The Front Men

What Formation To Use In FIFA 12

2012-02-03T12:03:00.001-06:00

Most gamers that play FIFA 12 have realized that every team has that one formation that works best. And I believe it tends to be the same in real life. From Barcelona's 4-3-3 to Napoli's 3-4-3 FIFA 12 has a lot of different options to choose from. But which formations are the best and which one's work best at which times? Well, in most cases you have to know which team you're facing to choose a formation to counteract that particular formation. I will explain that all and much more in a minute as I break down some of the most popular formations in the game of FIFA and how you the gamer can use them to the fullest.

Setting Up the Squad
Before you even looking at the formations screen I highly suggest you take a deep look at your squad. Knowing where the strengths are within a team is extremely important and can be the deciding factor of winning or losing a game. For instance, if you have chosen a team that has 2 or 3 top class strikers then you would want to choose a formation that plays to their strengths. The same can be said about central midfielders(CM's) and center backs (CB's). But let's say you play with Manchester City or Barcelona. Both teams have a whole host of strikers. That's where being smart with who you decide to start and bench will come into play.

Knowing the Other Team
Another thing I suggest you do before a match - especially if you're in an offline mode like career mode - is to take a look at the other team. Take a look at their formation and players and make your decision based off that. For instance, if I was facing Barcelona and saw that Messi was playing at LW and I was Inter Milan I would put a fast RB (Maicon) on Messi's side so I could counter-act Messi's pace. You can also tell certain players to mark other players. For example, If I was playing with Arsenal and I was setting up my side to face Stoke City I would set my 6'6 center back (Mertesacker) to mark Stoke's 6'7 Crouch. Whereas If I wouldn't have set up that mark I could have a situation where Koscielny - who is only 6 foot - would try to challenge a 6'7 striker for a ball in the air. It's certainly something I would not want seeing as Crouch has 7 inches on my center back and would easily out-muscle and out-jump him for the ball.

So knowing which players are where and what their strengths are is an extremely important concept that you have to master if you hope to have a chance when facing the computer on a higher level difficulty setting.

Choosing the Formation
After you have taken look at your squad and the opposing squad it is now time to choose a formation. The most common one used in FIFA is a 4-4-2(or other variations like 4-1-2-1-2, or 4-2-2-2). This is most likely due to the fact that it incorporates 2 wingers and 2 strikers into the system, I highly suggest this formation to new gamers because it provides defensive cover as well as attacking prowess. The second most popular formation is the ever-present 4-3-3. If you have speedy wingers and full-backs in your side this is the formation for you. It really plays to their strengths and if you have creative Center Midfielders in the middle of the park you can just play lobbed through balls over the opposing defenses head all game. The only thing I would be aware of with this formation is that there is only one true striker and depending on who you have players can really get isolated up top. I generally like to have a pacy striker that also has good strength up top. Players like Cardoza, Llorente, Zigic, Ibrahimovic, or Crouch are often guys I stay away from because the slow down my gameplay. Stick with guys like Rooney, Sturridge, or Milito. Other than those 2 formations and their variants there's really not many other formations that work too well in FIFA 12.

Changing Formations
Lot's of times in games I'll find that my formations don't work the way I wanted them too. Sometimes it's because I didn't scout the other players too well or maybe I started the wrong guys in the wrong places. Generally when this happens I'll finish out the half and then at the intermission look at what needs to be fixed. Also another thing I'll do is if I'm in the 70th minute and I'm down a goal or two I'll change to 3 at the back and start pushing guys forward. This can be a really positive move and has gotten me a couple of late wins. Another thing I suggest you to do is make a crazy formation. What I mean by 'crazy formation' is something that will put the most people in the box and will score you some goals. I always have a formation saved in my custom formations that's absolutely insane and I'll have maybe 2 defenders, some midfielders and the rest strikers or high wingers. But be extremely careful about this formation, it can leave you very vulnerable at the back and I've conceded many a goals because of that.

*Extra: Choosing Kick Takers and Captains*
Another thing that's good to do while your setting up your team is to mill around on the kick takers screen. There you can toggle between which players you want taking free-kicks, corners, penalty kicks, and you can even change the captain on this screen too. When selecting the corner kick takers I generally will choose someone that has great curve and has a foot preference that is opposite the corner. Therefore, I can swing in a cross that my target guys will be able to rocket into the back of the net. Also, when selecting corner kick takers, choose the relatively small guys on your roster to take them, anyone below 5'10 is a good candidate. The reason I say this is because you want the tallest guys you have in the box so they can jump over and compete with their markers. It goes back to what I said earlier about Crouch and Koscielny.

The End Of An Era

2012-01-07T20:52:00.000-06:00

Well, what a whirlwind couple of weeks it has been for me, especially in the blogging department. I have some exciting news for everyone and it may seem abrupt but I have decided to join forces with The Daily Wiz and become a senior writer there. Along with Justin Mayhugh (founder of TDW) I will be covering all aspects of SKC as I did on this blog.

Only difference is, TDW and SB Nation provide me with a much better platform than this site does to express my views on Sporting and will get my news out to a larger audience. Being part of it was something I could simply not pass up.

As for this blog, well, I don't quite know it's future, maybe it'll die and be forgotten, maybe I'll change it into a Ea Sports FIFA blog, or maybe I'll continue writing about SKC on it, but at a much lower level. I don't know exactly what will happen with it but I can say I've had a great time with it this past half a year and I thank you for all your views and comments, they mean a lot. If you have an idea for the blog tell me in the comment section below. I hope and trust you will continue to follow me at The Daily Wiz and enjoy all the content I will be providing over there.

I'd just like to thank a few people who have helped me on my journey this far and will continue to be great colleagues and mentors with me into the next step of my blogging career.

Isaac Knopf - Founder of Footy Chronicles
Christian Sinclair - Founder of Ad Astra SKC
Thad Bell - Founder of The Backpost
Mike Kuhn - Founder of Down The Byline
James Starrit - Founder of Sporting Times

Thanks guys.

Daneil Cyrus On T&T's U-23 Olympic Qualifying Team

2012-01-03T22:26:00.001-06:00

Sporting Kc's youngest center back Daneil Cyrus will be apart of Olympic Qualifying this spring with his country Trindidad and Tobago. Daneil Cyrus will join a U-23 side with a familiar face in Sheldon Bateau who was a former trialist with KC.

Cyrus spent most of 2011 out of both his club and international squad with an injury but has slowly made his way back to match fitness and will join the Soca Warriors in their quest to qualify for the 2012 Olympic games in London.

Sporting Kansas City has told me that Cyrus will be around in 2012 meaning that the T&T defender will most likely miss some games in late March and possibly early April for Sporting because of the tournament.

Cyrus would most likely face up against Teal Bunbury if his team progresses out of the group stage to face the USA and we could see that match-up at LSP.

Jeferson Signs With Bahia

2012-01-02T22:42:00.002-06:00

News broke today that Bahia have signed former Sporting Kansas City designated player Jeferson. Jeferson only made 9 appearances in the MLS with KC - most of which were as a sub - and recorded zero goals. Although Sporting receives no money for this it's nice to know that his future has finally been settled as he was on loan to various clubs for the past couple of seasons.

I believe Jeferson will get some decent playing time with Bahia. He didn't show much in MLS but I believe football in Brasil will fit his playing-style a lot better. Although Bahia is in the top division in Brasil they finished 14th last year and were lucky not to be relegated.

The signing should come as no surprise since TheDailyWiz posted a couple days ago that 2 clubs were interested in Jeferson, one of them happened to be Bahia.

I know most of you guys don't really care much for past Sporting players - especially ones that fail to make any impact with KC - but I just thought it'd be good to get the word out.

I speculate KC will be making some signings soon, so keep your eyes open for any news.

Former Junior's Update

2011-12-31T11:20:00.000-06:00

So I am going to try and get a new segment started here on the blog called the Former Junior's Update. Now I realize the Junior's Blog does the same thing but they update every month and don't follow proffesional graduates like Ellis or Kempin. I'm going to try and follow both collegiate players and juniors that are now pro's and get an update out weekly. Basically it'll just be a look at all the former junior players of Sporting Kc's youth academy that have gone on to college and beyond. It is similar to downthebyline's recurring segment of Former SKC Wizards Update and that's where I got the idea from.

I will try to get out one each week. There will be a set day where I will be releasing them further down the road when I get a good grip on these posts.

So, here's the first one:

Collegiate

Name - College - Update

Tom Adams - Oral Roberts - Played 14 games and scored 3 goals in first season with Oral Roberts in 2011
Christian Duke - San Diego - Played and started in all 18 games for Toreros in 2011
Patrick Foglio - William Jewell - Can't find info
Brandon Fricke - Butler - Played 16 games for the Bulldogs in 2011
Laeth Hamil - Baker - Played in 21 games in 2011
Asher Herbert - Long Island - Played in 16 games in 2011
Eric Hymer - Fort Hayes St. - Can't find info
Konnor Knoll - UMKC - Played in 16 games and scored 1 goal for the Kangaroos in 2011
Raymond Lee - St. Louis - Played in 17 goals and scored 4 goals in 2011
Marques Mayoras - Ohio State - Played in 4 games for the Buckeyes in 2011
Kyle Miller - Rockhurst - Started and played in 20 games and scored 1 goal in 2011
Eric Moore - Rockhurst - Can't find information/didn't play in 2011 season?
Michael Oakley - UMKC - Played in 15 games for the Kangaroos in 2011
Paul Oliver - Oral Roberts - Played in 16 games and scored 2 goals in 2011
Peter O'Neill - Northwestern - Played in 21 games and scored 2 goals in 2011
Jordan Rideout - UMKC - Played in 16 games and scored 7 goals for the Kangaroos in 2011
Jimmy Simon - UMKC - Played in 16 games and scored 1 goal for the Kangaroos in 2011
Alex Sweetin - St. Louis - Couldn't find info
Taylor Vinnage - Rockhurst - Didn't play in the 2011 season
Will Witherspoon - Virginia Tech - Played in 18 games but only started 3 of those in 2011

Professional or Semi-Pro

Name - Club - Update

Kevin Ellis - Sporting KC - Recorded zero minutes in MLS, played in all 10 of Sporting Kc's reserve matches, starting 9
Jon Kempin - Sporting KC - Recorded zero minutes in MLS, started 1 game for the reserves.

Omar Bravo Signed With Cruz Azul For Three Years

2011-12-29T11:50:00.000-06:00

I know it's a little bit of a touchy subject for a lot of you guys out there but I just wanted to let you know that Omar Bravo has signed a three year deal with Mexican side Cruz Azul.

Well the fact that he had signed with them was old old news. But none of us really knew how long his stint with Cruz Azul would be. But multiple reports from across Mexico have said his contract is worth 3 years. Some of the reports have been out for a week or so so it's not breaking news, still thought I should share it with you guys though. Here's a list of all the sources I could find saying his deal with Cruz is worth three years:

Blue Cross reinforcement training with his new Omar Bravo

'I come to break my mother!': Omar Bravo*

Omar Bravo aims to become the benchmark for Blue Cross

*Translating from Spanish to English sometimes gives you weird phrases

As is team policy, Sporting did not release information on the deal with Cruz, so all we could do was guess. Many of us thought his contract would only be a year or two. In-fact I had reported to you guys on twitter that a source close to Sporting had told me that it was Omar Bravo's choice after the Mexican season to either come back to KC or stay on with Cruz Azul. Which could still be the case, but at least now we know how long his contract is.

Also, if you look at the reports, Omar Bravo seems quite happy with Cruz and is very excited for their upcoming season. So I'm going to go ahead and assume he won't ever be back to KC in Sporting blue.

Other Omar Bravo News
Omar missed a penalty in his first match with Azul, but still managed to beat "The Whales" 2-1.
Omar scored 2 times in his club's 3rd friendly ahead of the 2012 season against Lobos BUAP

Daneil Cyrus Back For 2012

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

21 year old defender Daneil Cyrus will be back for the 2012 season. Sporting Kansas City has told me that as of right now, the Trinidad and Tobago international will be reporting to KC along with the rest of the team for the 2012 pre-season.

