Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has exercised contract options for Felipe Hernandez and Jaylin Lindsey ahead of the 2022 MLS season.
Sporting have declined contract options for Amadou Dia, Wilson Harris, Luis Martins, Roberto Puncec, Ilie Sanchez and Brooks Thompson. Additionally, Graham Smith is out of contract with the club.
Sporting are currently in discussions with Roger Espinoza, Kendall McIntosh and Graham Zusi, all of whom are out of contract with the club. These discussions began following the conclusion of Sporting’s 2021 season.
Sporting now have 20 players under contract for the 2022 season: Hernandez and Lindsey plus the 18 players who were already under contract in 2022.
Sporting KC players under contract in 2022
- Goalkeepers (2):Â Tim Melia, John Pulskamp
- Defenders (5):Â Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Jaylin Lindsey, Kayden Pierre, Kaveh Rad
- Midfielders (7):Â Ozzie Cisneros, Jake Davis, Cam Duke, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Jose Mauri, Remi Walter
- Forwards (6):Â Grayson Barber, Tyler Freeman, Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Khiry Shelton
The calendar of Major League Soccer’s offseason roster-building events is listed below. Sporting will have the opportunity to protect up to 12 players in the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft, which will see expansion club Charlotte FC add up to five players to its roster for the 2022 campaign. Homegrown Players will be automatically protected in the MLS Expansion Draft.
MLS Offseason Roster Mechanisms
- Sunday, Dec. 12: Half-day trade window (8 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT)
- Tuesday, Dec. 14: MLS Expansion Draft (time TBD)
- Wednesday, Dec. 15: End-of-Year Waivers (12 p.m. CT)
- Wednesday, Dec. 15: Free Agency opens (12 p.m. CT)
- Friday, Dec. 17:Â Re-Entry Process, Stage 1 (12 p.m. CT)
- Thursday, Dec. 23:Â Re-Entry Process, Stage 2 (12 p.m. CT)
- Tuesday, Jan. 11: 2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas (time TBD)
Sporting’s roster will continue to take shape in the buildup to the club’s 2022 MLS campaign, which will kick off on Feb. 27 at Atlanta United FC. For a full list of Sporting’s offseason roster moves, visit SportingKC.com/news/tracker.
Sporting Kansas City II also announced its roster moves today in preparation for next season. Aljaz Dzankic and Jahon Rad have agreed to contracts with SKC II in 2022, while Enoch Mushagalusa is currently in contract negotiations with the club. SKC II is also in discussions with Isaiah LeFlore, who was on an academy contract with the club in 2021.
Sporting KC II has declined contract options for Matt Constant, Petar Cuic, Ropapa Mensah, Jamil Roberts and Rojay Smith, while Danny Barbir, Christian Duke and Remi Prieur are out of contract with the club.
The following seven players competed for Sporting KC II on amateur academy contracts in 2021 and remain age-eligible to play with the Sporting KC Academy: Mataeo Bunbury, Daniel Gutierrez, Dylan Hooper, Coby Jones, Michael Lenis, Zion Long and Jayvin Van Deventer.
Gavin Krenecki, Bailey Sparks and Max Trejo were also on amateur academy contracts in 2021 and have left the club to begin their college soccer careers.
Sporting KC II has begun its head coaching search for the 2022 season after Paulo Nagamura left the club earlier this month to pursue other professional opportunities.
