Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed midfielder Braxton Arpachinda and forward Guy Michaeli to MLS NEXT Pro amateur contracts for the 2022 season.
Arpachinda and Michaeli have signed amateur contracts on a single-game basis, preserving their NCAA eligibility, and will be available for selection on Sunday when Sporting Kansas City II visits Vancouver Whitecaps for a 6 p.m. CT showdown that will stream live on mlsnextpro.com.
Arpachinda, 17, has spent three years in the Sporting KC Academy and represented the club at the U-15 through U-19 levels. A native of Sterling Heights, Michigan, he is capable of playing as an outside back, central midfielder or winger. Arpachinda has been a key contributor for the Sporting KC U-19s throughout the 2021-22 MLS NEXT campaign and recently spent a week of preseason training with Manager Peter Vermes and the first team in Arizona in February.
Michaeli, 16, has enjoyed an excellent run of goal-scoring form for the Sporting KC U-17s this spring. He found the back of the net in three straight weekends of MLS NEXT competition between March 19 and April 2, including a hat-trick in a victory over regional rivals Minnesota United FC. The Texas native also scored in a 2-0 triumph against the Portland Timbers in the Generation adidas Cup on April 12. Michaeli joined the Sporting KC Academy last summer following a stint with the Dallas Texans, where he won the 2021 Dallas Cup in the U-16 age group.
Led by first-year head coach and former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC II has now inked nine Academy products to amateur contracts this year: Arpachinda, Michaeli, Draven Barnett, Mataeo Bunbury, Matthew Fisher, Matthew Hudson, Mikey Lenis, Nico Pendleton and Jayvin Van Deventer.
Sporting KC II have opened the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a 1-2-1 record, including a 2-0 road win over Minnesota United 2 on April 3. Tickets for Sporting KC II home matches, including each of the next six fixtures at state-of-the-art Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, are available at SeatGeek.com.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs Braxton Arpachinda and Guy Michaeli to MLS NEXT Pro amateur contracts.
VITALS
Braxton Arpachinda
Position: Midfielder
Number: 34
Birthdate: 3/4/2005 (17 years old)
Height: 5-6
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hometown: Sterling Heights, Michigan
Birthplace: Troy, Michigan
Guy Michaeli
Position: Forward
Number: 90
Birthdate: 10/31/2005 (16 years old)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
