Photo by ISIphotos.com
Benny Feilhaber will return to Major League Soccer in 2013, and he will do so as a member of one of the strongest teams in the league.
Sporting Kansas City acquired Feilhaber from New England on Tuesday afternoon, sending allocation money, a first-round pick in the 2014 MLS Draft and second-round pick in the 2015 MLS Draft to the New England Revolution.
Feilhaber adds to a stacked Sporting KC team that finished first in the Eastern Conference in the 2012 regular season, as he will play alongside talented offensive players like Kei Kamara, C.J. Sapong, Teal Bunbury and U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Graham Zusi.
“I am really excited to come to Sporting Kansas City,” Feilhaber said in a statement released by Sporting KC. “It is a top-class organization and team in Major League Soccer. My goal is to help the team however I can. I cannot wait to play in the best stadium in the League and in front of a great fan base. I am already hyped for the first home game.”
The 27-year-old Feilhaber had become surplus to requirements with the Revolution late in the year and they declined his contract option a few weeks into the offseason, leaving his future in MLS in limbo. But Sporting KC believes Feilhaber will help them as they prepare to defend their U.S. Open Cup title and make runs at the MLS Cup and CONCACAF Champions League in 2013.
“Benny is an excellent two-way, box-to-box midfielder who has tremendous ability, especially with the final pass,” Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes said in a statement. “His experience with the U.S. National Team programs and playing overseas will serve him well in our system.”
In his two years with the Revolution, Feilhaber started in 46 of the 52 league games he played in. The World Cup veteran and former U.S. Men’s National Team player scored four goals and assisted on seven others while in New England.
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