. 19, 2021, MTL vs. CHI (w/ MTL)

Fouls Suffered 2, 2 times, last: July 7, 2021, MTL vs. MIA (w/ MTL)

Last Regular Season...

Appearance Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

Goal N/A

Assist May 29, 2021, MTL at CHI (w/ MTL)

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

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 for two friendlies in 2017 before switching his allegiance to Canada. He earned two caps for Canada’s senior national team in January 2020, including a 90-minute outing in a 4-1 friendly win over Barbados. In March 2021, Bassong played three matches for Canada at the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico, reaching the semifinals.

#19 | D | ROBERT CASTELLANOS | @rc4official

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 2 times, last: June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Assists 0

Shots on Goal 1, 2 times, last: June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Shots 2, Aug. 1, 2021, NSH at TOR (w/ NSH)

Fouls Committed 3, April 1, 2023, KC at PHI

Fouls Suffered 2, June 17, 2023, KC vs. LAFC

Last Regular Season...

Appearance Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

Goal June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Assist N/A

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

Birthday: 5/11/1998

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 2/17/2023

Center back Robert Castellanos signed with Sporting Kansas City ahead of the 2023 campaign following a brief stint playing abroad with KuPS in Finland. Castellanos turned professional in 2017 and has had stints in the USL Championship, MLS and Finland. Castellanos made his debut for the club in Philadelphia on April 1, 2023 and scored his first goal for Sporting in the 4-1 home win over Austin FC on June 10, 2023.

Castellanos developed at the youth level with Nomads SC in San Diego before joining Liga MX club Atlas’ academy in 2016. He launched his professional career in early 2017, signing for LA Galaxy II and started 15 of 16 appearances in his debut USL Championship season. Castellanos spent the next three years at RGVFC, where he played 37 matches

and scored two goals. Castellanos jumped to MLS by signing for Nashville in February 2021 where he scored an equalizing goal in a 1-1 draw at Toronto FC in his lone appearance for the club. Nashville loaned Castellanos to the Tampa Bay Rowdies for the 2022 season where he played 13 matches, including starts in all three playoff games as the Rowdies reached the Conference Final. Castellanos then ventured abroad by joining KuPS, where he started three matches before leaving the club.

Castellanos is a former U.S. youth international, having made two appearances for the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team in 2016.

Height: 5-5

#25 | F | OZZIE CISNEROS | @OzzieCisner10

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals N/A

Assists N/A

Shots on Goal N/A

Shots N/A

Fouls Committed N/A

Fouls Suffered N/A

Last Regular Season... Appearance N/A

Weight: 140 Birthday: 3/13/2004

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Last Club: Sporting KC Academy

Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 1/20/2021

Forward Ozzie Cisneros, who has competed for the Sporting KC Academy at the U-13 through U-19 levels, became the fourth-youngest signing in club history when he inked an MLS contract at age 16 in early 2021. He scored his first professional goal for Sporting KC II against Louisville City FC on July 28, 2021 before making his debut for Sporting KC in a Leagues Cup match against Club Leon on Aug. 10, 2021.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Cisneros joined the Sporting KC Academy as a 12-year-old in 2016. That summer, he led Sporting to a fourth-place finish at the Concacaf U-13 Champions League in Mexico City. Cisneros went on to play almost 70 matches for Sporting in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, scoring 15 goals and climbing to the

U-19 ranks by the time he was 15. He helped the U-17s reach the 2019 Development Academy Playoffs and split time between the U-17s and U-19s during the first half of the 2019-20 campaign. Cisneros and the SKC Academy returned to action in September 2020 in MLS Next play, with Cisneros striking twice during the abbreviated fall season - once for the U-17s and once for the U-19s.

On the international stage, Cisneros notably starred at the 2019 Concacaf U-15 Championship in Bradenton, Florida, scoring both goals in a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Costa Rica, and also found the back of the net at the 2019 Torneo delle Nazioni in Italy.

#17 | D | JAKE DAVIS | @jdavis_3211

Height: 5-9

Weight: 160

Hometown: Rochester, Michigan

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 1, 3 times, last: March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI

Shots on Goal 1, March 25, 2023, KC vs. SEA

Shots 2, Sept. 20, 2023, KC vs. NSH

Fouls Committed 3, 2 times, last: July 15, 2023, KC at ATX

Fouls Suffered 2, May 20, 2023, KC at STL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal N/A

Assist March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

Birthday: 1/3/2002

Last Club: Sporting KC II (USL Championship)

Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 8/19/2021

Sporting Kansas City signed defender Jake Davis as a Homegrown Player in August 2021 as the 19th Homegrown Player to emerge from the Sporting Kansas City Academy. He made his first-team debut in the 4-0 victory over Minnesota United on Sept. 15, 2021 and earned his first MLS start on April 29, 2023 in a home match against Montreal.

Davis spent significant time developing with Sporting KC II under former Sporting greats Paulo Nagamura and Benny Feilhaber from 2019-2022 before breaking out with the first team in early 2023, switching from central midfield to right back and 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 Sporting KC Academy. He represented Sporting at the U-17 and U-19 levels, amassing eight goals across 54 appearances in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

Davis earned international recognition in November 2019 when he was selected to the United States U-17 National Team for the 19th annual Nike International Friendlies.

Sporting

Sporting Kansas City added Danny Flores off MLS waivers in January 2023. Flores began his MLS career after a two-year college stint at Virginia Tech, while he also boasts three seasons of play in the USL Championship, representing Philadelphia Union II from 2019-2020 and Oakland Roots SC in 2021. Flores spent the 2023 seaosn primarily with SKC II, tallying two goals and two assists in 21 MLS NEXT Pro appearances while he also made his first-team debut on March 25 against Seattle.