This was a very fuzzy area for many of the Sporting Kansas City fans seeing as Sporting's press release from July did not state whether or not Daneil would go back to FC Santa Rosa or stay on with Sporting. A source close to Sporting Kansas City has told me that he will stay.

This does however also contradict FC Santa Rosa's press release that says that the Trinidadian would be back to FCSR at "the end of 2011". But obviously the two clubs have hammered out something.

Keeping Cyrus is a huge boost for SKC due to their lack of depth at the center back position, which as of right now, consists of 2 players. I have not heard if Daneil has been bought from FCSR or if his loan deal has been extended, but I would think it's the latter.

Also, just to humor the FO of Sporting Kansas City, they had originally said Cyrus was 6'3 but apparently he has shrunk 2 inches.

Where Sporting Kc Stacked Up Against MLS Clubs In 2011

2011-12-23T15:12:00.001-06:00

I haven't really seen anyone do this so I decided I'd give it a try. I've gathered a series of data points for Sporting Kc from the MLS website and will be posting them below. I know it's pretty basic and almost anyone could do it but I just haven't seen it done in KC yet. Plus, I want to do it so fans can easily look down here and break down some of Sporting Kc's season themselves.

So here are the stats:

Category: Ranking in MLS out of 18 teams - Number of "points" in that category

Goals: 2nd - 50
Assists*: 14th - 35
Shots: 1st - 488
Shots on Goal: 2nd - 159
Fouls Conceded: 5th - 425
Fouls Suffered: 8th - 416
Offsides: 16th - 71
Corners: 8th - 161
Penalty Kick Goals: 9th - 4

*assists may seem inflated for some teams but MLS counts "secondary assists"
If you want to FULLY break down the rest of the MLS then you can go here.

So as you can see Sporting Kc were quite easily one of the best attacking teams in the MLS all season. Recording 488 shots on goal throughout the 2011 campaign, a league best. One of their lowest indicators however was their offside's calls. Sporting Kc were only called offside 71 times, one of the leagues lowest at 16th. But it's actually a good thing seeing as it indicates that our front line is calm and composed. Besides, I'm fairly certain Bravo had about half of those.

Sporting Kansas City To Spend 2 Weeks of Pre-Season In Tuscon

2011-12-21T21:53:00.000-06:00

Earlier today it was confirmed by Tuscon Sentinel that Sporting Kansas City would indeed spend part of their pre-season in one of the most premier soccer facilities in the country - Kino Sports Complex.

Sporting will spend a total of 2 weeks in Arizona starting on February 1st but will miss out on the not-so-important chance to reclaim their Desert Cup title - of which is displayed proudly in the trophy case at Sporting's head offices - to go to the Disney Pro Classic at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando Florida.

The Cup last year saw them pitted against the New York Red Bulls and drew record attendance numbers for the final as two of the most prominent figures of Mexican football - Rafa Marquez and Omar Bravo - battled it out for the Desert Cup.

As part of the pre-season experience Sporting Kansas City will face the San Jose Earthquakes on February the 2nd and the Vancouver Whitecaps on the 4th in a closed scrimmage session. This will most likely be where we will finally get wind of some of the new trialists and draft picks.

Sporting Kansas City After Local Midfielder?

2011-12-21T08:19:00.000-06:00

As I'm sure many of you have already heard from different sources including SportingTimes.net and downthebyline.com Sporting Kansas City are reportedly after a local kid called Michael Thomas who has had a few stints in Europe since leaving the US after he was drafted by San Jose in 2010.

This comes off the back of my story about a month and a half ago where I linked the midfielder with Sporting Kansas City after he played in a reserve league encounter with FC Dallas and photos were released onto the internet.

However at that point I did not know the trialists name and was merely guessing at his bio. Judging on the pictures I guessed that he was 5'10 and a midfielder, both remain true. When he played in the reserve league game he wore #44 and scored for the Rangers on the stroke of halftime.

Michael Thomas, 23, has played for the Kansas City Brass and Notre Dame from 2006-2009. He has connections with Matt Besler (Notre Dame) and Seth Sinovic (youth club).

I think Michael would be a decent signing for Sporting but since he is still contractually tied to Ljungskile SK we would have to pay a transfer fee for him which would mean we would lose some of the allocation money we have received from the various trades of Jack Jewsbury, Davy Arnaud, and Omar Bravo.

Is this really the best way to spend our money? I don't know but we will soon learn whether or not as the January transfer window inches closer and closer.

Omar Bravo Leaves Sporting Kansas City

2011-12-12T18:04:00.000-06:00

Omar Bravo with the captain's armband

Well, the Omar Bravo experience is over. Earlier this afternoon Sporting Kansas City announced that the team's joint top scorer Omar Bravo has left Sporting in favor of a move south of the border to Mexican side Cruz Azul. Omar, 31, released a statement following the announcement saying that he was quote, "very grateful to have received the opportunity to play in MLS, a league to which I respect and admire, as well as Sporting KC as it gave me the opportunity to experience challenges and fulfill dreams in this city both personal and professional, which All I take from Kansas City are good things to my teammates, fans who always supported me in my time"

Omar is believed to have left due to being offered a better contract, more money, and more playing time in his home country of Mexico. Cruz Azul had been linked with Sporting Kc's Designated Player since the season ended in mid-November and it was no surprise when he left amid a whole host of transfer rumors and speculation.

Following the departure of Omar Bravo Sporting Kc's average age is now just 23. And Sporting Kc will most likely look to keep the trend of buying young and selling old in this January transfer window following speculation that the club has already secured a deal for a Spanish DP.

But one of the weirdest things about this deal is that there has been no official confirmation that Bravo has either been loaned or transferred to Cruz Azul due to the club's policy of not disclosing the deal information. So because of that policy we have no idea how much money we have to buy other players or how much money we have in the wage budget.

But we do know Omar's departure opens up a international roster spot - of which we have just 7 - and opens up a Designated Player spot - of which we have just 3. Now, the question becomes does Sporting Kc stick with an experienced MLSer in Bobby Convey or do they go for a younger in-experienced winger?

Omar earned many awards and honors in his short time at LSP. Including Latino of the Year, MLS All-Star, and was one of the faces of LIVESTRONG's fight against cancer in Mexico and the US.

Daneil Cyrus Could Participate In CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying

2011-12-11T19:03:00.001-06:00

The youngest center back on Sporting Kc's roster Daneil Cyrus could participate in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament this spring with Trinidad and Tobago's U-23 side. The Soca Warriors have been drawn in Group B with the likes of Honduras, Mexico and Panama. T&T's U-23 coach Angus Eve said recently that he is keeping tabs on Daneil and that he is, "fit again from injury but is not match ready".

Cyrus had previously made 13 senior appearances for T&T but quite literally lost his foot-hold on the international scene after his season ending injury in the summer when he fractured his foot. But now it seems as if Daneil has his big opportunity to show Trinidad and Tobago's technical staff that he is back to his best again.

Should Cyrus participate in the tournament he could go up against fellow Sporting Kc teammate Teal Bunbury as Teal tries to lead the United States to the London 2012 Olympics. And it seems as if for both players this is a tournament that could kick-start their international careers again.

Omar Bravo to Veracruz?

2011-12-11T14:56:00.001-06:00

Sporting Kc's only designated player Omar Bravo could be on his way out of KC, word out of Mexico is that a 2nd division side in the Liga de Ascenso is interested in securing the poacher's signature for a 3 year deal. Should Veracruz sign the 31 year old it would be quite an amazing deal seeing as they are a second division side and you would think Omar has way more talent than that. But if there's a lot of money involved then maybe Bravo could bepersuaded. Should he join the Sharks Bravo would join former Philadelphia Unionstriker Carlos Ruiz and would make a very impressive front line.

Whether or not Omar joins the Sharks is yet to be seen. But as the January transfer window inches closer and closer, and the rift between Bravo and Sporting Kc gets bigger and bigger, one thing is becoming certain - Omar's days in KC are numbered.

Full article translated from Spanish to English:

Guzman confirms interest of Veracruz by Omar Bravo

Veracruz, Veracruz, on December 7, 2011 .- From somewhere inEurope (It is said that in Switzerland) Sharks coach Daniel Guzman Rojos deVeracruz Castañeda, confirmed the interest of the club for striker Omar BravoSinaloa , with whom I spoke to invite to your project.

Speaking to ESPN announced Guadalajara strategist who is onvacation in Europe and already thinking about the next tournament in Veracruz,a team he said, is in transition and seeking to consolidate a project led byyoung people.

The coach said he has talked shark with Omar Bravo to add itto Red Sharks of Veracruz, explaining that he has offered a three-year contractand the acquisition of rights by the club.

Guzman said the former striker Chivas, Tigres, La Coruna andSporting recently the MLS Kansas City, asked for time to resolve outstanding,since no American team is detached, but added that the World Cup in 2006 willsaid he had other projects.

Soony Saad to Train With Lebanon?

2011-12-08T16:57:00.001-06:00

Sporting Kc's youngest ever goal scorer Soony Saad has reportedly considered the chance to train with the Lebanese national team. Soony is of Lebanese decent and could join "The Cedars" in a push for World Cup qualification. While the reports haven't been confirmed Soony is the only player to have responded to the invitation. According to The Daily Star Soony tweeted that he would "consider coming to play".

All 4 players that were asked to join Lebanon were of Lebanese decent. 2 playing in Scandinavia and the other in Australia. I don't think Soony is very likely to train with them though seeing as I believe that he has never been to Lebanon. But there is always a first and the exposure could gain Sporting Kc some international fans much like Chhetri did for the Wizards in 2010.

The best case scenario is that Soony trains for Lebanon, gets some good playing time, and comes back to the US ready for a new season a leg up on everyone else. The worst case scenario is that this situation could end up being like the Teal Bunbury situation we saw in 2010 when Teal controversially chose to play for the US over Canada after previously playing for Canada's U-20 and U-17 teams.

Soony has played for the United States U-20 team once, scoring one goal.

Teal Bunbury to Train With US U-23 Side and LSP News

2011-12-08T15:41:00.001-06:00

Today Sporting Kc announced that striker Teal Bunbury will train with the US under 23 side at a camp in Lakewood Ranch Florida. Bunbury, 21, was chosen by his former coach of 2 years Caleb Porter. Maybe Teal's former coach at Akron wanted to give back to the striker that gave him so much. The striker scored 23 goals in 48 games for "The Zips" in the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Teal Bunbury had previously played with the United States National team almost a year ago when he was invited to the annual January camp that is generally used for young players that have potential of playing against the world's elite. But this time around Teal will be training with the under 23 side, which is basically a sub-team of the US Men's National Team, the only difference is that you have to be under the age of 23 to play.

Other notable players for the U-23 side include: Bill Hamid, Freddy Adu, Sean Johnson, and Zarek Valentin.

For a full list of all the participants of the U-23 December camp go here.

LSP News

The main reason of this particular U-23 camp is in preparation of next year's CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying tournament that will be held at various stadiums across America. LIVSESTRONG Sporting Park will be one of those stadiums and will host the semifinals and the finals of the tournament on March 31st and April 2nd. Which means Teal Bunbury could have the chance to score for both club and country at LSP, and would become the first player to do so. Nevertheless, the 2 finalists will win the right to go to London and be a part of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Which could see European nations put out weaker sides due to the UEFA Euro 2012 being held in Ukraine and Poland only 4 weeks before the opening games. Which in turn could make for an easier tournament for the US.

A New Era for Sporting Kc

2011-12-06T17:09:00.001-06:00

When the Wizards sold veteran keeper Kevin Hartman in 2010 to FC Dallas for a 2012 superdraft pick some fans started to take notice. They had already began to realize that some of the more veteran players had been leaving the club in recent years(Jose Burciaga(07), Nick Garcia(07), Zavagnin(08)). Despite the loss of those long time Wizards - and even more in the 08-09 period - there was still hope that the new former Wizard turned manager Peter Vermes could turn the club's recent fortunes around.

