Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has exercised contract options for Felipe Hernandez and Jaylin Lindsey ahead of the 2022 MLS season.
Sporting has declined contract options for Amadou Dia, Wilson Harris, Luis Martins, Roberto Puncec, Ilie Sanchez and Brooks Thompson, according to the announcement. Additionally, Graham Smith is out of contract with the club.
Sporting is currently in discussions with Roger Espinoza, Kendall McIntosh and Graham Zusi, all of whom are out of contract with the club, according to the spokesman. These discussions began following the conclusion of Sporting’s 2021 season.
Sporting now has 20 players under contract for the 2022 season: Hernandez and Lindsey plus the 18 players who were already under contract in 2022.
Sporting KC players under contract in 2022
• Goalkeepers (2): Tim Melia, John Pulskamp
• Defenders (5): Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Jaylin Lindsey, Kayden Pierre, Kaveh Rad
• Midfielders (7): Ozzie Cisneros, Jake Davis, Cam Duke, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Jose Mauri, Remi Walter
• Forwards (6): Grayson Barber, Tyler Freeman, Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Khiry Shelton
The calendar of Major League Soccer’s offseason roster-building events begins with a half-trade window Dec. 12 and ends with the MLS SuperDraft Jan. 11. Sporting will have the opportunity to protect up to 12 players in the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft, which will see expansion club Charlotte FC add up to five players to its roster for the 2022 campaign. Homegrown players will be automatically protected in the MLS Expansion Draft.
MLS offseason roster mechanisms
• Sunday, Dec. 12: Half-day trade window (8 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT)
• Tuesday, Dec. 14: MLS Expansion Draft (time TBD)
• Wednesday, Dec. 15: End-of-Year Waivers (12 p.m. CT)
• Wednesday, Dec. 15: Free Agency opens (12 p.m. CT)
• 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 (time TBD)
Sporting’s roster will continue to take shape in the buildup to the club’s 2022 MLS campaign, which will kick off on Feb. 27 at Atlanta United FC. For a full list of Sporting’s offseason roster moves, visit SportingKC.com/news/tracker.
- Story from Sporting KC