Sporting Kansas City Academy defender Ian James and goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp were selected for the U.S. U-16 Domestic Youth National Team training camp this week in West Palm Beach, Florida.
James and Kortkamp are both Sporting KC U-17 players who frequently train with Sporting Kansas City II. The duo played a major role in guiding Sporting to the Generation adidas Cup championship bracket quarterfinals earlier this month.
James, a 15-year-old native of St. Paul, Minnesota, joined the Sporting KC Academy in 2021 and has represented the club at the U-14, U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels. He captained the U-15s for the majority of the 2022-23 MLS NEXT Season and has been an integral part of the U-17 backline this season. In his most recent outing, he scored against Atlanta United on the last day of the GA Cup Showcase. The imposing center back has made two appearances for Sporting KC II in MLS NEXT Pro this season and started his first professional match on March 24th against Ventura County.
Kortkamp is a 16-year-old goalkeeper taking part in his fourth USYNT camp after participating in a U.S. U-15 training camp at Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, Kansas, in October 2022 along with a pair of camps in January and March 2023. He joined the Sporting Kansas City Academy in the summer of 2021 and has since represented club and country as one of the most talented American goalkeepers in his age group. The goalkeeper participated in the first team's preseason for a brief stint in January and played in two SKC II preseason matches in February and March.
When James and Kortkamp return to Kansas City, they will rejoin the SKC Academy as they prepare for the rest of the MLS NEXT season, including MLS NEXT FLEX in May and the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs in June. Fans can track everything happening in the Sporting KC Academy by following @SKCAcademy on X or visiting SportingKCAcademy.com.
