TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Re-signing
Sporting Kansas City have re-signed MLS veterans Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza and Andreu Fontàs, the club announced Friday.
Zusi and Espinoza both signed one-year deals through 2023 with options for 2024, while Fontàs agreed to a two-year deal through 2024.
All three players have enjoyed sustained success in Kansas City, with Zusi and Espinoza respectively playing 14 and 13 seasons for SKC and Fontàs joining the mix in 2018. Combined, the three club stalwarts have made 736 regular season appearances in sporting blue.
Zusi is the club's all team leader in appearances. Career highlights from his 395 matches played include two MLS Best XI seasons (2012 and 2013), one MLS Cup (2013) and three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups (2012, 2015 and 2017).
The Orlando, Florida native was also a regular for the U.S. men's national team from 2012-2017, most notably notching two assists for The Stars and Stripes at the 2014 World Cup.
Espinoza was drafted by SKC one year earlier than Zusi in 2008, but has played fewer seasons with the club, having spent three years away in the English Premier League and Championship with Wigan Athletic FC (2012-2015). Heralded for his work rate and engine, the midfielder was named an MLS All-Star in 2012 and played a vital role in their three U.S. Open Cup-winning runs in the 2010s.
Born in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, Espinoza has made 52 appearances for the Honduran national team, representing his birth-country at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
Fontas is the least tenured of the re-signed trio but has still made his mark for coach Peter Vermes’ side, earning SKC’s Defender of the Year award the last two seasons. The center back honed his game at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and played four seasons in La Liga before moving to MLS.
In re-signing all three players from Free Agency, Sporting Kansas City bring their roster to 26 players for the 2023 season.
READ MORE: MLS Transfer Tracker presented by Avant
