Star Mexican striker Alan Pulido agrees to new MLS contract with Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City and star striker Alan Pulido have agreed to a three-year contract extension, the Major League Soccer club announced Thursday.

Pulido, 32, will remain a designated player on Sporting KC’s roster through the 2026 season. The Mexican forward was initially signed from Chivas in 2020 to a club-record MLS contract.

“I stayed here because I’m very happy here,” Pulido said during a press conference on Thursday afternoon. “I enjoy all the time that I come to training. And the team, the group is fantastic.”

While he cracked a joke about it being a little cold at times, Pulido said he enjoys life in Kansas City, a place he calls a “calm city.”

“I like it,” Pulido said. “I enjoy the life in the USA. It’s very different to Mexico, so I like it.”

Since joining Sporting KC, Pulido has scored 29 goals and posted 11 assists in 61 matches. While injuries have kept him off the field for a significant amount of time, his impact when available has been clear.

Sporting possesses a 28-16-12 record with 1.77 goals per game when Pulido is on the field; they’re 20-28-13 with 1.25 goals per game when he’s not.

Early in the 2021 season, Pulido sustained a knee injury that eventually required surgery. The surgery, recovery and rehab process kept him sidelined throughout the 2022 season and the first seven matches of 2023.

Pulido said he appreciated how Sporting supported him during the recovery process.

“There were (other) interested teams,” Pulido said. “But I felt valued by how they took care of me.”

Rumors ran rampant this summer that Pulido might return to Chivas, his previous club. Cruz Azul reportedly also showed interest. Chivas and Cruz Azul are two of the most famous clubs in Mexico.

“I want to repay them (Sporting) for what they did,” Pulido added. “I hope the other teams understand my position and why I decided to stay here.”

One of the biggest questions moving forward is if Pulido can stay healthy. But manager Peter Vermes expressed belief that Pulido is doing the right things to be on the field, while highlighting his commitment to the club.

Before being sidelined in 2021, Vermes said, Pulido was getting fluid drained from his knee weekly simply to be able to play.

For Vermes, that highlighted Pulido’s commitment. But the club had to get him back healthy. And since he’s been back, the issues with his knee have not returned.

This season, Pulido has scored 13 goals, with 12 since June 1. He is just one goal back in the race for the Golden Boot (MLS leader in goals scored). Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar, the reigning league MVP, currently has 14 goals.

Vermes said he’s been happy with Pulido’s statistics, but he estimates there’s another gear Pulido can get to as he’s further removed from his injury and recovery.

“I feel very confident in that aspect,” Vermes said. “Every player has risks they take every time they go out on the field. It could happen to any guy. But from his injury, I think everybody’s incredibly impressed with where he is at this time.”

Pulido’s next action with Sporting KC comes this Saturday, when the club travels to take on Minnesota United at 7:30 p.m.

This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 10:31 AM.