Sporting Announce Preseason Schedule and Roster

This afternoon, Sporting KC announced their preseason schedule and roster for at least the start of the 2025 preseason. Sporting’s preseason, like most years, is divided into two phases. The first phase that started on Sunday will continue through the 29th of January in Miami, Florida. Kansas City will then head to Southern California to finish out preseason from February 2nd through the 12th before kicking off the 2025 season at Children’s Mercy Park on the 18th of February against Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Sporting currently have three games scheduled in each location with games against Florida International University, Chicago Fire, and Charlotte FC in Miami and games against New York City FC, Minnesota United, and the Las Vegas Lights while in California.

Also included in the release was an updated roster for Sporting KC that includes numbers for the new players on the team. None of Kansas City’s returning players have new numbers at this point but Sporting’s four new players all have their numbers:

#2 – Ian James
#12 – Jack Kortkamp
#13 – Mason Toye
#16 – Jacob Bartlett

Finally, the announced roster also included ten players that were invited to join the team for preseason. One note pointed out by Daniel Sperry, Sporting’s third round draft pick, Leon Koehl has chosen to return to Maryland.

Jansen Miller: The defender from Indiana, Sporting’s 2025 first round draft pick. He played in 20 games for Indiana in the 2024 college season, scoring 1 goal and adding 4 assists. He can play both center back and right back.

Anthony Samways: Sporting’s second round draft pick in the 2025 draft out of Ohio State. Another defender, though unlike Miller, an outside back, he played in 15 games for the Buckeyes, recording 3 assists.

Dyson Clapier: Sporting’s second round pick in the 2024 SuperDraft, out of Akron. Clapier elected to return to school for the 2024 season instead of turning pro and is now in camp with Sporting. In this past season, Clapier played in 21 games for Akron, scoring 5 goals and adding 8 assists.

Jan Jurcec: The one trialist in camp with no previous ties to Sporting. The 24 year old Jurcec comes to Kansas City having last played with SCR Altach in the Austrian Bundesliga. Over two seasons in Austria, Jurcec played over 60 games scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists playing on the right side as a winger, wide midfielder, and outside back. But he has been without a club since the end of the last European season. Before joining Altach, Jurcec played with NK Kustosija Zagreb in his home country of Croatia. He also made a handful of appearances for Croatia’s U21 team.

Carson Klein: The former Sporting KC II player and son of Sporting Legend, Chris Klein joins the first team as a trialist for preseason this year. Klein made 11 appearances for Sporting KC II in the 2024 MLS Next Pro season, 9 of them starts after joining SKCII halfway through the 2024 season. Klein was one of seven players who were out of contract at the end of the 2024 MLS Next Pro season.

Cielo Tschantret: The lone Sporting KC II contracted player to join SKC for this phase of preseason. Tschantret signed his first pro contract with Sporting KC II ahead of the 2024 MLS Next Pro season, he’d played with the team in 2023 on an academy contract. In his two seasons with SKCII, Tschantret has appeared 28 times, 17 of them starts. During that stretch he’s scored 3 goals and added an assist. Tschantret earned a spot on the bench for the first team in the 2024 Leagues Cup game against the Chicago Fire.

Johann Ortiz: A Sporting KC academy player who spent time in 2024 with Sporting KC II on an academy contract. He appeared 11 times, 2 starts for SKCII, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists.

Leo Christiano: Another Sporting KC academy player who played with SKCII on an academy contract. Christiano played for Sporting in both the 2023 and 2024 MLS Next Pro seasons. In those two seasons he’s made 17 appearances, 13 starts as a defender for Sporting.

Jacob Molinaro: The third Sporting KC academy player on the list of players invited to camp. The goalkeeper, like the other two academy players played with Sporting KC II last year on an academy contract. Molinaro played 10 games for SKCII last year recording a 3-5-2 record for KC.

Sebastian Cruz: Former Sporting KC academy player, Sporting KC II player, and Sporting KC player, Cruz is in camp as a trialist with the first team. Cruz has spent the last two years under contract for SKCII, appearing 48 times, 39 starts scoring 10 goals and adding 7 assists. He’s also played with the first team, having been called up in the 2023 season for KC’s US Open Cup run, appearing in KC’s 3-0 win over Tulsa Athletic. Cruz made the bench again for the first team in 2024, during the Leagues Cup being available for both the games against the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew but didn’t appear in either game.

Given how the invitee list has worked in past years it’s likely that this list will change as the preseason continues.