Sporting KC announces full coaching staff. One coach has Premier League experience

Sporting Kansas City announced its coaching staff for the 2026 season under Raphael Wicky. And there are many familiar faces on that staff — in more ways than one.

The staff serving under Wicky includes Edu Rubio, Dominic Kinnear, Ash Wallace and Roger Espinoza. Darrin MacLeod will serve as goalkeeper coach.

Here’s more on that group:

Edu Rubio

Rubio, like Wicky, is awaiting the receipt of his P-1 Visa before joining the staff in full. Rubio hails from Spain and has extensive experience as an assistant coach at Premier League clubs. He’s also been an academy coach in Spain.

He served on the coaching staff of Julen Lopetegui at both Wolverhampton Wanderers from 2022-2023 and West Ham United from 2024-2025. He also served under both Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace from 2020-2022.

As a youth academy coach, he has served at Chelsea FC, Valencia CF, Crystal Palace and MK Dons.

Dominic Kinnear

Kinnear is a name longtime Sporting KC fans will remember well.

Kinnear managed the San Jose Earthquakes from 2004-2005 before the team departed for Houston. He then led the Dynamo to back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007, and to back-to-back MLS Cup final appearances in 2011 and 2012 — both at the peril of an upstart Sporting Kansas City squad.

Kinnear coached Houston through 2014 before he was let go. He coached the San Jose Earthquakes until 2017 before moving to the archrival LA Galaxy as an assistant through 2020. He led the Galaxy as interim manager twice in that span.

He served as an assistant during FC Cincinnati’s resurgence under Pat Noonan until this season.

Ash Wallace

Wallace has been with Sporting Kansas City for 15 seasons as of this year. He began with Sporting KC in 2012, helping as an opposition scout on the Seattle Sounders ahead of the 2012 U.S. Open Cup Final.

Roger Espinoza

Espinoza didn’t stay retired for long, immediately joining the staff ahead of the 2025 season to work as an assistant coach.

Espinoza will eventually be inducted into the Sporting Legends Wall for his decorated playing career, which includes multiple U.S. Open Cup Championships with Sporting KC, as well as representing Honduras at the Olympics and at both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup competitions.

Darrin MacLeaod

MacLeod has been with Sporting KC II as a goalkeeper coach since 2021. He also spent a season with Sporting KC’s academy. He played under previous goalkeeper coach Alec Dufty at SKC II, before Dufty was promoted to the first team’s goalkeeper coach role.

Sporting Kansas City’s preseason preparations are underway in West Palm Beach, Florida. The team defeated Florida International University 1-0 in its first preseason friendly thanks to a goal from Shapi Suleymanov. Last year, Sporting KC lost to FIU to open the preseason.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.