Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday that the club has agreed to loan midfielder Mikey Lopez to the team’s USL affiliate OKC Energy FC.
Lopez returns on loan to the USL, where he recorded one goal and one assist in 14 appearances split between Orlando City SC (nine games) and OKC Energy FC (five games) a year ago. The 22-year-old midfielder also logged eight MLS appearances for Sporting Kansas City in 2014 during a breakout second professional season.
Lopez was the ACC Freshman of the Year in his first of two seasons at the University of North Carolina before being selected in the first round of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation adidas signing. He represented the United States at the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey and made his professional debut during the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
OKC Energy FC serves as Sporting Kansas City’s exclusive USL affiliate in 2015 as part of a multi-year agreement announced in January. The club – coached by former Sporting KC captain and MLS champion Jimmy Nielsen -- was named USL’s Rookie Franchise of the Year in 2014. OKC Energy FC will move into a brand new training facility and recently renovated home stadium this season with a roster that also features three former Sporting KC players (Cyprian Hedrick, Michael Thomas and Christian Duke).
OKC Energy FC kicks off their 2015 schedule on Saturday with an in-state match-up against Tulsa Roughnecks FC, one of 12 new expansion sides in the 24-team USL.
