Sporting Kansas City defender Ian James has been selected to the United States U-17 Men’s National Team for a training camp in San Jose, Costa Rica, from March 18-25.
Led by head coach Gonzalo Segares, the United States will face the Costa Rica U-17s in a pair of friendlies highlighting the camp on March 22 and 24. The matches will serve as valuable tune-ups as the U.S. U-17s continue their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will take place in November in Qatar.
James, a 16-year-old center back who joined Sporting’s first team ahead of the 2025 MLS season, is part of a U.S. U-17 roster led by head coach Gonzalo Segares. Last month, Segares and the USA qualified for the U-17 World Cup with three consecutive wins at the Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers in Costa Rica. While James was not part of the February squad, fellow Sporting KC Academy product and Homegrown goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp was selected for the trip and posted a shutout in the Americans’ World Cup-clinching 2-0 win over Cuba on Feb. 15.
On Feb. 25, James became the second-youngest player in Sporting history to appear in a competitive match by featuring in a Concacaf Champions Cup loss at Inter Miami CF. At 16 years and 264 days, he etched his name as only the second 16-year-old to take the field for Sporting KC, following in the footsteps of Academy product Gianluca Busio who first did so in 2018.
James has been an available substitute in four of Sporting’s first five matches this season in all competitions. His involvement has come on the heels of a solid 2025 preseason campaign that saw the Minnesota native play in all six friendlies and contribute to two clean sheets. James also started in Sporting KC II’s 2025 MLS NEXT Pro opener at Houston Dynamo 2 on March 8.
On Dec. 6, 2024, James became the fourth youngest player in club history and the youngest defender signed to an MLS contract when he inked a Homegrown deal alongside Kortkamp. The 6-foot-2 center back has represented Sporting at the U-14 through U-19 youth levels since joining the Academy in 2021. He notably competed in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game last summer in Columbus, Ohio, as one of the top 44 academy players nationally.
After spending the 2024 preseason with Sporting’s first team, James signed an amateur academy contract for Sporting KC II. He logged 10 appearances during debut campaign in MLS NEXT Pro, including starts in victories against MNUFC2 on April 28, Whitecaps FC 2 on Aug. 31 and LAFC 2 on Oct. 6.
James earned his first selection to the U.S. U-16 Men’s National Team in April 2024 for a training camp in Florida. He returned to the U-16 squad the following month for a training camp in Buenos Aires, Argentina, highlighted by his participation in a friendly match against Argentina on May 30. He joined the U.S. U-17s for the first time last November by participating in a training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida.
