Sporting KC II signs Honduran international forward Yeison Mejia
Sporting Kansas City II have signed 25-year-old Honduran international forward Yeison Mejia on a MLS NEXT Pro deal, the club announced today.
Mejia has almost five years of professional experience with almost 100 club assignments in his home country and in Guatemala. The winger is also a member of the Honduras men’s national team, most recently with the national team Los Catrachos Squad for a friendly match against 2022 FIFA World Cup participants Saudi Arabia on October 30, 2022.
Mejia developed as a youth player in the academy of Honduran powerhouse Olimpia. He spent the 2018/19 season on loan at fellow Honduran side Parrillas One and later at Guatemalan second division side Sansare before returning to his home country in 2020 for Real Sociedad, where he scored three goals in 21 league games.
Honduran top flight side Real Espana took over Mejia ahead of the 2021 closed season, marking the start of a successful three-year season for the versatile attacker. He made 15 appearances in the second half of the 2020–21 season, scoring one goal, and remained a mainstay for the team in 2021–22 with 33 league appearances.
Prior to his arrival in Kansas City, Mejia enjoyed a strong 2022-23 season, recording two goals and four assists in 20 league games and also scoring once in five games in the 2022 Concacaf League, the region’s second-tier continental competition. He scored in the quarter-finals of the tournament against Costa Rican opponents Herediano and propelled Real Espana to the semi-finals, where they lost to runners-up Alajuelense.
On the international stage, Mejia was first called up to the Honduran national team for a friendly against Nicaragua in October 2020, although he did not take part in the game. More recently, he was absent in Honduras’ 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia last October, a game that came three weeks before the Saudis surprisingly defeated eventual champions Argentina in the World Cup group stage.
With Mejia officially on board, Sporting KC II now has 16 players who have signed professional contracts from MLS NEXT Pro.
Sporting KC II squad (as of February 13, 2023)
Led by head coach and long-time Sporting midfielder Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC II will begin pre-season training this week ahead of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign, which will begin in late March and will feature an expanded field of 28 clubs.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City II signs forward Yeison Mejia to a MLS NEXT Pro contract.
Yeison Mejia (JAY-son meh-HEE-ah)
Position: Forward
Born: 01/18/1998 (25 years old)
Height: 5-10
Weight: 165 pounds.
Place of Birth: Iriona, Honduras
Citizenship: Honduras
Instagram: @y_mejia12