Sporting Kansas City defender Ian James has been selected to the United States U-17 Men’s National Team for a training camp from Sept. 1-8 in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
Led by head coach Gonzalo Segares, the United States will face the Netherlands U-17s in a pair of friendlies kicking off at 12 p.m. CT on Sept. 5 and Sept. 8 at Gemeentelijk Sportpark SJC. 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 in Qatar, where the United States will face Burkina Faso (Nov. 5), Tajikistan (Nov. 8) and Czechia (Nov. 11) in Group I.
James, a 17-year-old center back who joined Sporting’s first team ahead of the 2025 MLS campaign, previously competed with the U.S. U-17s during a training camp in Costa Rica in March. The 6-foot-2 defender broke into the U-17 national team last November by participating in a camp in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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 made the first three appearances of his MLS career earlier this summer, a stretch that saw Sporting collect seven of a possible nine points. He earned his league debut on June 25, helping the team close out a dramatic 2-1 home win over Charlotte FC. He earned his first start three days later by going the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 home draw with Real Salt Lake, becoming the second youngest starter in an MLS match in club history at 17 years and 22 days. On July 4, he played the entire second half of a 2-1 road victory over the Colorado Rapids. James most recently appeared as a second-half substitute on Sunday at Seattle Sounders FC.
In addition to playing five first-team matches this season, James has started in eight MLS NEXT Pro games for Sporting KC II.
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 teammate and goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp. He has represented Sporting at the U-14 through U-19 youth levels since joining the Academy in 2021 and notably competed in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game last summer in Columbus, Ohio.
Sporting will return to Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday, hosting Colorado at 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