Vermes had brought with him only 5 years worth of MLS playing experience when he joined the Wizards in the summer of 2009, when he replaced the exiting Curt Onalfo. During the last half of that 2009 season Vermes had tried to instill in KC the now infamous 4-3-3 attacking system but it failed to take immediate effect. In 2010 however, Vermes was able to have a full pre-season with the team and set the ball rolling from the first game of the season in March against DC United onward.

Multiple veteran MLS players were in the Starting 11 that day Jimmy Conrad, Davy Arnaud, Jack Jewsbury and Josh Wolff to name a few. Fast forward just 2 seasons and not a single one of those players can be found on Sporting Kc's roster. Jimmy Conrad left for Chivas USA in late 2010 via the Re-Entry draft. Josh Wolff followed suite and also left in 2010 to DC United via the Re-entry draft. Jack Jewsbury was sent to Portland in exchange for allocation money in 2010 and Davy Arnaud was traded to Montreal a few weeks ago, also in exchange for allocation money(and Seth Sinovic).

So now, heading into the 2012 season we find ourselves in a bitter sweet situation. Our longest tenured player Eric Kronberg has only been around since 2006 and has been used just 5 times in the league since. But while the Wizards were losing key players like Conrad, Jewsbury, and Zavagnin in past seasons there was something that began to shine through.......the youth.

The amount of young players that have received a decent amount of playing time over the past 3-4 years is incredible. The best part is knowing that Sporting Kc have molded them and made them into the players they are today. The next best part is knowing that this young team can only build off of the success it had last year. And maybe it was the fact that they were missing so many veteran MLS players that their playoff run did end at the Eastern Conference final.

If you look at the roster for Sporting Kc you can start to put players into individual groups. And one of the most important groups next season and even for the next 3-5 seasons will be what I like to call the "Next Generation of Wizards". This list would include Myers, Espinoza, Harrington, Sinovic, Besler, Collin, and Zusi. And then there's the even more important group for down the road that I like to call, "The Next Wizards". Players in this group would include Bunbury, Sapong, Saad, Kempin, Ellis, Warzycha, Joseph and Cyrus. I look at these players as the future of the club.

If Peter Vermes can keep the large bulk of these players around for the next couple of seasons everything and anything could be ours. There is no doubt that this group can go far, and there is certainly no doubt that with the departure of club talisman Davy Arnaud this is the start of a new era. An era that could easily see Peter Vermes and company win league titles, Open Cups, and maybe even CCL titles. An era that will put the likes of Besler, Zusi, and their generation down into legendary status...The Sporting Era.

Some Stats On Bobby Convey

2011-12-02T16:48:00.001-06:00

Following the signing of Bobby Convey I thought i'd dig a little deeper into his career and give you guys some interesting stats.

But first, here's what Vermes had to say on Convey:

Stats:

Minutes played in MLS - 13,691 = 228.2 hours = 9.5 days = 1.3 weeks

Goals in MLS - 11

Assists in MLS - 30

Games played in MLS - 164

Games started in MLS - 152

Games played as a sub in MLS - 12

Percent of games started in MLS career- 94%

Number of ejections in the past 3 years - 0

Number of ejections in MLS - 2

Number of yellows in MLS - 34

Average number of yellows per game in MLS - .2

Average number of goals per game in MLS - .07

Average number of assists per game in MLS - .2

Games played from 9/10/11 to 10/22/11 - 0

Games started in 2011 without being subbed off - 19 out of 19 games

Games subbed off for San Jose in past 2 seasons - Twice

Sporting Kc Trade International Roster Spot For Bobby Convey

2011-12-02T16:06:00.001-06:00

Sporting Kansas City has announced that winger Bobby Convey has joined the club for at least the 2012 season. Bobby Convey is a left winger and can play at either the left back or left wing position, which fits right in with Sporting Kc's 4-3-3 formation. The most confusing part to me however is that Omar Bravo - the clubs only Designated Player - solidified his spot on the LW last season. Now, Omar Bravo can play at Attacking Mid but that doesn't make much sense seeing how Graham Zusi was tremendous there last season and Robb Heinemann has hinted at a Spanish midfielder coming to LIVESTRONG Sporting Park so it wouldn't make much sense to put Bravo there. And knowing Convey's pedigree it seems as if Bravo could potentially leave in the January transfer window. But that doesn't seem to make much sense either because a couple days ago Omar Bravo's agent Ruben Perez said that he was quote" happy, and has a contract with them(Sporting Kansas City) and has been well received."

As I stated earlier Bobby can also play at LB. But again, it doesn't make much sense for him to play there either because Sporting Kansas City gave up a nine year veteran in Davy Arnaud to get back hometown hero and stalwart left back Seth Sinovic. And it would appear that Seth had placed his mark on the LB position last season with some stellar performances.

But maybe I'm over-thinking this, maybe Vermes really did bring Bobby Convey in just to have the extra depth. But maybe, just maybe there really was some substance in the rumor that there indeed was a 'rift' between Peter Vermes and Bravo. And so, atleast for now, the Bravo saga continues.

Jimmy Nielsen's New Contract Worth $276,00 Dollars

2011-11-30T16:17:00.001-06:00

Danish paper Nordyske is reporting that Jimmy Nielsen's new contract with Sporting Kansas City is worth an estimated 1.53 million Krone, which ends up being roughly $276,000 dollars. His new contract is $76,000 dollars more than his base contract with Sporting was in 2011.

Jimmy had this to say on the matter,"I earn a good salary that is higher than the one I could getin the premiership. It means that I can support my family while I can put alittle aside, so I should not complain at all. But I must be honest, the moneyis not the most important. It is that we are well, I am excited to come totraining every day and that I play on a team with a promising future."

The pay jump should come as no surprise since he was voted as the team MVP for Sporting Kc and kept the Wizards in many games throughout the 2011 season. Nielsen's new contract will now go until 2013 but can also be extended for another year, which, according the article, will most likely be utilized.

Entire article translated from Danish to English

"1.53 million dollars. So much will the former AaB goalkeeperJimmy Nielsen to serve a year after his Tuesday signed a new two-year footballcontract with the U.S. Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City.goalkeeper will not know that it The many zeros on the payslip, which hasbrought Americans his signature. - I earn a good salary that is higher than theone I could get in the premiership. It means that I can support my family whileI can put a little aside, so I should not complain at all. But I must behonest, the money is not the most important. It is that we are well, I amexcited to come to training every day and that I play on a team with apromising future, says Jimmy Nielsen. Sporting Kansas City came into this seasonall the way to the semifinals in the Major Soccer League and "the whitemountain lion," which Jimmy Nielsen is called, has seen a chance to reachanother title in his career. - We have a very young team that is first fedthrough now, so I think we have the right squad to succeed in the championshipmatch, and it would surely be a dream to reach a championship more before thathis career ends. With the Jimmy Nielsen's new contract is an option on one-yearextension, and immediately sees the blonde goalkeeper fine possibility that itmay be utilized. - Of course I know that I do not play 10-15 more years, but onthe other hand, I'm not thinking that his career is coming to an end, saysJimmy Nielsen as in the just ended season was named his team's most valuableplayer."

Omar Bravo Will NOT Play In Mexico During the MLS Break

2011-11-30T15:44:00.000-06:00

Earlier today Omar Bravo's agent told ESPN Deportes that Omar Bravo will NOT play in Mexico over the MLS break. Following the MLS expansion draft there was a buzz that Omar Bravo could go to a variety of different clubs in Mexico. But mainly Tecos and Atlas. According to the article Tecos came the closest to signing Bravo and that, "more than one approach was an informal chat to see the possibilities and options." But in the end Tecos would have only been able to acquire the services of the Mexican poacher for just 7 games and the deal inevitably fell through.

Omar Bravo's agent Ruben Perez also says that Omar is enjoying his vacation off from a very successful season and went on to state that , "he is in Kansas and is happy, period".

This comes after major speculation that Omar Bravo would indeed join a Mexican side for the 2-3 month off-season break for the MLS. But this article is pointing to the fact that Omar will not go out on loan to a Mexican side this winter.

Entire article translated from Spanish to English:

MEXICO CITY - The Kansas City Sporting striker Omar Bravo,could run out to fulfill his desire to participate in Mexican soccer in thestage of the MLS break, but it certainly is something that does not care much,as their representative Ruben Perez left the player will see a long life withthe Americans.

Input, Ruben Perez said: "became a buzz that theexpansion draft list and all that, but he is in Kansas City and asked thedirective in which case there was a team that would like to use two or threemonths, which lasted a recess in the U.S. league and if they knew something,then give him the facilities, was that, nothing more. "

He said that at no time has been approached with Atlas and"Tecos looked for some time, before this tournament, is notice to thepolicy that was for a few games while the league began in the United States,more than one approach was an informal chat to see the possibilities andoptions ", but ultimately there was no agreement because students did notwant to hire only seven games.

He said: "I only tell you of Omar Bravo is that he is inKansas and is happy, period."

For if you currently have an offer for next season inMexican soccer, responded that "there has been nothing official," andfinally emerged on whether a proposal for any team, said "they would haveto come to the board of Kansas" .

YEAR OF SUCCESS

After mentioning that Bravo is on vacation and the onlything to do is just "relax, enjoy your vacation and training," Perezpointed to the player's experience in his first season with Kansas City, whichled to was recently named Player of the Year at the Latin league.

"For him it was a great season, full of challenges andachievements, very happy with the MLS, happy for the support of the fans, forthe appointment to the Latino of the Year, happy to be leading the city: thatis, a success On the professional side to him. "

He said that "Omar has been a challenging year and heis happy."

Whether in the future could return to Mexican soccer, said:"For now have a contract in the league of the United States and that willlast a while yet. Any other situation that is said, is mere speculation andthat creates misunderstandings. So I repeat: he has a contract there has beenvery well received by all Americans and Latinos, then, he is a very happyperson in the United States. "

Confidential subject

Finally, Ruben Perez refused to tell exactly how long OmarBravo has a contract with Sporting Kansas City, by stating that"agreements are confidential."

Mochiteco home striker signed with Kansas City in mid-2010and was released in November of that year, but continued to play with Chivas deGuadalajara, to join his new team until the start of 2011.

Sporting Kc Sign Paulo Nagamura From Chivas USA

2011-11-29T20:00:00.001-06:00

To put a name to a face, Paulo Nagamura pictured above. - via mlssoccer.com

Sporting Kc have signed Brazilian midfielder Paulo Nagamura from Chivas USA in exchange for a first round supplemental draft pick that Sporting Kc originally received when they traded Ryan Smith to Chivas earlier last week. Sporting Kc will however, keep their 3rd round pick that they received upon selling Smith. This transfer brings much needed depth to a midfield that had lost 3 of it's members just 6 days ago.

Paulo joins former teammate Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA 2007-2009) in the Sporting Kc camp. The former Arsenal youth player will also join fellow Brazilian Julio Cesar. So there are a few connections between Paulo and the rest of the players, but not many.Finding chemistry with the rest of the players should be no problem though since Nagamura fits perfectly into Sporting Kc's 3 man midfield.

While I know he's a MLS cup winner and has been a solid veteran for Chivas USA I don't think he'll get too much first team action at the start of the season seeing that Sporting Kc's main midfield trio was Zusi, Espinoza, and Cesar in 2011. But a lot can change in pre-season, players get injured, fall out of favor with technical staff, lose form. But still, with Sporting Kc's "mystery" Spanish DP still yet to be announced I just don't see it happening.

Davy Arnaud Traded to Montreal For Seth Sinovic

2011-11-28T16:02:00.001-06:00

Earlier today Sporting Kc posted on their website that veteran midfielder, talisman of the club, and long-time Kansas Citian Davy Arnaud had been traded to the Montreal Impact in return for former player Seth Sinovic along with allocation money. In an odd twist of fate Sporting Kc sold the very player they protected in the expansion draft for the very player they didn't protect in the expansion draft. It's a very puzzling trade but in the end I think both clubs were happy with it. Not sure that Davy was very happy with the trade seeing that he had been playing for the Wizards since 2001 and had won every title an MLS side could win(exluding the CCL).

