Sporting Kansas City have appointed Mike Burns as their new sporting director, the club announced Friday.
Burns, who previously served as general manager of the New England Revolution, will oversee Sporting’s player recruitment and roster-building strategy and the continued development of the club’s professional player pathway, including MLS NEXT Pro team Sporting Kansas City II and the Sporting Kansas City Academy.
Burns spent 15 seasons on New England’s technical staff from 2005-19, during which time the club won four Eastern Conference championships and one US Open Cup. The former MLS and US men’s national team defender joined the Revolution front office as director of soccer before earning promotions to VP of player personnel in 2008 and general manager in 2011.
From 2022-23, Burns served as a consultant for Major League Soccer by supporting the league office in its continued growth of MLS, MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT.
During his playing career, Burns competed for the Kansas City Wizards from 2001-02.
