KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sporting Kansas City announced Tuesday that the club has loaned 18-year-old forward Tyler Freeman to Karlsruher SC for the 2021-22 German 2. Bundesliga season with an option to recall the player.
Freeman, a Sporting KC Academy product and Shawnee native, became the second youngest player in Sporting history upon signing an MLS contract with the club in October 2018 at 15 years old. Since then, the versatile attacker has recorded six goals and one assist in 35 USL Championship appearances for Sporting Kansas City II.
Freeman joined the Sporting KC Academy at age 11 in 2014 and represented his hometown club at the U-12 through U-19 levels before jumping to the professional ranks. He also has represented the United States U-14, U-16 and U-17 national teams, notably competing at the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship alongside Sporting teammate Gianluca Busio and helping the U.S. to a second-place finish at the tournament.
After scoring three goals across his first two professional seasons in the USL Championship, Freeman enjoyed a strong start to 2021 with three goals and an assist in nine appearances. He scored in a 1-1 home draw against OKC Energy FC on May 7 and came off the bench to bag a late brace in a 4-3 defeat at FC Tulsa on June 16.
Karlsruher SC has spent most of the past six decades playing in the top two divisions of Germany. Led by manager Christian Eichner, the club finished sixth in the 2020-21 German 2. Bundesliga and has begun the 2021-22 campaign with consecutive wins over Hansa Rostock and SV Darmstadt 98.
