SM West’s Sydney Miramontez signs first pro contract with FC Kansas City

When Sydney Miramontez first met FC Kansas City coach Vlatko Andonovski, she was a senior at Shawnee Mission West in search of a club soccer team.

FCKC didn’t exist yet. Andonovski was a coach for the newly-created Sporting Blue Valley club, the product of a merger between KCFC and Blue Valley Soccer clubs.

Miramontez fit right in.

Five years and a league later, Miramontez has run into the same fate with FCKC. After months spent training with the Blues as a reserve player, Miramontez was pulled aside after practice last week and given news she hadn’t thought would come any time soon: FC Kansas City was offering her a contract to be a professional player in the National Women’s Soccer League.

“I just wasn’t in the mind-set that it would come,” said Miramontez, who was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Nebraska this winter. “But I also think that’s kind of been better for me throughout this whole process. Just no expectations but continuing to work hard and knowing that there could be an end result, and if not, just keep going. It was a big surprise.”

“I don’t know if back at West I ever thought this would become a reality,” she added.

The club announced the transaction Wednesday, two days before the Blues were scheduled to play the Boston Breakers without U.S. women’s national team members Becky Sauerbrunn and Sydney Leroux. The players have yet to return from their duties at the Tournament of Nations.

Though she’s a midfielder by trade, Miramontez has meshed into Andonovski’s system as a defender. She likely will get the start in Sauerbrunn’s place in Boston on Friday night.

“She has a very bright soccer mind. She’s very creative, and some of the plays in the back and the way we play, she fits in perfect,” Andonovski said. “It’s hard to replace Becky but Sydney has a very similar mind-set. She’s got a great opportunity in front of her and I’m looking forward to seeing her.”

Before Miramontez could get to where she’s playing in place of someone she grew up watching on television, she played for former FCKC general manager Huw Williams at GSI Pride in Kansas City. When she wasn’t training with FCKC, which she’s done since she was released from the preseason roster in April, she and other FCKC reserves sharpened their skills playing in the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

“This training environment throughout the whole summer has helped me and then getting to play in games and continue to work on my game fitness, it was kind of a perfect piece to the puzzle,” Miramontez said.

Miramontez and FCKC (3-7-4) will travel to Boston for a match on Friday at 6 p.m. against the Breakers (3-7-5). The Blues have not won a game since May 27. Their first win of the season came on April 15 against Boston.

The game will be available for streaming on NWSLsoccer.com and on the go90 app.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 3:04 PM with the headline "SM West’s Sydney Miramontez signs first pro contract with FC Kansas City."