Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed 23-year-old striker Roberto "Beto" Avila to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract ahead of the 2024 season.
Avila has recorded 15 goals and 13 assists in 95 professional appearances since 2019, including a two-year MLS stint with Houston Dynamo FC from 2022-2023. He spent the 2023 campaign on loan in MLS NEXT Pro at Houston Dynamo 2 and in the USL Championship with Charleston Battery, where he helped the team reach the USL Championship Final.
A native of Austin, Texas, Avila developed as a youth player at Austin Texans SC from 2014-2016 before joining the Houston Dynamo Academy for the 2017-18 season. He then played at Lonestar SC in his hometown, scoring 12 goals in 18 appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.
Avila turned professional in 2019 with Austin Bold FC, making his club debut in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Tulsa Roughnecks FC and later earning his first USL Championship appearance against the same team. He scored his first two professional goals for Austin in 2020 and had a loan spell to Canadian Premier League side FC Edmonton in the summer of 2021.
Avila enjoyed a breakout in 2022, first signing for Houston Dynamo 2 ahead of the club's inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign. He scored five goals in the first four games of the season, including a hat trick against Sporting KC II on April 10, 2022, before landing an MLS contract with Houston's first team in May of that year. In doing so, he became the first Dynamo player signed from the club's second team. Avila made his MLS debut on May 14 in a road win against Nashville SC and earned his first MLS start two weeks later at Real Salt Lake.
Avila started the 2023 season with Dynamo 2, where he tabbed two goals and three assists in his first six MLS NEXT Pro games of the year. The striker then went on loan to Charleston and played an important role in the team's run to the USL Championship Final, tallying three goals and two assists.
With the signing of Avila, Sporting KC II has 10 players under MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts for the 2024 campaign, which will begin on March 17 with a visit to Dynamo 2.
Sporting KC II Roster (as of February 2024):
- Defenders (3): Nati Clarke, Kortne Ford, Coby Jones
- Midfielders (4): Haris Alisah, Ethan Bryant, Sebastian Cruz, Jake Swallen
- Forwards (3): Beto Avila, Roberto Hategan, Pau Vidal
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II (MLS NEXT Pro) signs forward Beto Avila to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
VITALS
Beto Avila
Position: Forward
Born: 10/16/2000 (23 years old)
Height: 5-8
Weight: 155 lbs.
Birthplace: Austin, Texas
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Citizenship: USA, Mexico
Instagram: @beto.avila.14
X: @Beto_avila13
