Sporting Kansas City adds talented Norwegian midfielder. How soon can he play?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lasse Berg Johnsen was signed from Malmö; contracted through 2027-28 with 2028-29 option.
- He must secure a P-1 visa; availability likely not until mid‑March 2026.
- Berg Johnsen adds deep playmaking, letting Manu Garcia operate higher upfield.
While the 2026 season is just days away, Sporting Kansas City is still in the process of adding players to its roster. And on Wednesday, the club announced an impactful acquisition.
Sporting has acquired midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen from Swedish club Malmö FF for an undisclosed fee. He is under contract through the 2027-28 season with an option for 2028-29. He will occupy an international roster slot.
Berg Johnsen, 26, hails from Norway and has made over 250 career appearances both in Norway and Sweden. He has represented Norway at the senior international level three times.
President of soccer operations and general manager David Lee noted Berg Johnsen’s leadership traits in the team’s news release.
“Lasse is a highly experienced and accomplished player in both the domestic and international game, and he arrives in Kansas City as he enters the prime of his career,” Lee said. “He has excellent quality in possession and fits the profile of midfielder that we wanted to add to the squad. Lasse has shown throughout his career that he is a winner, while his personality and character will elevate our locker room.”
Berg Johnsen’s career began in his home country, with Viking FK, a loan spell at Tromsdalen, and time at Raufoss in the Norwegian second division. But in 2021, he earned a move to Randers in the Danish first division, where he established himself as one of the best passing midfielders in the league. In 2023, he earned a transfer to Swedish giants Malmö.
At Malmö, Berg Johnsen has won the Allsvenskan twice and won the Swedish cup in 2024. He captained Malmö seven times in the 2025 season.
How he fits Sporting KC’s midfield
Berg Johnsen’s greatest attribute is his passing ability. While maybe not the final passer, Berg Johnsen’s ability to break through midfield and defensive lines with passes to jump-start the attack is deeply needed. The Football Observatory labeled him as one of the top-100 distributors in the world in 2023, and he was rated in the top 10 for his age group.
Sporting has deployed Manu Garcia in much deeper positions in preseason to provide that deep playmaking ability. While that’s something Garcia can do, it’s not what he’s best at.
Having Berg Johnson as a deeper playmaking midfielder will help unlock what coach Raphael Wicky wants in the middle third of the field, while getting Garcia into the final third, where he can work his magic.
He can comfortably play in any of the midfield positions, but is probably best categorized as a No. 6 (defensive midfielder) or No. 8 (box-to-box midfielder).
When can Lasse Berg Johnsen play?
Berg Johnsen won’t be eligible to play for Sporting KC until he receives his P-1 Visa. Around the league, that process has taken anywhere from 3-4 weeks. So he likely won’t be available to play for Sporting until mid-March.
Sporting KC’s roster build has churned along slowly this offseason. Berg Johnsen’s signing brings the roster to 21 players. Sporting must meet all roster compliance guidelines by Friday afternoon.
Sporting’s first match of the 2026 season kicks off from PayPal Park on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Central. All MLS matches in 2026 are available to watch with an Apple TV subscription.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.