MLS and Sporting Kansas City’s Offseason Schedule

The 2024 Major League Soccer season mercifully came to an end on Saturday night. Sporting Kansas City lost to FC Dallas in a meaningless game. It secured Sporting KC the fourth overall draft pick in the SuperDraft this December. It’ll be their highest pick since they took Teal Bunbury fourth overall in 2010.

The draft is just one of the things fans can look forward to throughout the offseason to begin to rebuild this team. And there may actually be a decently large break before anything happens. This week, Peter Vermes spoke with Soren Petro on The Program about a timeline.

“Every day that we train, every game that we play, it’s always an evaluation,” began Vermes. “We do it on the players, we do it on the way the team has played, we do it on our training as coaches. Building up, the preparation. We’re doing that constantly. At the same time, I think, when you exit like we are at this point, I think it only makes sense to finish the season and then spend a couple weeks without emotion around everybody. Get everybody into the room. Do that a couple times.”

“The way you might think in season because of emotions because of a last result or something like that, will be completely different at the end of the season, number one,” Vermes continued. “Number two is, when you have the time, use the time, I believe. You also want to know what you’re going to bring in in the next window. And you need to marry that up against everything that you have. There is no doubt that we’re searching for a 10 [attacking midfielder], if you will. There is no doubt that we’re going to continue to keep searching for that. That doesn’t change that idea. But I do think that taking that time at the end of the season, when you don’t have any games, and you can meet multiple times and really go through the roster and individuals in a meaningful way without emotion, is a great way to do it and that’s what we’ll do.”

Let’s get into the full offseason schedule.

Wed. Nov. 27 – Deadline to Exercise Options & Submit Bona Fide Offers

Sporting KC have 12 players with options in their contracts for 2025 (or beyond). This is a big day to know if big names like Erik Thommy, William Agada, Logan Ndenbe and many others will have their options picked up. Someone has to go if there is going to be significant change. The deadline is Noon Central Time.

There are also four players fully out of contract (Johnny Russell, Tim Melia, Andreu Fontas and Remi Walter). It’s possible we’ll hear if teams are negotiating with specific players who are out of contract. Otherwise, there is a delay until free agency actually begins within MLS, though players are free to sign in other leagues around the world. They’ve been free to do so since the middle of summer.

Outside of the teams who make it to the Conference Finals, all other teams, including Sporting KC, must submit their offers in writing to the MLS league office. A Bona Fide offer is defined in the 2024 MLS Roster Rules as a $15,000 increase or 10 percent increase in salary over the prior year’s salary. The Bona Fide offers only apply to players out of contract or with declined options.

Mon. Dec. 9 – Half-Day Trade Window Opens

From 8:00 AM until Noon CT the MLS roster freeze is lifted. Trading has become far less common in the modern MLS but there are talented players to be had out there. Additionally, some fans are probably hoping another team takes a handful of these players off Sporting KC’s hands. Don’t hold your breath.

Dec. 11-14 – College Showcase

This closed-door event will be good preparation for the draft. It’s the fifth time this showcase has taken place and will give teams a chance to look at players for their first and second teams. This year, it takes place in San Diego.

Wed. Dec 11 – Expansion Draft

The expansion draft returns (unlike in the NWSL which abolished it). Expansion club San Diego FC can select up to five players. Teams have to get their protected player list to the league by the 10th.

This year’s expansion rules state teams can protect 12 players. Generation Adidas players and Homegrown players 25 or younger are automatically protected. If a player has a no-trade clause, the team is required to use one of their 12 spots on them. At least three of the protected players must be internationals if the team has four or more international players with numbers declining from there for less internationals on a roster.

Teams can only lose one player.

Thurs. Dec 12 – Free Agency Opens

At Noon CT, teams can begin negotiating with free agents. A player must be out of contract or have had their option declined and be at least 24 years old and have five years in MLS. As of now, Russell, Melia and Fontas are the only SKC players meeting that requirement.

Thurs. Dec 12 – End of Year Waivers

Formerly called the Waiver Draft, at 4:00 PM CT teams will have a chance to claim players in reverse order of how they finished, with San Diego going last. Players placed on waivers don’t meet the Re-Entry requirements below.

Fri. Dec 13 – Re-Entry Process (Stage One)

They also used to call this a draft, and it functions the same way. Worst to first, but with San Diego picking last. This is for players who are at least 22 years old and with at least one year of MLS service but who are out of contract and haven’t received a bona fide offer from their former team. Players may opt out of this process.

The main difference between stage one and stage two is around salary. If a player is chosen in stage one, their previously declined contract option is automatically picked up. If they didn’t have an option, then the acquiring club must make a bona fide offer.

The list of eligible players comes out on the same day as the draft.

Thurs. Dec 19 – Re-Entry Process (Stage Two)

The rules are the same as stage one and will include all undrafted players from stage one who don’t opt out. However, contract offers only have to be “genuine.” The rules only define this as “objectively reasonable.” In other words, you can offer them a pay cut.

After the first round of stage two, teams may begin drafting their own players to retain their MLS rights. Sporting KC did this a few times over the years with players leaving the league in case they decided to come back.

These two stages are essentially for younger, out of contract players, who don’t qualify for free agency within MLS. Or older players with not enough years of service in MLS. Someone like Remi Walter, who only has four years in MLS, may not choose to re-sign with SKC and be eligible here.

Fri. Dec 20 – 2025 MLS SuperDraft

This year’s draft is once against just three rounds and in reverse order of the standings, with San Diego going first. Sporting KC will pick fourth, right after San Diego FC, the San Jose Earthquakes and the Gregg Berhalter led Chicago Fire.

TBD – Preseason and CCC

Sporting KC has also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup by making it to the US Open Cup finals against a team (LAFC) that qualified already through Leagues Cup. Because of that, they will start their CCC run in very early February. That likely means the team needs to convene for preseason in very early January to have any chance to survive that competition. They actually may need to start earlier, but I just don’t see that around the holidays.

By extension, they may need to get a jump start on some of these dates outlined above. The dates around options and offers are deadlines, so the club may be best served to get ahead of them and start making moves much earlier. Keep your eyes peeled on social media for players saying goodbye before the team announces anything. My For the Glory KC co-host, Sheena, has already learned to use Google Translate to translate a post in French from Remi Walter that made her think he’s gone. Though he could just be coming home for the offseason.

While the offseason is a time of rest for many fans, it’s actually incredibly busy with news. Stay with the KC Soccer Journal for all the details in the coming months. The offseason will still be quite short, despite an early exit in 2024.