It was minutes after a preseason training session had come to an end, and Sporting Kansas City homegrown defender Jaylin Lindsey was at the top of the box working through an intricate turn. Over and over Lindsey repeated the movement, pushing the ball back through his legs and spinning out. Pacing him through it all was Sporting coach Michel Ribeiro.



The former Belgian pro has a unique role in today’s MLS: technical coach. His job is to work solely on technique with players from the academy to the first team. Describing his own technique, Ribeiro said, “I try to bring a little bit of the street inside the pitch.”



Sporting Kansas City hopes Ribeiro will also bring some of the success he has enjoyed previously in his career. The 43-year-old joined Sporting in 2017 from KRC Genk in Belgium, where he mentored players like Kevin de Bruyne, Christian Benteke and Yannick Carrasco. Ribeiro watched eight of his former pupils play in last summer’s World...