Sporting Set to Announce Second Home Grown Player

Tomorrow KC will announce their second home grown tomorrow at 1:30 in a press conference. The player will join Jon Kempin in the list of home grown players from Sporting KC. Most fans expect this to be the announcement of the signing of Kevin Ellis. Ellis has been training with KC for the entire preseason and has been impressive at times as a right back for KC. With Jonathan Leathers gone to Vancouver in the expansion draft, there is space in that position to back up Michael Harrington.

Ellis has been playing at Barton County Community College the past two years. Last season Ellis played in 21 of Barton's 23 games, starting all 21 of those games. Ellis had nine goals and four assists in those 21 games for Barton as they went 19-3-1. He was also an NJCAA first team all American in the 2010 season after being a second team all American in 2009. Add that on to the 23 goals and eight assists in the 2009 season and Ellis has had a fairly successful college career. His college coach, Oliver Twelvetrees called him one of the top athletes ever to play at Barton. It would now appear that Ellis is ready to step up to the pro game.

Could it possibly be someone else? Certainly it could possibly be Konner Knoll or Jordan Rideout, but Knoll was the only one of those two to train with the team at all this preseason. With those two having recently signed with UMKC for their college career that seems a bit unlikely, especially when you consider the time Ellis has spent training with the team.