Sporting Kansas City selected two defenders in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft Tuesday. Grand Canyon University defender Esai Easley was taken in the first round at No. 22 overall and University of Maryland defender Brett St. Martin in the second round at No. 50 overall. Sporting KC passed in the third round.
Easley was born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and made 47 starts with 53 appearances for Grand Canyon University. The 21-year-old helped the Antelopes to two titles in the Western Athletic Conference and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
While at Grand Canyon University, Easley played for legendary former MLS coach Schellas Hyndman for three years and then for former MLS player Leonard Griffin his last season.