Tag: Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido has been selected to the Mexico Men’s National Team for two upcoming friendly matches in Europe, the Mexican Football Federation has announced.

Pulido will join a 26-player squad assembled by head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino for games at Wales on March 27 in Cardiff and against Concacaf rival Costa Rica on March 30 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Following the friendly matches, Pulido will adhere to mandated health and safety protocols in accordance with international travel before rejoining Sporting Kansas City in April for the start of the 2021 MLS regular season.

Pulido tallied seven goals and five assists in 14 appearances across all competitions during his first MLS season with Sporting in 2020.

His six goals and five assists in regular season play were both team highs, marking the first time since 2005 that a player has led Sporting in both goals and assists. Sporting went 8-2-1 and averaged 2.27 goals per match in the 11 regular season games that he started.

Last November, Pulido was one of three finalists for 2020 MLS Newcomer of the Year and was selected as Sporting’s Offensive Player of the Year. His contributions helped manager Peter Vermes’ side finish atop the Western Conference standings with a 12-6-3 record and 1.86 points per match, the highest clip in club history.

Pulido has recorded five goals in 14 career caps for Mexico, most recently featuring in El Tri’s 2-2 friendly draw against Algeria last October in the Netherlands. He has notably represented his country at the 2011 Copa America in Argentina and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The 30-year-old forward is one of four MLS players on Mexico’s roster, joining Rodolfo Pizarro of Inter Miami CF and LA Galaxy duo Efrain Alvarez and Jonathan dos Santos.

A native of Ciudad Victoria, Pulido has featured for Mexico at the U-20, U-23 and senior levels. He led El Tri to the 2011 Concacaf U-20 Championship title, scoring three goals at the tournament, before making five appearances at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia as Mexico finished in third place.

In April 2012, Pulido and the Mexico U-23s hoisted the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Tournament title at Children’s Mercy Park. The semifinal and final matches both took place in Sporting’s home stadium, with Pulido scoring in a 3-1 semifinal victory over Canada.

He finished as the competition’s leading scorer with five goals, helping Mexico book their place at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and guided El Tri to the Toulon Tournament championship later that year in France.

Pulido made his senior international debut on Jan. 29, 2014, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 friendly win against South Korea in San Antonio, Texas. He added another goal in a 2-2 friendly draw with the United States over two months later and bagged his fifth Mexico goal in a friendly win over Iceland in February 2017.

• Story from Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has signed 29-year-old French defender Nicolas Isimat-Mirin.

The center back has signed a two-year MLS contract through 2022 with an option for 2023 and will occupy an international slot on Sporting’s roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 visa.

Isimat-Mirin has played over 250 professional matches since 2010, featuring in the top divisions of France, the Netherlands and Turkey. He has logged 93 appearances each in France’s Ligue 1 and the Dutch Eredivisie, where he won three league titles as an integral member of PSV Eindhoven.

With experience in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, Isimat-Mirin arrives at Sporting following a stint with Turkish powerhouse Besiktas.

Born in the Paris suburb of Meudon, Isimat-Mirin competed in the Clairefontaine youth academy from 2004 to 2007 before continuing his development at Rennes (2007-2009) and Valenciennes (2009-2010). He began his professional career as an 18-year-old in 2010 and spent the next three seasons as a regular starter for Valenciennes, helping the side to three straight top-12 finishes in Ligue 1.

While at Valenciennes, Isimat-Mirin represented France as a U-20 and U-21 youth international and notably featured for Les Bleus during 2013 UEFA European U-21 Championship qualifying. He struck a center back partnership alongside future FIFA World Cup winner Raphael Varane as France finished atop its qualifying group.

Strong performances at Valenciennes landed Isimat-Mirin a transfer to French title contender Monaco. He played 11 matches for the club in all competitions during the 2013-14 season as Monaco placed second in Ligue 1 and advanced to the Coupe de France semifinals.

In September 2014, Isimat-Mirin was loaned from Monaco to PSV Eindhoven, marking the start of a brilliant four-year tenure at the Dutch juggernaut. In his first Eredivisie campaign, he helped PSV win the league title by a 17-point margin while also playing six matches in the UEFA Europa League.

PSV acquired the defender on a permanent transfer ahead of the 2015-2016 campaign, which saw Isimat-Mirin appear in 26 matches as PSV captured another Eredivisie title and advanced to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, where they fell to eventual finalist Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout following two scoreless legs.

PSV relinquished its Eredivisie crown in 2016-2017, but Isimat-Mirin continued to flourish with starts in 35 of 37 matches, including five of six UEFA Champions League group stage contests against Atletico Madrid, German giants Bayern Munich and Russian outfit FC Rostov.

Isimat-Mirin and PSV reclaimed their perch atop the Eredivisie in 2017-2018, edging archrivals Ajax by four points and clinching the title with a 3-0 win over the club on April 15. Isimat-Mirin started 37 matches in his final full campaign at PSV, ending his time in Eindhoven with six goals and 130 competitive appearances.

In January 2019, Isimat-Mirin left the Netherlands to join Besiktas in Turkey. He started 14 matches during the latter half of the Super Lig season with Besiktas finishing four points shy of the league title. For the 2019-2020 campaign, the defender was loaned back to Ligue 1 for a stint with Toulouse, where he made 16 starts and scored his 10th professional goal versus Strasbourg in December 2019.

Isimat-Mirin is the second French player to join Sporting this offseason. Last month, the club signed 25-year-old midfielder Remi Walter, who made 74 Ligue 1 appearances during spells at Nice and Troyes and played for France at the U-17 through U-21 levels.

With the addition of Isimat-Mirin, Sporting’s roster now consists of 27 players. The club will convene on Feb. 22 for the start of the 2021 preseason, presented by Children’s Mercy, before kicking off the 2021 MLS campaign on the first weekend of April.

• Information from Sporting KC