Sporting Kansas City announced last Friday the signing of 16-year-olds Ian James and Jack Kortkamp to Homegrown deals through 2027. The duo became the 20th and 21st Homegrown Players to come out of the Sporting Kansas City Academy and rise through the pro player pathway.
Hailing from Minnesota both James and Kortkamp joined the Sporting KC Acadmey at the U-14 level in 2021 and quickly caught the eyes of the U-14s head coach and now Academy Director Declan Jogi.
"I remember Ian visited on trial as a rising U-14 and had a lot of energy," said Jogi. "Straight away- his personality stood out. He had a lot of energy, he was very eager, was very happy to be here and enjoy the experience. I think from day one his personality was always infectious. Jack was very similar. Big Jack, we called him. He also had a larger-than-life personality and competitive nature. Very, very completive nature. Always wanting to be the best, and win every activity or every bout. So right from their early days, as young players and coming in at a very young age, when they came in as U-14 those qualities stood out about Jack and Ian."
While the centerback and goalkeeper had larger-than-life personalities, both remained humble throughout their journey on the pro player pathway. The tandem played together from the U-14 ranks all the way up to the U-19s and onto the second team in MLS NEXT Pro. Through it all they never lost sight of their goals.
"It was a surreal moment when I was first told," said James when asked about his reaction to hearing he was being signed to a Homegrown deal. "We were sitting in the office with Coach Peter (Vermes) when he first said it, and my heart was beating so fast. This had been something that I dreamed about and wanted to achieve my entire life. I know so much hard work and so much extra time from different coaches and trainers was put in and my family made so many sacrifices. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to get started working with the team."
Kortkamp shared a similar sentiment to James when talking about finding out about his signing. "My family made a big sacrifice sending me down here when I was 13 and that means a lot," said Kortkamp. "Just knowing that it's finally paid off and that all the sacrifices have paid off for me is amazing. My family, in the meeting, started crying, especially my dad. My dad was, you know, really, really happy. And my mom was super proud as well. Then my host family was feeling the same things. Super excited, jumping up and down, laughing all the time. Everybody was super excited."
While both players hail from the land of 10,000 lakes, the two took different paths to get to Kansas City. James' family moved to Kansas City with him after he was offered a spot in the Academy. Kortkamp, on the other hand, went into the Academy Residential Program and lived with a host family for four years.
"This is going on year four now with my host family, and they're like a second family to me," voiced Kortkamp when asked about the host family experience. "They made it easy to integrate into the academy, and it was like I was at home right away, to be honest."
Just because James and Kortkamp have signed first-team deals does not mean that they have become complacent. They are both incredibly intense, hard workers who are ready to improve their skills.
"I love winning and I pride myself on winning," said James. "Every loss hurts. So I think the mentality to win at everything and win at all costs. One of my now teammates, Jake Davis, has helped me a lot, and he was talking about the extra yard in one of his interviews and I think that ties into the winning mentality and how you got to keep pushing you got to keep going to win. I pride myself on working harder than everyone else. Every time I step on the field, I'm going to work, and even if it's not going my way, I'm going to grind through it and I'm going to get through it."
"I'm a nice guy off the field but I'm an intense guy on the field" said Kortkamp. "Once I step on the field, I'm always barking at people. So I think I bring intensity and I've always wanted to win. I'm a very big competitor, and I want to bring something fierce to this team. I've always wanted to be a better man and a better player. I feel like the Sporting KC Academy develops better men and I think that's very essential to getting to the next level, and after soccer in life in general."
Sporting KC Academy Director Jogi took over the position in 2022 after coaching James and Kortkamp in the Academy. Both players spoke incredibly highly of Jogi and offered tons of praise for their first coach at the Academy.
"I really want to thank Coach Declan," said Kortkamp. "First, he's been really patient, and he's such a wise guy who knows what he's talking about. So Dec has helped me a lot."
"I want to give a special thanks to Coach Declan," echoed James. "When I got here as a U-14, I was nowhere near the player I am today. He would give me extra drills to do before and after training to help me get better, technically - he'd give me extra stuff to do after training and he'd help me. He'd stay out there 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes late to help me get better as a player."
By joining the first team, James and Kortkamp have also become the league’s youngest defender and goalkeeper currently signed to MLS contracts, respectively. Both know that their development is not finished and are ready to grow while helping the club reach new heights. For Sporting KC fans interested in helping in the development of the future of the Sporting KC Acadmey, learn more at www.sportingkc.com/residential-program, and become a host family today.