On a personal level I really find it heartbreaking that Davy had to go, he was one of my favorite players at the club and I had a dream that would he would end his career as a "one club player" and go down as a Wizard hero. While he will probably still be a fan favorite forever in KC I think he personally really wanted to stay here. But, maybe on a professional standpoint he felt he needed to move so he could kick-start his career again.

Jimmy Nielsen to Stay At LSP Till 2013

2011-11-28T15:28:00.001-06:00

Sporting Kc has announced that Jimmy Nielsen has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Livestrong Sporting Park until 2013. Nielsen has been nothing short of a revelation for Sporting Kc since arriving from Denmark in the 2010 pre-season as a replacement for the exiting Kevin Hartman. Now, he finds himself here until 2013 with the option to stay on till 2014 if he chooses. However, by then he will be 38 and I don't know if he could stay around for another season with the Wizards. Still, the Dane has made 60 appearances for KC in the league and if everything goes as plan could add another 120 games onto that.

Teal Bunbury to Bolton Wanderers?

2011-11-25T08:08:00.001-06:00

According to this article from England, Sporting Kc's joint leading goal scorer is headed to English Premier League side, Bolton Wanderers. The article states that Bolton boss Owen Coyle wants to check on Bunbury's fitness and that a fee and contract will be discussed upon arrival in England.

The article also goes on to say that Teal had previously rejected an offer from a Bundesliga 1 side, (Hoffenheim) in hopes of being able to play for Bolton. According to the article Bunbury should be there within a fort-night.

While I think it's intriguing that Teal is getting this type of exposure over in England I don't think there's a lot behind this story. First of all, Mirror Football is known pretty much world-wide for stirring up transfer rumors that have little to nothing in them and this looks to be another one of those times. Second of all, there are no statements from either Teal or Owen Coyle in the article, which generally points that it's speculation.

All in all I think this rumor is just bogus. What I think has happened is that Teal was supposed to go over there just to train during the off-season and when the England media got whiff of it, they pounced. So it looks as if Teal won't be joining fellow American Stuart Holden at the Reebok anytime soon.

*Note: TealBunburyFans is where I got this link from, she found it first*

Sporting Kc Waive Jeferson, Rocastle, Lorenz, and Stojcev

2011-11-23T14:40:00.001-06:00

Following the loss of Seth Sinovic to Montreal in the 2012 Expansion draft Sporting Kc have announced that 4 other players will not be with them at the start of next season. SKC have released Jeferson, Craig Rocastle, Scott Lorenz, and Milos Stojcev from their roster and are now free agents.

All 4 players except for Lorenz spent some decent time on the pitch early in the season for KC but then faded away and didn't get much if any playing time at the end of the season. However, I do see Jeferson and Stojcev returning to their respective countries to seek first team action while Lorenz and Rocastle could be picked up by another MLS team.

Regardless, this is most likely just another stepping stone to a big move by Sporting Kc, I can smell it...

Montreal Impact Acquire Seth Sinovic From Sporting KC In 2012 Expansion Draft

2011-11-23T14:15:00.001-06:00

The Montreal Impact has chosen Seth Sinovic as their 10th and final pick in the 2012 Expansion Draft. Seth was left off of Sporting Kc's protected list that consisted of 11 players. Some other notable players left un-protected were: Omar Bravo, Michael Harrington, and Soony Saad.

Seth joins other decent MLSers like Justin Mapp, Zarek Valentin, and Sanna Nyassi in Montreal. But there is certainly more trading to be done and I wouldn't be surprised if Seth doesn't start the 2012 season in a Montreal shirt. I encourage you to stay tuned into Montreal very closely over the next few days, to monitor the deals that will occur up there.

Top 11 Players Left Unprotected In the MLS Expansion Draft 2012

2011-11-21T18:18:00.001-06:00

One of the more surprising names left unprotected, Freddy Adu

Yesterday, every club in the MLS including Sporting Kansas City had to give the league their protected list ahead of the 2012 expansion draft which will be held tomorrow at 2 pm. The Montreal Impact have the luxury/burden of raking in 10 of MLS' "under-par" players. But which players should Nick De Santis bring to Canada's third and possibly final team?

Well, essentially De Santis will be drafting a lot of players that won't end up in Montreal at the start of the 2012 season (i.e. Dax McCarty), and there are under the table deals going on between MLS clubs and their managers right now as you are reading this. Throw in the fact that Montreal can only pay 'X' amount of players 'X' amount of money before they reach their league wide salary limit and Nick and the rest of his staff will be hard-pressed to do the best they can to get Montreal's season started off right.

Well, lets say De Santis was allowed 11 players to choose from (instead of 10) and he didn't have to worry about the salary cap. Who would he bring in? I would love to look inside his head and see his thought process behind this draft.

But, if I was choosing 11 unprotected-players to fill a blank starting XI from the whole league and there was no salary cap, this would be my starting 11:

Unfortunately there is a salary cap and Nick is limited to only 10 players. Who he will choose and what trades he will make is between him, his staff, and God. Luckily all will be revealed shortly. Like tomorrow shortly and the following days will cause unprecedented havoc and chaos for every club's manager and staff in the MLS. You thought the season was over didn't you? Wrong, it's just starting.

Additional Links:

2012 Expansion Draft Rules

List of all protected and unprotected lists in MLS

Sporting Kc Sell Ryan Smith

2011-11-21T16:44:00.001-06:00

Sporting Kc have sold Ryan Smith to Chivas USA for a 1st and 3rd round pick in the 2012 supplemental draft. Some fans have complained but essentially we sold a player that was not playing any games for us for 2 supplemental draft picks. While I would have rather had the allocation money from a European team it's a fair trade for everyone involved.

The weird thing about this trade is that reportedly the main reason for Smith's abrupt departure in mid-summer was because of "family reasons". And moving to LA would make the travel distance to England longer, but I can see why LA might of been more elusive. Plus, Chivas USA has a very scarce amount of high-impact players, maybe Smith wanted to be the star of a under-par Chivas side?

Either way Smith did some great things for KC in his time here, he brought a high-level of football to KC that people around these parts hadn't seen in awhile and it'll be quite interesting when/if Chivas comes to LSP to see what type of reaction he will get from the Sporting KC crowd.

Carlos Lobaton to Sporting KC?

2011-11-19T15:29:00.001-06:00

El Comercio

According to rumors from Peru, Carlos Lobaton could join Sporting Kansas City next season. Apparently he had ran out of favor with his old club and was looking for a club where he could earn a higher salary. However I feel this rumor is just simply non-sense. The description does not fit what Sporting Kc are reportedly looking for. First of all, he's a midfielder, and Sporting Kc's 3-man midfield is one of the best in the league and have plenty of back-up. Second of all, he's 31, which, based off comments by Robb would take him out of the equation. Third of all, he's Peruvian, and according to Robb Sporting Kc has already submitted an offer for a Spanish DP.

The other MLS club linked with Carlos is Chivas USA. They seem much more likely to sign this center mid than Sporting. But hey, this player looks like he might have some quality so prove me wrong Robb Heineman. By my count Carlos Lobaton, the 'mystery' Spanish DP, and Guti Hernandez have been the only players linked to the club thus far in the silly season.

TFM's Best XI Award

2011-11-18T19:08:00.001-06:00

In Sporting Kc's whirl-wind of a season so many players were shuffled through Peter Vermes' squad during the course of the season. But just which team was the best XI? Which players helped us earn the most points?

Well, statistically speaking the best 11 players in terms of points earned would be:
Name - Points Earned(regular season)

Besler - 51
Sapong - 51
Zusi - 49
Kamara - 48
Nielsen - 48
Cesar - 47
Myers - 47
Bravo - 44
Bunbury - 40
Sinovic - 39
Espinoza - 37

So if we based the starting 11 off that it would be this:

Unfortunately Sporting never used a 3-3-4.

They did however use a 4-3-3 and here is the best Starting XI for Sporting Kc in my opinion

You can check out my other season awards here.

TFM's Game Of the Season

2011-11-16T20:47:00.001-06:00

My game of the season would had to have been the game against FC Dallas in early June. Sporting were just coming off a terrible run of form while FC Dallas were running rampant in the MLS. Break Shea was almost unstoppable and looked set to dismantle a Sporting side that was desperate for points to turn their season around.

Break Shea didn't disappoint.

It was simply one of the goals of the season for FC Dallas. But little did anyone know, Graham Zusi was just about to do something that arguably would change the course of Sporting's season.

Graham Zusi had already scored the opening goal of the game but what happened next caught everyone off-guard.

It was a fantastic strike from 45+ yards out to say the least. And after Zusi's strike the game was locked up for KC.

Many people including myself point to this game as the turning point of the season and after the win in Dallas Sporting went on to record a 10 game unbeaten streak that helped them secure post-season football. And because of that fact, and the goals that were scored it was my game of the season.

You can check out my other season awards here.

TFM's Newcomer Of the Year Award: Aurelien Collin

2011-11-16T20:41:00.001-06:00

Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Heading into the regular season I had qualms about Sporting Kc's two first choice center backs, one was an aging Brazilian who, at that point in time, was a free agent, and the other was a young American who spent most of last season as Jimmy Conrad's understudy. Sporting's defensive woes became very apparent early on, Vermes' high pressure system was allowing Sporting Kc to score goals in bundles. But that same high pressure system that was allowing us to score goals was also leaving us vulnerable at the back.

In those first few weeks Cesar and Besler were to remain as center back pairings until the Frenchman from Portugal slid into Sporting Kc's backline like a hand in a glove. This 'mystery defender' soon earned his place in the Starting XI and his name became known to all.... Aurelien - 'I will kill for you' - Collin.

Standing at 6'2 Aurelien Collin is a no-nonsense center back. Combining aggression and speed with brute strength Collin is easily one of the best center halfs in the league, throw in his threat on set pieces and you can see why I think so highly of him.

When Aurelien jumped into the Starting 11 many changes were made, Vermes switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 with Cesar and Espinoza holding down the midfield. And Besler and Collin formed one of the best CB partnerships in the league.

With Collin in our side we became one of the most defensively-sound teams in the league. Under him our defensive woes from the beginning of the season simply disappeared, and with out him we may not have been able to have the season we did.

You can check out my other season awards here.

Season Wrap Up

2011-11-14T20:14:00.001-06:00

On this page you will find a list of links to my annual awards that I will post as part of my Post-Season Wrap Up series which will go from Mon.(11/14/11) - Fri. (11/18/11). Come back every day to check out the new posts or head over to the Facebook page to check them out. As ever you can get Sporting Kc and world soccer updates on my twitter profile, you can find that here.

Enjoy.

MVP Of the Season Award: Omar Bravo

Game Of the Season

Newcomer Of the Season Award: Aurelien Collin

TFM's MVP Of the Season Award: Omar Bravo

2011-11-14T20:02:00.001-06:00

(Getty Images)

When CEO Robb Heineman announced earlier this year that he had signed a 30 year old Mexican striker from Guadalajara I was a little skeptical. I was even more skeptical when he had announced that he was to remain on loan with Guadalajara until the start of the season for KC. However, Omar Bravo shot down my judgments and quickly rose to the MLS elite.

This was all too apparent on Sunday night when there was a massive rumbling around the ground when Bravo was given orders to strip off his warm up gear and get ready to come on as a sub in the 85th minute when KC was down only 1-0. Omar's substitution was met with an astounding amount of applause for one of the greatest poachers Meixco has ever seen.

Rewind back 7 months to the opening game against Chivas USA. An intense 3-2 win for SKC. Bravo netted 2 times on opening night and seemed almost apologetic when he scored on Guadalajara's sister club. A man of the match performance from the little Mexican who couldn't even imagine what would happen next.

A few weeks later Omar receives a devastating injury that sees him sidelined for 5 weeks during arguably one of the most important parts of the season but makes a triumphant return to the lineup just before the home opener.

Following the injury Bravo went on to score 7 more times and turned provider 4 times. His work ethic on the field went unmatched all season and his leadership on the field went unscathed.

