Sporting KC signs two players, including a former Olathe youngster who moved to Denver
Preparations for the 2022 season heated up Friday as Sporting KC announced the acquisition of two new players.
Sporting signed 21-year-old Belgium national Logan Ndenbe on a permanent transfer from French club Guingamp and 26-year-old former Olathe resident Kortne Ford.
Here’s a bit about each newly signed player.
About Ndenbe
Ndenbe, a talented young left-back, already has five years of professional experience in Belgium and France, in addition to time spent with the Belgian youth national team. Guingamp competes in the French Ligue 2.
He signed a three-year contract with Sporting KC through 2024 with an option for 2025. The deal is pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 visa.
After rising through the Royal Excel Mouscron academy in Belgium, Ndenbe signed his first professional contract at age 17 with KV Oostende of the Belgian First Division A. He played in 15 matches over those three years including the playoffs for the UEFA Europa League.
In July 2020, Ndenbe signed with Guingamp, making 16 appearances in his first year. This season he has played every minute during his 12 appearances, recording one assist.
He has represented the Belgian national team at every level, from the U-17 to U-21 national teams. More recently, he has played every minute of the U-21 squad’s last three matches — all shutout victories, over Denmark, Turkey, and Scotland — as the team sought to qualify for the U-21 European Championship.
While Ndenbe qualifies as a new U-22 initiative singing, Sporting KC does not anticipate finalizing that designation until the roster compliance deadline on Feb. 25. The MLS U-22 initiative, introduced last season, allows clubs to sign talented prospects age 22 or younger to more lucrative contracts at a reduced charge against the league salary cap.
About Ford
Ford’s contract is for 2022 with options for 2023 and 2024.
He was born in Olathe and played youth soccer locally until moving with family to Colorado at age 12. He joined the Colorado Rapids’ academy and, after three seasons at the University of Denver, signed a homegrown contract with the Colorado MLS organization in 2017.
He made his first appearance in an MLS game in 2017, when the Rapids lost to Sporting KC at Children’s Mercy Park. His first MLS goal came a month later — also in a match against Sporting — as Colorado won 1-0.
In his rookie year with the Rapids, Ford made 19 starts in 20 appearances and was selected as the MVP of the 2017 MLS homegrown game for his game-tying goal against the Chivas de Guadalajara U-20 squad. He missed the 2019 and 2020 seasons due to injury and spent 2021 on loan to San Antonio FC of the USL Championship.
He scored four goals with San Antonio in 13 USL matches and helped lead the team to the USL Championship’s Western Conference finals, where San Antonio lost to Orange County SC on penalty kicks.
Ndenbe and Ford are the third and fourth new acquisitions for Sporting KC this offseason, joining fellow left-back Ben Sweat and midfielder Uri Rosell, a former Sporting player who is returning to KC this season.
Sporting KC on Thursday also announced the return of veterans Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza.
The team will head to Arizona to kick off preseason camp on Monday. Sporting returns to Kansas City ahead of its season-opening match at Atlanta United on Feb. 27.
Their home opener is March 5 against the Houston Dynamo, now coached by former SKC stalwart Paulo Nagamura.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Sporting KC signs two players, including a former Olathe youngster who moved to Denver."