Sporting KC II Sign GK Gavin Krenecki

Sporting Kansas City II have upped the size of their roster by one ahead of this Saturday’s game against St. Louis FC. The team announced the signing (again) for goalkeeper Gavin Krenecki.

The 17-year-old Krenecki signed an SKC Academy contract for the second time in as many years. While he was on the roster in 2019, he didn’t make an appearance. However, this year, the odds would seem to be greatly increased with the first team and second team seemingly remaining separated from one another in light of COVID-19.

The addition of Krenecki brings the roster up to 26 players, six of which are on Academy contracts and will retain their eligibility to go to college. Krenecki is currently committed to the University of Louisville.

Krenecki came to the Sporting KC Academy from his native California, where he previously played for the Sacramento Republic Academy. He’s been with SKC since January 2019 having played for both the U-17 and U-19 academy teams.

Where Does he Fit with SKC II?

Brooks Thompson would seem to have a firm lock on the starting goalkeeper spot, especially with 19-year-old John Pulskamp staying with the first team and seemingly not coming on loan to SKC II. The current backup keeper for SKC II is Remi Prieur, who played quite well in his only appearance so far in 2020.

Prieur did pick up a very dumb yellow card from the bench possibly causing the game to be extended against Saint Louis FC last week and potentially allowing time for the game tying goal. Could he be in the doghouse? I have no information, just speculating.

Krenecki may just be emergency depth as he was in 2019. Or it could be a sign that Thompson or Prieur may be unavailable for the the game this weekend. When not playing (or sitting on the bench) for Sporting KC II, I’d expect to see Krenecki continue to play for the SKC Academy, if and when they resume playing games.