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Sporting KC heads back to Arizona for leg 2 of preseason

Some changes to the roster as SKC prepares for the new season

2019 Preseason
Thad Bell

Sporting Kansas City is back in Arizona for preseason. After two 4-0 wins in the first leg, Sporting KC will face three MLS teams (Columbus Crew SC, Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls) and one of the better USL teams (Phoenix Rising).

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Time (CT) or Result Location
Date Opponent Time (CT) or Result Location
Saturday, Jan. 25 Phoenix Rising FC Trialists W 4-0 Casino Arizona Field; Tempe, Ariz.
Saturday, Feb. 1 FC Cincinnati W 4-0 Grande Sports World; Casa Grande, Ariz.
Wednesday, Feb. 12 Columbus Crew SC Noon Grande Sports World; Casa Grande, Ariz.
Saturday, Feb. 15 Real Salt Lake (Visit Tucson Sun Cup) 5:00 PM Kino North Stadium; Tucson, Ariz.
Wednesday, Feb. 19 Phoenix Rising FC (Visit Tucson Sun Cup) 8:00 PM Casino Arizona Field; Tempe, Ariz.
Saturday, Feb. 22 New York Red Bulls (Visit Tucson Sun Cup) 3:00 PM Kino North Stadium; Tucson, Ariz.

A few players not on the roster for this leg are Sporting KC midfielders Felipe Hernandez and Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal and draft picks James Kasak and Jaret Townsend. They are with Sporting KC II training in Kansas City. Eric Dick is in Arizona but is on loan with Phoenix for the season (pending recall).

A few Sporting KC II players are in Arizona with the first team. Wilson Harris, John Pulskamp, Kaveh Rad, Camden Riley and Brooks Thompson. SKC Academy standouts Jake Davis and Tucker Lepley are also on the roster. All of these players are likely receiving extended looks for one of two reasons. First, they are for the most part the closest to potentially earning a senior team contract. Secondly, even if they are not close to receiving a first team contract, they can benefit from the competition with the senior team while not bringing the level down too much.

Leg 2 roster

# Player Position Age
# Player Position Age
1 Richard Sanchez Goalkeeper 25
2 Botond Barath Defender 27
3 Andreu Fontas Defender 30
4 Roberto Puncec Defender 28
5 Matt Besler Defender 32
6 Ilie Sanchez Midfielder 29
7 Johnny Russell Forward 29
8 Graham Zusi Defender 33
9 Alan Pulido Forward 28
10 Felipe Gutierrez Midfielder 29
11 Khiry Shelton Forward 26
12 Gerso Fernandes Forward 28
13 Amadou Dia Defender 26
15 Roger Espinoza Midfielder 33
16 Graham Smith Defender 24
17 Gadi Kinda Midfielder 25
19 Erik Hurtado Forward 29
20 Daniel Salloi Forward 23
23 Tyler Freeman Forward 17
26 Jaylin Lindsey Defender 19
27 Gianluca Busio Midfielder 17
28 Cameron Duke Midfielder 18
29 Tim Melia Goalkeeper 33
36 Luis Martins Defender 27
Wilson Harris * Forward 20
John Pulskamp * Goalkeeper 18
Kaveh Rad * Defender 18
Camden Riley * Defender 23
Brooks Thompson * Goalkeeper 17
Jake Davis ** Midfielder 18
Tucker Lepley ** Midfielder 18
SKC Preseason roster

* Under contract with Sporting KC II

** Member of Sporting KC Academy