Flores made his USL Championship debut in September 2019 for Union II and was an ever-present fixture for the club the following year by playing in all 16 matches. Flores returned to California in 2021 as he moved cross-country to join Oakland Roots SC for the

FLORES

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 0

Shots on Goal 0

Shots 0

Fouls Committed 0

Fouls Suffered 0

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 25, 2023, KC vs. SEA

Goal N/A

Assist N/A

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

club’s inaugural USL Championship campaign, starting 10 of 12 matches. Following his successful spell in Oakland, Flores began his collegiate career in Virginia Tech’s midfield. He started all 19 matches during his first season and was named the No. 3 freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer and earned ACC All-Freshman Team accolades. Flores continued to lead the Hokies in 2022, scoring a team-best four goals and adding two assists.

Flores has represented the U.S. U-17 National Team, where he competed alongside SKC Academy products Gianluca Busio and Tyler Freeman. Flores starred for two clubs at the Academy level, first with Shattuck St. Mary’s and later with the Philadelphia Union.

Height: 6-2 Weight: 200 Birthday: 11/14/1989

Hometown: Banyoles, Spain

Last Club: Celta Vigo (Spain)

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 8/8/2018

Andreu Fontas joined Sporting KC midway through the 2018 season following a 10-year career with more than 200 appearances in his native Spain. Fontas underwent Achilles surgery in late 2019, keeping him out for the majority of the 2020 season before returning as an MLS Defender of the Year contender in 2021. Fontas has made 129 appearances in all competitions for Sporting KC, tallying three goals and two assists.

Fontas spent five seasons from 2013-2018 with Celta Vigo in Spain’s top-flight La Liga, where he played alongside current Sporting midfielder Nemanja Radoja and started 100 of 105 league appearances, helping the club to the semifinals of the 2016-17 UEFA

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 3 times, last: Aug. 21, 2022, KC vs. POR

Assists 1, 2 times, last: July 8, 2023, KC at HOU

Shots on Goal 1, 9 times, last: July 8, 2023, KC at HOU

Shots 2, 8 times, last: June 21, 2023, KC at LA

Fouls Committed 3, 4 times, last: Sept. 16, 2023, KC at MIN

Fouls Suffered 2, 10 times, last: Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal Aug. 21, 2022, KC vs. POR

Assist July 8, 2023, KC at HOU

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

Europa League. The defender developed in FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy, playing nearly 100 matches combined for FC Barcelona B and FC Barcelona from 2008-2012. Fontas advanced from Barcelona’s B team to the first team in 2009 and played in 16 games for the Spanish giants, including a sub appearance in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final. Fontas spent the 2012-13 season on loan at Mallorca before signing with Celta Vigo in June 2013.

Internationally, Fontas has represented Spain at the Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels and has also played for the Catalonia National Team.

Sporting KC Game Notes | March 16, 2024 vs. San Jose Earthquakes | SportingKC.com/Game-Notes

#21 | M | FELIPE HERNANDEZ | @Fe1ipe98

Height: 5-7 Weight: 140 Birthday: 6/8/1998

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Last Club: Sporting Kansas City II (USL Championship)

Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 8/30/2019

Felipe Hernandez signed with Sporting KC as a Homegrown Player in August 2019. Hernandez is the first Sporting player to progress from an Academy Affiliate club to the SKC Academy to Sporting KC II before signing with the senior team. He signed with the first team following a breakout 2019 with SKC II in the USL Championship, where he started 24 of 26 appearances, scored a team-best eight goals and recorded four assists.

Hernandez scored his first MLS goal for the club in a June 23, 2021 victory over the Colorado Rapids and also tallied the opener against his hometown club Nashville SC in a 2-1 Sporting victory on June 19, 2022.

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 4 times, last: May 28, 2023, KC vs. POR

Assists 2, May 14, 2022, KC at POR

Shots on Goal 2, May 28, 2023, KC vs. POR

Shots 4, 4 times, last: Sept. 10, 2022, KC at HOU

Fouls Committed 3, 4 times, last: July 23, 2022, KC vs. LAFC

Fouls Suffered 4, 2 times, last: April 8, 2023, KC vs. COL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Goal May 28, 2023, KC vs. POR

Assist May 14, 2022, KC at POR

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

Hernandez played for Sporting Nashville Heroes, a former Academy Affiliate, and moved to Kansas City in the summer of 2014 to join the Academy. At age 16, Hernandez earned a preseason training stint with the first team in January 2015, before signing an Academy contract with SKC II in August 2016, two months prior to earning Bob Gansler Academy Player of the Year honors that then led to a professional SKC II contract in early 2017.

On the international stage, Hernandez played for the U.S. U-19 and U-20 National Teams in 2016 and 2017.

Height: 5-9

Weight: 170

Hometown: Friolzheim, Germany

Last Club: Hamburger SV (Germany)

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 1, 3 times, last: July 1, 2023, KC vs. VAN

Shots on Goal 1, 3 times, last: Sept. 9, 2023, KC at MIA

Shots 2, Sept. 9, 2023, KC at MIA

Fouls Committed 3, June 21, 2023, KC at LA

Fouls Suffered 5, March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal N/A

Assist July 1, 2023, KC vs. VAN

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

Birthday: 11/30/1993

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 1/12/2023

Tim Leibold joined Sporting Kansas City in January 2023 having amassed more than 20 goals and 40 assists in nearly 300 professional appearances in his native Germany. Leibold is the third German newcomer at Sporting since the start of 2022, following center back Robert Voloder and midfielder Erik Thommy. Since joining the club, Leibold has tallied three assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.

Leibold spent eight seasons across Germany’s top two divisions from 2015-2022. He starred at Nurnberg from 2015-2019 before moving to Hamburg, where he served as club captain during the 2020-21 campaign. Leibold developed in youth academies at VfB Stuttgart, TSF Ditzingen and SGV Freiberg before turning professional with Freiberg at

age 18 in 2012. Leibold enjoyed a breakthrough in 2015 by joining 2. Bundesliga side Nurnburg and solidifying his place as a regular starter. The 2018-19 campaign saw Leibold lead Nurnburg with 32 Bundesliga starts while also assisting three goals. Competing in one of the world’s best leagues, he led the team in key passes, tackles, recoveries and touches while placing second in minutes played.

