Sporting KC MLS Cup 2013: Where are they now?
By Matt Coles
LW – C.J. Sapong – Chicago Fire (MLS)
The left winger for Sporting KC on December 7, 2013 was C.J. Sapong. The attacker scored Sporting KC’s seventh penalty in the shootout, as they went on to beat Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final.
Sapong’s professional career started with the Fredericksburg Gunners in 2009, whilst he was still at college at James Madison University. He also played for Reading United before being drafted by Sporting KC with the tenth overall pick of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
His rookie season saw him score five times, as well as assisting five other goals for the club, as he took the 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year award. In 2012, Sapong made his international bow for the USMNT, as well as helping SKC to the U.S. Open Cup triumph. A year later, the forward played 30 times, as his side went all the way to glory come the end of the MLS campaign.
After a further season in Kansas City, Sapong was traded to the Philadelphia Union. In his four seasons with the club, the forward moved into a more central role, and played over 120 times, scoring 36 goals. The 2017 season was his best from an individual standpoint, as he broke the Union’s single season goal-scoring record, notching 16 goals on the year.
In February 2019, Sapong was traded to the Chicago Fire, and he continues to lead the line for the club, having already played 25 times for the team.