Sporting Kansas City has acquired 24-year-old forward Andre Luiz in a club-record transfer from Greek club Olympiacos FC, the club announced today. Luiz, who joins Sporting as a Designated Player, has signed a five-year MLS contract through the 2030-2031 season and will occupy an international spot on Sporting’s roster, pending receipt of his P1 visa and International Transfer Certificate.
Luiz, the fifth player that Sporting has signed as a Designated Player since the start of 2018, will arrive in Kansas City following a breakout season in Europe where he took Portugal by storm with Rio Ave FC, tallying seven goals and six assists in the first half of the season, before closing out the 2025-2026 campaign at Greek giants Olympiacos.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Andre to Sporting Kansas City,” President of Soccer Operations & General Manager David Lee said. “Andre is a dynamic player with pace, directness and technical ability who is coming off an excellent season in Portugal and Greece. At the age of 24, he fits with our model of adding quality players to our roster that still have their prime years ahead of them. Andre was highly coveted in some of the top leagues in the world so we are delighted that he has decided to commit his long-term future to Sporting KC.”
After developing at America Football Club in his native Rio de Janeiro, Luiz moved to the academy of CF Flamengo to continue his development in 2020. He starred at the U-20 level, tallying eight goals and four assists in 17 matches which led to his professional debut for the Flamengo first team on Dec. 9, 2021.
Luiz made nine total appearances for Flamengo and scored his first senior goal against Resende FC on Feb. 18, 2023 before heading to Portugal for a loan stint with Estrela da Amadora during the 2023-2024 season. The versatile forward impressed by scoring four goals in his maiden season in the Portuguese top-flight, prompting Estrela da Amadora to make the move permanent ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign.
Following a strong start to the new season, Luiz was acquired by fellow Liga Portugal team Rio Ave FC in January of 2025 and he concluded the 2024-2025 campaign with another four goals and two assists as he helped Rio Ave remain in the first division.
Luiz broke out as one of Portugal’s most coveted players during the first half of the 2025-2026 season when he recorded seven goals and six assists for Rio Ave in just 19 appearances – including a stunning late equalizer to secure a point on the road against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Sept. 23, 2025.
His form in Portugal earned him a move to Greek giants Olympiacos FC in January 2026, where he made an instant impact on his debut by winning a dramatic 106th-minute penalty kick as Olympiacos earned a 1-1 draw against AEK Athens in the local derby on Feb. 1, 2026.
Sporting is back in action tomorrow when the team hosts cross-state rivals St. Louis in a nationally-televised contest at Sporting Park with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT. The match will air on FS1 and Apple TV, while Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM will carry the game locally on the radio. Tickets are available via SeatGeek.
With the addition of Luiz, Sporting now has 27 players under contract for the 2026 season. For a full list of the club’s roster moves, visit sportingkc.com/transactions.
- Goalkeepers (4): Stefan Cleveland, Jack Kortkamp, John Pulskamp, Ryan Schewe
- Defenders (10): Zorhan Bassong, Or Blorian, Diego Borges, Ian James, Emir Karic, Wyatt Meyer, Jansen Miller, Moises Mosquera, Jayden Reid, Justin Reynolds
- Midfielders (4): Kwaku Agyabeng, Jacob Bartlett, Lasse Berg Johnsen, Jake Davis
- Forwards (7): Stephen Afrifa, Taylor Calheira, Capita Capemba, Calvin Harris, Dejan Joveljic, Andre Luiz, Shapi Suleymanov
- On Loan (2): Ethan Bartlow, Cielo Tschantret
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) acquires forward Andre Luiz as a Designated Player in club-record transfer from Olympiacos FC (Greece).
VITALS
Andre Luiz
Position: Forward
Birthdate: 2/23/2002 (24 years old)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 175 lbs.
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Citizenship: Brazil
Instagram: @andresilva\_011
