Sporting KC Releases Jorge Claros And James Marcelin

facebooktwitterreddit

Sporting KC announced on Tuesday that they have parted ways with Honduran Midfielder Jorge Claros and waived Haitian Midfielder James Marcelin.

Sporting KC signed the 28 year old Claros in July of 2014. Claros was a promising player that Sporting KC hoped would take over the spot at Defensive Midfielder that was left vacant when Uri Rossell was sold to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

More from KC Kingdom

Claros was a teammate of Roger Espinoza on the Honduran Men’s National Team in the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Claros could never find his footing with Sporting KC in Major League Soccer as he only appeared in eight MLS games. Claros was an intricate piece in Sporting KC’s run in the 2014/2015 CONCACAF Champions League where he appeared in four games.

Claros leaving Sporting KC comes as a surprise because despite Sporting KC being stacked in the Midfield, they are very thin at the Defensive Midfield position after losing Rossell last season and Lawrence Olum following the 2014 season.

The most realistic options currently left on the roster to fill the defensive midfield role are Benny Feilhaber who can play box to box in the midfield, Servando Carrasco who just joined Sporting KC this offseason, Mikey Lopez who began to emerge as a solid player on the tail end of the 2014 season, or Soni Mustivar who the team just signed on February 12th and is relatively unknown.

There is always a possibility of Sporting KC signing a player to fill that role. The release of Claros and Marcelin freed up two international roster spots, and the team still has an open designated player roster spot.

The 28 year old Midfielder James Marcelin joined Sporting KC in December of 2014 and appeared in three preseason games for the team, but never could take advantage of his chances.

More from Sporting Kansas City

Marcelin is no stranger to MLS as he has 39 career appearances in the league split between the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas.

The release of Marcelin comes as less of a surprise than Claros because the midfield is already crowded with talent and Marcelin is much more of a low profile depth player.

There is a good chance that Sporting KC are not done making moves this offseason so keep an eye out for any moves they may make in the near future.

Sporting KC are set to begin their 20th season on March 8th in a Fox Sports 1 nationally televised game against the New York Red Bulls at Sporting Park.

Next: Kacie McDonell Joins Sporting KC Broadcast Team