Sporting Kansas City II has signed Sporting KC Academy product Kaveh Rad to a full professional USL Championship contract, the club announced today. Rad was on the club’s roster in 2018 and 2019 on an Academy contract, but he has now foregone his NCAA eligibility to sign a professional deal with Sporting II.

While Rad did not make an appearance for the team in 2018, the 18-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019, starting 20 of 22 appearances in the USL Championship after making his debut on May 11 at Nashville SC.

He earned his first start at center back the following weekend at home against Atlanta United 2 and went on to start 20 of the team’s final 26 matches in the 2019 regular season. Rad racked up 1,823 minutes in 2019, finishing the year as one of the leaders among minutes played by unsigned Academy players. He was joined on the Sporting II roster the last two seasons by his twin brother, Jahon Rad, who is also a member of the Sporting KC Academy.

The Durham, N.C. native joined the Sporting KC Academy in 2016 and made 65 appearances split between the U-15s, U-17s and U-19s, tallying seven goals. Prior to moving to Kansas City, Rad represented the Capital Area RailHawks Academy in his native North Carolina.