Felipe Hernandez signed with Sporting KC as a Homegrown Player in August 2019. Hernandez is the first Sporting player to progress from an Academy Affiliate club to the SKC Academy to Sporting KC II before signing with the senior team. He signed with the first team following a breakout 2019 with SKC II in the USL Championship, where he started 24 of 26 appearances, scored a team-best eight goals and recorded four assists.
Hernandez scored his first MLS goal for the club in a June 23, 2021 victory over the Colorado Rapids and also tallied the opener against his hometown club Nashville SC in a 2-1 Sporting victory on June 19, 2022.
Hernandez played for Sporting Nashville Heroes, a former Academy Affiliate, and moved to Kansas City in the summer of 2014 to join the Academy. At age 16, Hernandez earned a preseason training stint with the first team in January 2015, before signing an Academy contract with SKC II in August 2016, two months prior to earning Bob Gansler Academy Player of the Year honors that then led to a professional SKC II contract in early 2017.
PROFESSIONAL
2023: Made 13 appearances across all competitions for Sporting KC, scoring one goal. MLS Regular Season: Started two of 11 appearances and scored the final goal in the 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on May 28. MLS Cup Playoffs: Did not feature. Open Cup:Leagues Cup: Did not feature. MLS NEXT Pro: Started seven of nine appearances for Sporting KC II, tallying two goals and three assists in 591 minutes. Recorded a goal and an assist in the 7-1 win over Vancouver 2 on July 2 before scoring again in the win over Colorado 2 on July 30. Bagged a pair of assists in the 2-1 win at Austin FC 2 on Aug. 25.
2022: MLS Regular Season: Started 16 of 34 appearances, tallied two goals and added three assists (1774 minutes played). Assisted a Roger Espinoza score on March 19 at the Chicago Fire. Assisted two goals in a match against the Portland Timbers on May 14, setting up Marinos Tzionis' first MLS goal as well as a Johnny Russell strike. Ripped a long-range free kick score against Nashville SC in front of his entire family still in Nashville on Father's Day, helping Sporting to a 2-1 victory. Scored against the LA Galaxy to help Sporting grab a 2-2 draw on the road on Aug. 4.
2021: MLS Regular Season: Started four of six appearances and recorded one goal and two assists (407 minutes played). Scored the third goal in a 3-1 win over FC Dallas and assisted on one of Daniel Salloi's strikes in the same match on June 23. Earned the match-winning assist in a 2-1 win against LAFC on June 26, teeing up Daniel Salloi in the 87th minute. MLS Cup Playoffs: Did not feature.
2020: MLS Regular Season: Started eight of 16 appearances and recorded one assist (778 minutes played). Assisted Khiry Shelton's equalizer in his first start of the season in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas on Sept. 2. MLS is Back Tournament: Made two substitute appearances (58 minutes played). MLS Cup Playoffs: Made two substitute appearances (43 minutes played). Played 31 minutes in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Nov. 22, coming off the bench as Sporting defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 in a penalty shootout following a 3-3 draw. Played 12 minutes as a second-half substitute in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota United FC in the Western Conference Semifinals on Dec. 3.
2019: MLS Regular Season: Started one of two appearances (95 minutes played). Earned his MLS debut as a second-half substitute on Sept. 7 at the Portland Timbers. Earned his first MLS start at FC Dallas on Oct. 6. Concacaf Champions League: Did not feature. Open Cup: Did not feature.
2019: USL Championship: Started 22 of 23 appearances, recording eight goals and three assists (1,990 minutes played). Scored the first Swope Park Rangers goal of the season on March 9 vs. New York Red Bulls II. On April 6 vs. Bethlehem Steel FC, he assisted Jerome Ngom Mbekeli's first of two goals. Assisted Alexsander's goal at Saint Louis FC on April 27. Got the scoring started vs. Louisville City FC in the Ranger's first win of the season on May 6. He scored in his homecoming game vs. Nashville SC on May 11. Made it three games in a row by scoring in the second minute vs. Atlanta United 2 on May 19. Got back into scoring form when he scored a goal from long range vs. Loudoun United on June 5. Netted the equalizing goal of the post vs. Charleston Battery on June 22. Put the Rangers ahead of Saint Louis FC with a goal from outside the box on June 30th. Started the scoring against Hartford after stealing the ball and putting it past the Hartford Athletic goalkeeper on July 17th. Assisted Ze Pedro's goal against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on August 10.
2018: USL Championship: Hernandez played in 34 of 36 matches for the Rangers, starting 31, recording three goals and four assists from central midfield. He recorded his first assist in a 4-2 home win over Seattle Sounders FC 2 on March 24 and added his second in a 2-2 draw on the road at Phoenix Rising FC on April 21. Hernandez scored his first goal of the campaign with the game-winner at Seattle Sounders FC 2 on July 5 before adding another strike in the 2-1 road loss to Orange County SC on Aug. 4. He recorded the game-winning assist in a 2-1 home win over San Antonio FC on Aug. 25 before closing out the regular season with a stunning one goal and two assists performance against LA Galaxy II during a 5-1 victory at Children’s Mercy Park on Oct. 14. Hernandez played every minute for the Rangers in the USL Cup Playoffs as the side were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals by Phoenix Rising FC.
2017: USL Championship: Made 23 appearances in his first full professional season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. Hernandez earned his professional debut in the season opening, 3-1 victory over OKC Energy FC on March 25. He scored his first career goal with a free kick in a 4-1 defeat to Reno 1868 FC on July 30 before tallying his first assist in a 2-0 win over OKC on September 2. Hernandez recorded his second goal of the season – also from a direct free kick – in a 5-2 victory versus San Antonio FC on September 17. He recorded single assists in the following two games, helping set up goals in wins over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on September 23 and LA Galaxy II on September 27. Hernandez appeared in all four games during the USL Cup Playoffs, starting the Western Conference Quarterfinal and Semifinal victories over Phoenix Rising FC and Sacramento Republic FC. In addition, Hernandez was called up to Sporting KC on a short-term loan for the club’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fifth Round match against the Houston Dynamo on June 28 but was an unused substitute in the 2-0 win.
2016: Signed with the Swope Park Rangers as an Academy signing on Aug. 18. Did not make an appearance but was included on the bench in the 1-1 draw with Saint Louis FC on Aug. 21.
SPORTING KC ACADEMY
Hernandez joined the Sporting KC Academy from Academy affiliate Sporting Nashville Heroes ahead of the 2014-15 season and quickly became a key member of the team. After training with Sporting KC in preseason in 2015, Hernandez made 27 appearances for the Under-18s in the 2015-16 Development Academy season, scoring six goals. Important strikes included one that clinched a playoff berth for the U-18s and two in the side’s dramatic 6-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes that saw the U-18s advance to the Playoff Quarterfinals.
INTERNATIONAL
Called into the U.S. Under-19 National Team for the first time for the Stevan Vilotic-Cele tournament in Subotica, Serbia on Aug. 30, 2016. Appeared in all three games and earned one start. Hernandez was called into two more U.S. Under-19 training camps in 2016: in Chula Vista, Calif. from Oct. 3-10 and in Sunrise, Fla. from Nov. 5-14. In early 2017, Hernandez was called into another U-19 camp for a weeklong camp in Sunrise, Fla. from Feb. 3-10. He received his first call-up to the U-20 squad for a camp in London, England from April 3-10, 2017.
