KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Sporting Kansas City defense got a little love on Valentine’s Day.
The club announced Friday that it had bolstered its defense with the acquisition of New Zealand center back Winston Reid on loan from West Ham United of the English Premier League.
Reid, 31, will occupy an international roster spot for Sporting KC. He brings World Cup experience and elite club experience, having played in 166 career Premier League matches and more than 300 professional games in Denmark and England.
In Reid, Sporting KC gets a 6-foot-3 defender with 25 career international appearances for New Zealand, including three starts during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
He made his West Ham debut in August 2010 and has appeared in 222 games across all competitions.
Reid was West Ham’s player of the year after he started a career-high 36 Premier League matches in 2012-13.
A dual citizen of New Zealand and Denmark, Reid also played for the U-19, U-20 and U-21 Danish national teams.
Sporting KC opens the season Feb. 29 at Vancouver. The club's first home game is March 7 against Houston.
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