Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed Diedie Traore, a 23-year-old left back and former LA Galaxy defender.
Traore joins Sporting KC II after spending the 2022 campaign with USL Championship winners San Antonio FC, where he made 11 regular season appearances, tallied one assist and boasted a 5-2-1 record as a starter. The talented defender previously played 10 MLS matches across two seasons with the LA Galaxy from 2019-2020, also featuring regularly for Galaxy II in the USL Championship.
Traore played a key role for San Antonio FC during the first half of the club’s 2022 title-winning season, contributing to four clean sheets and helping the team build an unassailable lead atop the USL Championship standings. Prior to his stint in Texas, the left back embarked on a brief spell with SAS Epinal in the French fourth division from late 2021 to early 2022.
A native of Paris, Traore ventured from France to the United States in 2018, becoming the first LA Galaxy II player to sign a professional contract through the club’s open tryout process. He spent the first half of 2018 with the LA Galaxy Academy, leading the U-19s to a second-place finish in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City. He then enjoyed a breakthrough with Galaxy II, notching a team-best five assists during the latter part of the 2018 USL Championship campaign.
Strong displays with Galaxy II paved the way for Traore to ink an MLS contract in early 2019. He made his Galaxy first team debut in a 2-0 win at Vancouver Whitecaps on April 5, 2019, and landed his first MLS start three weeks later in a 2-1 home victory over Real Salt Lake. Traore featured in eight additional MLS matches—also logging consistent minutes on loan with Galaxy II—prior to leaving Los Angeles at the end of 2020.
Before launching his professional career, Traore developed as a youth player at FC Metz, whose reputable academy has also produced former Sporting midfielder Yohan Croizet and several international stars, including Emmanuel Adebayor, Sadio Mane, Robert Pires, Miralem Pjanic and Louis Saha.
Traore becomes the second newcomer to join Sporting KC II for the 2023 season, following in the footsteps of 21-year-old midfielder Ethan Bryant. The club’s roster currently sits at nine players and will continue to expand ahead of the upcoming MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
Sporting KC II Roster (as of Dec. 20, 2022)
- Goalkeepers (1): Ethan Bandre
- Defenders (5): Aljaz Dzankic, Coby Jones, Mikey Lenis, Jahon Rad, Diedie Traore
- Midfielders (1): Ethan Bryant
- Forwards (2): Bakary Bagayoko, Josh Coan
Led by head coach and longtime Sporting midfielder Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC II will begin preparations early next year for the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season, which will feature an expanded field of 28 clubs.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs defender Diedie Traore to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
VITALS
- Diedie Traore (dee-dee try-OR-ay)
- Position: Defender
- Born: 1/15/1999 (23)
- Height: 6-1
- Weight: 165 lbs.
- Hometown: Paris, France
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Citizenship: France
