Sporting KC brings back forward Khiry Shelton ahead of 2020 MLS campaign

Sporting Kansas City is bringing back forward Khiry Shelton on a three-year Major League Soccer contract that runs through 2022, with an option for 2023.

Shelton, 26, spent this year with German club SC Paderborn 07 of Bundesliga.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by New York City FC out of Oregon State helped Sporting KC to the top of the Western Conference standings during a season of record-breaking scoring in 2018.

“Khiry is an experienced player who we are excited to bring back to the club,” Sporting KC manager and sporting director Peter Vermes said in a statement. “As the 2020 season approaches, we will continue to strengthen our roster with signings on all three lines of the field.”

Shelton, who can play multiple positions, started 17 of 24 appearances for Sporting across all competitions in 2018. The team set regular-season club records for goals, assists and goal differential that year.

Shelton scored two goals with five assists during MLS competition as Sporting finished atop the West with 62 points and an 18-8-8 record. The team went 12-3-5 in regular-season matches in which he played and fell one win short of an MLS Cup appearance.

Sporting KC saw a serious dropoff across the board this year, finishing 10-16-8 and missing the playoffs with 67 goals allowed to just 49 scored — a minus-18 goal differential.

While Sporting struggled, Shelton joined Paderborn in January, midway through the Bundesliga season. He debuted the following month and helped the team finish runner-up, clinching a promotion.

Sporting KC players are due to camp on Jan. 18 in Arizona. Sporting KC opens the MLS season on the road Feb. 29 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, then returns home to Children’s Mercy Park on March 7, a Saturday, for a game against the Houston Dynamo.

This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Sporting KC brings back forward Khiry Shelton ahead of 2020 MLS campaign."