MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Protects 12 Players Ahead of MLS Expansion Draft

December 13, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Major League Soccer announced today that Sporting Kansas City has protected the following 12 players ahead of the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft on Tuesday.

Goalkeepers (2): Kendall McIntosh, Tim Melia

Defenders (3): Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Graham Zusi

Midfielders (4): Roger Espinoza, Gadi Kinda, Jose Mauri, Remi Walter

Forwards (3): Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Khiry Shelton

In addition, the following 12 players from Sporting's 2021 roster are automatically protected as Homegrown Players: Grayson Barber, Ozzie Cisneros, Jake Davis, Cam Duke, Tyler Freeman, Wilson Harris, Felipe Hernandez, Kayden Pierre, John Pulskamp, Kaveh Rad, Daniel Salloi and Brooks Thompson.

The following five players from Sporting's 2021 roster will be eligible for selection by Charlotte FC in the MLS Expansion Draft: Amadou Dia, Luis Martins, Roberto Puncec, Graham Smith and Ilie Sanchez.

The MLS Expansion Draft will stream live on MLSsoccer.com and the MLS app at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Charlotte FC will add up to five players to the club's roster in preparation for their inaugural 2022 campaign. Per MLS Expansion Draft rules, only a single player can be drafted from any one club. Once one player has been claimed from a club's unprotected roster, that club is removed from the Expansion Draft and may not lose any further players.

The calendar of Major League Soccer's offseason roster-building events is listed below, with the Expansion Draft followed by End-of-Year Waivers, the start of Free Agency and Stages 1 and 2 of the Re-Entry Process. In addition, MLS will release the 2022 regular season schedule on Wednesday, with Sporting set to open the campaign at Atlanta United FC on Feb. 27 before hosting Houston Dynamo FC in its highly anticipated Children's Mercy Park curtain raiser on March 5.

2021-22 MLS Offseason: Key Dates

Tuesday, Dec. 14: MLS Expansion Draft (6 p.m. CT)

Wednesday, Dec. 15: End-of-Year Waivers (12 p.m. CT)

Wednesday, Dec. 15: Free Agency opens (12 p.m. CT)

Wednesday, Dec. 15: 2022 MLS regular season schedule release

Friday, Dec. 17: Re-Entry Process, Stage 1 (12 p.m. CT)

Thursday, Dec. 23: Re-Entry Process, Stage 2 (12 p.m. CT)

Tuesday, Jan. 11: 2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas

Season tickets for Sporting Kansas City's 2022 campaign are available and include exclusive Season Ticket Member benefits. Fans interested in securing season tickets can visit SportingKC.com or call 888-4KC-GOAL to learn more and place a deposit in one of 10 different seating sections inside Children's Mercy Park.

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Major League Soccer Stories from December 13, 2021


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