Sporting KC signs 15-year-old from Shawnee as second-youngest player in club history
For the fourth time in 14 months, Sporting Kansas City has signed a teenager from its academy to a professional contract.
The club agreed Tuesday to homegrown pact with 15-year-old forward Tyler Freeman that will run through the 2022 season.
At 15 years and 266 days old, Freeman, a resident of Shawnee, is the second-youngest signing in franchise history. Sporting KC midfielder Gianluca Busio was 15 years and 89 days old when he signed in August 2017, a deal that ignited the string of homegrown teenagers joining the first team.
Sporting KC has since signed defender Jaylin Lindsey and midfielder Wan Kuzain to homegrown contracts. Lindsey was 17 when he signed last September, and Kuzain was 19 when he signed earlier this year.
“Our decision to sign Tyler demonstrates the investment we have made in our professional pathway, and it’s great to see a young attacking player take a step forward in our club,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said in a statement. “We look forward to helping him reach his potential. We believe that he has an incredible environment, culture and support system around him that will propel his future in the direction of being a successful player at Sporting KC.”
Freeman will be introduced Wednesday during a news conference.
He has been with the Sporting KC Academy since 2014, joining when he was 11. He has competed for the Sporting KC Academy Under-12 through U-19 teams. He scored 17 goals for the Under-17 team during the 2017-18 season.
A natural forward, he has also been a regular call-up for the United States youth national teams. In April, he played for the U.S. U-16 team in Italy, scoring a goal in a semifinal match against Slovenia. Most recently, he was the youngest player called into the U-17 training camp.
Freeman is Sporting KC’s 10th homegrown signing. Six of the 10 have come in the past two years.
Sam McDowell
Sam McDowell covers Sporting Kansas City, the Royals, Chiefs and sports enterprise for The Star
This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Sporting KC signs 15-year-old from Shawnee as second-youngest player in club history."