The Kansas City Wizards announced Tuesday that they have signed goalkeeper Jon Kempin as the first Home Grown Player in club history.

The 17-year-old product of the Wizards Juniors youth developmental academy signed as a Generation Adidas player, becoming the youngest signing in team history and the first Home Grown Player to receive a professional contract from the club since the initiative's inception in 2007.

"This is a great day for our organization," Kansas City Wizards Manager Peter Vermes said.

"We had the opportunity to identify a talented player in the area, bring him into the Juniors program and develop him to the point where we could sign him to a professional contract. Jon has incredible talent and now he has the opportunity to continue his development at a professional level and not have the pressure to perform on the field right away."

Kempin, a Leawood resident, is an active member of the United States Under-18 National Team player pool, having twice been invited to the team's training camps in 2010, and is considered one of the top young prospects at his position.

"This a dream come true," Kempin said. "It's an exciting time for the Wizards organization and I feel blessed to be the team's first Home Grown Player. I'm also really looking forward to learning under Jimmy Nielsen. He's had a great season and he's definitely one of the top keepers in Major League Soccer."