ratings updated 7 Sept 2026
Profile
Season stats
Full career & schedule →Domestic-league season · Sporting Kansas City.
Performance data · by competition
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Major League Soccer | 11 | 0 | 0 | 807 | 6.34 |
Scout report
I. James is a 18-year-old central defender at Sporting Kansas City, rated 38.9 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 187th of 480 on scout potential in the Major League Soccer and 63rd of 146 U-19 players tracked. A teenage prospect, he has been a rotation option this season (39.3% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 3.86 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on James.
Judged on this season alone, James graded 8 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 105th of 119 of the 119 centre-backs in the Major League Soccer, on 0 clean sheets and 3.864 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 5 → 8).
On long-term talent our Rating reads 39, top 32% of the 119 centre-backs in the Major League Soccer. At 18 James is still climbing toward his ceiling, and a market index of 5.5 reflects that trajectory.
James is operating at his career peak — the 2026/27 level is the level.
Output in context · Sporting Kansas City finished 15th of 15 · a relegation-threatened side
3.86 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — solid defensive volume across 13 appearances. Doing that for a relegation-threatened side (15th of 15) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight.
Strengths
- Defensive volume. 3.86 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.
Watch points
- Game time. Only 39.3% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
- Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.
Outlook
With a Rating of 38.9, James carries the 38th-highest potential of the centre-backs in the Major League Soccer of 119 — though on just 13 appearances this season, so the standing rests on a small sample. Defensively he reads as solid defensive volume (3.86 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). At 18 the trajectory points up — potential sits near its ceiling (100/100) and market value should climb as minutes and output follow.
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
Season statistics
Bars = where he ranks among centre-backs in the Major League Soccer with 600+ minutes this season.
Shooting
Passing
Possession
Defending
Yellow/red cards
Transfer news
No transfer news found for this player.
