Sporting Kansas City has signed 16-year-old defender Ian James and 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp as Homegrown Players, the club announced today.
Both players have signed MLS contracts through 2027 with club options for 2028 and 2029, becoming the 20th and 21st Homegrown Players to emerge from the Sporting Kansas City Academy and the club’s first Homegrown additions since Jake Davis in August 2021. By joining the first team, James and Kortkamp have also become the league’s youngest defender and goalkeeper currently signed to MLS contracts, respectively.
Sporting has signed James and Kortkamp—both of whom joined the Sporting KC Academy as 13-year-olds in 2021—after previously acquiring their Homegrown Priorities from Minnesota United FC.
Youngest Signings in Sporting KC History (Age & Date of Signing)
- Gianluca Busio (15 years, 89 days) – Aug. 25, 2017
- Tyler Freeman (15 years, 266 days) – Oct. 2, 2018
- Erik Palmer-Brown (16 years, 100 days) – Aug. 2, 2013
- Ian James (16 years, 183 days) – Dec. 6, 2024
- Jack Kortkamp (16 years, 313 days) – Dec. 6, 2024
Ozzie Cisneros (16 years, 313 days) – Jan. 20, 2021
James, who turned 16 in June, is the fourth-youngest signing in club history. The 6-foot-2 center back has represented Sporting at the U-14 through U-19 youth levels and broke into the U.S. U-16 and U-17 Men’s National Teams earlier this year. James also played 10 matches for Sporting KC II during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.
A native of Minnesota, James captained the Sporting KC U-15s during the 2022-23 MLS NEXT season before spending most of the 2023-24 campaign with the U-17s, helping the team reach the quarterfinals of both the Generation adidas Cup in April and the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs in June. Sporting’s playoff appearance was secured thanks to a perfect 3-0-0 record at MLS NEXT Flex, which saw James start in all three matches in Boyds, Maryland. James then participated in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game on July 23 in Columbus, Ohio, as one of the top 44 academy players from across the country.
James made three first-team appearances for Sporting during the club’s 2024 preseason in Miami, including a shutout victory over Miami FC and matches against MLS foes Nashville SC and Charlotte FC. He later signed an amateur academy contract for Sporting KC II and earned his SKC II debut on March 17, a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo 2. James logged 10 appearances in his first MLS NEXT Pro campaign, including starts in victories against Whitecaps FC 2 and LAFC 2.
Kortkamp, who turned 16 last January, becomes Sporting’s youngest goalkeeper in club history and Kansas City’s fifth youngest player overall. Born in the Toronto suburb of Oakville, Canada, and raised in Minnesota, Kortkamp has represented Sporting at the U-14 through U-19 levels. Last spring, he helped the U-19s win their second consecutive UPSL regular season division title and led the U-17s to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Generation adidas Cup alongside James, starting four matches in the prestigious tournament.
Kortkamp trained with Sporting’s first team during the 2024 preseason in Miami before signing an amateur contract with Sporting KC II in May. He earned his SKC II debut on June 12 at Real Monarchs for his first of three MLS NEXT Pro starts, including a home victory over LAFC 2 in the season finale on Oct. 6.
Kortkamp is an experienced U.S. youth international who has competed in the U-15, U-16 and U-17 age groups. He participated in his first U.S. U-15 training camp in October 2022 at Compass Minerals National Performance Center, the state-of-the-art training home of Sporting KC, before making his U.S. U-15 debut in April 2023 with starts in friendly matches against England and Japan in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain.
James and Kortkamp both earned their first selections to the U.S. U-16 Men’s National Team in April for a training camp in Florida. The duo returned to the U-16 squad the following month for a training camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina, highlighted by their participation in a friendly match against Argentina on May 30.
In September, Kortkamp featured twice for the U.S. U-17s against Czech Republic and Slovakia at the Vaclav Jezek Tournament in Mikulov, Czech Republic. In November, he joined James for a U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, in preparation for next February’s Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers, which will send eight teams to the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) signs defender Ian James and goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp as Homegrown Players after previously acquiring their Homegrown Priorities from Minnesota United FC.
VITALS
Ian James
Number: 2
Position: Defender
Birthdate: 06/06/2008 (16 years old)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 190 lbs.
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Birthplace: St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Instagram: @ianjames____
VITALS
Jack Kortkamp
Number: 12
Position: Goalkeeper
Birthdate: 01/28/2008 (16 years old)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185 lbs.
Hometown: Maple Grove, Minnesota
Birthplace: Oakville, Canada
Instagram: @jackkortkamp
Sporting KC Homegrown Players from SKC Academy
(age at signing in parentheses)
- 2010 – Goalkeeper Jon Kempin (17)
- 2011 – Defender Kevin Ellis (19)
- 2013 – Defender Erik Palmer-Brown (16)
- 2016 – Forward Daniel Salloi (19)
- 2017 – Midfielder Gianluca Busio (15)
- 2017 – Defender Jaylin Lindsey (17)
- 2018 – Defender Matt Lewis (21)
- 2018 – Forward Zach Wright (22)
- 2018 – Midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal (19)
- 2018 – Forward Tyler Freeman (15)
- 2019 – Midfielder Cam Duke (18)
- 2019 – Midfielder Felipe Hernandez (21)
- 2020 – Forward Wilson Harris (20)
- 2021 – Midfielder Grayson Barber (20)
- 2021 – Forward Ozzie Cisneros (16)
- 2021 – Goalkeeper Brooks Thompson (18)
- 2021 – Defender Kaveh Rad (19)
- 2021 – Defender Kayden Pierre (18)
- 2021 – Midfielder Jake Davis (19)
- 2024 – Defender Ian James (16)
- 2024 – Goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp (16)
