Sporting Kansas City hires NYCFC executive to run soccer operations: Sources
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sporting Kansas City hires David Lee as president of soccer operations and GM.
- Lee led NYCFC to consistent playoff runs and an MLS Cup title in 2021.
- Lee will oversee recruitment, analytics and development across SKC's structure.
A new era for Sporting Kansas City begins now.
Multiple sources have informed The Star that Sporting Kansas City has hired David Lee to lead the club’s soccer operations. Lee had served as the sporting director at New York City Football Club (NYCFC) since 2019.
His official title will be president of soccer operations and general manager. Lee will provide executive-level leadership of first-team roster management, player recruitment, scouting, analytics, technical staff and the academy and pro-player pathway. He is on a seven-year contract.
Lee will report to the club’s ownership group and oversee sporting director Mike Burns and interim coach Kerry Zavagnin.
Lee’s executive role fills the chief soccer officer vacancy created when Sporting KC and Peter Vermes agreed to part ways on March 31.
Vermes and Sporting KC had experienced plenty of success over his 17 years at the club. But as SKC struggled out of the gates for a fourth straight season, the club needed to move on. And that process meant rebuilding the foundation of the organization.
Lee has been tasked with leading that process.
“As we enter a new era for Sporting Kansas City, this is the most important decision we could make,” co-principal owner Michael Illig said. “After a six-month global search, David was the clear and undeniable choice. He will lead our soccer operation with our full trust and confidence. David brings fresh vision, global experience and relentless ambition.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter for Sporting Kansas City. And one that we believe will carry our club into a future of renewed success and shared pride with our supporters.”
Lee had been with NYCFC since 2014. He began as the club’s director of player recruitment before being appointed technical director in January 2017. After NYCFC won the Eastern Conference in the 2019 MLS regular season, Lee was promoted to sporting director.
In Lee’s tenure as technical director and sporting director, NYCFC missed the playoffs only once and lifted the club’s first-ever MLS Cup trophy in 2021. Within that time frame, NYCFC went 132-86-75 in MLS play, averaging 54 points per 34-game season with an average Eastern Conference finish of fourth place.
Since 2016, NYCFC has the most 15-plus-win seasons of any MLS team.
“Sporting Kansas City has a proud history, a passionate fan base and a winning culture,” Lee said in a team release. “I want to thank the ownership group for this special opportunity and look forward to building on the strong foundation that has been established in this great soccer city. I am excited to work with the players, coaches and staff to achieve our shared ambitions, and I look forward to meeting our incredible fans.”
Part of the challenge in keeping up with an ever-evolving MLS is staying competitive as the league continues to grow. Sporting led that pack for a long time, but the league has become more financially powerful and transactional on an international scale.
Lee and NYCFC have consistently found ways to remain near the top of the league. Routinely, Lee has found value in acquiring talented players, getting the best from them on the field and then selling them for a larger profit to be reinvested into the club.
Since 2023, three of Lee’s players have been transferred for more than $10 million, with the financial return being more than double the initial investment: Valentin Castellanos, Santiago Rodriguez and Gabriel Pereira.
Lee has also brought multiple young players through the ranks, including current U.S. Men’s National Team regulars Matt Freese and Joe Scally. Fourteen of NYCFC’s 17 all-time homegrown players were signed by Lee.
Lee has a background in performance analytics. He holds a master’s in performance analysis of sport from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and his first few jobs in football were directly related to that field. He worked as a performance analyst with Exeter City FC and New York Red Bulls before joining NYCFC.
American Soccer Analysis, a soccer analytics website, routinely ranks NYCFC as one of the more analytically advanced clubs in Major League Soccer.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM.