Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed 18-year-old Academy product Shane Donovan to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract ahead of the 2025 season.
Donovan, a skillful central midfielder, becomes the third Sporting KC Academy product signed to SKC II's 2025 MLS NEXT Pro roster, joining Nati Clarke and Cielo Tschantret. The Boston native made 10 appearances for Sporting KC II as an amateur player in 2024, debuting last July and recording his first assist in a 4-0 victory over Whitecaps FC 2 last August.
Sporting KC II 2025 Roster - as of Thursday, March
(Players signed to MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts)
- Defenders (3): Nati Clarke, Pierre Lurot, Anthony Samways
- Midfielders (5): Bryan Arellano, Shane Donovan, Gael Quintero, Cielo Tschantret, Beckham Uderitz
- Forwards (3): Medgy Alexandre, Maouloune Goumballe, David Zavala
Donovan played youth soccer for Valeo FC in his home state of Massachusetts before joining the Sporting KC Academy in 2021 ahead of the 2021-22 MLS NEXT season. He has represented Sporting at the U-15 through U-19 levels, notably captaining the U-17s during the 2023-24 MLS NEXT campaign and leading the team to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Generation adidas Cup and MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.
In the fall of 2023, Donovan helped the Sporting KC U-19s lift the Oklahoma-Arkansas UPSL regular season title. He has spent each of the last two winter preseason campaigns training with SKC II and started seven of 10 appearances as an Academy Amateur throughout the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
Led by newly appointed head coach Istvan Urbanyi and returning assistant coach Ike Opara, Sporting KC II will open the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season on Saturday with a visit to Houston Dynamo 2. Kickoff at SaberCats stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with a live stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
SKC II will play all home matches this season at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, including the team's MLS NEXT Pro home opener against rivals St. Louis City 2 on March 14 and its inaugural match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against the Des Moines Menace on March 19. Tickets for all Sporting KC II home matches are available for only $10 at SeatGeek.com.
SHANE DONOVAN
Midfielder
Birthdate: 1/6/2007 (18 years old)
Height: 5-7
Weight: 135 lbs.
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Citizenship: USA
Instagram: @sa_donovan
