Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has acquired 22-year-old striker William Agada in a transfer from Israeli side Hapoel Jerusalem.
Agada will be added to the Sporting KC roster when Major League Soccer’s secondary transfer window opens on July 7. He has signed an MLS contract through 2023 with options for 2024 and 2025 and will occupy an international roster spot, pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 visa.
“I am so excited to be joining Sporting KC,” Agada said. “It is a dream to play for a club like this and I hope to come in and help the team succeed. This is a great opportunity for me and I can’t wait to compete in front of the fans in Kansas City.”
A native of Nigeria, Agada follows midfielder Gadi Kinda as the second Israeli Premier League star to join Sporting in the last three seasons. The striker has scored 37 goals across four seasons in Israel, three with Hapoel Jerusalem and one on loan at Hapoel Haifa in 2020-2021.
Agada turned professional as an 18-year-old and bagged eight goals during his first season with Hapoel Jerusalem in 2018-2019. He nearly doubled his goal haul the following year, scoring a team-best 15 times across 36 appearances in the Israeli second division.
Agada’s excellent 2019-2020 campaign paved the way for a loan to Hapoel Haifa in the top-flight Israeli Premier League. He was second on the team with six goals in 2020-2021 and scored twice in the all-important relegation round, helping the club avoid a drop to the second tier.
The 2021-2022 season saw Agada return to Hapoel Jerusalem, which had gained promotion to the Premier League after posting a second-place finish in the Liga Leumit the previous year. He led the team with eight goals, including five since the start of 2022, and accounted for 42 percent of Hapoel Jerusalem’s goal scoring over the course of the campaign.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) acquires William Agada in a transfer from Hapoel Jerusalem (Israeli Premier League).
VITALS
William Agada (ah-GAH-dah)
Position: Forward
Number: 23
Born: 9/17/1999 (22 years old)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 165
Hometown: Bauchi, Nigeria
Birthplace: Bauchi, Nigeria
Citizenship: Nigeria
Previous Club: Hapoel Jerusalem (Israeli Premier League)
Instagram: @william\agada\
