Sporting KC parts with captain Johnny Russell amid roster overhaul following its losing season

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sporting Kansas City will not bring back captain Johnny Russell, goalkeeper Tim Melia or defender Andreu Fontas as part of a major roster overhaul that followed the second-worst season in franchise history, the team announced Thursday.

The 34-year-old Russell, whose contract had expired, joined the MLS club in 2018 and appeared in 232 matches, scoring 67 goals with 39 assists. He quickly became a fan favorite and was made the Sporting KC captain three years ago.

The 38-year-old Melia, who was the MLS goalkeeper of the year in 2017 and helped Sporting KC to two U.S. Open Cup titles, also was out of a contract along with Fontas and midfielder Remi Walter.

The club exercised options on Stephen Afrifa, William Agada, Zorhan Bassong, Logan Ndenbe, Memo Rodriguez, Ryan Schewe and Robert Voloder while declining options on Chris Rindov, Ozzie Cisneros, Danny Flores and Robert Castellanos.

Sporting KC hired Mike Burns as sporting director in June. He was brought on after a stint with MLS and 15 seasons with the New England Revolution to help manager Peter Vermes in roster assembly and overseeing the club's player pathway program.

Sporting KC went 8-19-7 and finished with 31 points. That is the club's worst record for a 34-game season, and better only than the 8-24 mark in 1999 of the club formerly known as the Wizards.