Sydney FC teenage sensation Akol Akon will join Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids at the end of the 2026/27 A-League season in a multi-million-dollar deal that will set a new club transfer record for a teenager.
The 17-year-old has already signed with Colorado and will remain with Sydney FC on loan for the remainder of the season, wearing the Sky Blues’ No.7 jersey.
aleagues.com.au understands the deal is worth an initial $1.5m AUD and will rise to $2.5m AUD, while there is also a sell-on clause included in the contract.
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The deal is also understood to be among the largest transfers in A-League history, with the MLS outfit forced to splash out given Akon was under contract with the Sky Blues until the end of the 2028/29 season.
Akon joins the Rapids after a breakthrough season with Sydney, having been named the 2026 Rising Star at the club’s end of season awards night.
The winger joined Sydney from rivals Western Sydney Wanderers at the start of last season and went on to have an immediate impact within the first team set-up including registering three assists against his old club in his first Sydney Derby.
Akon also holds the record as Sydney FC’s youngest-ever men’s player, having made his debut at 16 years, two months and 20 days.
“I credit a lot of my improvement over the past year to the club and the leadership of Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo,” Akon said after news of his deal was made official.
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“I’m excited to see what the future brings and how my career will develop in the United States.
“I owe so much to this team, I’ve loved representing the Sky Blues, and I’m looking forward to giving my all this season and leaving Sydney on a high.”
He also became the youngest player to feature and start in an A-League Men’s Grand Final when he took the field against Auckland FC in May 2026 at 17 years and two days.
Kisnorbo believes the move to Colorado represents the next step in Akon’s development.
“He has great potential to play at the highest level and a bright future ahead of him,” he said.
“This move to the Colorado Rapids is the next chapter in what I believe will be a long and successful career,” he said.
“Akol has really come into his own not only as a player but as a young man in the past year.
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“He needs to keep working hard, focus, stay humble and continue to build to become better.
“We still have him for the upcoming season, so I’m looking forward to continuing his development with Sydney FC providing what I can as his coach to prepare him for this next chapter.”
Akon has made 18 appearances for Sydney FC and has already become the youngest player to feature in an A-League Finals match.
He will also have the chance to claim another Sydney FC record during the 2026/27 season, with a goal before 25 March 2027 set to make him the club’s youngest-ever men’s goalscorer.
Sydney FC kick off the 2026/27 A-League Men season with a blockbuster Sydney Derby against arch-rivals Western Sydney Wanderers at Allianz Stadium on Friday, October 16.
