Sporting KC Acquires Defender Emir Karic in Transfer from Sturm Graz
MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Acquires Defender Emir Karic in Transfer from Sturm Graz

Published on June 24, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City has acquired 29-year-old defender Emir Karic in a transfer from Austrian club Sturm Graz, the club announced today. Karic has signed a two-year MLS contract through the 2027-2028 season with a club option for the 2028-2029 season. Karic will occupy an international spot on Sporting's roster, pending receipt of his P1 visa and International Transfer Certificate.

Primarily deployed as a left back, Karic has made 343 career appearances while playing in Austria and Germany, tallying seven goals and 21 assists.

"We are excited to welcome Emir to Sporting Kansas City," President of Soccer Operations & General Manager David Lee said. "Emir is a very experienced left back at a fantastic age that will be able to make an immediate impact on our roster. With over 300 senior matches in his career, he has gained valuable experience in both the German Bundesliga and European competition. He has good technical traits and excellent physical attributes that will fit into our team and style of play, while he has displayed his winning mentality by helping Sturm Graz win the title and also earned promotion with Darmstadt. We are delighted that Emir really wanted to be a part of the club and we are pleased that he is joining us before we start the second half of the campaign."

Born and raised in Linz, Austria, Karic was a member of the LASK youth system and made his professional debut for the Austrian giants at the age of 17 in May 2015. That summer, Karic signed with FC Liefering - the reserve team of Red Bull Salzburg - and spent three seasons developing in the Austrian second division, logging five assists in 63 appearances for Liefering while also representing Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Youth League.

In the summer of 2018, Karic moved to SC Rheindorf Altach in the Austrian Bundesliga and cemented himself as a regular starter in the top division, playing 84 matches and recording six assists over the three ensuing seasons while also scoring his first professional goal against TSV Hartberg on Nov. 24, 2019.

Karic made the jump to Germany in 2021, signing with SV Darmstadt 98 in the German 2. Bundesliga where he made 85 appearances and scored four goals to go along with three assists. After a strong first season in 2021-2022 where Karic tallied two goals and two assists to help Darmstadt finish fourth, the team reached new heights in 2022-2023 with Karic recording two goals and one assist in 30 appearances across all competitions as Darmstadt earned promotion to the Bundesliga with a second-place finish.

When Darmstadt's following season in the Bundesliga ended in relegation, Karic returned to Austria and signed with perennial contenders Sturm Graz. Karic helped Sturm Graz retain the Austrian Bundesliga title in his first season, tallying two assists in 18 appearances across all competitions as the team won their fifth league championship.

During the 2025-2026 season, Karic recorded five assists in 44 matches - including 10 appearances in European competition as Sturm Graz participated in UEFA Champions League Qualifying and the UEFA Europa League. After leading the league at the end of the regular season, Sturm Graz missed out on a third successive title when they were edged out by LASK in the Championship Round.

Internationally, Karic has earned one cap for the Bosnia & Herzegovina National Team. After representing Austria at the U-18, U-19 and U-21 levels, Karic made the switch to Bosnia and made his international debut last year in a 1-1 draw against Austria in FIFA World Cup Qualifying on Nov. 18, 2025.

Sporting will continue the club's 2026 MLS season with a trip to take on cross-state rivals St. Louis at Energizer Park on Thursday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m. CT before returning to Kansas City for the team's first post-World Cup home match when the team hosts Minnesota United at Sporting Park on Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

With the addition of Karic, Sporting now has 26 players under contract for the 2026 season. For a full list of the club's roster moves, visit sportingkc.com/transactions.

Goalkeepers (4): Stefan Cleveland, Jack Kortkamp, John Pulskamp, Ryan Schewe

Defenders (10): Ethan Bartlow, Zorhan Bassong, Or Blorian, Diego Borges, Ian James, Emir Karic, Wyatt Meyer, Jansen Miller, Jayden Reid, Justin Reynolds

Midfielders (6): Kwaku Agyabeng, Jacob Bartlett, Lasse Berg Johnsen, Jake Davis, Manu Garcia, Cielo Tschantret

Forwards (6): Stephen Afrifa, Taylor Calheira, Capita Capemba, Calvin Harris, Dejan Joveljic, Shapi SuleymanovTransaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) acquires defender Emir Karic in transfer from Sturm Graz (Austria).

VITALS

Emir Karic (eh-meer CAH-rich)

Position: Defender

Birthdate: 6/9/1997 (29 years old)

Height: 6-0

Weight: 160 lbs.

Hometown: Linz, Austria

Birthplace: Linz, Austria

Citizenship: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina

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