Leibold then returned to the 2. Bundesliga with a move to Hamburg, where he had his best professional season to date in 2019-20. He played every minute of all 34 league matches and led the 2. Bundesliga with 16 assists. At the international level, Leibold played five matches for the Germany U-20s in 2013.

#14

Sporting

Great River, New York

Signed as Free Agent on 12/23/2014

Tim Melia leads Sporting KC in regular-season wins (100), shutouts (67) and saves (679), and has also played the most games (235) of any goalkeeper in club history. Melia claimed the 2017 Goalkeeper of the Year crown with career-highs in wins (12), shutouts (10), saves (91), starts (31) and minutes (2,759) before surpassing each of those stats in 2018.

Melia has an unbelievable knack for saving penalty kicks, having only conceded 19 of the 34 he has faced for Sporting while also guiding the team to penalty shootout victories in the 2015 U.S. Open Cup Final, the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Semifinal, the 2020 MLS is Back Round of 16, the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs Quarterfinal and the 2023 Wild Card Game.

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals Allowed 7, 2 times, last: May 14, 2022, KC at POR

Saves 10, April 8, 2018, KC at LA

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Shutout March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3

Among goalkeepers with at least 15 regular-season appearances in 2017, he led MLS with a 0.78 goals against average, 78.4 save percentage and 69.2-percent passing accuracy. He also ranked second in shutouts. On April 8, 2018, Melia set a new club record and career-high with 10 saves in a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy. During his breakout campaign in 2015, he was named MLS Comeback Player of the Year.

After a four-year college career with NCAA DIII program Lynn University, Melia began his professional career in 2008 with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division. After stints with Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA, he spent the latter half of 2014 as a League Pool Goalkeeper, earning call-ups from Sporting KC, FC Dallas and D.C. United.

#18 | D | LOGAN NDENBE | @Ndenbe22

Height: 5-8

Weight: 180

Hometown: La Louviere, Belgium

Last Club: EA Guingamp (France)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 1/14/2022

Birthday: 2/9/2000

Logan Ndenbe joined Sporting in a transfer from French team EA Guingamp in January 2022. Ndenbe arrived in Kansas City after spending his first five professional seasons in Europe with Belgian top-flight side KV Oostende and Guingamp.

Ndenbe has made 50 appearances for the club in all competitions, tallying two goals and two assists with both goals coming in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs series against St. Louis. Ndenbe suffered a torn ACL in the second match against St. Louis on Nov. 5, 2023 and is set to be out until the summer of 2024.

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 1, Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

Shots on Goal 1, 3 times, last: Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

Shots 3, April 30, 2022, KC vs. DAL

Fouls Committed 3, 2 times, last: Sept. 30, 2023, KC at STL

Fouls Suffered 4, 2 times, last: July 3, 2022, KC vs. NY

Last Regular Season...

Appearance Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

Goal N/A

Assist Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

Ndenbe developed in the Royal Excel Mouscron academy before joining KV Oostende as a 17-year-old in 2017. Ndenbe left Belgium in July 2020, signing for Guingamp to mark the start of a successful stint in the French Ligue 2.

On the youth international stage, Ndenbe rose through the Belgian U-17 and U-18 teams before earning his Belgium U-21 debut in June 2021 for his first of six matches in 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying. He started in four games during qualifying, helping the team go 3-0-1.

Sporting KC Game Notes | March 16, 2024 vs. San Jose Earthquakes | SportingKC.com/Game-Notes

#24 | D | KAYDEN PIERRE | @KaydenPierre5

Height: 5-9 Weight: 155 Birthday: 2/16/2003

Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Last Club: Sporting KC Academy

Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 5/4/2021

Kayden Pierre signed with Sporting as a Homegrown player early in the 2021 season after impressing at preseason camp in Arizona with the Sporting KC first team. He made his debut for the club against Club Leon in the Leagues Cup on Aug. 10, 2021 before making his MLS debut at Colorado on March 12, 2022. He enjoyed a breakout spell over the summer of 2022 with senior right back Graham Zusi sidelined through injury, as Pierre made 12 of his 19 appearances on the season between June 25-Sept. 17.

Pierre joined the Sporting KC Academy in 2018 from Vardar SC in his native Michigan. He represented Sporting at the U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels and helped guide the U-17s to

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 1, July 13, 2022, KC at MIN

Shots on Goal 0

Shots 1, Sept. 13, 2022, KC vs. DC

Fouls Committed 3, Sept. 4, 2022, KC at LA

Fouls Suffered 4, July 3, 2022, KC vs. NY

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 18, 2023, KC at DAL

Goal N/A

Assist July 13, 2022, KC at MIN

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

the Academy Playoffs in 2019. Capable of playing at left back and right back, Pierre gained his first professional experience in 2020 when he signed an amateur academy contract with SKC II. Pierre enjoyed a breakout season for Sporting in 2022, making 22 appearances in all competitions.

On the international stage, Pierre has competed for the U.S. U-14, U-16 and U-20 national teams.

#9 | F | ALAN PULIDO | @alanpulido

Height: 5-10 Weight: 170 Birthday: 3/8/1991

Hometown: Ciudad Victoria, Mexico

Last Club: C.D. Guadalajara (Mexico)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 12/10/2019

Mexican star Alan Pulido signed with Sporting KC as a Designated Player in a club-record transfer from Chivas Guadalajara in December 2019. Pulido has scored over 100 combined goals for club and country during a decorated career highlighted by five domestic championships and the 2018 Concacaf Champions League title.

Pulido tallied 15 goals and eight assists in 36 games in his first two seasons in MLS and was named Sporting’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020. Pulido missed the entire 2022 season following knee surgery, returning to the field on April 1, 2023 and was named MLS Comeback Player of the Year after tallying 14 goals on his return in 2023. Pulido has tallied 30 goals and 14 assists in 73 appearances across all competitions for the club.

