As Sporting Kansas City prepares for its 26th season as a charter member of Major League Soccer, SportingKC.com is rolling out a 26-day countdown to the start of the 2021 campaign. A mouthwatering opening weekend of MLS action will see Sporting Kansas City visit the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. CT on April 17, giving supporters their first look at Manager Peter Vermes’ side since last December.
The 2021 Preseason Countdown, presented by Children’s Mercy, serves as the comprehensive, go-to preview of everything that awaits Sporting Kansas City in the weeks and months to come. From key storylines and bold predictions to statistical breakdowns and players to watch, the 2021 Preseason Countdown highlights the many reasons to be excited for what’s ahead. To visit the series homepage as it expands, head to SportingKC.com/2021countdown.
Last year, Sporting Kansas City boasted a truly unique feather in its cap. The club's 2020 roster feature representation from a country on every continent—with the obvious exception of Antarctica. Taking dual nationalities into account, a total of 18 countries were represented on the 2020 squad.
This year, as Sporting's roster has become younger with an influx of Academy products, that international representation isn't quite as widespread. But make no mistake: with 13 countries and four continents accounted for, Sporting remains incredibly diverse—much like the rest of Major League Soccer.
We provide the full geographical breakdown of Sporting's roster makeup in the space below.
Countries represented (13): Colombia, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, USA
Continents represented (4): Africa, Europe, North America, South America
The
Colombia
M Felipe Hernandez (dual citizenship - USA)
Croatia
D Roberto Puncec
Ethiopia and Israel
M Gadi Kinda - dual citizenship
France
D Amadou Dia (dual citizenship - USA)
D Nicolas Isimat-Mirin
M Remi Walter
Honduras
M Roger Espinoza (dual citizenship - USA)
Hungary
F Daniel Salloi
Italy
M Gianluca Busio (dual citizenship - USA)
Mexico
F Alan Pulido
Portugal
D Luis Martins
Scotland
F Johnny Russell
Spain
D Andreu Fontas
M Ilie Sanchez
USA
F Grayson Barber
M Ozzie Cisneros
M Cam Duke
F Tyler Freeman
F Wilson Harris
D Jaylin Lindsey
GK Kendall McIntosh
GK Tim Melia
GK John Pulskamp
D Kaveh Rad
F Khiry Shelton
D Graham Smith
GK Brooks Thompson
D Graham Zusi
