Sporting Kansas City signed defender Matt Lewis as the eighth Homegrown Player in club history in January 2018. Lewis is on a one-year contract with options for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY
Lewis was a team captain for the Sporting KC Academy U-18s throughout the 2013-14 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. The center back was named a finalist for Sporting KC Male Youth Player of the Year at the 2014 Kevin Gray Awards. Lewis, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, attended Rockhurst High School.
COLLEGE
Lewis started all 84 college appearances for Fordham University from 2014-2017 — becoming the school’s career leader in both categories — while also tallying five goals and four assists over his last two seasons. He helped lead the Rams to a pair of Atlantic 10 Championship titles and three NCAA tournament appearances, including a run to the program’s first-ever Elite Eight in December 2017.
In addition to winning 39 career games at Fordham, Lewis earned multiple individual accolades as a college standout. He was an All-Atlantic 10 Second Team selection as a sophomore and junior and received 2017 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior, guiding Fordham to 11 clean sheets in his final season.