THE BASICS:
- Sporting Kansas City
- Western Conference
- Home: Sporting Park
HONORS:
- MLS CUP: 2000, 2013
- Supporters' Shield: 2000
- U.S. Open Cup: 2004, 2012
SPORTINGKC.COM:
Club manager and technical director Peter Vermes, a veteran of the then-Wizards' 2000 MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield double, has molded Sporting's identity into his image: tough, defensive-minded and more dependent on solid team play than on any one star. That doesn't always make for big headlines during transfer windows, but two trophies and four-straight playoff appearances would seem to indicate that Vermes has found a solid small-market formula.
Rivals
With no other clubs closer than a seven-hour drive, and this year's move to the Western Conference with the arrival of two new teams in the East, Sporting's rivalries tend to be historic more than geographical. There's a longstanding grudge against D.C. United (“Handball United” to fans who have been around a while), stemming from the contentious 2004 MLS Cup Final, and fans aren't exactly fond of Chicago around here, either. The club line, though, is that every match is equally important.
2014 Recap
Last year was great up front for Sporting, with Dom Dwyer shattering a handful of long-held club records with 24 goals across all competitions. In the back, though, Kansas City struggled through a series of injuries and international absences – exacerbated by the midseason sale of defensive midfielder Uri Rosell to Sporting Clube de Portugal. Sporting still limped into the playoffs – but lost the play-in match, their first failure to make the East final since the 2011 rebrand.
TRANSACTIONS IN:
- M Bernardo Anor (trade from Columbus)
- D Jalil Anibaba (trade from Orlando City)
- M James Marcelin (free)
- F Krisztian Nemeth (free)
- GK Luis Marin (free)
- GK Tim Melia (waivers)
- M Roger Espinoza (free)
- M Connor Hallisey (SuperDraft)
- D Saad Abdul-Salaam (SuperDraft)
- M Servando Carrasco (trade from Houston)
- M Soni Mustivar (free)
- D Amadou Dia (SuperDraft)
- F James Ansu Rogers (SuperDraft)
TRANSACTIONS OUT:
- M Antonio Dovale (option declined)
- M Michael Kafari (option declined)
- M Victor Munoz (option declined)
- M Lawrence Olum (contract terminated)
- F Soony Saad (out of contract)
- D Christian Duke (option declined)
- D Aurelien Collin (traded to Orlando City)
- F C.J. Sapong (traded to Philadelphia)
- M Sal Zizzo (Expansion Draft to NYCFC)
- G Eric Kronberg (Re-Entry Stage 1 Draft)
- GK Andy Gruenebaum (Re-Entry Stage 1 Draft)
- F Claudio Bieler (out of contract)
- M Martin Steuble (out of contract)
- D Igor Juliao (loan expired)
- M James Marcelin (waived)
- M Jorge Claros (mutual termination)
2015 Prospectus
The biggest acquisition news from the offseason was actually a reacquisition: midfielder Roger Espinoza is back after an up-and-down two-year stint with English side Wigan Athletic. Conversely, Sporting lost perennial MLS All-Star center back Aurelien Collin, the 2013 MLS Cup MVP, in a cap-casualty trade to new MLS side Orlando City SC. There have been plenty of other changes – in and out – since the disappointment of 2014, and Vermes hopes the new arrivals will allow him to make some formational changes to help SKC compete in the always-tough Western Conference.
CLUB SOURCE:
"Roger Espinoza's a fantastic player. By all accounts it looks like they're going to have a lot of numbers in the midfield."
CLUB SOURCE:
"Peter Vermes is a coach I respect very highly. He's honest, he's hard working and he's built a proper football club."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
PROJECTED LINEUP: 4-3-3
Marin; Myers, Opara, Besler, Sinovic; Espinoza, Feilhaber, Nemeth; Zusi, Dwyer, Anor
Complete roster [sportingkc.com]
FANTASY SOCCER
SLEEPER PICKS:
Captain Zusi ($10.5m)? Perhaps, unless you think Benny Feilhaber ($9m) is liable to out earn him again this year. Then again, a World Cup had something to do with that. Who starts in the holding midfield spot behind Roger Espinoza ($7.5m), who is a good value himself? Whoever it is, they'll be affordable. Up top, do you believe Krisztian Nemeth ($8m) will live up to his preseason hype? Will you bet big on Dom Dwyer ($10.5m)?
Armchair Analyst's Best Case Scenario
I'm not comfortable calling this a rebuild, but it certainly is a reconstitution of the Sporting KC team that's been one of the league's best and most consistent since 2011. And that was probably necessary, since their vaunted high pressure became Swiss cheese around July of last year.
In a perfect world KC are able to shake off that rust and fatigue, and somehow meld that frenetic, high-pressure style with a bit of the more cultured play we saw out of central midfield. Feilhaber looked like an MVP candidate at times, and we know that Espinoza will run his lungs out and deliver value on both sides of the ball. The real questions are who truly fills the hole left by Uri Rosell's departure, and if Nemeth can become a goal-dangerous winger able to lift some of the scoring burden from Dwyer's shoulders.
Even if all of the above is answered in the affirmative, this team looks a cut below the top contenders. Backline and d-mid worries are the worst ones to have, and when I look at this KC roster, I've got concerns about both.
