Sporting Kansas City has signed defender Alex Cunningham from its reserve side, Sporting KC II, on a short-term agreement, the club announced Friday. The 19-year-old outside back is available for Sporting's home fixture against FC Dallas at Sporting Park on Saturday afternoon, according to the club.
The move is the fourth and last short-term call-up Cunningham can use during the 2026 season, Sporting Kansas City reports.
Why it matters
Short-term agreements let MLS clubs pull players up from their MLS NEXT Pro affiliates for immediate squad depth, and Cunningham's arrival gives Sporting another option on the back line for a conference matchup at home. For Cunningham, it caps a season in which he worked his way back from an injury that cost him most of the first half of the SKC II campaign.
The call-up also marks another step on a path that began in the club's own academy. Cunningham is a homegrown product of the Sporting KC system, and his promotion is a visible return on that investment.
A Springfield native who rose through the academy
Cunningham, who turns 19 in February, is listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds. He was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, and first joined the SKC Academy in 2019 as a U-12 player. He was later part of the Sporting KC U-14 side that won a 2021 US Youth Futsal national championship.
His professional debut came young. Cunningham first appeared for SKC II on Aug. 13, 2023, at age 16, and went on to make seven appearances for the reserve team. He scored his first professional goal against MNUFC2 on June 2, 2024, before leaving for college that fall.
Cunningham spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at the University of Tulsa. As a Golden Hurricane, he started 28 matches and recorded three goals and two assists. He was named to the 2024 American Conference All-Freshman Team and was picked as American Conference Freshman of the Week on Oct. 14, 2024, after scoring his first collegiate goal in a 1-1 draw with Central Arkansas.
Back in Kansas City and building minutes
Cunningham returned to the club ahead of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season, signing with SKC II. His first year back was disrupted by injury, which kept him out for much of the opening half of the schedule, but he recovered to make 11 appearances during the campaign.
That workload now makes him eligible for a short-term look with the first team. Sporting Kansas City did not disclose further terms of the agreement beyond its length and the fact that it is Cunningham's final short-term move of the season.
Saturday's match against FC Dallas is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be carried on Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM, and tickets are available through SeatGeek, per the club.
Whether Cunningham sees the field against Dallas is up to the coaching staff. What to watch: how Sporting manages his minutes with the reserve season winding down, and whether the call-up becomes a springboard toward a longer first-team arrangement.