Pulido developed in the Tigres UANL youth academy before breaking into the first team in 2009 as an 18-year-old. He helped Tigres to the 2009 SuperLiga title and two years later,

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 2, 6 times, last: Sept. 2, 2023, KC vs. STL

Assists 2, July 22, 2020, KC at RSL

Shots on Goal 6, Oct. 24, 2020, KC vs. COL

Shots 8, May 22, 2021, KC at SJ

Fouls Committed 3, June 19, 2021, KC at POR

Fouls Suffered 5, 2 times, last: Aug. 4, 2021, KC at LAFC

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

Assist June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

Pulido scored in the second leg of the 2011 Liga MX Apertura Final as Tigres won its first league championship since 1982. Pulido enjoyed a breakout 2013-14 campaign with 25 goals in all competitions during his final season at Tigres, scoring in the 2014 Copa MX Clausura Final to finish as the tournament’s top scorer. Pulido then signed for Greek outfit Levadiakos before heading to Greek powerhouse Olympiacos. Pulido returned to Liga MX in August 2016, joining Chivas on a club-record transfer fee. His first full season with Chivas yielded 14 goals, helping his side to a double-winning campaign that ended with his first Liga MX Best XI selection. In 2018, he led Chivas to the Concacaf Champions League title and the club’s first continental championship in 56 years.

At the international level, Pulido has bagged five goals in 20 caps for Mexico’s senior team and was part of the El Tri squad at the 2011 Copa America and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Height: 6-4 Weight: 210 Birthday: 4/19/2001

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Last Club: Sporting Kansas City II (USL Championship) Acquired: Signed as a Homegrown Player on 2/24/2020

John Pulskamp joined Sporting KC as a Homegrown Player ahead of the 2020 season after acquiring his Homegrown rights from the LA Galaxy where he spent two seasons in the club’s Academy. He made his MLS debut in the 2021 season opener, helping the side to a 2-1 victory at the New York Red Bulls.

Pulskamp became the youngest goalkeeper in Sporting KC history to record a shutout following a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy on Oct. 27, 2021 at the age of 20 years and 191 days. He enjoyed a breakout year in 2022 when he deputized for an injured Tim Melia to make 15 starts in all competitions, posting an 8-3-4 record.

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals Allowed 4, 2 times, last: March 25, 2023, KC vs. SEA

Saves 7, July 17, 2022, KC at RSL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 25, 2023, KC vs. SEA

Shutout March 11, 2023, KC vs. LA

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0

Pulskamp joined the MLS ranks on the heels of a breakout 2019 USL Championship season with SKC II. Pulskamp arrived in Kansas City in April 2019 after a two-year stint in the LA Galaxy Academy. He also spent time on trial with English Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth in the summer of 2018. Prior to joining the Galaxy, he represented youth sides Real So Cal and Central California Aztecs.

Pulskamp was called in to a U.S. Men’s National Team training camp in December 2021. At the youth international level, Pulskamp has represented the U.S. at the U-18 and U-20 levels.

#6 | M | NEMANJA RADOJA

Height: 6-0

Weight: 175 Birthday: 2/6/1993

Hometown: Novi Sad, Serbia

Last Club: Levante (Spain)

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 10/26/2022

Nemanja Radoja signed with Sporting KC ahead of the 2023 campaign, having spent most of the last decade in the Spanish La Liga with Celta Vigo and Levante. Radoja played nearly 300 matches across the top divisions of Serbia and Spain and also boasts experience in the UEFA Europa League with Vojvodina and Celta Vigo. Radoja has tallied three assists in 33 appearances across all competitions since joining Sporting KC.

Radoja began his professional career with Serbian club Vojvodina before embarking on an eight-year journey in La Liga. He logged 181 La Liga appearances from 2014-2022, playing alongside Sporting defender Andreu Fontas at Celta Vigo from 2014-2018 and spent three seasons with Levante from 2019-2022. Radoja developed in Vojvodina’s youth academy and joined the club’s senior team in 2011 prior to brief loan spells in Serbia. Celta Vigo acquired Radoja via transfer in August 2014 and he took little time

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 2, Aug. 26, 2023, KC vs. SJ

Shots on Goal 1, May 31, 2023, KC vs. DAL

Shots 2, 3 times, last: June 21, 2023, KC at LA

Fouls Committed 3, 2 times, last: Sept. 23, 2023, KC vs. HOU

Fouls Suffered 3, 2 times, last: July 15, 2023, KC at ATX

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal N/A

Assist Aug. 26, 2023, KC vs. SJ

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

settling in as a key figure for Celta, regularly competing in tandem with Fontas for a team that finished eighth in 2014-15. Radoja and Celta improved upon their fortunes in 2015-16 leading to a sixth-place league finish. Celta Vigo’s 2016-17 campaign was highlighted by runs to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and UEFA Europa League, where they fell to eventual champions Manchester United. Radoja moved to Levante ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. His first year at the club was highlighted by scoring in a 3-1 upset win over European powerhouse FC Barcelona.

On the international stage, Radoja has two caps for the Serbia Men’s National Team. He earned his senior debut in a friendly match at Ukraine in November 2016 and made one appearance in Serbia’s successful qualifying campaign ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. As a youth, Radoja represented Serbia at the U-18 through U-21 levels.

Sporting Kansas City singed center back Chris Rindov ahead of the 2023 season after selecting the defender in the Second Round (37th overall) of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Maryland. Rindov became Sporting’s first MLS SuperDraft selection to sign for the first team since 2018. Rindov made his MLS debut as a late substitute on April 22, 2023 at New England.

Rindov was a defensive mainstay for perennial powerhouse Maryland, starting in each of the program’s 38 matches over his final two seasons and finishing his college career with four goals and five assists in 58 appearances. Rising from freshman walk-on to team captain as a senior, he had a banner year in 2022 as an All-Big Ten First Team honoree

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 0

Assists 0

Shots on Goal 0

Shots 0

Fouls Committed 0

Fouls Suffered 0

Last Regular Season...

