Kevin Oliveira

Option declined following 2017 season.

Oliveira is a young player who can play in the center of the midfield or out wide. He should provide depth for Sporting KC through the end of the season.

INTERNATIONAL: Oliveira most recently joined the Cape Verde Men’s National Team for a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Uganda in June, where he was an unused substitute. He previously represented the Cape Verde U-16s in 2012 and trained with the senior team for the first time in March 2015 ahead of a 2-0 friendly win over Portugal.

OUTSIDE MLS: Oliveira, 21, joined the Swope Park Rangers ahead of their inaugural season in 2016. He has totaled six goals and nine assists in 28 USL career appearances for the club, including three goals and a team-best five assists this year. He has also created 21 chances for a club that currently occupies fourth place in the USL’s Western Conference with a 13-7-6 record. Born and raised on the African island nation of Cape Verde, Oliveira moved to Portugal as a teenager to join Benfica’s academy in 2010. The midfielder rose the youth ranks to the U-19 level, where he scored five goals in 28 games throughout the 2014-15 campaign. That same season, he helped the Benfica U-19s reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Youth League, notably defeating Liverpool in the Round of 16, as well as the final of the Durban U-19 International Football Tournament. Earlier in his Benfica youth career, Oliveira was named MVP at the 2013 Al Ain International Football Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates as well as the 2013 Verbania Tournament in Italy. Benfica B loaned Oliveira to Portuguese Segunda Liga side SC Covilha for the 2015-16 season. He made nine appearances in all competitions before heading overseas to begin his stint with the Swope Park Rangers in February 2016.