Sporting KC II Signs 20-Year-Old Canadian Forward Kamron Habibullah

March 7, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Sporting Kansas City II News Release

Sporting Kansas City II announced today that the club has signed 20-year-old Canadian forward Kamron Habibullah to an MLS NEXT Pro professional contract ahead of the 2024 season.

Habibullah is a product of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy who made 21 appearances for Whitecaps FC and Whitecaps FC 2 from 2021-2023. The winger has also represented Canada at the U-17 and U-20 levels, most recently competing at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship.

Born in Uzbekistan and raised in British Columbia, Habibullah developed as a youth player at South Burnaby Metro SC, Burnaby Selects and Mountain United FC before joining Vancouver’s academy as a 12-year-old in 2016. Across three seasons in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, Habibullah amassed 21 goals in 58 appearances while climbing the ranks from U-16 to U-19 at Whitecaps FC.

Habibullah notably excelled at the 2019 Generation adidas Cup in Texas, netting four goals in the U-17 tournament, and later that spring bagged three goals for Canada in its run to the Concacaf U-17 Championship semifinals before falling to a United States side led by Sporting KC homegrown star Gianluca Busio. He punctuated an eventful 2019 with three group stage appearances at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, including a matchup with host and eventual champion Brazil.

In April 2021, Habibullah signed for Vancouver as a homegrown player and shortly thereafter earned his MLS debut against the Colorado Rapids on May 2, 2021. Two weeks later, he featured for Whitecaps FC in a 3-0 road loss to Sporting at Children’s Mercy Park.

Habibullah spent the 2022 season on loan with Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC, tallying two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions for the Tridents. The 2023 season saw him feature regularly in MLS NEXT Pro with Whitecaps FC 2, where he notched four goals and three assists in 18 matches. On May 21 of last year, Habibullah unfurled the MLS NEXT Pro Goal of Matchday 9 with a stunning long-range strike to spark a 1-0 win over rivals Tacoma Defiance.

With the addition of Habibullah, Sporting KC II has 11 players under MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts for the 2024 campaign, which will begin on March 17 with a visit to Houston Dynamo 2.

Sporting KC II Roster (as of February 2024):

Defenders (3): Nati Clarke, Kortne Ford, Jonathan Robinson

Midfielders (4): Haris Alisah, Ethan Bryant, Sebastian Cruz, Jake Swallen

Forwards (4): Beto Avila,…