Sporting KC

Sporting KC signs 22-year-old midfielder Benji Joya

Benji Joya (right)
Benji Joya (right) AP

In the hours before Major League Soccer requires its teams to freeze their respective rosters for the season, Sporting Kansas City made one addition.

The club added 22-year-old United States youth national team player Benji Joya on Thursday as a depth piece to the midfield. The signing is pending receipt of his international transfer certificate.

A San Jose native, Joya appeared extensively for the U.S. Under-20 national team, playing for the squad at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

He joined the Chicago Fire on loan in 2014, making 12 appearances, including nine starts. He spent the 2015-16 seasons playing in the Mexican second division with Club Necaxa.

Joya will serve as depth in a midfield that starts Benny Feilhaber, Roger Espinoza and Soni Mustivar.

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Sporting KC signs 22-year-old midfielder Benji Joya."

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