Sporting Kansas City has signed midfielder Benny Feilhaber to a new, two-year contract through 2018, the club announced Wednesday.
“It’s been our intention all along to do everything we can to re-sign Benny,” Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said. “We appreciate the professionalism that he and his agent have shown throughout the process and are very excited that he is coming back to our club. Benny has been an important part of the club’s success over the past four years and we look to continue that moving forward.”
Feilhaber, 31, has helped lead Sporting Kansas City to the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of his four seasons with the team, hoisting the 2013 MLS Cup and 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup during his tenure. The playmaking midfielder has amassed 28 goals and 50 assists in 145 appearances across all competitions and ranks fourth on the club’s all-time assists chart.
“My family and I are very happy to be staying in Kansas City,” Feilhaber said. “I have always loved playing in front of our fans and for this city. It’s very exciting to be able to stay here for another two years to help this club win more trophies.”
A six-year MLS veteran and a professional since 2005, Feilhaber has been one of Major League Soccer’s most productive players over the last two seasons. His 45 combined goals (17) and assists (28) since the start of 2015 rank fifth in MLS and second among midfielders.
Born in Brazil and raised in Irvine, California, Feilhaber tallied seven goals and a team-high 13 assists during the 2016 MLS campaign, becoming just the second player in Kansas City history to hit double-digit assists in multiple regular seasons. He ended 2016 in fantastic form, leading the league with nine assists in 11 regular season matches after the MLS All-Star Game on July 28. Feilhaber was named Sporting KC’s 2016 Offensive Player of the Year, totaling eight goals and 14 assists in all competitions.
Feilhaber enjoyed a banner year in 2015, notching 12 goals and a club-record 20 assists in all competitions, and was named an MLS MVP finalist. With regular season career-highs in goals (10) and assists (15), he became just the third player in team history to reach double figures in both categories in the same year. He earned MLS All-Star accolades for the first time while adding two goals and five assists during Sporting KC’s push toward the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title.
A key acquisition ahead of the 2013 season, Feilhaber helped guide Sporting Kansas City to the MLS Cup title in his first year under Manager Peter Vermes. The midfielder logged three goals and eight assists across 36 games in 2013, including two series-clinching assists during the team’s dramatic postseason run.
Feilhaber further asserted himself in 2014, starting 36 of 38 total appearances with five goals and eight assists. He was named the MLS Player of the Month for July after leading the team to a club-record five straight regular season road wins.
Since joining Sporting Kansas City, Feilhaber is a perfect 14-for-14 on penalty kicks in all competitions. This record includes a 10-for-10 regular season mark and successful attempts in penalty shootouts of the 2013 MLS Cup Final, 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final and 2015 Western Conference Knockout Round. He also buried a spot kick in the fourth round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Minnesota United FC.
Feilhaber joined Major League Soccer in 2011 and spent two seasons with the New England Revolution, recording five goals and nine assists in 52 league appearances.
After a two-year college stint at UCLA, Feilhaber began his professional career in 2005 with German club Hamburg. He made nine first-team appearances for the Bundesliga outfit before transferring to English side Derby County, where he played 10 games during the 2007-08 Premier League season. Feilhaber then signed for Danish club AGF Aarhus in 2008, scoring five goals in 54 matches over three seasons.
Feilhaber has earned 41 caps for the United States Men’s National Team since debuting in 2007. He scored the game-winning goal on a spectacular volley in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final against Mexico before competing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He helped lead the U.S. to the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, playing all five matches in the tournament, and also made three appearances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
As a youth international, Feilhaber represented the U.S. U-20s at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, helping the Americans reach the round of 16 and finish atop a group that included Argentina and Germany.
For a full list of Sporting Kansas City's offseason roster moves, visit SportingKC.com/tracker.
Benny Feilhaber — Sporting KC
- 2013 MLS Cup champion
- 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion
- 2015 MLS All-Star
- 2015 MLS MVP finalist
- 2015 Sporting KC MVP
- 2016 Sporting KC Offensive Player of the Year
- Sporting KC Goal of the Year (2013, 2014, 2015)
- Ranks fourth in club history with 50 assists in all competitions
- Ranks 11th in club history with 28 goals in all competitions
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) signs midfielder Benny Feilhaber to new, two-year contract through 2018.
VITALS
Benny Feilhaber (FAIL-hob-ber)
Position: Midfielder
Number: 10
Born: 1/19/1985 (31 years old)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 160 lbs.
Hometown: Irvine, California
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Citizenship: USA
College: UCLA
Last Club: New England Revolution
Twitter: @b_feilhaber22
