Paulo Nagamura stepped straight from playing for Sporting Kansas City into coaching with the second team. First as an assistant with the Swope Park Rangers as the team was called then and then quickly up to being the head coach the following season.
Nagamura’s Sporting KC II is the link between Sporting KC’s Academy and the first team and with their being 11 homegrown players that came through the Academy, that link has shown to be a crucial step for many players.
The juggling act is never easy for the second team. The first team might loan players down with the expectation they play.