Appearance April 22, 2023, KC at NE

Goal N/A

Assist N/A

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

and an MLS College Showcase participant. Rindov played every minute in all 20 matches for the Terrapins in 2022, pushing Maryland to the Big Ten regular season title with an unbeaten 4-0-4 conference record. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Rindov guided the Terps to their 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in the fall of 2022.

Rindov won four consecutive state championships at Rockville High School. He also played for youth club OBGC, where he competed at two national championships and won an Eastern Regional title in 2018.

#8 | M | MEMO RODRIGUEZ | @40_jrod

Height: 5-8

Weight: 155

Hometown: El Campo, Texas

Last Club: Austin FC (MLS)

Birthday: 12/27/1995

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 2/1/2024

Sporting Kansas City signed midfielder Memo Rodriguez ahead of the 2024 MLS campaign. Prior to joining Sporting, Rodriguez scored 34 goals in 227 professional club appearances since joining Houston Dynamo FC as a homegrown player in late 2014. He spent seven MLS seasons in Houston, notably winning the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, prior to representing both LA Galaxy and Austin FC in 2023.

Born in Wharton, Texas, and raised in nearby El Campo, Rodriguez entered the Houston Dynamo Academy in 2011. He was named its Academy Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013 before launching his MLS career at age 18, inking a Homegrown Player deal with the Dynamo ahead of the 2015 season. He spent most of his debut campaign on loan

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 2, 2 times, last: July 13, 2020, HOU at LAFC (w/ HOU)

Assists 1, 16 times, last: Aug. 30, 2023, ATX vs. SEA (w/ ATX)

Shots on Goal 3, 3 times, last: July 24, 2021, HOU at SJ (w/ HOU)

Shots 7, 2 times, last: April 16, 2021, HOU vs. SJ (w/ HOU)

Fouls Committed 5, June 18, 2022, HOU at ORL (w/ HOU)

Fouls Suffered 5, 2 times, last: June 29, 2022, HOU at POR (w/ HOU)

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal May 31, 2023, LA at RSL (w/ LA)

Assist Aug. 30, 2023, ATX vs SEA (w/ ATX)

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-1 he scores 0-0-0

with the Charleston Battery in the USL Championship before joining the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, Houston’s then-USL affiliate, for a breakout 2016 season. Rodriguez rejoined Houston in 2017 and made his MLS debut on April 8, 2017. In 2018, Rodriguez and Houston collected silverware as champions of the prestigious U.S. Open Cup before being named the Dynamo Young Player of the Year in 2019.

The Galaxy signed Rodriguez as a free agent in January 2023. He scored his first goal for the club in a thrilling 3-2 road win over Real Salt Lake on May 31 before moving to Austin FC in a trade on Aug. 1. He played nine MLS matches for Austin and finished the year with 21 league appearances, notching one goal and two assists.

#5 | D | DANY ROSERO

Height: 6-2 Weight: 205 Birthday: 10/6/1993

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia

Last Club: Atletico Junior (Colombia)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 3/2/2023

Sporting Kansas City acquired center back Dany Rosero in a transfer from Colombian side Atletico Junior in March 2023. Rosero eclipsed 300 professional appearances across Argentina and his native Colombia, scoring 20 goals and competing in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Beginning his career at Argentine club Arsenal de Sarandi as a teenager, the defender spent seven seasons in the Colombian top-flight Categoria Primera A with Patriotas Boyacá, Deportivo Cali and Junior. To date, Rosero has tallied three goals in 36 appearances across all competitions for Sporting KC.

Born in Colombia, Rosero moved to Argentina to join Arsenal’s youth academy and began his professional career with the club in 2012. He enjoyed a pair of early breakthroughs by helping Arsenal win the 2013 Copa Argentina and by appearing in the 2014 Copa Libertadores. Rosero returned to his home country in 2016 with Patriotas Boyacá where

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 2 times, last: July 15, 2023, KC at ATX

Assists 0

Shots on Goal 1, 7 times, last: Sept. 30, 2023, KC at STL

Shots 3, April 1, 2023, KC at PHI

Fouls Committed 3, June 17, 2023, KC vs. LAFC

Fouls Suffered 2, 3 times, last: Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal July 15, 2023, KC at ATX

Assist N/A

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

strong performances paved the way for Rosero to join Colombian powerhouse Deportivo Cali in 2017. Rosero delivered his most dominant season to date in 2019, scoring seven goals and starting 55 games in all competitions, with Deportivo Cali finishing as Copa Colombia runners-up.

In 2020, Rosero signed for Colombian heavyweights Junior and played in both the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, making 11 starts across the two tournaments. The following season, Rosero made seven appearances in the Copa Libertadores and one in the Copa Sudamericana while scoring three goals in 33 Primera A matches as Junior finished fifth in the aggregate league table. Rosero remained one of the Colombian first division’s best center backs in 2022, starting 36 league games and propelling Junior to the Copa Colombia finals.

#7 | F | JOHNNY RUSSELL

Height: 5-9

Weight: 175

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

Last Club: Derby County FC (England)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 1/31/2018

Birthday: 4/8/1990

Scottish winger Johnny Russell joined Sporting KC in a transfer from English club Derby County FC in January 2018. A cult-hero at the club, Russell has tallied 62 goals and 43 assists in 199 appearances for Sporting KC since the start of 2018. He was named club captain ahead of the 2021 season.

In 2021, Russell scored in eight consecutive games as part of a run where he tallied 15 goals in 19 matches over the second half of the campaign. Russell was named the club’s MVP in 2020 and 2022 as well as Offensive Player of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Russell previously scored 93 goals during a 12-year professional career in England and his native Scotland. Russell developed in the Dundee United Academy in Scotland before

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 3, 2 times, last: May 26, 2019, KC vs. SEA

Assists 2, 3 times, last: Sept. 15, 2021, KC vs. MIN

Shots on Goal 4, 4 times, last: Aug. 28, 2021, KC vs. COL

Shots 8, Sept. 2, 2020, KC vs. DAL

Fouls Committed 5, April 30, 2022, KC vs. DAL

Fouls Suffered 6, 2 times, last: April 8, 2023, KC vs. COL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

Assist Aug. 26, 2023, KC vs. SJ

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

making his professional debut for the top-flight Scottish Premiership club in May 2007 at age 17. He spent most of the following three seasons out on loan and marked his first Dundee United start with a goal in the 2009 Scottish FA Cup. After scoring 23 goals from 2010-2012, Russell’s final season at Dundee saw him produce a team-best 20 goals. Russell joined Derby County in the summer of 2013 and marked his debut for the Rams with his first of nine goals in the 2013-14 English Championship as Derby fell just short of promotion to the EPL. He totaled 18 goals over the next two seasons.

