Sporting Kansas City announces new center-back addition. Meet the latest signing

Sporting KC has now signed three center backs since Kortne Ford’s season ended with an Achilles injury.

On Thursday morning, the club announced Dany Rosero from Atlético Junior in Colombia as its newest acquisition at the position. The 29-year-old Colombian has appeared in over 300 professional matches in Argentina and Colombia while appearing in nearly 50 games in Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana.

He has signed a three-year contract with Sporting KC, with an option for the 2026 season, and he will occupy an international roster spot pending receipt of his P-1 Visa.

“He has an excellent profile as a central defender,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said in a press conference held Thursday. “(He has) size, athleticism in all aspects like agility and speed, presence in that area of the field, good on the ball, good one-(on)-one defender. (And he’s) very durable playing consistently a large number of games every single year of his career.”

Rosero started his career in 2015 with Arsenal de Sarandi in Argentina, appearing in 18 matches before returning to Colombia in 2016. He spent one season with El Patriotas Boyacá before signing with one of the largest clubs in South America, Deportivo Cali.

He had 130 appearances for Cali in four seasons before joining Atlético Junior for the 2020 season. He’s appeared in 121 matches for Junior since. He has 19 career goals as a center back and seven assists.

Vermes was quick to credit his player personnel department for getting the deal done so quickly and effectively. Vermes said the club’s Director of Player Personnel, Brian Bliss, flew to Barranquilla in Colombia to help put the deal over the line.

“The deal was kind of off, and we made a decision that we’re going on the ground to go and try and do the deal face-to-face,” Vermes said. “And credit to him, he worked really hard to get the deal done at a short notice.”

After speaking with Rosero a few times, Vermes thought that Rosero really wanted to come to Kansas City.

“It was a guy that we really liked and wanted to get,” Vermes said. “He’s incredibly excited to be here.”

Rosero will continue to train with his old club until he gets his P-1 Visa and can arrive in Kansas City in person. The process can take a couple weeks to complete. But when Rosero does arrive, Vermes thinks he will bring something similar to a few former Sporting KC players.

“He’s maybe a little bit like a mixture of Ike (Opara) and (Aurelien) Collin,” Vermes said. “Like if you pushed those two guys together, he’s a little bit like those two guys.”

Coming off a 1-0 loss on Monday, Sporting KC is set to face the Colorado Rapids this Saturday. The club will take on the Los Angeles Galaxy in its home opener on March 11.