Sporting KC signs defender Amer Didic to MLS contract from Rangers
Defender Amer Didic has become the third player to make the journey from the Swope Park Rangers to Sporting Kansas City.
Sporting KC announced Wednesday that it has signed Didic to an MLS contract for the 2017 season with options for 2018, 2019 and 2020. The 22-year-old center back joins defender Tyler Pasher and goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas, who joined Sporting KC in December, as players who signed an MLS contract from the team's USL affiliate.
Per new MLS rules that modified the international status of Canadian players prior to the 2017 season, Didic will occupy a domestic roster spot on Sporting Kansas City's roster pending receipt of his P-1 Visa.
"I am very excited for this opportunity," Didic said in a team press release. "This is something I have been striving to do for the last year and a half, but it doesn't stop here. I want to take what I've learned from the Swope Park Rangers and help Sporting Kansas City stay successful and contend for championships. I feel prepared to step in and do what I need to do for the team to win."
Didic made 32 appearances for the Rangers during his first professional season in 2016, receiving USL All-League First Team honors as a Defender of the Year finalist. The 6-foot-4 defender also played all 90 minutes in three CONCACAF Champions League matches for Sporting Kansas City.
Before starting six matches this season for the Rangers, Didic kicked off 2017 with his debut for the Canada U-23 Men's National Team in March. He started and played the full 90 minutes in consecutive shutout wins over Uzbekistan and Qatar as Canada was crowned champion of the U-23 tournament in Doha, Qatar.
"Signing Amer is something we have been planning since the beginning of the year, when he joined us for preseason," Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes said. "He is someone who came to the Swope Park Rangers last year and has made an incredible evolution in a short period of time. He's a very good defender with the ball at his feet and he's incredibly agile for his size. I'm excited for Amer because not many people knew about him out of college, and I appreciate when players get rewarded for staying committed and going after their dream."
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and raised in Edmonton, Canada, Didic spent a four-year college career at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, where he was a two-time NAIA All-American.