New Trialist For Sporting Kc

2011-11-10T16:13:00.001-06:00

A new trialist is in Sporting Kc's camp. While there is no name linked with the player there has been a number of pictures "leaked" onto the internet of the trialist after Sporting Kc's reserves lost 5-3 against FC Dallas on Wednesday, here's the site for those pictures.

It appears as if he actually scored on the stroke of halftime for the Rangers. Judging from the pictures I know he wore #44 and I would put the player at around 5'10 to 6'0. I would also say he's a midfielder, maybe a defensive minded one.

Here are some snapshot's of the trialist, all via +++CoolValley+++'s photostream on Flickr.

To me he looks like a mix of Graham Zusi and Andreas Villas-Boas.

Now, on to the trialist.

If you know anything else feel free to comment.

Sporting KC To Sign Spanish DP?

2011-11-08T10:46:00.000-06:00

Last night club CEO Robb Heineman wasted no time in getting the off-season started when he announced to his legion of twitter followers that he had submitted a bid for a Spanish DP, Robb went on to say on his twitter account, "...and btw, making an offer on a Spanish DP today...".

While we will most likely not see Fernando Torres or David Silva lighting up LSP I still think Robb is after some serious talent following the imminent release of Jeferson, (not confirmed by club yet). The Brazilian failed to make an impact with Sporting and should he leave it would open up north of $400,000 we could spend on a new signing.

Robb might be going after the traditional 'former-great' DP that is all too common in MLS. Or he could be going after a young DP, something that the MLS commissioner would love to see.

One Win Away From the MLS Cup Final

2011-11-05T22:43:00.001-05:00

Sporting Kc will be in the drivers seat this Sunday afternoon when they take on the Houston Dynamo for the right to play either RSL or the LA Galaxy. Sporting Kc welcome the Dynamo to what should be a packed, proud, and dare I say it pulsating LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Well, at least the Cauldron will be. Nevertheless tomorrow's game will be the last home game for Sporting Kc this season and It should be a good one,

The Houston Dynamo could usually come into Sunday's fixture knowing that they have one thing over Sporting Kc - their set pieces. But, Sporting Kc have become almost as good as Houston on their set pieces. In-fact 5 out of Sporting Kc's last 7 goals have been from set pieces and only 1 has come in open play. Granted this little bit trivia is good to know when playing against the Houston Dynamo but should we advance to the final we can not rely on just set pieces alone.

As for Sporting Kc, Omar Bravo may be set to make a return after missing the first two games of the playoffs for KC with a slight groin injury while Bunbury and Sapong are each hitting form at the right time. As for the back-line Jimmy Nielsen and co. haven't let a goal in for over 360 minutes, a stretch of 4 games.

MLS MVP candidate Brad Davis has been the key to Houston Dynamo's success this season and his left foot is the reason for Houston's threat on set pieces. Not to mention the fact that Houston have many aerial threats within there side.

Regardless of Houston's threat on set pieces I believe Sporting Kc can pull through in this Eastern Conference Final and advance into the MLS Cup Final to face either RSL or LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center.

Predicted Score:
Sporting Kc - 2 (Sapong, Bunbury)
Houston Dynamo - 1 (Ching)

#ibelievethatwewillwin

#cheesyhashtags

Sporting Kc Advance to the Eastern Conference Final

2011-11-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc players celebrate CJ Sapong's goal

Last night in the freezing rain Sporting Kc did what everyone expected them to do - beat a injury-plagued Colorado Rapids side at home. More than 18,000 fans came out to support their side as they easily beat the Rapids 2-0. But to be fair, Colorado were missing upwards of 6 starters, throw in a suspended Tyrone Marshall and you have one of the worst Colorado sides int he past year.

To be completely honest Colorado did not look at all like they wanted to play, they were missing so much creativity in the middle of the park, their chances were restricted to pretty much nothing. And their confidence wasn't helped either when Aurelien Collin took the lead in the 28th minute off of a Zusi free kick. It was poor marking from a Colorado side that was missing the defensive presence of Moor and Mastroeni.

Sporting Kc ended the series in the 76th minute when CJ Sapong rose highest to get on the end of yet another Zusi free-kick. It was a fantastic leap from Sapong who was left completely un-marked by the Colorado defense.

Knocking out the reigning champions in the freezing rain was amazing. The best part of the night for me was when we sang, "GOO BAAACK TO COOOLORADOOOOO!" following a tremendous effort by the boys in blue. Now Sporting Kc will get to host either Philly or Houston on Sunday depending on results in Houston tonight.

This team is gaining momentum at the perfect time, there is so much belief in the side to go out there on Sunday and beat either Philadelphia or Houston and go to the MLS Cup final.

Player Ratings
Nielsen - 6, Myers 7, Besler 6, Collin 8, Sinovic 6, Cesar 7, Espinoza 6, Zusi 9, Kamara 7, Bunbury 6, Sapong 8. Subs: Saad NA, Diop NA, Arnaud 6.

Sporting Kc Easily Topple a Distraught Colorado Rapids Side

2011-10-31T16:14:00.000-05:00

The man of the hour, Teal Bunbury. - via Getty Images

Last night Sporting Kc might of had the best start to a 2-legged playoff match-up ever when they beat Colorado away 2-0 in Denver on a freezing Halloween-eve. Beating Colorado was great for Sporting's confidence heading into the second leg at LSP, not to mention the fact that Colorado now have to play on Wednesday without SIX starters and a suspended Tyrone Marshall.

It was a quiet 1st half to say the least and it seemed as if both teams were OK with the 0-0 draw but then after the break Teal Bunbury drew first blood. The goal came after some decent possession for KC, Julio Cesar picked his head up in the middle of the park and played a fantastic through-ball right into the path of Bunbury who easily finessed it into the bottom right corner. Sending the traveling supporters into a craze

It was again Bunbury who was causing the Colorado Rapids back line trouble in the 59th minute when he made a darting run in to the box with the ball at his feet as Tyrone Marshall came through the back of Bunbury, prompting the referee to give a PK and a red card to the offender (not to say Bunbury didn't go down easily).

KC talisman Davy Arnaud could of made it three when he was played an excellent through ball by Jeferson who found the racing Arnaud, but the 31 year old couldn't really get a solid foot on it and Perkins made the save.

All-in-all it was a great win for Sporting Kc. We put a huge dent in the defending MLS champions' playoff chances with that win, and now Sporting Kc know that they are only 2 wins away from being in the MLS Cup final. However, I applaud the Rapids players, they didn't get upset and nasty after the loss like the NYRB's did, poor showing from the "best of MLS".

Sporting Kc To Face Colorado Away In One Of Two Games

2011-10-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

Earlier tonight it was learned that Sporting Kc will face Colorado away on Sunday night in Denver. Following that first away game Sporting will welcome The Rapids to what should be a hostile environment at LSP on Wednesday in the second and final game.

Colorado beat Columbus 1-0 off of a lone Omar Cummings goal right before half-time on a freezing Thursday night in Denver. Following the win Colorado earned the right to face Sporting Kc in a 2 game series. While The Rapids are a decent squad, it could be worse for Sporting Kc. The LA Galaxy will have to fly 2,450 miles across the entire US from LA to NY to face a Red Bull's side that is gaining momentum at the right time. This is what LA receives for winning the supporter's shield?

Regardless Sporting Kc just needs to go to the mile high city and get at least a draw knowing that when they come back to KC the friendly confines of LSP will be waiting to greet them.

Daily Transfer Roundups 10/24

2011-10-24T17:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Daily Transfer Roundup and here is a roundup of all of today's transfer rumors, transfers, and everything regarding transfers and loans!

Bridge's city wages wreck loan move

Kolo Toure 'Interested' in leaving City

PSG move could still be on says Taarabt

Dalglish joins race for 2m 14 year old

FIFA 12 Ultimate Team Player Values

2011-10-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the values of certain players on FIFA 12 UT. If you are paying under the projected price then it's a steal, if you pay over you're getting scammed. Also, if you have any other projected values for players then please share, if it sounds right it'll most likely get added. FYI I buy most of my players from La Liga so there will likely be a lot of them listed.

Name - Position - Rating - Club - Country - Projected Value(in coins)

Nilmar - ST - 83 - Villarreal - Brazil - 4k-5k
Thiago - CAM - 79 - Barcelona - Spain - 300-400
Bruno - CDM - 82 - Villarreal - Spain - 500-600
Raul Albiol - CB - 82 - Real Madrid - Spain - 1k-1.5k
Diego - CAM - 83 - Atletico Madrid - Brazil - 1.5k-1.8k
Toulalan - CDM - 81 - Malaga - France - 400-600
Ibrahimovic - ST - 88 - AC Milan - Sweden - 90k-96k
Higuain - ST - 86 - Real Madrid - Argentina - 8k-10k
Rooney - ST - 90 - Manchester United - England - 300k-380k
Aguero - ST - 86 - Manchester City - Argentina - 100k-105k
Valencia - RW - 83 - Manchester United - Ecuador - 4.5k-4.7k
Suarez - ST - 85 - Liverpool - Uruguay - 24k-28k
Gerrard - CM - 87 - Liverpool - England - 160k-170k
Modric - CAM - 88 - Tottenham - Croatia - 45k-50k
Nesta - CB - 85 - AC Milan - Italy - 2.5k-2.9k
Thiago Silva - CB - 87 - AC Milan - Brazil - 85k-87k
Lucio - CB - 85 - Inter Milan - Brazil - 15k-20k
Pazzini - ST - 83 - Inter Milan - Italy - 500-1k
Drogba - ST - 86 - Chelsea - Ivory Coast - 75k-85k
Lampard - CAM - 87 - Chelsea - England - 86k-90k
Arshavin - LW - 83 - Arsenal - Russia -1k-1.2k
Van Persie - ST - 86 - Arsenal - Netherlands - 30k-34k
Krasic - RM - 82 - Juventus - Serbia - 1.5k-2k
Chiellini - CB - 84 - Juventus - Italy - 17k-20k

FIFA 12 Career Mode Tips

2011-10-20T19:28:00.000-05:00

Picture via: http://soft.elecinlife.com/fifa-12-career-preview-mode-before-the-user/

FIFA12 newbies and career mode legends alike have already enjoyed a wonderful month or so of career mode. But this years career mode is a different beast than previous years gone by. I've been a FIFA gamer since '05 and I've racked up well over 45 hours of career mode. So I guess you could say I know the game like the back of my hand and I have some useful tips on what arguably is one of the best career modes to date.

Starting Out

When starting up career mode you will have three game modes inside of career mode itself for you to choose from, "player mode", "manager mode", and "player-manager mode". If you select the traditional "manager mode" then you will be promptly whisked away to select your team.

Selecting your team is one of the most important things in career mode. Whether you choose Manchester City for it's +150,000,000 spending budget or a League 2 side with the hopes of promotion this step is essential.

Day 1

After selecting the team I generally like to go and check out my new squad. I assess where the problem areas are and where my strong points are where I want to build my team around. So let's say you have a 73 CAM in a team where the average rating is 66. You would want to build your team around him, but be careful, don't put him in a formation where there is 1 or more of his positions, otherwise he might not be as potent. Also, play young guys. This is an extremely important part when selecting your starting XI, I've managed teams where I've had a 17 year old striker with a rating of 65 go all the way to 69 in one season.

Transfers

Be smart with transfers, they are one of 2 ways to add players to your squad, buying players through the transfer market is one. The first thing I like to do is sell all the players with the lowest ratings. Or players that I deem unworthy. Don't hold on to a young player with a rating of 45 in hopes that he will be the next Messi, clubs will buy, trust me. I then will toggle between the highest and lowest transfer costs and sell accordingly. If I can sell a 70 for $2,000,000 and then buy a player with an equal or greater overall I will. And if I have an aging player with very little stamina I will sell them. (Yes I have sold Del Piero before). But be careful not to sell too many players, if you are competing in domestic and European competitions as well as league then it is important to have good depth within ones squad.

