Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has signed 29-year-old defenseman Tim Leibold, an experienced left back who has amassed more than 20 goals and 40 assists in nearly 300 professional appearances in his native Germany.
Leibold, who signed a three-year MLS contract until 2025 with an option for 2026, will take an international spot on Sporting’s roster, pending receipt of his international transfer confirmation and P1 visa. He becomes Sporting’s third German arrival from the start of 2022, following centre-back Roberto Voloder and midfielder Erik Thommy.
Leibold will join Sporting after spending the last eight seasons in the top two German leagues. He starred for Nürnberg from 2015 to 2019—helping the club to promotion to the Bundesliga in 2018—and has since competed for Hamburg, including a one-year stint as club captain during the 2020-21 season.
A dynamic left-back with an attacking flair, Leibold developed through the youth academies of VfB Stuttgart, TSF Ditzingen and SGV Freiberg before turning professional at Freiberg aged 18 in 2012. In his only season at the club prior to that, he scored five goals and provided four assists. until joining VfB Stuttgart II, where he started 54 games over two years in the German third division.
Leibold enjoyed a breakthrough in 2015, joining 2nd Bundesliga side Nuremburg and cementing his place as a regular starter. He recorded four goals and two assists in his first season at Nuremburg, as the club narrowly missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga with a 2-1 aggregate score against Eintracht Frankfurt in the promotion/relegation play-off. Leibold missed most of the following season through injury, but returned in 2017–18 with four goals and three assists in 32 appearances as Nuremburg won promotion to the Bundesliga by finishing second in the league.
In the 2018-19 campaign. Leibold led Nürnburg with 32 Bundesliga starts and also assisted three goals. Competing in one of the world’s best leagues, he led the team in key passes, tackles, returns and touches while ranking second in minutes played.
Leibold then returned to the 2nd Bundesliga by moving from Nurnberg to Hamburg, where he had his best professional season to date in 2019-20. He played every minute of all 34 league games and led the Bundesliga 2 with 16 assists, including two-assist games in wins over Dynamo Dresden and former club Nurnberg. Leibold captained Hamburg in 2020-21, delivering another outstanding season with four goals and four assists in 29 league starts as the club finished fourth for the second consecutive year.
Leibold has started 15 of 17 appearances for Hamburg over the past two seasons, including starts in cup wins over Nurnberg and Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2021-22 DFB-Pokal.
Internationally, Leibold played five games for Germany U-20 in 2013, including wins over Turkey, Netherlands and Poland.
For a complete list of Sporting’s offseason moves, visit SportingKC.com/news/tracker. The club will begin its 28th MLS campaign on February 25, visiting the Portland Timbers in the earliest start to the regular season in league history. Sporting’s home game at Children’s Mercy Park is scheduled for March 11 against the LA Galaxy.
Sporting Kansas City season tickets feature exclusive benefits, including an MLS Season Pass subscription on the Apple TV app and free tickets to away games, and are available by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting SportingKC.com. Sporting also offers a variety of ticket packages and promotions including the Home Opener Pack and Captain’s Flex Pack. In addition, single-game tickets for Sporting’s first eight regular-season home games at Children’s Mercy Park in 2023 are now on sale through SeatGeek.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) signs defender Tim Leibold to a three-year MLS contract through 2025 with an option for 2026.
Tim Leibold (LIES-bold)
Position: Defender
Born: 30.11.1993 (29 years old)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 160 lbs.
Hometown: Boblingen, Germany
Place of birth: Boblingen, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Previous club: Hamburg SV (Germany)
Instagram: @tim.leibold