Report: Sporting KC Signing Colombian Center Back Daniel Rosero

The offseason for Sporting Kansas City has left the team with one large hole. Center back. Perhaps that hole is about to be filled.

According to a report from Futbolete, Sporting KC have paid $1 million for 50 percent of the rights of Daniel Alejandro Rosero. Dany plays for the Colombian club Junior FC. The 29-year-old is a right-footed CB who recently re-signed with Junior through December 2024, so a transfer fee was required to pry him free.

Rosero arrived at Junior from fellow Colombian side Deportivo Cali in January 2020 for a reported €1.20m transfer fee. Prior to that he played for Patriotas (Colombia) and Arsenal (Argentina). He has extensive experience having play 307 matches according to Transfermarkt for 25,814 minutes where he added 19 goals and seven assists. He also has 88 yellow cards (including eight double yellows) and two straight reds. It would seem he has a physical streak. He hasn’t been sent off since 2021 though, so maybe he’s maturing.

This story may have been first reported by La Pagina Rojiblanca, as it’s hard to tell who is citing who. Another source, Niko Moreno, says he can independently confirm the Rosero signing. Moreno is a journalist in Colombia.

Additionally, an astute reddit poster (SKCKU), saw that Rosero followed Sporting KC and Patrick Mahomes on Instagram.

What Does This Mean for Sporting KC?

This would seem to solidify the depth of SKC’s back line which was very short on experience outside of Andreu Fontas. Presumably, once Rosero has integrated with the team (presuming this rumor is true), he’ll compete for a starting spot.

The 50 percent sell-on fee would seem to be a moot point. It’s very unlikely that SKC sells him for a profit considering he’s already 29. Hopefully he’s a quality player and can start or push to start for years to come.

As for what type of player Rosero is, I won’t pretend I even know how to watch Colombian soccer. However, another reddit user (HawkeyeGK) posted the Football Manager profiles of Rosero and Fontas as a comparison. He has high stats in heading, marking, tackling, jumping, strength and solid speed. Feels like a good fit next to Fontas.

At 6’1” and 192 pounds, he would seem to have the size to stand up to the physical play of MLS as well. Additionally, TM has no injury history listed for him.

In terms of SKC’s roster construction, this would fill the last spot-on Sporting’s roster, but they still have the ability to move Kortne Ford to the season ending injury list to free up a space for a summer move (not to mention they still have one too many left backs).

As for his $1 million transfer fee, it’ll depend heavily on his annual salary where he falls on the roster. Sporting would seem to have the ability to open up at least one Designated Player spot if he’s paid a significant salary. However, according to Capology, the entire Junior FC roster’s payroll is under $5 million. It seems unlikely that Rosero is make a huge portion of that as a central defender.

With all that in mind, the $1 million fee would need to be prorated over the life of the contract, so if it’s a four-year deal for example, that’s just $250,000 added to his salary to determine his cap charge. If the total charge is above $651,250, he would be a Targeted Allocation Money signing and TAM could be used to buy down his cap charge. We’ll know more if/when this signing comes to pass and in the late spring/early summer when the salaries are released.

The Blue Testament will bring you more on this rumor if it comes to pass. What are your initial thoughts on the potential Rosario signing?