Two big names out the door as Sporting Kansas City announces 2022 roster decisions

Sporting Kansas City announced roster moves ahead of the 2022 Major League Soccer season on Tuesday, exercising contract options for two players and declining contract options for six players.

The club exercised contract options for homegrown players Felipe Hernandez and Jaylin Lindsey, who both missed the latter half of the 2021 season.

Lindsey suffered from a season-ending hamstring injury during the summer and Hernandez is suspended until the end of 2021 for betting on MLS matches. Hernandez has been receiving help for a gambling addiction and can be reinstated pending an appeal with the league commissioner.

Most notably, the contract options for midfielder Ilie Sanchez and defender Luis Martins were declined and the pair are not expected to return to the club.

Sanchez has been a regular for Sporting KC since 2017, making 144 appearances for the club in five seasons. The 31-year-old midfielder has offered the club depth at both centerback and defensive midfield but was on a contract for $1 million a year. With the arrivals of Remi Walter and Jose Mauri in midfield, as well as the continued growth of Cam Duke and Jake Davis, Sanchez ate up a good chunk of the salary cap for a potential backup.

Martins joined Kansas City in 2019 and played the second-most minutes for the team in 2021.

Kansas City also declined contract options for goalkeeper Brooks Thompson, defenders Amadou Dia and Roberto Puncec, and forward Wilson Harris. Additionally, 26-year-old defender Graham Smith is out of contract with the club and is currently not in discussions, and is set to leave the club.

The decision to decline contract options for Martins and Dia leaves Kansas City without a first-team left back heading into the new season apart from Lindsey, who plays more comfortably on the right side of the defense.

The club is also currently in discussions with Roger Espinoza, Kendall McIntosh and Graham Zusi for contract renewals, with all three players’ contracts having run out at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Sporting Kansas City players under contract in 2022

Goalkeepers (2): Tim Melia, John Pulskamp

Defenders (5): Andreu Fontas, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, Jaylin Lindsey, Kayden Pierre, Kaveh Rad

Midfielders (7): Ozzie Cisneros, Jake Davis, Cam Duke, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Jose Mauri, Remi Walter

Forwards (6): Grayson Barber, Tyler Freeman, Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Khiry Shelton

Next up for Sporting KC is the MLS half-day trade window on Dec. 12 before the MLS Expansion Draft on Dec. 14 for expansion club Charlotte FC. Sporting KC will be allowed to protect 12 players and homegrown players are automatically protected.

This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Two big names out the door as Sporting Kansas City announces 2022 roster decisions."