Free agents/Loans

Another thing I do when I start any season is look at the free agents and loanees. Buying free agents and loanees is a great way to save money while still getting some quality players. The best part about buying either of these two is that it won't cost you a single cent of your transfer funds. The only thing that will be depleted is your wage funds, but generally since free agents are not on a team they will join you for a reasonably low price.

On the other hand don't forget to sell young players via the loan option as well. But sell them to clubs you know they will get playing time at, otherwise they might not progress like you want them to.

Simming vs. Playing

Simming games is a great tool when you use it correctly. Use it against teams that you know you could easily beat manually. Don't use it against teams that are close to you in the standings. But be extremely careful when simming away from your stadium, home teams in FIFA automatically have an advantage when simming, for the obvious reasons of course.

Scouting

One of the best additions to the game this year is the scouting system. Not only is it better than last year's re-generation system it is also extremely fun and is a way to keep you interested. Through scouting I have literally found the next Messi. (A 16 year old from Mexico)

Be careful when selecting your scout though. Select someone that you can afford but is also not total rubbish - the higher the scout the better the players. Also, when sending your scout to the various parts of the world be aware that some regions can produce better players than other regions. For example, if you send a scout to Asia in search of a center back you probably won't find the next Barcelona star. But, if you look in Italy for a playmaker you can probably find some bright prospects.

Selecting Players For the Youth Squad

When selecting players for your youth squad don't be too antsy. But don't be too slow. If you buy them early due to the odd chance they could have an overall rating of 62 at 14 years old you're likely in for a bust. Every month your scout will give you an updated list of new or old players. But if you wait too long other clubs will sign them and they'll end up in the abyss of world football.

End Of the Season

Upon completion of the season you will be able to either stay with your club or move on. When deciding where to go choose the club that you think you can be the most successful with. It's easy right? Not really, sometimes the clubs that have $150,000,000 spending budgets are just too much to resist. One time, due to some rich investors FC Dallas, (an MLS side), had over $100,000,000 dollars to spend. I chose them and ran rampant in the MLS. Winning the championship and the domestic cup 3 years in a row.

Thanks for reading, have fun!

Playoffs: Welcome Back KC

2011-10-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

-Davy Arnaud celebrating with the Cauldron after the game, courtesy of SportingKc.com

Saturday the 15th of October 2011 will go down into the history books as Sporting Kc confirmed their spot in the playoffs with a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls. Whether this club can go farther is yet to be seen but as of now fans across the area are celebrating. And rightly so, Sporting Kc hasn't made it into the playoffs for 2 years. And even in 2009 they lost in the first round to Columbus. But this year, there is new belief. To lose out in the opening round would do terrible injustice to our club that has quite literally experienced the highs and lows of soccer in slightly under 7 months.

But, even if we fail to progress in the playoffs there would still be progress within the club that may not necessarily be seen by the naked eye - this team is young. The average age of the players who started against NY was 26 while the backline's average starting age was 24, one of the lowest in MLS. And with the likes of Soony Saad(19), Jon Kempin(18), Daniel Cyrus(20), and Kevin Ellis(20) waiting for stardom, this team can go far. But this season it has been a mix of young and old who have lead Sporting to the playoffs. Jimmy Nielsen(34), Omar Bravo(31), and Julio Cesar(32) have all been key figures this season and have really stepped up as leaders after the loss of talisman Jimmy Conrad and Jack Jewsbury leaving earlier this year.

No matter how old they are winning on Saturday afternoon in the fall sunshine was a big step for these players. Winning the cup would be an even bigger step. And quite frankly I can't really think of any other club more deserving of it than us, except for maybe Seattle. Certainly club captain Davy Arnaud couldn't. Arnaud recently broke the all-time league appearances for Sporting Kc, surpassing assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin's mark. Arnaud was probably the happiest man at LSP on Saturday (pictured above). He's been with this team for almost 10 years now and has watched it grow into something bigger than he could ever anticipate.

Now, as October comes to an end the playoffs are just around the corner and I think I can speak for all fans when I say, WE WANT THE CUP.

The Regular Season Final

2011-10-14T17:12:00.000-05:00

Win against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday and this year's Sporting Kansas City will have accomplished something that hasn't been accomplished in 2 years - making the playoffs. It's quite interesting to look at how far this team has come in those 2 years. From the hallows of Community America Ballpark to the great rooftops of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park a lot has changed. And a win against the Red Bulls would make even more history.

"Win and we're in" has been a phrase whispered upon the lips of quite a lot of supporters in the past couple of days. Quite frankly because it's true. But how easy will it be to beat this Red Bull side. Well, first off, if we win it would almost completely shatter the Red Bulls own chances at the playoffs, something that just about every team in this league would want to do. But the Red Bulls do have quality, there's no denying that. We all know how good Henry and Marquez are but there have been some other great performers for NY this season. Luke Rodgers, Lindpere, Solli, and Agudelo to name a few. So as you can see there is a lot of class in the Red Bulls camp.

As for Sporting Kansas City well we have a number of stars too and I believe that we have a real shot against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday afternoon. Our front line was smothered in April when we last played the Red Bulls to a 1-0 loss but Sapong, Kamara, and Bravo are all hitting fine form and will look to make some magic for the home team.

My prediction?

Sporting Kansas City - 2(Bravo, Kamara)
New York Red Bulls - 0

The Playoffs, Sporting Kansas City Style

2011-10-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again and the Sporting Kansas City faithful are getting geared up for what should be an exciting playoff race. Albeit the spot still isn't locked down, Sporting Kc have a very good chance at being with the MLS elite when the playoffs kick off in late October and early November.

The next game Sporting Kc has to clinch a playoff spot might just be the biggest of the season, as Sporting welcome the New York Red Bulls to LSP. And when the final "regular-season" game comes around on October 22 Sporting Kc will have to face DC United, a team that as of right now are 5 points out of a playoff spot. However, if we were to win against the NYRB's next Saturday we would clinch a playoff spot. In-fact if the season were to end today we would be in the playoffs no questions asked.

Basically, no matter what happens there is a 98.2% we will make the playoffs. But we don't want to just finish in a wild-card spot and hope we win the following game to actually get into the playoffs. No, we want to finish top of the East and have as many playoff games as we can here at LSP, plus the higher we finish the better chance there is of us getting a lower-quality team to face. If we choose to let fate handle our playoff destiny then we could end up facing a team of a higher caliber. I mean, which hypothetical scenario would you want to have: Away playing against a star studded LA Galaxy? Or home against an expansion side Portland Timbers? I would choose the latter one. On the other hand, just making it into the playoffs would deem this season a success, and would save Peter Vermes' job. After we seemingly shot ourselves in the foot with a horrendous 10 game road trip that saw us sink to last place in the entire league. But, due to some great home form and some stand-out performances from the youngsters (Sapong, Besler, Zusi, etc.) we now find ourselves in a situation that other clubs would die for.

Sporting Kc's Actual Playoff Chances

2011-10-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

As the season comes to a close many fans will be wanting to know where their team is in the playoff race. Fortunately Kurt Austin (@kaustin01) shared with me a sweet site displaying stats on Sporting Kc's playoff race. I'll go ahead and post them here for some quick analysis.

98% - Chance Sporting Kc will make the playoffs.

8.6% - Percentage points it changed our chance of making the playoffs after the 2-1 win over Columbus.

0% - Chance Sporting Kc finishes with the Supporters Shield.

100% - Percentage Sporting Kc has at getting first seed in the Eastern Conference if they win their last 3 games.

64% - Percentage Sporting Kc has at being in the playoffs if they lose their last 3 games.

53, 51, 50, 49 - Points needed for Sporting Kc to finish in a playoff spot.

-2.3% - Percentage points it will change our chance of making the playoffs if we lose against San Jose.

You can check out where I got these stats and some other cool stuff here

FIFA 12 One Day Away

2011-09-25T15:40:00.000-05:00

North American cover features Rooney, Donovan, and Marquez.

One day. That's all there is left until the most popular video-game series in the world comes out with it's latest edition. FIFA 12. Albeit North Americans gets a little early treat in the fact that we get it 3 days ahead of Europe and everyone else. This years game promises to be the best installment yet. Most likely due to all the new stuff that's packed into the $60 game (for Xbox 360 that is).

In this years edition fans can expect 4 new game-play features.

Player Impact Engine
Precision Dribbling
Tactical Defending
Pro Player Intelligence

All the new features will change your experience from last year in FIFA 11 to a better one. You can read about these new features here. The one thing that will most likely have the biggest impact on your game-play is Tactical Defending. But don't get me wrong, once you master it all the work will pay off.

Also, there are two really cool new features in career mode. EA Sports is finally bringing back the youth system, and on transfer deadline day there is an extended window to buy players, and clubs will be more aggressive with their offers.

In the day(s) leading up to it's release I would politely suggest 5 things to do so you can enjoy the FIFA 12 experience the best:

Get the demo. The best way to experience FIFA 12 before the release is to obviously play the demo. You can delete it later and it helps you get a grasp on the new game-play features. Plus, it's free.

Mess around on Creation Center. Another way to get your hands on some FIFA 12 early is to mess around on Creation Center. There you can make your very own team, tournament and/or player to bookmark and then install later into the game.

Don't worry about pre-ordering. There is simply no reason to waste $5 dollars on something that isn't in high demand in America. In Europe yes, pre-order. But not here, the store will have plenty. However, I do suggest getting it the day of the release. The day after they might be sold out.

Spread the word. Although playing career mode and other off-line modes is a great way to enjoy FIFA you should get your friends to play with you and it will make FIFA 12 all the more sweeter. Also, don't forget that there is a whole world of passionate FIFA 12 players all across the universe waiting to interact with you. Either through tournaments, ranked matches, virtual pro clubs, ultimate team, friendlies, etc.

Learn more about FIFA 12. Go to the official site. Read the FIFA blog. Or listen to a podcast hosted by Rom and Stevie on iTunes. In-fact yours truly was mentioned on the most recent podcast 37' minutes in.

Philadelphia Union Scouting Report

2011-09-22T21:10:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc vs. Philadelphia Union might just be the biggest game this season in terms of playoff contention. Sporting Kc are currently in 2nd place in the East with 40 points, while the Philadelphia Union sit right below them in 3rd with 39 points. Should Philadelphia win they would leap frog Columbus and Sporting Kc. On the flip-side if Sporting Kc win the find themselves at the top of the East with a little bit of breathing room.

Most Dangerous Player
Sebastien Le Toux. The Frenchman will be looking to his already impressive scoring and assisting record for Philadelphia. The former Seattle man has scored 7 times and assisted on 8 occasions for the Union. His strength and awareness could do serious damage to Sporting Kc.

Weakest Link
Goalkeeping. Philly's goalkeeping situation is in shambles. Both Mondragon and MacMath have been injured. Leading Philadelphia to dip into the MLS keeper pool and take one. While it is hard to say whether this reserve goalkeeper is good, Mondragon has been a rock back there and having him out of the starting XI is a huge blow.

Football Style
Philadelphia like to use a quick passing system that helps them get up the field as quick as possible. They don't like to sit back and let other teams come at them. It's a very in-your-face type of footballing style. While the Union have been good this season I believe Sporting Kc deserve to be ahead of them in the standings and anything but a win at LSP on Friday night could be devastating for either teams.

Key Match Up
Sporting Kc's strikers vs. Philly's goalkeeper. While the MLS reserve pool keeper will certainly have a tough time trying to keep the likes of Kamara and Bravo from scoring the real problem could be in the striker delema for Sporting Kc. Vermes will have to pick between either Sapong or Bunbury. While Bunbury looked lively against RSL Sapong has been tremendous this season, scoring goals from all types of angles.

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 2 (Sapong, Bravo)
Philadelphia Union - 1

Real Salt Lake Scouting Report

2011-09-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

Following a thrilling 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo Sporting Kc are on the road for the first time in over a month. In that month Sporting have seen a slow climb to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Albeit a few rungs fell out of place along the way. Now Sporting must head over to Salt Lake City to face a very strong Real Salt Lake side who are currently 4th in the West with 45 points. 5 more than Sporting Kc have. But for the first time in a long time I believe that a top-class team (RSL) are actually afraid of us, whether that is a good or bad thing is yet to be determined.

