Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday updates to the club’s preseason roster ahead of the Coachella Valley Invitational as part of the 2026 Preseason presented by Saint Luke’s.
Sporting concluded leg one of the team’s preseason in West Palm Beach, Florida on Jan. 31 and will now be based in Palm Springs, California from Feb. 3-14. Sporting will play three MLS opponents as part of the Coachella Valley Invitational against Minnesota United (Feb. 7), New York City FC (Feb. 11) and Austin FC (Feb. 14) before returning to Kansas City for final preparations ahead of the club’s season opener at the San Jose Earthquakes on Feb. 21.
All three of Sporting’s games at CVI are ticketed exhibition matches which will be live-streamed on SportingKC.com/live while fans can also follow @SportingKC\_PR on X for live updates.
Date |
Time (CT) |
Opponent |
Location |
Saturday, Feb. 7 |
3:30 p.m. |
Minnesota United |
Indio, Calif. |
Wednesday, Feb. 11 |
3:30 p.m. |
New York City FC |
Indio, Calif. |
Saturday, Feb. 14 |
12 p.m. |
Austin FC |
Indio, Calif. |
Head coach Raphael Wicky leads a preseason roster consisting of the 20 players under MLS contract in 2026, including newcomers Kwaku Agyabeng, Stefan Cleveland, Calvin Harris, Wyatt Meyer, Jayden Reid, Justin Reynolds and Cielo Tschantret. Sporting KC II trio Shane Donovan, Jacob Molinaro and Johann Ortiz also join the squad, alongside trialist Ethan Bartlow and four Sporting KC Academy players.
Goalkeeper Ryan Schewe will not join the team in California as he recovers from a hand injury sustained during the first leg of preseason in Florida.
Player |
Age |
Position |
Stephen Afrifa |
24 |
Forward |
Kwaku Agyabeng |
19 |
Midfielder |
Jacob Bartlett |
20 |
Midfielder |
Zorhan Bassong |
26 |
Midfielder |
Stefan Cleveland |
31 |
Goalkeeper |
Jake Davis |
24 |
Midfielder |
Manu Garcia |
28 |
Midfielder |
Calvin Harris |
25 |
Forward |
Ian James |
17 |
Defender |
Dejan Joveljic |
26 |
Forward |
Jack Kortkamp |
18 |
Goalkeeper |
Wyatt Meyer |
24 |
Defender |
Jansen Miller |
23 |
Defender |
John Pulskamp |
24 |
Goalkeeper |
Jayden Reid |
24 |
Defender |
Justin Reynolds |
21 |
Defender |
Daniel Salloi |
29 |
Forward |
Ryan Schewe |
23 |
Goalkeeper |
Shapi Suleymanov |
26 |
Forward |
Cielo Tschantret |
19 |
Midfielder |
Player |
Age |
Position |
Note |
Shane Donovan |
19 |
Midfielder |
Sporting KC II |
Jacob Molinaro |
19 |
Goalkeeper |
Sporting KC II |
Johann Ortiz |
19 |
Midfielder |
Sporting KC II |
Ethan Bartlow |
26 |
Defender |
Trialist |
Carter Derksen |
18 |
Midfielder |
Sporting KC Academy |
Jack Francka |
16 |
Defender |
Sporting KC Academy |
Brendan Mikuliza |
17 |
Goalkeeper |
Sporting KC Academy |
Nate Young |
17 |
Defender |
Sporting KC Academy |
Sporting will kick off the 2026 MLS season on Feb. 21 when the team travels to take on the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park before returning to KC for the club’s home opener against the Columbus Crew on Feb. 28 at Sporting Park.
Season tickets for Sporting’s 2026 campaign – including the Sporting U Pass for college students and Kids Chant Free option for families – are available and feature exclusive benefits, including an Apple TV subscription and complimentary away match tickets. Sporting KC has also launched the Blue Hell Pack – featuring tickets to the home opener as well as home match-ups with St. Louis on Aug. 19 and LAFC on Sept. 12 – along with single-game tickets for the team’s first seven home games of the year.
