Sporting Kansas City has dipped into the full-fledged designated player market for the first time since 2013.
The club announced Wednesday it has acquired winger Gerso Fernandes in a transfer deal from Portuguese club Belenenses and signed him to a designated player contract that will run through the 2019 season with an option for 2020.
The agreement was initially reported by The Star last month, when a source said Sporting KC has also reached an agreement in principle with Ghanaian winger Latif Blessing. The Blessing deal has not yet been announced by the team.
Fernandes, 25, has played the past five seasons in Portugal’s first division of soccer.