Quite Sporting of Salt Lake: Former KC teammates William "Willy" Agada, Johnny Russell sign with RSL
The former Sporting duo bring a new look to an attack that ranks in the bottom third of Major League Soccer, are both eligible for selection Saturday at San Diego FC.
Róbert Boženík wasn’t the only striker linked with Real Salt Lake in the final days of the spring transfer window, and though that deal ultimately fell apart in the final stages with Boavista, RSL found a way to bolster its attack around the close of the 205 MLS primary transfer window.
The club signed former Sporting Kansas City forwards William “Willy” Agada and Johnny Russell as a free agent. Agada joined RSL for training Thursday in Utah, while Russell met the team Friday and trained about a half hour later, per team sources.
Both could be potentially available for head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s selection Saturday at San Diego FC (5:30 p.m. MT, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), though Agada’s potential debut may be more likely since he’s already played six times for Sporting this season with one start.
Russell, a Glasgow, Scotland, native who represented his country at the international level through 2019, left Sporting Kansas City at the conclusion of his contract following the 2024 season. He was formally added to RSL’s roster Friday morning as the deal finished processing.
“I’m really excited at the opportunity,” Russell said after training. “This is a young and exciting team headed in a great direction, and I’m lucky to be a part of it. I’m really excited to get going, and can’t wait to get out there.”
The former KC front men had a, uhhhh … history with the Salt Lake side and a rivalry that runs deep across Major League Soccer. But both are excited to join their new clubs, including the 25-year-old Agada who went through his first training session in Herriman on Thursday — and then beamed when presented with the idea of reuniting with Russell.
"I’ve been on the receiving end of the fan base many times,” said Russell, who is signed through the 2025 season. “It was always good fun, always competitive games, and this was one of the places I enjoyed coming. Hopefully I can turn some of those opinions around.
“I’m someone who wears my heart on my sleeve, plays with a lot of pride and fiery passion. I’m hoping that those guys see that and appreciate that — and maybe I can turn a few guys in my favor.”
Can confirm, Agada added.
“He’s a big captain, and I can’t stress more about his personality,” he said.
“This guy is a beast, a leader, and the whole team respected him where I came from,” Agada added of Russell. “I know you guys are going to have a powerful guy in the locker room and an all-around sweet guy … Johnny’s such a leader, and he’s a leader by example. He guides everyone, and talks to everyone on and off the field.”
The 35-year-old forward is in his first year in MLS without a club after departing Sporting Kansas City following seven years, when Russell scored 60 goals with 29 assists in 196 appearances, including 161 starts.
He’s coming off his lowest scoring tenure with Kansas City, when he had just four goals and three assists in 29 appearances across 2024, 18 of them starts. Still, any boost to the attack would be welcome for an RSL side that has just 8 goals through the first nine games of the season.
Agada, too, could be the No. 9 that RSL has been seeking to replace since moving Chicho Arango to San Jose — at a discounted price.
The 25-year-old Nigerian international won’t occupy a DP spot — though Salt Lake did send $500,000 in General Allocation Money to Sporting KC for the final year of his contract, and will add another $350,000 if Agada extends with the club through 2026 and beyond — but he did score 24 goals with six assists in 4,100 minutes across all competitions for Kansas City and has been on the brink of becoming an elite-level attacker since arriving in MLS from Hapoel Jerusalem in June 2022.
If he does break out, it will be in a Salt Lake shirt.
“It’s been a crazy 24 hours,” said Agada, who admits he wasn’t sure that Sporting KC was shopping him until the final days of the transfer window but quickly connected with Emeka Eneli in his new club. “But it’s good to step out on the field, and it makes you feel a bit relieved.
“For me, I’m super excited about this move. Even though it came with a quick notice, Salt Lake is such an amazing city. One of the boys on the team was telling me good things about this city. I can’t wait to get connected with the fans and also the community.”
TRANSACTIONS:
Real Salt Lake acquires FW William Agada from Sporting Kansas City (United States, MLS) in exchange for $500,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money, with another $350,000 in GAM owed to Kansas City upon RSL signing Agada to a contract extension.
Real Salt Lake acquires FW Johnny Russell as a free agent following the forward’s recent departure from Sporting Kansas City (United States, MLS).