Russell has 13 career caps for Scotland and scored his first international goal during a European Championship Qualifier in San Marino on March 24, 2019. He has also represented Scotland at the U-19 and U-21 levels.

Sporting KC Game Notes | March 16, 2024 vs. San Jose Earthquakes |

#20

DANIEL SALLOI

Height: 6-1 Weight: 160 Birthday: 7/19/1996

Hometown: Budapest, Hungary

Last Club: Sporting KC Academy

Acquired: Signed as Homegrown Player on 1/13/2016

Daniel Salloi signed with Sporting KC as a Homegrown Player in early 2016 and made his Sporting KC debut on April 9, 2017. After enjoying a breakout campaign in 2018 where he tallied 16 goals and seven assists in all competitions, Salloi rebounded from a few lean years to be named an MLS All-Star and an MLS MVP finalist in 2021 after recording 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, tying the club record for most non-penalty goals in a single MLS regular season. His 16 game-winning goals are the most in club history.

Salloi, who signed a new four-year contract in late 2022, enjoyed another productive year in 2023 by leading the team with 22 goal contributions (10 goals, 12 assists) and has recorded 58 goals and 37 assists in 217 appearances across all competitions. Salloi scored on his first start for the club - a 4-0 win over Minnesota United in the U.S. Open Cup on June 14, 2017 - and added his first MLS goal vs. Portland on July 1, 2017 before scoring the winning goal in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final against the Red Bulls.

Height: 6-3

Weight: 195

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia

College: Georgetown

Birthday: 3/8/2002

Acquired: 2024 MLS SuperDraft 1st Round (#22)

Sporting Kansas City selected goalkeeper Ryan Schewe as the 22nd overall pick in the first round of MLS SuperDraft 2024. In two outstanding seasons as a starter at Georgetown University from 2022-2023, Schewe posted a 20-4-4 record with a 0.79 goals against average, 12 clean sheets and 86 saves. He enjoyed a breakout season as a junior in 2022, landing Second Team All-BIG EAST recognition after leading the conference in save percentage (.838) and shutouts (seven) en route to an 11-2-1 record.

During his senior year in 2023, Schewe propelled the Hoyas to the BIG EAST regular season championship with a 9-2-3 record and led the conference with the lowest goals against average (0.84) and the most shutouts (five). He punctuated his final college

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 2, 4 times, last: May 18, 2022, KC vs. COL

Assists 2, 4 times, last: Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

Shots on Goal 4, 3 times, last: July 13, 2019, KC at VAN

Shots 8, May 5, 2018, KC vs. COL

Fouls Committed 4, June 7, 2019, KC at TOR

Fouls Suffered 5, July 31, 2021, KC vs. DAL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal Sept. 9, 2023, KC at MIA

Assist Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-3 he scores 0-0-0

Salloi moved to the U.S. in 2014 as an AFS exchange student and attended Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, joining the SKC Academy. Salloi briefly returned to his former Hungarian Academy side Ujpest FC in July 2015 where he made his pro debut on July 18, 2015 before returning to Kansas City in 2016. He split the 2016 season on loan with SKC II and Gyirmot SE in Hungary before joining the Sporting KC first team full-time in 2017.

Salloi has four caps for the senior Hungary National Team, having made his debut in a World Cup Qualifier against England on Sept. 2, 2021. He previously played for the Hungary Under-21 National Team.

campaign with BIG East Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-BIG EAST honors while also receiving United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-East Region accolades.

In addition to playing for Georgetown, Schewe competed as an amateur for Georgia club Apotheos FC of the National Premier Soccer League in 2022 and the New York-based Westchester Flames of USL League Two in 2023. At the youth level, the Georgia native spent three years each with the Atlanta United Academy and United Football Academy in his home state.

Sporting KC Game Notes

Height: 6-3

#11 | F | KHIRY SHELTON | @KhiryShelton

SPORTING KC STATS GP GS MIN G A MLS Regular Season 119 79 7286 12 13 MLS Postseason 9 6 580 1 2 MLS is Back KO Stage 1 1 80 0 0 U.S. Open Cup 6 3 302 2 2 International 3 3 209 0 0 ALL COMPETITIONS 138 92 8457 15 17

Weight: 190 Birthday: 6/26/1993

Hometown: Austin, Texas

College: Oregon State

Last Club: SC Paderborn 07 (Germany)

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 12/9/2019

Khiry Shelton is in the midst of his second stint with Sporting Kansas City, having initially helped the club to a first place in the Western Conference and a record-breaking scoring season in 2018, before departing to play in Germany with SC Paderborn 07 for one season in 2019. He returned to the club ahead of the 2020 season and has tallied 15 goals and 17 assists across 138 appearances for the club.

Shelton was selected second overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by expansion side New York City FC and spent three seasons with the club before initially arriving in KC via trade ahead of the 2018 season.

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 18 times, last: June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Assists 3, Sept. 23, 2016, NYC vs. CHI (w/ NYC)

Shots on Goal 4, July 17, 2020, KC vs. COL

Shots 6, May 5, 2018, KC vs. COL

Fouls Committed 4, 2 times, last: Oct. 21, 2018, KC at FCD

Fouls Suffered 4, April 11, 2015, NYC at PHI (w/ NYC)

Last Regular Season...

Appearance Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

Goal June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Assist July 9, 2022, KC at MTL

He was NYCFC’s first-ever SuperDraft pick and played a total of 54 regular-season games for the club, notching six goals and 10 assists across just 23 starts.

