An hour after the final whistle Thursday, inside the Sporting Kansas City locker room, players exchanged handshakes and hugs. Few words were spoken. The farewell was implied.
It was a final farewell in a Sporting KC uniform for some.
Sporting KC declined contract options for midfielder Cristian Lobato, forward Kharlton Belmar and defenders Brad Evans, Colton Storm and Amer Didic on Friday, the day after the team was bounced from the MLS playoffs.
Such is the nature of the MLS offseason, and it’s in full swing for Sporting KC as of Friday morning.
On the flip side, the club exercised one-year options on striker Diego Rubio, defender Graham Smith and goalkeepers Adrian Zendejas and Eric Dick.