Sporting Kansas City took the first step toward bringing hometown product Michael Thomas back to Kansas City on Monday.
Kansas City acquired the right of first refusal for the midfielder from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for Sporting’s fourth-round pick (No. 73 overall) in Monday’s Supplemental Draft (2 pm ET). After being drafted with the 19th pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the Earthquakes, Thomas has spent the past two seasons playing professionally in Sweden for Halmstads BK and Ljungskile SK.
Thomas, 23, is from Olathe, Kan., and played with current Sporting KC defender Matt Besler at Notre Dame. By drafting the midfielder two years ago, San Jose retained the right of first refusal within MLS, giving them the first opportunity to add the player to their roster in the event that the player signed with the league.
Following the trade, Kansas City now hold the 16th (first round), 35th (second round), 43rd (third round, acquired from Chivas USA) and 54th (third round) selections in the Supplemental Draft.
