Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has signed 15-year-old Academy midfielder Zamir Loyo Reynaga to a contract with Sporting KC II and the Sporting KC first team.
Loyo Reynaga will spend the 2026 season under an MLS NEXT Pro contract with SKC II before elevating to the Sporting KC first team as a Homegrown Player at the start of 2027 on an MLS contract through the 2030-2031 season with a club option for the 2031-2032 season.
“We are delighted that Zamir has committed to becoming a professional player at this young age,” President of Soccer Operations & General Manager David Lee said. “When I arrived at the club, I wanted to assess the existing talent within our system and it quickly became clear that we had a player in Zamir with special talent and high potential based on how he was performing last season at the age of 14 – debuting with SKC II and playing regularly for the U-18s.
“Zamir is a left-footed attacking midfielder with excellent technical ability and high game intelligence. He experienced our first-team environment and adapted well to the demands during preseason. Zamir is an example of the tremendous work happening in our Academy, from identifying talent to developing players and young men. The Academy continues to serve a crucial role in our organization and developing players capable of playing in front of our fans is critical to our success.
“This is a day of celebration for Zamir, his family and the club but the work continues immediately to maximize Zamir’s potential and help him reach the highest level. Player development is not linear, and our role is to support Zamir through his next period of growth one step at a time through a humble, hard-working and dedicated approach.”
Loyo Reynaga, who spent the first leg of Sporting KC’s 2026 preseason with the first team in Florida, became the youngest player in club history to represent SKC II when he made his debut against Ventura County FC on Sept. 28, 2025 at the age of 14 years and 251 days – surpassing Ian James and Gianluca Busio. He is also the sixth youngest player to appear in MLS NEXT Pro all-time.
Youngest players to make SKC II debut
- Zamir Loyo Reynaga – 14 years and 251 days
- Ian James – 15 years and 285 days
- Gianluca Busio – 15 years and 311 days
The Las Vegas, Nevada native made two appearances in MLS NEXT Pro this past season, following up his debut in September with a 21-minute cameo off the bench against Minnesota United 2 on Oct. 5, 2025.
Loyo Reynaga joined the Sporting KC Academy in 2023 – living with a host family through the club’s Residential Program – and made his first appearance with the U-14s at Cronos Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico that December. The following year, he helped the U-14s lift the 2024 Easter International Cup in Orlando, Florida, and finish second at the annual Patterson Cup.
The versatile midfielder played with the U-16s during the 2024-25 MLS NEXT season, competing at the 2025 Generation adidas Cup and MLS NEXT FLEX in the spring of 2025, before joining the U-15s for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs in June. At the start of the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season, Loyo Reynaga began competing with the U-18s, while also gaining valuable training experience with Sporting KC II and the SKC first team.
Internationally, Loyo Reynaga has represented both the United States and Mexico at the youth level. He received a call-up to the U.S. U-14 National Team for an ID camp in April 2025 before representing the Mexico U-15s in July. Loyo Reynaga was most recently called in to the U.S. U-15 National Team for a domestic training camp in September 2025 and is set to rejoin the squad for a training camp in Cyprus later this month.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) signs midfielder Zamir Loyo Reynaga to a contract with SKC II and the first team, spending the 2026 season under an MLS NEXT Pro contract with SKC II before elevating to the Sporting KC first team as a Homegrown Player at the start of 2027 on an MLS contract through the 2030-2031 season with a club option for the 2031-2032 season.
VITALS
Zamir Loyo Reynaga (zuh-MEER low-yo RAY-nah-gah)
Position: Midfielder
Birthdate: 1/20/2011 (15 years old)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Birthplace: Las Vegas, NV
Citizenship: USA, Mexico
