Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed 23-year-old center back Demarre Montoute to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract ahead of the 2024 season.
On the heels of a successful preseason training stint with Sporting KC II, Montoute is poised for his rookie campaign as a pro after playing four years of college soccer from 2019-2023. The 6-foot-3 defender spent each of his last three seasons at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he started 42 of his 43 appearances and guided the Red Foxes to the 2021 NCAA Tournament as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Montoute played club soccer for Vaugh Azurri, winning the 2018 Ontario Cup and 2019 Montverde Showcase at the U-19 level. He then went stateside for the start of his college soccer career, joining Marshall University in 2019 for a freshman season that yielded 11 appearances and a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen with the Thundering Herd.
Montoute transferred to Marist in 2020 and had his debut season with the Red Foxes in 2021, starting 19 matches and propelling his side to the NCAA Tournament. The center back was named to the MAAC All-Championship team that fall, anchoring a defense that earned clean sheet wins in the conference quarterfinals and semifinals before edging Rider on penalties in the final.
Montoute had another big year in 2022, earning Third Team All-MAAC honors with one goal and one assist, before starting 13 of his 14 appearances as senior and team captain in 2023 and finishing his college stint on the All-MAAC Second Team.
Led by head coach and Sporting Kansas City great Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC II will open the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign on March 17 by visiting Houston Dynamo 2 for the first of 28 regular season matches. The club is looking to go a step further in 2024 after reaching the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for the first time last fall. Tickets for Sporting KC II home games are on sale now at SeatGeek.com, with 10 fixtures to be played at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, and four at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.
- Defenders (5): Nati Clarke, Kortne Ford, Demarre Montoute, Jonathan Robinson, Mason Visconti
- Midfielders (4): Haris Alisah, Ethan Bryant, Sebastian Cruz, Jake Swallen
- Forwards (4): Beto Avila, Kamron Habibullah, Roberto Hategan, Pau Vidal
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs defender Demarre Montoute to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
VITALS
- Demarre Montoute
- Position: Defender
- Birthdate: 3/3/2001 (23 years old)
- Height: 6-2
- Weight: 175 lbs.
- Hometown: Toronto, Canada
- Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
- College: Marist (2020-2023), Marshall (2019)
- Instagram: @Neatly_DM
