Sporting Kansas City's U-18s and U-16s are gearing up to compete in the 2025 GA Cup from April 12-20 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Led by head coaches Lee Tschantret and Angel Rivillo, the two Academy sides are back in the Sunshine State, where they have found success in previous iterations of the prestigious event.
Tschantret's U-18s side is chock-full of professionals coupled nicely with an experienced group of MLS NEXT players who have shined at the biggest stages. The group is looking to build on their achievements from the 2023-24 MLS NEXT season, including a run to the GA Cup Quarterfinals, a perfect showing at MLS NEXT Flex and a Quarterfinals appearance at MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.
Sporting's U-18s will compete in Group G against the San Jose Earthquakes, Atlanta United and Liga MX's Santos Laguna. Group stage play begins Saturday, April 12, when Sporting faces San Jose. They will face Atlanta and Santos on the 13th and 14th, respectively.
First Name | Last Name |
Tomiwa | Adewumi |
Kenny | Benae |
Aiden | Benitez |
Leo | Christiano |
Carter | Derksen |
Shane | Donovan |
Makhi | Francis |
Ian | James |
Andrew | Johnson |
Jaxson | Kalinka |
Jack | Kortkamp |
Troy | Lor |
Ronald | Lozano Del Angel |
Jeremy | Meloney |
Jacob | Molinaro |
Johann | Ortiz |
Hetzli | Rodriguez |
Zane | Wantland |
Alexander | Wynn |
Nate | Young |
Sporting's U-16s, guided by Rivillo, bring a core group of players who made a run at the GA Cup Premier Bracket Championship a year ago before falling just short against the Chicago Fire. Since returning to the pitch in February, the U-16s have lost just two matches and currently sit in third out of 13 in the Frontier Division Flex standings.
A talented team, the U-16s have several US Youth National Team players amongst their ranks. They will take on the Barcelona Residency Academy, D.C. United and Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven in Group A. They open the Group Stages with Barcelona on Saturday before a rematch with D.C. on Sunday after the two sides dueled at MLS NEXT Fest in December. Monday pits SKC against PSV in the group stage finale.
First Name | Last Name |
Luca | Antongirolami |
Santino | Barbarena |
Roman | Boxman |
Finn | Dean |
Harrison | Fasel |
Jack | Francka |
Alex | Gemeinhardt |
Michael | Grezenko |
Lavante | Griffiths |
Kashan | Hines |
Emilio | Jacinto-Lopez |
Justin | Jones |
Colin | Kyser |
Mays | Landers |
Zamir | Loyo Reynaga |
Ben | Nylund |
Daniel | Sanchez |
Baron | Williams |
Sutton | Williams |
Sam | Worcester |
Sporting fans can follow the Sporting KC Academy's GA Cup runs by following @SKCAcademy on X and Instagram. Both will feature score updates, starting XIs as well as photos from all of Sporting's matches.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer -- celebrating its 30th season in 2025 -- features 30 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including a new expansion team in San Diego making its debut in 2025. All MLS, Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches can be watched through MLS Season Pass, available on the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. MLS Season Pass features the most expansive and accessible lineup of programming ever for MLS fans. For more information about MLS, visit mlssoccer.com. For more information about the Apple TV app, visit apple.com/apple-tv-app.
