Sporting Kansas City II has signed Sporting KC Academy product Kaveh Rad to a full professional USL Championship contract, the club announced today. Rad was on the club’s roster in 2018 and 2019 on an Academy contract, but he has now foregone his NCAA eligibility to sign a professional deal with Sporting II.
While Rad did not make an appearance for the team in 2018, the 18-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019, starting 20 of 22 appearances in the USL Championship after making his debut on May 11 at Nashville SC.
He earned his first start at center back the following weekend at home against Atlanta United 2 and went on to start 20 of the team’s final 26 matches in the 2019 regular season.