Most Dangerous Player
Kyle Beckerman. The USMNT midfielder has assisted on 8 occasions and scored on 3 for RSL. The captain has shown tremednous leadership through and through for RSL and will look to stop any attack Sporting Kc have going forward. Sitting in that CDM role he could thwart many Zusi attacks.

Weakest Link
Center back. Although Olave has been a star for RSL at the heart of defense there have been some signs throughout the season that RSL's defense has been a little bit stingy compared to the form we saw last season. Although Rimando will be the last line of defense behind them the CB's needs to step up their game if they are to stop a rompant Sporting Kc side who have scored 5 goals in 2 games.

Football Style
RSL usually plays a very fluid type of football, running their team through Kyle Beckerman. Although they don't play direct they they do play a lot of long balls to their speedy forwards. Also, watch out for the quick counter-attack from the outside backs and midfielders. That's one of the things RSL is built on.

Key Match-Up
Sporting KC's Starting XI vs. Sporting KC's Starting XI
With almost a full strength squad for Vermes to choose from it will be interesting to see who makes the cut. Myers is rumored to be injured and Collin looks the likely replacement. There are also so many forwards for Vermes to choose from, not to mention the midfield. But what Vermes needs to focus on is form. If he sticks with that Sporting Kc might have a chance.

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 1 (Bunbury)
Real Salt Lake - 1 (Espindola)

The Top 3 Sporting Kc Players You Love to Hate

2011-09-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

ALL Sporting Kc fans have hated on a player at least once this season. Either via Twitter, Facebook, or the rare face-to-face conversations. You've all said it. But which players have received the most hate mail? By my count the top 3 players Sporting Kc fans love to hate have been, Teal Bunbury, Jeferson Rodrigues Goncalves (or Jeferson) and Julio Cesar. All of them during different periods during the season, still, each player has been hated on by Sporting Kc fans.

Obviously when times are tough during a season fans like to take out there bottled up stress on the players. Some of the time it's not necessarily the players fault. Maybe the tactics are off or maybe it's just not their day. However we still have a right to be angry at them, which makes sense when you think about how no one else but them can get the final result, whether it be 3, 1, or 0 points.

Teal Bunbury
To fully understand why most fans loved to hate Teal you have to track back all the way to January.....

Following up on a sensational 5 goal rookie season that saw him get called up to the USMNT, tour Europe with Generation Adidas, and train with Stoke Teal was getting set to have a huge second season in MLS. Debuting well in the first couple of weeks Teal was looking great and getting a huge amount of media attention. Some even calling him the answer to the USMNT striker situation. Then in April after Teal scored two terrific goals against Vancouver Bunbury promptly fell into one heck of a funk. Not producing a league goal for about 4 months. Teal looked to be done and dusted. Of course, this also came during the long 10 game road trip that saw Sporting Kc sink all the way down to bottom of the East, which in turn sparked Sporting Kc's fans to resort to Twitter and other sources to take out their anger. And guess what, Teal Bunbury was their target. See it made sense, our star striker wasn't scoring so take it out on him. There was even talk of putting him on the transfer list and shipping him off to Europe.

However, in recent weeks Teal has started to look like his old self. Gaining momentum after the New England game in late July and has earned another USMNT call up since then. Whether or not he will be back to full strength this season is till up in the air. But for a while we all loved to hate Teal Bunbury.

Jeferson
After coming in on loan from Vasco de Gama in Brazil Jeferson was signed as our third-ever DP. He made his Sporting Kc debut against Newcastle United and looked very good. However his league play wasn't quite on par and the left-footed CAM wasn't living quite up to expectations. He just seemed to be on a different page than the rest of the Sporting attack. There was a hype that him and Bravo together would make a deadly duo because, to be honest, Jeferson and Bravo are the only two players on this team who can see the game so well. So playing them together was making some Sporting fans drool with expectation. However, things didn't quite work out and Jeferson's form turned to mush. Leading fans, (including myself), to let our anger out on him. And for the most part I think it's because this sensational CAM who was praised for his vision and distance shooting that we pay $400,000 a year to was brought in from Brazil and was ready to be a leading player in this league. But he still hasn't quite adapted to the MLS and might not be around next season.

Cesar
Oh Cesar, oh Cesar.... Many people dubbed him the Pablo Escobar of 2011 after a horrid start to the campaign. He was leaking in goals and in Columbus he earned a second yellow for a foolish handball and for many fans that was the last straw. He and Teal instantly became the two players we all loved to hate. Obviously Peter Vermes saw it too because following Cesar's poor performance the marvelous Collin came along, turning Cesar into essentially just another depth player. After not seeing action at center back for a while Cesar finally found a starting position as Davy Arnaud and Craig Rocastle both went down due to injuries. Cesar almost immediately started at CDM along with Espinoza. And that's where his true talent is. Following this fans have started to really enjoy Cesar's play and has since become a regular in the starting XI.

And those are the three Sporting Kc players we all love to hate.

Top 25 Sporting Kc Profiles to Follow On Twitter

2011-09-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Following my recent milestone of hitting 100 followers I've been thinking about all the amazing Sporting Kc fans, personnel, bloggers, players and staff that are on twitter. A lot of people don't know about these wonderful accounts. So, without further ado, I give you the list of the top 25 Sporting Kc twitter users to follow on Twitter.

Staff
1. @SportingKc - The teams official twitter account. Follow them for literally EVERYTHING Sporting Kc.
2. @RobbHeineman - Sporting Kc's CEO. He has been noted from time to time to drop huge announcements for Sporting Kc fans.
3. @KitManSKC - The teams housekeeper. Makes sure every cleat, shirt, sock, glove, headband, and shorts are clean and ready for the Sporting Kc players. He's also a very funny tweeter.
4. @CalWilliams2011 - The Brit is Sporting Kc's head commentator and has done a lot for this club since coming over from the BBC.
5. @AndrewWiebe_MLS - Not sure if he's actually employed by Sporting and gets his paycheck from there but regardless this young man is a great writer and writes just about everything that goes on SportingKc.com

Players
1. @keikamara - The top scorer of the 2010 season is one of the most followed players on Sporting Kc.
2. @TealBunB - The USMNT striker has loads of twitter followers and is a great guy.
3. @Ekronberg - The funniest player by a long stretch. He's a hilarious dude and a great goalkeeper.
4. @BigAfrika88 - Another well followed player in CJ Sapong, follow him and watch him get onto the USMNT scene.
5. @PumaNielsen1 - A funny dude. The best keeper in MLS. Follow him.

Fans
1. - @SKCdoesnotstop - The name says it all. This guy is seriously one of the biggest soccer fans living in KC.
2. - @brandondryrock - Probably one of the funniest fans Sporting Kc has in its arsenal.
3. - @KUBensa - He sang the national anthem at LSP once and he is a really great fan that has good tweets.
4. - @S_Call18 - A great fan to say the least. Tweets are funny and he has a lot of knowledge of Sporting KC.
5. - @KCYeti - The loudest and most proudest fan you might ever see. This man has so much pride for Sporting Kc it's unbelievable.

Supporters Groups
1. - @KCCauldron - The 12th man of Sporting Kc, the best supporters group in KC. Hands-down.
2. - @AdAstraSKC - This supporters group is led by a great fan - Christian Sinclair. Through him AdAstraSKC has quickly reached almost 250 followers. They also RT some of the best Sporting Kc material.
3. - @The_BSE - One of the bigger groups at LSP
4. - @kc_syndicate - Great group of people.
5. - @LaBarraKc - Relatively new group but has some astounding passion.
Bloggers
1. - @downthebyline - Can't say enough good things about this guy, but I can for sure tell you that he is the most SKC-knowledgeable person you will ever meet, plus, owning the best blog in KC is not bad either. Definitely give him a follow.
2. - @Sporting_Times - This blog has one of the largest databases about SKC and can easily access thousands of stats. His tweets are quite funny as well.
3. - @FootyChronicles - My podcaster in crime, this young man is in fact the youngest blogger that covers Sporting Kansas City. He has a quality blog and his tweets are great.
4. - @TheBackpost - This twitter account is extremely important to follow. Never mind the great pictures and posts on his blog. This guy provides the inside scoop right from the training ground at Swope Park. Follow him for unprecedented access into Sporting Kc's backroom staff.
5. - @TheFull90 - A great blog, run by Charles Gooch. This guy works for The Kansas City Star and has all the up-to-date Sporting Kc news.

I promise you if you follow these 25 Sporting Kc profiles on twitter your life will change for the better.
And of course don't forget to follow big daddy Alex @TheFrontMen and your life will truly be perfect!

Scott Lorenz On His Way Back to KC

2011-09-08T19:34:00.000-05:00

Earlier today Thad Bell over at @TheBackpost (give him a follow) tweeted out that Scott Lorenz was on his way back from Minnesota. The 24 year old left-back had been on trial with NASL side NSC Minnesota Stars until it was learned that his loan had been brought to a halt. This article from boxscorenews.com states that the main reason for an end to the loan was due to the fact that Lorenz had become out of favor with head coach Manny Lagos. According to the article Lorenz played at Right Midfield, which would be out of position of what he normally plays with Sporting Kc. Now that Lorenz is back Sporting Kc will, as ever, have plenty of depth at fullback heading into the final push for the playoffs.

Lorenz started 8 times for the Stars but will most likely see reserve league fixtures in a Sporting Kc shirt.

Robb Heineman Answers Your Questions

2011-09-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

Earlier today Sporting Kc opened up a Q&A with club president Robb Heineman on twitter. Specifically about LSP's dire pitch conditions in recent weeks, which have seen a harsh beating from the hot Kansas sun, and an over-usage. In fact 5 games were played at LSP in August, throw a concert in there and the field is bound to get cut up like Swiss cheese...

Going under the hashtag #lspchat Robb answered your questions, here's the conversations that took place:

http://www.sportingkc.com/news/2011/09/tweetroll-robb-heinemans-lspchat

Sporting KC vs. LA Galaxy Scouting Report

2011-09-03T19:58:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc's backroom staff will be expecting yet another sell-out crowd as they welcome the LA Galaxy to LSP. Last week Sporting Kc lost 3-2 to FC Dallas in a somewhat unconvincing loss in the dying moments of the game. Now, they will have to play yet another tough game against LA on Monday. Sporting Kc may me be missing star winger Kei Kamara due to international duty and by all accounts this match looks like one of the most testing matches Sporting Kc have played all season. Except, of course, the last time they played LA.

Most Dangerous Player

Landon Donovan. The speedy USMNT winger will most likely be running at Chance Myers. Whether Myers is up to the task is yet to be decided. But who ever will start there will surely have received special instructions from the training staff on how to mark up on Donovan. Either way Landon will be running at SKC's back line all night.

Weakest Link

I hate to say it but I really can't think of a certain area on the pitch that LA are especially bad at. The whole team is really good. As you can see by simply opening up the Western Conference standings.

Football Style
Due to the sensational wingers that LA possess (Beckham, Donovan), it is easy to see why they play in a 4-4-2 or a 4-1-2-1-2. They like to get balls in the box and often. In fact, David Beckham completes on average 7 crosses into the box per game.

Key Match-Up
Sporting Kc's full backs vs. LA's wingers. It can't be stressed enough, this game will be decided on the wings, whoever can control those channels will be able to control most of the possession. Hopefully, Vermes will have noticed this...

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 1 (Sapong)
LA Galaxy - 2 (Donovan, Keane)

Transfer Deadline Day

2011-08-31T20:28:00.000-05:00

Another exciting day of last-minute transfers has come to a conclusion. And this year's deadline day was one of the biggest to date. A total of $758,931,320 have been spent in the premier league on transfers. Economic depression? I think not.

To wrap up today's big deals I would have to write a 45 page summary of today's transactions. So, instead of that I will provide my faithful readers with a list of links. Allowing them to pick and choose the one's that seem the most interesting.

You're welcome.

