Sporting KC releases list of protected players ahead of 2022 MLS Expansion Draft

Major League Soccer announced today that Sporting Kansas City has protected the following 12 players ahead of the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft on Friday:

• Defenders (4): Kortne Ford, Logan Ndenbe, Robert Voloder, Graham Zusi
• Midfielders (3): Gadi Kinda, Erik Thommy, Remi Walter
• Forwards (5): William Agada, Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Marinos Tzionis

In addition, the following seven players from Sporting’s 2022 roster are automatically protected as Homegrown Players age 25 or younger: Ozzie Cisneros, Jake Davis, Cam Duke, Felipe Hernandez, Kayden Pierre, John Pulskamp and Kaveh Rad.

The following eight players from Sporting’s 2022 roster will be eligible for selection by St. Louis City SC in the MLS Expansion Draft: Roger Espinoza, Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Kendall McIntosh, Tim Melia, Uri Rosell, Khiry Shelton and Ben Sweat.

The MLS Expansion Draft will stream live on YouTube at 6 p.m. CT on Friday. St. Louis City SC will add up to five players to the club’s roster in preparation for their inaugural 2023 campaign. Per MLS Expansion Draft rules, only a single player can be drafted from any one club. Once one player has been claimed from a club’s unprotected roster, that club is removed from the Expansion Draft and may not lose any further players. Five clubs that had players selected by Charlotte FC during the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft will be exempt from the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft: Austin FC, Atlanta United FC, D.C. United, LAFC and New York City FC.

The calendar of Major League Soccer’s offseason roster-building events is listed below.

MLS Offseason Roster Mechanisms:

• Friday, Nov. 11: MLS Expansion Draft (6 p.m. CT)
• Monday, Nov. 14: Deadline for clubs to exercise contract options on players (11 a.m. CT)
• Wednesday, Nov. 16: Free Agency opens (12 p.m. CT)
• Thursday, Nov. 17: Re-Entry Draft, Stage 1 (12 p.m. CT)
• Thursday, Nov. 17: End-of-Year Waivers (4 p.m. CT)
• Tuesday, Nov. 22: Re-Entry Draft, Stage 2 (12 p.m. CT)
• Wednesday, Dec. 21: MLS SuperDraft (time TBD)

Season tickets for Sporting Kansas City’s 2023 campaign are available and include exclusive Season Ticket Member benefits, including full access to the new MLS streaming service on the Apple TV app. Fans interested in securing season tickets can visit SportingKC.com or call 888-4KC-GOAL to learn more.