Lee Tschantret has been named the new head coach of Sporting Kansas City II, the club announced today.
In addition, Luis Pacheco will be Sporting KC II’s assistant coach and Carlos Ortiz will be the team’s goalkeeper coach.
“We are excited for Lee to lead SKC II and provide the driving force of a critical part of our player development pathway,” President of Soccer Operations & General Manager David Lee said. “His quality of work at the Academy has been outstanding and his familiarity with our up-and-coming talent will serve him well in his new role. We are also delighted to complete a strong and committed SKC II coaching staff with Luis and Carlos, and this opportunity is reward for their years of hard work and dedication to the club. Academy Director Declan Jogi has done an excellent job in identifying and developing these three talented coaches who have earned the opportunity to step into the professional game.”
Tschantret has served as Sporting Kansas City’s U-18s head coach since the start of the 2023-24 season, leading the group to back-to-back UPSL Regular Season titles before the U-18s rejoined MLS NEXT for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. With over 18 years of coaching under his belt, he also boasts a lengthy playing career.
A native of Albany, New York, Tschantret’s playing days spanned 20 years, including a finals appearance with the Albany Capitals in the American Professional Soccer League. He then helped steer the Kansas City Attack in the National Professional Soccer League to a 1997 NPSL Championship title and earned 1998 First XI All-Star team honors in the A-League. He went on to captain the United States National Futsal Team at the 2004 Indoor World Cup in Taipei.
Tschantret earned a BA in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Science in Coaching Education, Recreation, and Sports Science from the University of Ohio. He began his coaching career in 2004 and served as Assistant Coach for the US Youth National Team U-18s from 2016-2018.
Tschantret joined the Sporting KC Academy in August 2023 as the head coach of the U-19s. He led the group to a UPSL Oklahoma-Arkansas regular season title in the fall and defended it with another regular season crown in the Spring of 2024. Tschantret oversaw the transition of Sporting’s U-19s into the U-18s and oversaw the rejoining of MLS NEXT for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 campaigns. He holds a USSF A License.
Joining Lee on the sideline as SKC II’s assistant coach is Sporting’s U-15s head coach, Luis Pacheco, who joined the Sporting KC Academy in 2017 as the U-13s head coach. Pacheco developed as a player at Vardar Soccer Club in Michigan and played collegiately at the University of Louisville from 2007-2011, where he helped the Cardinals to a 2010 College Cup Finals appearance.
As a coach in the SKC Academy, he has guided the U-15s for the past four seasons, helping them make the 2024 GA Cup Premier Bracket Finals and the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs after a perfect showing at the 2025 MLS NEXT Flex. He holds a USSF A License and received his Elite Formation Coaching License in partnership with the French Football Federation in Oct. 2024.
Carlos Ortiz will serve as the SKC II goalkeeper coach after he became a part of the SKC Academy in January 2024. A graduate of Graceland University, he holds a Bachelor of Physical Education and Health as well as a Master of Psychology from the University of Thessaly in Greece, and was drafted by Real Salt Lake. His playing experience includes stops in Colombia, South Korea, Mexico and Australia.
Before Sporting, he worked as an assistant coach at Graceland University and Seton Hall University before taking on the role as the Goalkeeping Academy Director at Austin FC, where he also worked with Austin FC II in MLS NEXT Pro. As the SKC Academy goalkeeper coach, he has been responsible for the development of the goalkeepers at all age levels. He currently holds his USSF B license and is working towards earning his A.
Tschantret becomes the sixth Sporting KC II head coach in team history, following Marc Dos Santos (2016), Nikola Popovic (2017), Paulo Nagamura (2018-2021), Benny Feilhaber (2022-2024) and Istvan Urbanyi (2025).
Sporting KC II kicks off their 2026 campaign against St. Louis CITY2 on Saturday, February 28. The game will begin at 4 p.m. CT.
