Senior Scores Professional Soccer Contract
Sporting Kansas City announced this week that the club has signed Academy player Shane Donovan, a senior at The Barstow School, to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract for the 2025 season.
Donovan, a skillful central midfielder, made 10 appearances for Sporting KC II as an amateur player in 2024, debuting last July and recording his first assist in a 4-0 victory over Whitecaps FC 2 last August.
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According to the club's announcement, Donovan played youth soccer for Valeo FC in his home state of Massachusetts before joining the Sporting KC Academy in 2021. He has represented Sporting at the U-15 through U-19 levels, serving as captain of U-17s during the 2023-24 MLS NEXT campaign and leading the team to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Generation adidas Cup and MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs.
Fans can cheer for Donovan during home games at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City this season. Sporting's MLS NEXT Pro home opener against rivals St. Louis City 2 is March 14, and its inaugural match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against the Des Moines Menace on March 19.
