Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed 19-year-old midfielder Cade Thomson to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract, pending league and U.S. Soccer Federation approval.
Thomson will join Sporting KC II for the team’s first season in MLS NEXT Pro, a new professional league that will kick off on the final weekend of March. With his arrival, Sporting KC II now has 16 players under professional contract heading into the MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
Sporting KC II Roster as of March 3, 2022
- Goalkeepers (1): Ethan Bandre
- Defenders (4): Joseph Addo Tetteh, Aljaz Dzankic, Spencer Glass, Cole McLagan
- Midfielders (4): Collin Fernandez, Curtez Kellman, Jahon Rad, Cade Thomson
- Forwards (7): Paul Atta Agyei, Bakary Bagayoko, Josh Coan, Tijani Fatah, Rauf Salifu, Julian Vazquez, Dembakwi Yomba
Thomson arrives in Kansas City to begin his pro career after spending two years at Xavier University. The midfielder started three of eight appearances as a freshman in the spring of 2021, logging 234 minutes of action as a Big East All-Academic Team selection, and his sophomore campaign last fall was cut short due to injury.
A native of Minnesota, Thomson was a four-year member of the Shattuck St. Mary’s youth academy in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. He led the team to a 2019 Central Conference Championship and a berth in the USSDA Playoffs that summer.
Sporting KC II enters its seventh season in club history under the guidance of first-year head coach Benny Feilhaber and assistant coach Ike Opara. Feilhaber and Opara starred for Sporting at the MLS level last decade and have taken the helm of Sporting KC II in 2022, ushering in a new era in MLS NEXT Pro.
Sporting KC II will open the season at Colorado Rapids 2 on March 27 and will make their debut at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, with a home opener on April 10 against Houston Dynamo 2. Fans will be able to purchase tickets at SeatGeek.com at a later date and all MLS NEXT Pro matches will stream live on mlsnextpro.com.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs midfielder Cade Thomson to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
VITALS
Cade Thomson
Position: Midfielder
Born: 6/6/2002 (19 years old)
Height: 5-10
Weight: 155 lbs.
Hometown: Chanhassen, Minnesota
Birthplace: St. Louis Park, Minnesota
College: Xavier University
Citizenship: USA
