Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed seven Sporting Kansas City Academy products to MLS NEXT Pro amateur contracts: Draven Barnett, Mataeo Bunbury, Matthew Fisher, Matthew Hudson, Mikey Lenis, Nico Pendleton and Jayvin Van Deventer.
All seven players have inked amateur contracts on a single-game basis, preserving their NCAA eligibility, and will be available for selection on Sunday when Sporting Kansas City II opens the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a visit to Colorado Rapids 2 in a 5 p.m. CT matchup that will stream live on mlsnextpro.com.
Barnett has represented Sporting at the U-12 through U-19 levels and makes the jump to Sporting KC II for the first time. Fellow defender Matthew Fisher, a native of Michigan, has also signed his first amateur contract with the club after rising from the U-15 to U-19 ranks.
Pendleton and Van Deventer are a pair of midfield players who have grown up in the Kansas City area and starred at the academy level. Pendleton has spent two full preseason campaigns with Sporting KC II, while Van Deventer broke into the United States U-20 Men’s National Team in January after making 13 USL Championship appearances for SKC II last year.
Like Van Deventer, Lenis, Hudson and Bunbury all spent time with Sporting’s first team during the 2022 preseason campaign in Arizona. Lenis, a versatile outside back, featured in six USL Championship matches for SKC II in 2021, while Hudson is set to compete in the professional ranks for the first time.
Bunbury is the third member of his family to compete within the Sporting Kansas City organization. His father, Alex Bunbury, played for the Kansas City Wizards from 1999-2000 and his older brother, Teal Bunbury, was an integral contributor for Sporting from 2010-2013. The Minnesota native made seven appearances for Sporting KC II during the latter stages of the 2021 campaign.
Sporting Kansas City II enters a new era in 2022, joining the freshly minted MLS NEXT Pro professional league under the guidance of first-year head coach Benny Feilhaber and first-year assistant coach Ike Opara. Feilhaber and Opara were standout players for Sporting during a trophy-laden stint that yielded four major championships last decade, including the 2013 MLS Cup and three U.S. Open Cup titles.
Sporting KC II will navigate a 24-game regular season slate from March 27 to Sept. 18, with the first eight home fixtures scheduled to be played at state-of-the-art Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas. Tickets for Sporting KC II home matches are available at SeatGeek.com.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs Draven Barnett, Mataeo Bunbury, Matthew Fisher, Matthew Hudson, Mikey Lenis, Nico Pendleton and Jayvin Van Deventer to MLS NEXT Pro amateur contracts.
VITALS
Draven Barnett
Position: Defender
Number: 86
Birthdate: 1/10/2004 (18 years old)
Height: 5-10
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Birthplace, Bolivar, Missouri
Mataeo Bunbury
Position: Forward
Number: 47
Birthdate: 6/13/2005 (16 years old)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hometown: Prior Lake, Minnesota
Birthplace: Northfield, Minnesota
Matthew Fisher
Position: Defender
Number: 45
Birthdate: 2/22/2005 (17 years old)
Height: 5-8
Weight: 155 lbs.
Hometown: Rochester, Michigan
Birthplace: Rochester, Michigan
Matthew Hudson
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 76
Birthdate: 4/18/2005 (16 years old)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180 lbs.
Hometown: Marion, Iowa
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
Mikey Lenis
Position: Defender
Number: 71
Birthdate: 10/12/2003 (18 years old)
Height: 5-6
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hometown: Weston, Florida
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
Nico Pendleton
Position: Midfielder
Number: 51
Birthdate: 4/21/2005 (16 years old)
Height: 5-10
Weight: 160 lbs.
Hometown: Shawnee, Kansas
Birthplace: Lawrence, Kansas
Jayvin Van Deventer
Position: Midfielder
Number: 56
Birthdate: 1/1/2004 (18 years old)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hometown: Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Birthplace: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
