Sporting Kansas City opened a new chapter Tuesday afternoon, introducing David Lee as the club’s President of Soccer Operations and General Manager at a press conference at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center.

Lee, who spent 11 years with New York City FC in various roles, has signed a seven-year contract through 2032. He will oversee all areas of the club’s soccer operations, including first-team roster management, player recruitment, scouting, analytics, technical staff oversight, and the continued development of Sporting KC II and the Sporting KC Academy.

“This is the most important decision we could make,” Co-Principal Owner Michael Illig said. “After a six-month global search, David was the clear and undeniable choice.”

Illig detailed the extensive search process that evaluated 14 candidates, brought four to Kansas City, and measured them against 61 criteria ranging from roster building and cap management to youth development and analytics.

Building on a Proud History

Lee joins Sporting KC at a transitional moment. The club parted ways with legendary head coach Peter Vermes in late March after a winless start to the 2025 season that extended a 13-game winless streak dating back to September 2024.

Vermes became technical director in 2006 and head coach in 2009, winning the 2013 MLS Cup and three U.S. Open Cup championships during his 17 years at the helm. Kerry Zavagnin, a former Sporting KC player and longtime assistant, has served as interim head coach since Vermes’s departure.

“Sporting Kansas City has a proud history, a passionate fanbase and a winning culture,” Lee said. “I want to thank the ownership group for this special opportunity and look forward to building on the strong foundation that has been established in this great soccer city.”

Despite being a native of England, Lee’s extensive and successful career has been in MLS. He joined NYCFC in 2014 as Director of Player Recruitment ahead of the club’s inaugural season, was promoted to Technical Director in 2017, and became Sporting Director in 2019. During his tenure, NYCFC won the 2021 MLS Cup and 2022 Campeones Cup, made nine playoff appearances in the last 10 seasons, and led MLS in regular season points from 2016 to 2025.

Analytics-Driven Approach

Lee emphasized his commitment to modernizing Sporting KC’s operations, particularly through the use of data and analytics.

“I really want to make sure that we use information, data to help make more informed decisions throughout the entire club,” Lee said. “That can be academy, that can be first team.”

Lee, who started his career as a performance analyst, said he plans to hire staff to build the club’s analytics capabilities, something that doesn’t currently exist at Sporting KC.

“We try to create an evidence-informed environment,” Lee explained. “How are we making decisions? What information are we using to help make those decisions? How can we create models that can help us make better decisions?”

Immediate Priorities

Lee’s first major task will be leading the search for a permanent head coach. He said Zavagnin will be part of that process if he’s interested in the permanent role.

“The qualities that we’re looking for, you need to be a leader as a head coach,” Lee said. “We want somebody that’s committed to playing the way that we expect the team to play. We’re going to have fundamental principles that are that we aspire to play — attacking high energy, creating lots of chances, possession-based soccer.”

Lee will also face roster decisions in the coming weeks, with 17 players having contract options that need to be addressed. He acknowledged the roster needs improvement but sees opportunity in the flexibility those decisions provide.

“It is going to come as no surprise, the roster needs to be improved, the roster needs to get better and it will get better through the next transfer windows,” Lee said. “I think there are good pieces in the team, and I think with a, when any new person comes in, you get the opportunity to show a different side for each player.”

Why Kansas City?

Lee said it took “something really special” to leave NYCFC, where he was happy and had been since the club’s inception.

“The reasons why I believe this is the right opportunity for me start with the very, very proud history that Sporting Kansas City has,” Lee said. “They’ve won championships. You can feel it when you walk around the stadium. You can feel it when you walk around this training facility.”

He praised the club’s facilities, calling them “light years ahead of almost everything else I’ve ever seen in MLS,” and said ownership’s commitment was ultimately what convinced him to take the position.

“In every interaction I had with Mike throughout this entire process, his belief, his commitment, his desire to do everything possible to get this team back to where we both want it to be was ultimately the reason why I said yes to this project,” Lee said.

Earning Back Trust

Illig acknowledged the club’s recent struggles, with Sporting KC missing the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.

“We know these past seasons have not met your expectations or ours,” Illig said to supporters. “We hear you and we feel it too. And we promise this, we will work every day to earn back your trust, to bring pride to Kansas City and to keep painting the wall.”

Lee emphasized his ultimate goal is simple.

“The number one reason I am here is because I want to win,” he said. “I would not be here if I didn’t believe that we had an organization, the support and everything that we could possibly need to make sure this organization wins.”

Sporting KC concludes the 2025 season on Oct. 18 at 8:00 PM when they host the Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park.