Sporting Kansas City announced on Wednesday that the club has signed defender Seth Sinovic and goalkeeper Jon Kempin to new contracts. Per MLS policy, terms of the agreements will not be disclosed.
In addition, Sporting Kansas City announced the signing of Kenyan international midfielder Lawrence Olum, who previously played for the club from 2011-2014. He will be added to Sporting KC’s senior roster for the 2016 season pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 Visa.
"We are very excited to have these three players back in 2016," Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said. "Seth and Lawrence have extensive experience at the top level, while Jon has continued to improve each year with the club. Collectively they will help bring a winning mentality to the team."
Sinovic, 28, has started 152 of 154 appearances in all competitions since joining Sporting KC in 2011. The left back played at least 30 regular season matches every year from 2012-2014, during which time Sporting KC conceded the fewest combined goals in MLS.
A native of Leawood, Kansas, Sinovic scored his first professional goal in the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs and notched the second of his career in the 2013 postseason as Sporting KC won MLS Cup. He was named the club’s Defender of the Year in 2014.
Kempin, 22, has made nine appearances in all competitions for Sporting KC since becoming the club’s first Homegrown Player in 2010. The Overland Park, Kansas, native most recently made his MLS postseason debut on Oct. 29, making three saves in the longest penalty kick shootout in MLS history against the Portland Timbers.
At the beginning of 2015, Kempin was named to the United States Men’s National Team roster for the first time in his career to take part in manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s January Camp. He has also represented the U.S. at the Under-14 through Under-23 levels, last featuring for the U-23s in a friendly against Brazil on Nov. 11.
Olum, 31, was a member of Sporting KC from 2011-2014, making 83 appearances in all competitions with three goals and three assists. The defensive midfielder played 112 minutes in the club’s 2013 MLS Cup victory over Real Salt Lake and set MLS career-highs in 2014 with 25 appearances and 21 starts. He joined Malaysian side Kedah FA last November and helped the team win the 2015 Malaysia Premier League earlier this year.
Olum has earned four caps for the Kenya Men’s National Team since debuting for the Harambee Stars in May 2014. He most recently played for Kenya in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Zambia on Sept. 6.
VITALS
Seth Sinovic
Position: Defender
Number: 15
Born: 1/28/1987
Height: 5-10
Weight: 170
Hometown: Leawood, Kansas
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri
Citizenship: USA
College: Creighton
Twitter: @ssinovic
Jon Kempin
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 21
Born: 4/8/1993
Height: 6-1
Weight: 170
Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
Birthplace: Overland Park, Kansas
Citizenship: USA
Twitter: @JonKempin21
Lawrence Olum
Position: Midfielder
Number: TBD
Born: 7/10/1984
Height: 6-2
Weight: 185
Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya
Birthplace: Nairobi, Kenya
Citizenship: Kenya
College: Missouri Baptist
Previous Club: Kedah FA (Malaysia)
Twitter: @OmoshLaw13
