Sporting Kansas City announced on Wednesday that the club has signed defender Amadou Dia. The 21-year-old was selected 20th overall in the first round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft out of Clemson University and has been added to the team’s roster for the upcoming 2015 season.

“Amadou is a player we feel has a very good future,” Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said. “He's got a great instinct around the game. For him, like most players when they come, it will be about taking advantage of the opportunities when he gets them. He has a really good mentality, is extremely coachable and I think he has a huge upside if he continues on this path.”

“I am really excited to officially be a part of this organization,” Dia said. “I am prepared to do whatever it takes and play any role I can in order to make us a better team and help us to accomplish our goals.”

Dia has represented the United States at the under-14 (2007), under-18 (2009, 2010) and under-20 (2012) levels and also holds dual citizenship in his native France. As a youth, he was an NSCAA All-American and Colorado’s Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year at Mountain Vista High School. In addition, he excelled for Real Colorado in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and was a member of the Region IV team within the Olympic Development Program.

He appeared in 70 games during a four-year collegiate career at Clemson with four goals and six assists before graduating in December. As a senior in 2014, he led Clemson to the school’s first ACC soccer championship since 2001 en route to reaching the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship and a No. 11 national ranking in the final NSCAA poll.

Dia has logged the second most minutes (118) of any player during Sporting Kansas City’s preseason campaign and recorded an assist in the team’s 4-2 victory over FC Tucson (WATCH). Sporting KC will kick off the 2015 Desert Diamond Cup tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT against the Colorado Rapids with a live stream available on SportingKC.com.

VITALS

Amadou Dia

Position: Defender

Number: 13

Born: 6/8/1993

Height: 5-10

Weight: 150

College: Clemson

Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Birthplace: Nantes, France

Citizenship: France, USA

Twitter: @amadou_it11

Instagram: @amadou_it11