MLS CAREER STATS GP GS MIN G A SHT SOG FC FS OFF CK C E GWG GWA KC - Regular Season 119 79 7286 12 13 116 44 104 96 21 1 9 0 4 8 MLS - Regular Season 173 102 9771 18 23 153 56 128 127 24 1 9 0 4 11 KC - Postseason 9 6 580 1 2 7 3 9 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 MLS - Postseason 11 6 637 1 2 7 3 9 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 MLS - TOTAL 184 108 10408 19 25 160 59 137 136 27 1 9 0 4 11

Height: 5-8

#26

SPORTING KC STATS GP GS MIN G A MLS Regular Season 49 45 3731 9 13 MLS Postseason 4 1 132 0 0 U.S. Open Cup 2 1 113 0 1 International 3 2 211 0 1 ALL COMPETITIONS 58 49 4187 9 15

Weight: 155

Hometown: Wettenhausen, Germany

Last Club: VfB Stuttgart (Germany)

Birthday: 8/20/1994

Erik Thommy, a German Bundesliga veteran, signed with Sporting KC in June 2022. Thommy previously recorded 42 goals and 33 assists across nine seasons in his native Germany - including nine goals, 14 assists and 96 appearances in the top-flight Bundesliga. He scored his first goal for Sporting in the 4-2 victory over the LA Galaxy on Aug. 6, 2022 and has tallied nine goals and 15 assists across 58 appearances across all competitions for the club.

Capable of playing in an advanced midfield role or on the wing, Thommy launched his professional career with FC Augsburg in 2014 before going on loan to FC Kaiserslautern

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 9 times, last: Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

Assists 2, Sept. 2, 2023, KC vs. STL

Shots on Goal 4, 2 times, last: March 11, 2023, KC vs. LA

Shots 8, March 11, 2023, KC vs. LA

Fouls Committed 3, 2 times, last: Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

Fouls Suffered 5, 2 times, last: Oct. 21, 2023, KC vs. MIN

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 9, 2024, KC at LAFC

Goal Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

Assist Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

(2014-2016) and Jahn Regensburg (2016-2017). Thommy joined VfB Stuttgart in 2017, starred for Fortuna Dusseldorf during a successful loan spell in 2019-2020, and ended his time at Stuttgart in the Spring of 2022 by appearing in each of the club’s last six matches of the 2021-2022 campaign.

MLS CAREER STATS GP GS MIN G A SHT SOG FC FS OFF CK C E GWG GWA KC - Regular Season 49 45 3731 9 13 126 48 44 80 4 93 9 0 1 3 KC - Postseason 4 1 132 0 0 2 1 2 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 MLS - TOTAL 53 46 3863 9 13 128 49 46 83 5 96 9 0 1 3

Height: 5-7

Weight: 155

Hometown: Nicosia, Cyprus

Last Club: Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 1/24/2022

Birthday: 7/16/2001

#77 | F | MARINOS TZIONIS

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, May 14, 2022, KC at POR

Assists 1, May 28, 2023, KC vs. POR

Shots on Goal 2, 2 times, last: Sept. 10, 2022, KC at HOU

Shots 3, 3 times, last: Aug. 26, 2023, KC vs. SJ

Fouls Committed 2, 5 times, last: Sept. 20, 2023, KC vs. NSH

Fouls Suffered 5, April 17, 2022, KC at LAFC

Last Regular Season...

Appearance Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

Goal May 14, 2022, KC at POR

Assist May 28, 2023, KC vs. POR

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

Marinos Tzionis signed with Sporting KC in a transfer from Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus in late January 2022. Tzionis scored 15 goals in 88 appearances for hometown club Omonia Nicosia since turning professional as a 15-year-old in 2017. Appearing mostly as a substitute during his time with Sporting, Tzionis has tallied three goals and one assists in 53 appearances across all competitions.

Tzionis scored his first goal for the club with a last-gasp equalizer in the 98th minute of the club’s U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 clash with FC Dallas on May 10, 2022 and scored his first MLS goal four days later in a loss at Portland.

Tzionis developed in Omonia Nicosia’s academy, signed for the first team in 2017 and made his senior debut for the club in May 2018. In a breakout 2020-21 campaign, Tzionis guided Omonia to the club’s first league title in 11 years by tallying seven goals in 43 games. He landed his UEFA Champions League debut in the qualifying rounds and started all six of Omonia’s games in the UEFA Europa League group stage.

Tzionis represented Cyprus at the U-17 and U-19 youth levels, before breaking into the senior national team in September 2020. To date, Tzionis has two goals in 25 caps for the Cyprus National Team, scoring his first goal in a 2-0 win over Estonia on March 29, 2022.

Hometown: San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Last Club: Futbol Consultants Desamparados (Costa Rica)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 12/15/2023

Sporting Kansas City acquired forward Alenis Vargas in a transfer from Costa Rican side Futbol Consultants Desamparados ahead of the 2024 season. Vargas spent the 2023 season on loan with SKC II and enjoyed an excellent campaign in MLS NEXT Pro. In 21 appearances, Vargas recorded six goals and five assists while drawing three penalty kicks and helping the team reach the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs with a third-place finish in the Western Conference.

A native of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Vargas did not begin playing competitive soccer until he was 16. He developed in the Leones Academy from 2019-2020 before joining the

Regular Season

Highs:

Last Regular Season...

Feb. 24, 2024, KC at HOU

reserve team at Honduran powerhouse C.D. Olimpia in December 2020 at age 17. Vargas left his home country in 2022, signing for Futbol Consultants in Costa Rica’s second division. During the latter half of the year, he trained with reigning top-flight champion Cartaginés, where he was coached by former striker and Costa Rican World Cup veteran Paulo Wanchope.

Vargas excelled on loan with SKC II in 2023, scoring a sensational scissor-kick goal to spark a 4-0 home win over first-place Colorado Rapids 2 before scoring a hat trick in a 6-1 win over Portland Timbers 2 in Aug. 13, 2023.

