American-Malaysian midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal has confirmed his departure from MLS club Sporting Kansas City.
American-Malaysian midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal has confirmed his departure from Major League Soccer (MLS) club Sporting Kansas City, in a brief Twitter post.
It had been reported last week that Sporting have opted against extending the 22-year old's contract, which ends at the end of 2020.
On Monday morning Malaysian time, Kuzain posted a statement on his Twitter page.
"To Sporting KC II, SKC Academy and Sporting KC, thank you for giving a then-17 year old kid looking for a chance in professional soccer an opportunity he will never forget.
"To the staff, fans and everyone I've met during my time in KC, thank you for the endless support and love. And to my teammates, who I can call some of my best friends, thank you for making my first couple professional seasons ones I'll never forget."
The American midfielder, who was born to Malaysian parents, had joined the Sporting from Saint Louis FC in 2017. The following year, he made his MLS debut in their match against Minnesota United, and even scored in the 4-1 win.
Wan Kuzain's MLS debut goal
Despite the promising debut and a total of six MLS appearances in the season, three as a starter, those would be his only top-tier appearances to date. He would play mostly for their feeder team Swope Park Rangers (later Sporting KC II) in the USL Championship, and even second-tier minutes would dry up for him in 2020. This year, he only played for a total of 19 minutes in the USL, in one appearance, while appearing on the bench 12 times for the first team in the MLS.
In late 2019 he trained with Malaysia U-23 with the purpose of competing with them in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, but was left out at the eleventh hour due to passport issues. His younger brother, Wan Kuzri is at another USL club Saint Louis FC, while his elder brother, Wan Fayhsal is a deputy minister at Malaysia's Youth and Sports Ministry.