Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed 18-year-old left back Coby Jones, a longtime member of the Sporting Kansas City Academy and a resident of Olathe, Kansas.
Jones, who spent three weeks of preseason training with Sporting's first team earlier this winter, will join Sporting KC II for its first season in MLS NEXT Pro, a new professional league that will kick off on the final weekend of March. The club now has 17 players under professional contract heading into the MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
Sporting KC II Roster as of March 9, 2022
- Goalkeepers (1): Ethan Bandre
- Defenders (5): Joseph Addo Tetteh, Aljaz Dzankic, Spencer Glass, Coby Jones, Cole McLagan
- Midfielders (4): Collin Fernandez, Curtez Kellman, Jahon Rad, Cade Thomson
- Forwards (7): Paul Atta Agyei, Bakary Bagayoko, Josh Coan, Tijani Fatah, Rauf Salifu, Julian Vazquez, Dembakwi Yomba
Jones, a talented left back who can also play on the wing, joined the Sporting KC Academy as a 12-year-old in 2016. He represented Sporting at the U-13 through U-19 levels before jumping to the professional ranks last year, signing an amateur contract for Sporting KC II and making nine USL Championship appearances during the 2021 campaign.
Jones landed his Sporting KC II on June 23, against OKC Energy FC and opened his USL Championship scoring account in his first appearance at Children's Mercy Park, firing home against Louisville City FC on July 2.
Jones was part of Sporting's 2022 preseason roster and logged 45 minutes of second-half action in a 0-0 friendly against the Colorado Rapids on Jan. 29 in Tucson, Arizona. He is one of two Sporting KC Academy products under pro contract with SKC II alongside midfielder Jahon Rad.
Sporting KC II enters its seventh season in club history under the guidance of first-year head coach Benny Feilhaber and assistant coach Ike Opara. Feilhaber and Opara starred for Sporting at the MLS level last decade and have taken the helm of Sporting KC II in 2022, ushering in a new era in MLS NEXT Pro.
Sporting KC II will open the season at Colorado Rapids 2 on March 27 and will make their debut at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, with a home opener on April 10 against Houston Dynamo 2. Fans will be able to purchase tickets at SeatGeek.com at a later date and all MLS NEXT Pro matches will stream live on mlsnextpro.com.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs defender Coby Jones to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
VITALS
Coby Jones
Position: Defender
Born: 8/15/2003 (18 years old)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hometown: Olathe, Kansas
Birthplace: Topeka, Kansas
Citizenship: USA
Instagram: @cobyjones9