#4 | D | ROBERT VOLODER

Height: 6-0

Weight: 170 Birthday: 5/9/2001

Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany

Last Club: NK Maribor (Slovenia)

Acquired: Acquired in transfer on 1/19/2022

Robert Voloder arrived in Kansas City in a transfer from NK Maribor in the Slovenian first division ahead of the 2022 MLS season. Voloder had played every minute for Slovenian powerhouse Maribor during the 2021-22 season before making the move to MLS. Since joining Sporting KC, Voloder has made 30 appearances in all competitions and tallied his first MLS goal against D.C. United on Sept. 13, 2022.

Prior to joining Maribor, Voloder began his professional career at heralded German side FC Cologne. He developed in the club’s academy from 2016-2020 before being selected to Cologne’s first team squad for three German Bundesliga matches at the end of the

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, Sept. 13, 2022, KC vs. DC

Assists 1, June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Shots on Goal 1, Sept. 13, 2022, KC vs. DC

Shots 1, 4 times, last: June 3, 2023, KC at VAN

Fouls Committed 2, 2 times, last: June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

Fouls Suffered 2, 2 times, last: June 3, 2023, KC at VAN

Last Regular Season...

Appearance Oct. 7, 2023, KC at RSL

Goal Sept. 13, 2022, KC vs. DC

Assist June 10, 2023, KC vs. ATX

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-0 he scores 0-0-0

2019-20 campaign. Voloder featured regularly for FC Cologne II in 2020-21, starting all 26 appearances.

On the youth international stage, Voloder represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the U-17 through U-19 levels from 2017-2019 before switching his national team allegiance to Germany in September 2019, debuting for the country’s U-19s in a friendly against England. He played his first of five matches for the German U-20s in the fall of 2020 and recently captained the team in an Under 20 Elite League matchup against Norway on Sept. 6, 2021.

#54 | M | REMI WALTER | @remi_walter

Height: 5-8

Weight: 165

Hometown: Essey-les-Nancy, France

Last Club: Yeni Malatyaspor (Turkey)

Birthday: 4/26/1995

Acquired: Signed as Free Agent on 12/22/2020

Remi Walter signed with Sporting KC in December 2020, having amassed nearly 200 professional appearances since 2012 while playing in his native France and one season in Turkey. Walter has been an integral part of the Sporting KC squad since 2021, tallying eight goals and nine assists in 113 appearances, and was the only Sporting player to start all 34 regular-season matches in 2022.

Walter developed in Nancy’s youth academy before joining the first team as an 18-year-old in 2013. He became a regular starter in the early stages of the 2013-14 season and spent the next two and a half years as an integral midfield contributor for the side before being transferred to French title contender Nice in early 2016. Walter helped

Regular Season Game Highs:

Goals 1, 7 times, last: March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI

Assists 1, 8 times, last: Aug. 26, 2023, KC vs. SJ

Shots on Goal 2, June 17, 2023, KC vs. LAFC

Shots 3, 4 times, last: June 17, 2023, KC vs. LAFC

Fouls Committed 3, March 5, 2022, KC vs. HOU

Fouls Suffered 3, Nov. 7, 2021, KC vs. RSL

Last Regular Season...

Appearance March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI

Goal March 2, 2024, KC vs. PHI

Assist Aug. 26, 2023, KC vs. SJ

2024 Record when: he starts 0-0-2 he scores 0-0-1

the club to a fourth-place finish as well as qualification to the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League. The following season, Walter and Nice took another step forward by placing third in Ligue 1 and booking a spot in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. Walter split the 2017-18 campaign between Nice and Troyes on loan, before returning to Nice in the summer of 2018. Walter transferred to Turkish first division outfit Yeni Malatyaspor in January of 2020 before departing later that summer.

On the international stage, Walter was a French youth international who participated in a number of high-profile tournaments, namely the 2012 UEFA U-17 Championship in Slovenia and qualifying for the 2017 UEFA U-21 Championship in Poland.

SPORTING

INDIVIDUAL SINGLE-SEASON CHARTS (MLS REGULAR SEASON)

Sporting KC Game Notes | March 16, 2024 vs. San Jose Earthquakes |

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: 296 Tim Melia

Season: 60 Tim Melia (2019)

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: 679 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)

SHOTS ON GOAL

Season: 250 in 1996

Game: 14 08/23/1998 vs. MIA

Game: 14 06/21/2003 vs. CHI

Game: 14 04/20/2018 vs. VAN

2-Tms: 22 05/02/1996 vs. CLB

2-Tms: 22 04/18/1997 vs. DAL

Half: 11 08/23/1998 vs. MIA (1st)

FOULS COMMITTED

Season: 511 in 2013

Game: 27 07/04/1997 at CLB

2-Tms: 52 05/17/2000 vs. DC

Half: 16 04/05/1997 vs. LA (1st)

Half: 16 07/04/1997 at CLB (2nd)

Half: 16 03/08/2014 at SEA (1st)

FOULS SUFFERED

Season: 541 in 2000

Game: 30 08/16/2003 at DAL

2-Tms: 51 05/17/2000 vs. DC

Half: 20 07/27/1996 vs. NE (2nd)

CORNER KICKS

Season: 207 in 2021

Game: 15 04/10/1999 vs. SJ

2-Tms: 22 08/14/1999 at MET

Half: 10 04/10/1999 vs. SJ (2nd)

GOALS ALLOWED

Season: 67 in 2019

Game: 7 07/04/2001 vs. CHI

Game: 7 09/15/2019 at LA

Game: 7 05/14/2022 at POR

2-Tms: 10 05/02/1996 vs. CLB

Half: 6 09/15/2019 at LA (2nd)

Half: 6 05/14/2022 at POR (2nd)

SAVES

Season: 133 in 1999

Game: 10 04/08/2018 at LA

2-Tms: 18 04/18/1997 vs. DAL

2-Tms: 18 09/02/2000 vs. TB

Half: 7 4 times