Sporting Kansas City announced today that midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and forward Johnny Russell have obtained their U.S. green cards and no longer occupy international spots on the club’s roster.
Sporting now has seven international players on its roster heading into the MLS is Back Tournament in Florida: midfielder Gadi Kinda, forward Alan Pulido and defenders Botond Barath, Andreu Fontas, Luis Martins, Roberto Puncec and Winston Reid.
Gutierrez and Russell have played leading roles for Sporting since their arrival to Kansas City ahead of the 2018 campaign. The duo has combined for 40 goals and 34 assists in Sporting colors, with Russell making 73 appearances and Gutierrez making 63 appearances across all competitions.
A 30-year-old Scotland international, Russell tallied 12 goals and 13 assists in 2018 before delivering another nine goals and 11 assists in 2019. He was named the club’s Offensive Player of the Year following each of the last two seasons.
Gutierrez, a 29-year-old Chilean international, recorded seven goals and five assists in 2018 before taking another step forward as the team’s MVP in 2019, when he notched 12 goals and four assists in 38 appearances. Gutierrez underwent successful knee surgery earlier this month and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2020 season.
Sporting Kansas City will begin their MLS is Back Tournament campaign on Sunday, July 12, facing rivals Minnesota United FC in a 7 p.m. CT kickoff at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World Resort. Manager Peter Vermes’ side will round out Group D with games against the Colorado Rapids on July 17 and Real Salt Lake on July 22. All three of the club’s group stage matches will be shown live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN app.
