The Sporting Kansas City Academy has announced the addition of assistant coaches Bryan Turner and Jake Smith to the technical staff.
Turner and Smith will assist the head coaches of the U-18, U-16 and U-15 teams both in training and at matches throughout the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season. The two will also help out with the Center of Excellence, the SKC Academy's high-level supplemental training program for boys aged 13 and younger.
Sporting KC Academy Coaching Staff for the 2025-26 MLS NEXT Season
- SKC Academy Director: Declan Jogi
- U-18 Head Coach: Lee Tschantret
- U-16 Head Coach: Angel Rivillo
- U-15 Head Coach: Luis Pacheco
- Center of Excellence Lead Coach: Jamie MacGregor
- Goalkeeper Coach: Carlos Ortiz
- Assistant Coach: Bryan Turner
- Assistant Coach: Jake Smith
- Performance Coach: Dylan Boone
Turner joins the Sporting KC Academy after most recently coaching in USL League Two in Louisiana. He has over 12 years of experience in the Kansas City area, coaching at the club, high school, collegiate and USL League Two levels. He has specialized in individual and small group trainings over the past eight years, working with professional players in MLS, NWSL and USL. While coaching at the high school level in the KC area, he was a part of seven state championships and produced numerous All-American players. He currently holds a USSF A-Senior license.
Born in Texas and raised in Colorado, Smith has seven years of coaching experience under his belt, including stops at Missouri Baptist University and Lou Fusz Athletic Academy. After playing in college for both Missouri Baptist University and South Dakota School of Mines, Smith returned to his alma mater, Missouri Baptist, as a Graduate Assistant. After two years of valuable experience, he became an Academy Head Coach at Lou Fusz Athletic, an MLS NEXT Elite Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. Smith is currently in pursuit of his USSF A-Youth License.
The Sporting KC Acadmey's 2025-26 MLS NEXT campaign kicked off in September and will conclude in May at the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs in Salt Lake City, Utah. Throughout the campaign, the U-18s, U-16s and U-15s will compete at premier MLS NEXT events such as MLS NEXT Fest, Generation adidas Cup and MLS NEXT Flex before the playoffs begin in the Spring. Fans can keep up with everything in the Academy by following the team on X and Instagram or by checking out the brand new website at SportingKC.com/Academy.
