Sporting Kansas City signs midfielder Victor Munoz

When Sporting Kansas City made a pair of moves to trim its roster over the last week, coach Peter Vermes indicated it was a sign that a couple of additions were on the way.

The first came Tuesday. And it likely won’t be the last.

Sporting KC announced that it signed Spanish midfielder Victor Munoz, a 23-year-old player who spent the last three seasons at UCLA. He will be added to the team’s roster after receipt of his international transfer certificate and P-1 visa.

Munoz briefly trained with Sporting KC last summer.

“What we liked about him was that the style of play he played over in Spain is something that definitely fits in with the way that we play,” Vermes said in a news release. “It’s a good addition to our team and a young kid who we hope can grow into our system.”

The signing of Munoz may soon be followed by another roster addition.

Igor Juilao, a 19-year-old Brazilian defender, took part in Sporting KC’s training session Tuesday morning, though Vermes said he hasn’t officially signed with the club.

Juliao is a member of Brazil’s under-20 national team. He most recently played for Fluminense, which played a preseason match against Sporting KC in February.

Munoz also took part in Tuesday’s training session at Swope Park. D.C. United selected Munoz with the 29th overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft — nine slots before Sporting KC’s first selection — but he was released in the preseason.

Munoz spent eight years at the Real Madrid academy before moving to the U.S. in 2010 to attend Iona College. He played one year at Iona before transferring to UCLA, where he had a team-best eight assists as a senior.

“I trained here last summer and enjoyed everything about it, from the players to the environment,” Munoz said in a news release. “The team understands how to play the game the right way, and I think this is the perfect place to continue my development.”

To make room on the roster, Sporting KC waived defender Josh Gardner last week and defender Mechack Jerome on Monday.

This story was originally published April 1, 2014 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Sporting Kansas City signs midfielder Victor Munoz."