Sporting Kansas City announced Monday that the club has acquired forward Krisztian Nemeth from the New England Revolution in exchange for $250,000 in Targeted Allocation Money, $100,000 in General Allocation Money and a natural first-round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Nemeth has been added to the Sporting KC roster and will occupy an international spot.
Nemeth, 29, returns to Sporting KC after recording 16 goals and seven assists in 33 competitive matches for the club in 2015. The forward joined Al-Gharafa SC in Qatar in 2016 and has spent the last 12 months in Major League Soccer with New England.
“Krisztian is a player who has had success at our club and knows what goals we want to accomplish,” Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said. “We are excited to welcome him back to Sporting KC, and his familiarity with our system will help him acclimate as we continue to push for playoff positioning.”
In his first stint with Sporting KC, Nemeth was named the club’s newcomer of the year and became Kansas City’s first MLS Goal of the Year winner for his stunning solo effort in a 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers on Oct. 3, 2015. The Hungarian scored 10 goals throughout the 2015 regular season, earning MLS Player of the Month honors in May, and added a playoff goal in Sporting KC’s penalty shootout loss to Portland in the Western Conference Knockout Round.
Nemeth also played a pivotal role in Sporting KC’s run to the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, finishing as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with five goals. He scored in every Open Cup match from the Round of 16 onward, including a second-half equalizer in the final as Sporting KC defeated the Philadelphia Union on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Nemeth’s five career Open Cup goals are tied for second-most in club history.
After receiving zero caps in 2014, Nemeth revived his international career with the Hungary Men’s National Team during his time with Sporting KC. He played eight of his 34 career matches for the Magyars in 2015, scoring twice in UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifying and helping Hungary clinch its first European Championship appearance since 1972.
Nemeth featured twice at UEFA Euro 2016 in France, starting in a 2-0 win over Austria and coming off the bench in a 3-3 draw against eventual champions Portugal. He went on to represent his country with three appearances in 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying and scored his fourth international goal in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Kazakhstan on March 23.
In January 2016, Nemeth joined Al-Gharafa SC, where he scored 13 goals across 26 appearances. After one and a half seasons in the Qatar Stars League, Nemeth returned to MLS last August when he joined New England. He started seven of 21 league appearances for the Revolution, tallying a goal and three assists.
Nemeth debuted for Hungary’s senior team at age 21 in 2010 and made five appearances throughout 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. Prior to signing for Sporting KC in December 2014, he notched eight goals and six assists in 24 games for Roda JC Kerkrade in the Netherlands top-flight Eredivisie during the 2013-14 season.
Nemeth began his professional career in 2005 at age 15 when he signed with Hungarian club MTK Budapest. In 2008, he joined English Premier League giant Liverpool and featured extensively for the Liverpool Reserves, where he scored nine goals in 12 matches. Following a brief loan spell at English side Blackpool in 2009, Nemeth continued his career in Greece with stints at AEK Athens (2009-10), Olympiacos (2010-11) and Olympiacos Volos (2011). The forward briefly returned to MTK Budapest before moving to the Netherlands where he linked up with RKC Waalwijk for the 2011-12 Eredivisie campaign. He then spent the next two seasons at Roda JC Kerkrade.
On the international stage, Nemeth starred for the Hungary U-17 and U-19 youth national teams en route to earning a spot on his country’s roster for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He led Hungary to a third-place finish with three goals in six matches at the tournament, including two goals in extra time against Italy in the quarterfinals.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) acquires forward Krisztian Nemeth from the New England Revolution (MLS) in exchange for $250,000 in Targeted Allocation Money, $100,000 in General Allocation Money and a natural first-round draft pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
VITALS
Krisztian Nemeth (KRIS-tee-ON NEY-muth)
Position: Forward
Born: 1/5/1989
Height: 5-11
Weight: 165
Hometown: Gyor, Hungary
Birthplace: Gyor, Hungary
Citizenship: Hungary
Former Club: New England Revolution
Twitter: @KNemeth_Nemo
Instagram: @krisztiannemeth9
