Tag Archives: SKC

Sporting Kansas City Signs André Luiz to Five-Year Contract

Posted on by
Reply

André Luiz is switching sides…

Sporting Kansas City has signed the 24-year-old Brazilian forward  as a designated player to a five-year contract for a club-record transfer fee from Greek club Olympiacos.

André Luiz,SKC will pay $18 million to Olympiacos, according to ESPN.

The previous club record was $7.5 million that Sporting KC paid Mexican club Chivas to sign Alan Pulido.

The deal for Luiz is pending the receipt of his visa and international transfer certificate.

“Andre is a dynamic player with pace, directness and technical ability who is coming off an excellent season in Portugal and Greece,” said David Lee, the president of soccer operations for Sporting KC.

“At the age of 24, he fits with our model of adding quality players to our roster that still have their prime years ahead of them. André was highly coveted in some of the top leagues in the world so we are delighted that he has decided to commit his long-term future to Sporting KC.”

Luiz is coming off a breakout season that began in Portugal, where he had seven goals and six assists for Rio Ave. He moved to Olympiacos last January for the balance of the season, helping the perennial power finish second in Greece’s top league.

Luiz began his career at America Football Club in his native Rio de Janeiro, then played in the academy system of Flamengo, eventually earning a professional opportunity with the Brazilian club’s first team. He went on loan to Portuguese club Estrela during the 2023-2024 season, then was signed by Rio Ave in January 2025.

Sporting KC, which is 4-2-13 and last in the Western Conference, has been aggressively rebuilding from the ground up under new principal owner Peter Mallouk. That includes new front-office executives working alongside first-year head coach Raphael Wicky, and a series of bold roster moves, including the ultimately failed pursuit of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.

Paulo Nagamura to Serve as Houston Dynamo’s Next Team Manager

Posted on by
Reply

Paulo Nagamura is a dynamo…

The Houston Dynamo has agreed to terms with the 38-year-old Brazilian former professional footballer and coach to be the team’s next manager, according to ESPN.

Paulo Nagamura

Glenn Davis, the Dynamo’s play-by-play announcer and host of Soccer Matters on ESPN Houston, was the first to report the selection of Nagamura.

Nagamura replaces Tab Ramos, whose contract wasn’t renewed following the 2021 season. The search was conducted by new Dynamo GM Pat Onstad.

Nagamura was most recently manager of Sporting Kansas City‘s reserve side.

In four seasons as Sporting Kansas City II manager, Nagamura recorded a record of 30-61-25, as the organization focused on youth development. He also served as an assistant with the team in 2017. During his time with the team, the Brazilian coached 15 of the organization’s homegrown players, as well as 23 academy products. Included in this group is current Venezia and United States international midfielder Gianluca Busio.

As a player, Nagamura came up through the youth systems of Sao Paulo and Arsenal before signing with the LA Galaxy in 2005, where he won an MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup double.

He later went on to play for Toronto FC, Chivas USA, and Liga MX side Tigres, before finishing his career with SKC.

With SKC, Nagamura won two more U.S. Open Cup titles as well as another MLS Cup crown in 2013. Overall, he made over 270 appearances, scoring 15 goals.

Brian Fernandez Scores to Give the Portland Timbers a Dramatic Win Over Sporting Kansas City

Posted on by
Reply

Brian Fernandez is celebrating a big win….

The 24-year-old Argentine professional footballer scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to give the Portland Timbers a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Brian Fernandez

Star forward Diego Valeri set up the goal with a left-footed baseline cross for his 16th assist of the season. Fernandez was on the doorstep waiting for the ball to arrive and put himself in position to head it into the net to give the Timbers a crucial victory.

Forward Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 83rd minute for the Timbers (13-11-4), who raised their point total to 43, in a tie with Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas for the fifth-most points in the MLS Western Conference.

Portland protected the lead over the final three-plus minutes of stoppage time to hand Sporting (10-12-7, 37 points) a damaging loss. SKCis five points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy, who hold the final playoff position in the West.