Sporting KC parts ways with sporting director Mike Burns in early season move
Sporting Kansas City’s new era has kicked off and will restart this weekend after the international break. However, there’s still plenty of change afoot, both on and off the field.
Sporting announced Thursday morning that the club has “mutually agreed” to part ways with sporting director Mike Burns. He has served in that capacity since June 2024.
With the hiring of David Lee as president of soccer operations and general manager last October, the structure of Sporting KC’s front office was expected to shift. Burns had effectively served that role in the interim, between Peter Vermes’ exit and the hiring of Lee.
But Lee is now at the top of the pyramid when it comes to soccer decision-making, and he continues to fill out the front office as he sees fit for the future.
“Sporting Kansas City’s technical staff continues to be reorganized under the leadership of President of Soccer Operations and General Manager David Lee since his arrival in September 2025, including five new additions to the technical and coaching staff this year,” the team said in its news release.
A clear priority for staff hiring this offseason begin with the first-team coaches. The team had not hired any scouts or scouting data analysts by the start of the season. And just one domestic scout remained on staff.
Sporting KC is 1-3-1 through five games in the 2025 MLS regular season.
Looking back on Burns’ tenure
Burns’ tenure began during a crucial juncture for Sporting KC. Midway through the 2024 season, Sporting brought Burns in while the team was struggling below the playoff line.
The club had been searching for a sporting director in the wake of the hiring — and subsequent parting of ways — of Gavin Wilkinson in January 2024. His controversial appointment lasted eight days.
Burns was then hired in late-June.
Burns’ hiring came with a promised cash injection. And in short order, Burns began to work with that increased budget. He led the acquisition process for Manu Garcia and Shapi Suleymanov, and brought Dejan Jovlejic to Sporting KC via the league’s first cash-for-player trade last season.
He also helped the team get to a better place with contracts on the books. He helped clear a large amount of money committed to aging or oft-injured players in the aftermath of 2024.
Among those moves, he flipped Alan Pulido to Chivas for a profit, getting Sporting KC out of his long-term and well-overpriced contract extension. Pulido has played less than 500 minutes in all competitions since April 2025.
Despite Burns’ work in creating flexibility for Sporting KC’s roster, the club was not successful on the field during his tenure. The team posted a record of 16-35-10 in all competitions.
Sporting’s next match is Saturday afternoon, a 3:30 p.m kickoff from Sandy, Utah, against Real Salt Lake.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.