2025-26 Roster Movement Thread

With the 64th pick of the MLS #SuperDraft 2026, #SportingKC selects forward Blake D'Agostino from @CBUmsoccer. pic.twitter.com/se877iH7jv

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) December 18, 2025

 

So, a generation adidas signing, but from ghana. Do GA players all have roster exemptions, including international slot exemptions?
From the MLS site rankings:
Box-To-Box Midfielder

1. Kwaku Agyabeng, Clemson
2. Zach Ramsey, Washington

 

From the MLS site:
Left Back

1. Ashton Kamdem, Akron
2. Palmer Bank, Stanford
3. Dren Dobruna, Dayton
4. Nikos Clarke-Tosczak, Portland
5. Alfredo Ortiz, California

 

Again, Per MLS site:
Winger

1. Richie Aman, Washington
2. Ricky Louis, Georgia Southern
3. David Raphael, San Francisco
4. Ransford Gyan, Clemson
5. Jaylinn Mitchell, SMU
6. Sadam Masereka, Maryland

Forward

1. Nick Simmonds, Virginia
2. Mamadou Billo Diop, Colorado Rapids 2
3. Mitch Baker, Georgetown
4. Lilian Ricol, UCF
5. Daniel Lugo, High Point
6. Joe Highfield, Portland
7. Charlie Kosakoff, Washington
8. Brayden Beason, San Francisco
9. Stefan Dobrijevic, Akron
10. Blake D'Agostino, Cal Baptist

 

Just a note: I'm thinking that as of Dece. 23, SKC has on it's clearly bloated roster, 3 dead set starters Jovelic, Manu, Pulskamp (or the other new untested keeper). We also have 3 probably starters: Miller, Salloi, Davis. Our maybe starters: Suleymanov and Bassong.
Best case scenario (as far as filling out a first 11, not in terms of upgrading the team), we at this moment have 8 of 11 starters on the roster a couple weeks before the season begins. We were told we'd be upgrading, so that means likely at least 2 and maybe four more than that.
As Buzz has told us, not time to panic.
But it has to be getting close to that time.

The only miss on signings who really disappoints me is Dane St Clair.
But we've got to sign to sign, get in and train at least 3 starters, and most of a defense and midfield worth of depth in two months.

 

In another week, we'll have open tryouts.

 

They'll just grab the top players from the soccerdome's beer leagues

 

Haak to LAG. Callender to Minnesota

 

So, the MLS site has a new piece up on the biggest need for each club. As we have come to expect, they put just a ton of thought and effort into the SKC blurb:
"A clear style of play
A new head coach is on the way in Kansas City, one who will help new chief soccer officer David Lee usher in a clear playing style. With that style of play, SKC can double down on their recruitment efforts both now and in the transfer windows to come. That’s the path back to competitiveness for Kansas City."

On the ol' infinite monkeys/typewriters/time scale, that's about 2 monkeys, 20 minutes worth of effort.
I admit, it's a tough task. We desparately need starting level defenders, must have a starting level dmid and, of course, a head coach, probably before that.

 

Double down on zero is still zero.

 

Here’s a rumor, Julian Shehu, Albanian international playing in Poland. https://www.goal.pl/transfery/rosni...ki-w-grze-wazny-punkt-w-kontrakcie-nasz-news/

 

I always perk up with rumors for a defensive midfielder! He seems solid on paper, though I don't think he is or is intended to be a significant needle mover...

 

so according to the article, his release clause is only valid for top leagues. which would include Spain, but not include Greece or MLS, I'd think. We could buy him, but it wouldn't be at a discount so hisvalue is $4m or so (euro 3.5m)
Don't know that they're ever right, but TM has the SKC rumor value falling by 61 percent today, while the Valencia rumor increasing by 52 percent, and the Pan rumor also climbing.

 

Another rumor.

Kansas City tiene interés en contratar a César Inga.

El club de la MLS ha mostrado interés en el futbolista de Universitario de Deportes y viene siguiendo de cerca su situación. Por ahora no existe una oferta formal, pero el nombre de César Inga está en carpeta y podría haber… pic.twitter.com/PpDdTAabEu

— Gabriel Pacheco (@GabrielPachecon) December 29, 2025

 

A 23-year old left back, in our price range, four caps, all since June. This sounds as if it could be good and likely

 

This is weirdly auto-dubbed, but the video is real.

 

We’re at the point where almost any signing is a decent depth signing. So this is a decent depth signing at a position of need.

https://www.sportingkc.com/news/spo...justin-reynolds-in-trade-with-chicago-fire-fc

 

yeah, when you look at that defensive depth chart and realize we do not have a starting 4 (without using Bassong and Davis), it's a bit bleak, so this is a good signing. I also love.that he's played across the back line. He actually played more left back than right this last season, I think it says. And last year he did play at CB once.

 

This offseason is completely pathetic. They stopped trying years ago but at least pretended to give a $hit. They don't even pretended anymore.

 

Down with us, among the bottom feeders of 2025, the LA Gals, in addition to returning Puig (as good as about anyone in MLS before the injury), decided that their defense was not quit up to it, so they added:
D - Jakob Glesnes (12/15/25 - trade from Philadelphia Union)
M - Justin Haak (12/29/25 - free agent).
No way to know if it will work out, but sure looks as if it will.

DC United, who kind of sucked all over the field, closest perhaps to our level of issues, added:
F - Tai Baribo (12/17/25 - trade from Philadelphia Union)
D - Sean Nealis (12/22/25 - trade from Red Bull New York)
GK - Sean Johnson (12/23/25 - free agent)
D - Keisuke Kurokawa (12/30/25 - transfer from Gamba Osaka). Plus the n 1 and 7 overall draft picks, CB and 8.

Again, it looks like help all over the field and looks as if it should make them better.

Meanwhile, our transfertracker:
M - Cielo Tschantret (11/14/25 - homegrown)
GK - Stefan Cleveland (12/10/25 - trade from Austin FC)
M - Kwaku Agyabeng (12/18/25 - SuperDraft)
D - Justin Reynolds (12/30/25 - trade from Chicago Fire FC)
Best case scenario, there are two starters in that group, though far more likely that they're all depth pieces.
I have no problem with adding depth, we need it. But we have as many as 7 starters still to sign (and a coach). Other clubs are making these hires. It is frustrating.

 

After watching how these past 3 or 4 years have played out, the only logical conclusions available are that SKC Ownership either 1) are a collection of some of the dumbest people on Earth 2) they couldn't care less about the club and running a soccer team is just a hobby for the nepo babies or 3) the financial and personal time commitment required to field a competitive team in MLS 2026 is many (many, many?) times greater than what was required when OnGoal bought the club 20 years ago.

I think it's mostly 3 with some 2 sprinkled in. Regardless, it's looking like yet another year of SKC being terrible. We have become DC United.

 

MLS site on SKC for 2026:
"There’s even more cap room in Kansas City, where they only barely have enough players to play a match right now. New president of soccer operations and general manager David Lee is basically working on building an expansion team at this point.
The bold prediction here: Both teams get these rebuilds right."

 

I wish I was that confident. Perhaps if we do get new majority ownership they will right the ship.

 

Inga’s club apparently turned down our offer but we’re still working.


https://libero.pe/futbol-peruano/un...esar-inga-oferta-formal-de-kansas-city-38010#

 

Rumor....SKC are adopting the Comets player coach model to fill out the roster. Rafa Wiki is only 48 and a former Bundesliga and Spanish second division player (both in high demand during the previous administration).

If true, this would be our most impressive off season player acquisition.