Crouch completes Stoke switch

Ferdinand makes QPR move

Wright-Phillips makes QPR move

Wenger grabs Benayoun and Arteta

Arsenal sign Santos and Mertesacker

Craig Bellamy joins Liverpool

Tottenham captures Hammers ace Parker

Owen Hargreaves signs with Man City

Meireles set to play at Stamford Bridge

For more transfer stories head over to Sky Sports or Fox Soccer

What was the biggest transfer for you? Which club had the best deadline day? Tell me in the comment section below.

The Brek Shea Game

2011-08-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

It happened to us again. Yes folks, Sporting Kc lost ANOTHER game in stoppage time at the hands of FC Dallas. To make matters worse Sporting Kc set a team record for red cards in a season after Teal Bunbury was sent off in the 76th minute for yet another questionable decision by a referee. To be honest we should have won that game, regardless of the red card. We simply gave up in the last 5 minutes.

The game got off to a rough start and it was clear that FC Dallas came out with the intent to win, contrary to popular belief. In the first 20 minutes FC Dallas were biting at the necks of the Sporting Kc defenders and it nearly paid off. But in the 22 minute the ever-threatening Kamara pounced on a mistake by a Dallas defender, Kamara then streaked towards goal and fired in a rocket to the bottom left corner. The rest of the half was back and forth and neither side could keep a great deal of possession.

The second KC goal was scored in the 68th minute when a free kick from Besler was flicked on by a Dallas defender right to the feet of Teal Bunbury who fired a shot well off target, but luckily for Sporting Kc Omar Bravo was there for an easy tap in. Not long later FC Dallas scored their first goal of the night, a Daniel Hernandez free kick well outside the 18 yard box curled itself into the back of Sporting's net. As mentioned above Teal Bunbury was sent off in the 76th minute when he clearly clipped heals with Benitez and unfortunately for Teal he was already on a second yellow. The ref reached into his pocket and sent the young striker off.

Sporting Kc were left with nothing else to do but bunker down for the next 15 minutes. As Dallas peppered Sporting's net with shots. Seemingly out of nowhere Brek Shea found himself on the left-hand side with the ball at his feet, something that no team in MLS wants to see. Then Brek Shea did what Brek Shea does and played in a tremendous ball to the back post for Maicon Santos to head into Sporting's net in the 88th minute. Then in the 91st minute Shea found himself in an identical position and served in a great ball for Warshaw who headed it into Sporting's net. Right in front of the Cauldron.

A devastating loss for Sporting Kc in a game that promised so much. It was quite simply an opportunity to jump farther ahead in the Eastern Conference. Not to mention favorable results for Sporting had occurred earlier that night.

Scouting Report On FC Dallas (Home 2011)

2011-08-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

Following Saturday night's game against Sporting, FC Dallas will have played 4 games in 10 days. Almost a game every other day. This congested-schedule for FC Dallas will play right into Sporting Kc's hand, as SKC welcome FC Dallas to LSP for what is supposed to be one of the most sold-out games of the 2011 season. The reverse-fixture earlier this season was a 4-1 win in SKC's favor. Having played Toronto FC in the CCL on Thursday morning, FC Dallas will have tired legs and tired minds long before the 7:30 pm kick-off at LSP.

Most Dangerous Player
Brek Shea. Whether he will play or not for the Hoops is undecided. Seeing as he has an international call-up for the USMNT along with Sporting Kc striker Teal Bunbury. If Shea does dress he will easily be the most dangerous player for Dallas. He has simply been sensational this season and has a serious case for MVP of the season.

Weakest Link
The whole team. I only say this because FC Dallas will be very tired coming into this match after their many away games. It will be very difficult for Dallas to keep up pace with KC, especially in the final 30 minutes. Look for Sporting Kc to run at them all night.

Football Style
Like stated above FC Dallas will be extremely fatigued coming into this match. Which will lead to a non-aggressive type of football. Which also means no counter-attacking plays and I wouldn't be surprised if Dallas held a few men back on the set-pieces.

Key Match Up
Brek Shea vs. Sporting Kc Defense. The sensation that is Brek Shea will do everything in his power to try and win this game for FC Dallas. Sporting Kc's defense has been solid as of late but Shea is a lot more different than Andy Najar. Should Sporting hold back Shea I see no reason why we can't get an easy 3 points in front of the Sporting Blue faithful.

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 3(Bravo, Sapong x 2)
FC Dallas - 0

Who Is Graham Zusi?

2011-08-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

Following a wonderful campaign thus far, midfielder Graham Zusi has been tossed into the MLS limelight. His powerful strikes from distance and his sensational work ethic has put him into the hearts of almost all Sporting Kc fans. And why wouldn't he? The 25 year old has been nothing short of a revelation this year. Following the likes of Matt Besler and Chance Myers, who even 2 years ago wouldn't be in contention for a starting spot. But now all three players have seen serious minutes this year in the blue shirt. But let's put the spotlight back on Zusi, who is this young man? He's appeared to seemingly climb out of the depths of the Sporting Kc "good-for-nothings" and into the "good-for-everythings".

Let's take a deeper look.

Career
After having a stellar season at the University of Maryland Zusi was drafted 23rd overall in the 2009 SuperDraft. Which of course was also the year when Matt Besler and Yura Movsisyan were drafted. After playing 540 minutes for KC, (compared to Arnaud's 2,342 minutes), Graham Zusi has so far played 1,606 minutes this season. Tripling his minutes played in the previous season. Also, Graham has scored 5 goals and has assisted 4, most notably against FC Dallas and Portland Timbers. Following his good form, Zusi received the Player of the Month award for June, and a Player of the Week award this previous week.

Why He's So Good
In the 2010-11 season the transfers of Jack Jewsbury and Santiago Hirsig opened up a hole in the center of Sporting Kc's CM depth. Zusi saw his chance and has since never looked back. (It's worth noting Arnaud and Jeferson have been injured in this time-frame.)

Zusi's success is in his passing and quick-thinking. Two things that are essential for any CM/CAM on any team. But by far the most dangerous weapon in his Arsenal is his long range shot. When Zusi gets on the ball you can feel the whole stadium get excited, purely because they now what his 5'9 stature can unleash.

The Road Ahead
So what does Zusi need to do to keep up this amazing form? Stay ahead of Jeferson in the pecking order in terms of CAM. That's it. Everything else he already has. And it's worth saying that at 25 he probably won't develop much more as a player. The skills he has right now probably won't get any better. But on this team, and in this league, he's a god.

Zeus, the god of thunder.

Scouting Report On DC United (Home 2011)

2011-08-20T22:14:00.000-05:00

DC At A Glance
The former Eastern Conference giant DC United currently sit in 6th place of the Eastern Conference with 31 points, only 2 points behind Sporting KC. DC United come into LSP having only lost once in their past five games. Former Kansas City man Josh Wolff may very well be starting against his previous club, after a good performance on Thursday against the Chicago Fire, scoring against his boyhood club in the 73 minute.

Most Dangerous Player
Dwayne De Rosario. The man has been a sensation for DC United since having a rough start to the season following trades that saw him transferred to 2 different clubs before finding a permanent home in the United camp. Since coming over "De Ro" has scored 6 goals in 6 matches. With his creativeness on the ball and his vast knowledge of the league watch for most of DC's attacking play to move through the Canadian.

Weakest Link
Goalkeeper. Bill Hamid has been a decent keeper for DC this season but unfortunately for United he tweaked his hamstring in their 1-1 draw at Toyota Park. The keeper job will most likely fall to 28 year old Steve Cronin, who has let in 4 goals in about 120 minutes of play.

Football Style
As discussed on the podcast DC United have a lot of attacking minded players. Charlie Davies, Josh Wolff, Dwayne De Rosario, Quaranta, Pontius, and Najar to name a few. They will most likely play a counter-attacking type of football due to Sporting's recent thrashing of Portland.

Key Match Up
De Rosario vs. Espinoza. It will be Espinoza's job of keeping De Rosario at bay. Both players have an intense passion for the game and it's a match-up made in heaven. Watching them battle all night long will truly be a treat.

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 2 (Kamara, Sapong)
DC United - 2 (De Rosario, Pontius)

Jimmy Nielsen Gets Bruised, Keeps SKC in Play-Off Contention

2011-08-19T21:18:00.001-05:00

One of the most exciting and head-turning games ever to grace LSP rocketed into the main-stream media due to an odd off the field incident. Two fans threw an Omar Bravo bobble-head at Jimmy Nielsen while other fans across the stadium were going ballistic after a Graham Zusi long-distance shot soared into the Portland goal from 25 yards out. Setting the goal-scoring a-blaze.

Not long later in the 40th minute Zusi scored another goal. This time it was from yet another Matt Besler throw in. As the ball was floated in CJ Sapong flicked a header to the backpost that found Bunbury who took a strike. The ball slipped through and was set on the line perfectly for Zusi to tap it in. Which he did. Giving Sporting Kc the 2-0 lead heading into half.

Sporting Kc always looked the better side against a weakened Portland side, who played a game just 2 or 3 days earlier. And Sporting Kc continued their dominance by pulling ahead in the 72 minute when the birthday boy Soony Saad scored a fluke goal after a defenders clearance ricocheted off his foot, scooping it up over Perkins and into the net. 3-0 to Sporting Kc.

But then it was Portland's turn to score, and score they did. After some decent build-up play that included passes from former Wizard Jack Jewsbury, Portland's Bright Dike slid one past the bruised Jimmy Nielsen, rolling helplessly just out of the reach of the great Dane's paws.

Now Sporting Kc find themselves with a healthy advantage at 3rd in the Eastern Conference currently one point away from 2nd place Philly.

Man of the Match: Graham Zusi. His rocket from distance and his deft touch from 2 yards out secured Sporting Kc a deserved win.

Scouting Report On Portland Timbers (Home 2011)

2011-08-17T18:42:00.000-05:00

Here at The Front Men I've decided to add a new segment to shift away from the generic match-preview that a lot of bloggers out there do. I call it "Scouting Report". It's basically a lighter run down of the opposing team and where their weakest link is on the field and what kind of football they play, etc. I'll still have score predictions though.

Scouting Report

Portland Timbers are currently 1-7-3 on the road heading into the Wednesday night clash at LSP. The newest MLS expansion side has seen a decent string of performances in the past couple of weeks and could give Sporting Kc a real run for their money.

Most Dangerous Player

Jack Jewsbury. The former Kansas City man has been the best player in a Portland shirt the entire season and has netted 7 times and assisted 6 times for the Timbers.

Weakest Link

Forward line. The front two pairing of Cooper and Perlaza has only scored 9 goals this season. One of the worst forward lines in the league.

Football Style

Using their traditional 4-4-2 Portland like to use the pace they have on the wings to cause havoc up and down the sides of the pitch. If Sporting Kc have a hope at defending Portland's style of play they will need their fullbacks to be on their game. Which they have been as of late.

Key Match-Up

Portland's Strikers vs. Sporting's Center Backs

Sporting Kc's center backs have been on somewhat of a hiatus in the past weeks with Collin and Cyrus falling to injury. Leaving Cesar and Besler as the two starters ahead of Shavar Thomas. While Portland's strike-force has been dull. Something will have to give for either side.

Prediction

Sporting - 2 (Kamara x2)

Portland - 0

The travel-weary Portland will find it tough to beat a rested Sporting Kc side in the blazing August heat. Don't think for a moment that Sporting will let last week's defeat get to their head.

Nick Cardenas Interview

2011-08-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

I recently had the wonderful opportunity of conducting an interview with center back Nick Cardenas who is currently on trial with Sporting Kc. Some of you may remember Nick from the 2010 season when he was brought in as a draft pick. I really like the guy and I had a couple of questions to ask him about what he's been doing since we last heard of him up in KC. He had this to say:

The Interview

TFM: So you played your college ball at SDSU, what was your favorite moment there?

NC: My favorite moment? I actually had a lot of good memories but one had to be my very first year at school. That year I got my very first taste of the NCAA tournament and I was lucky enough to get it at UCSB, one of the best atmospheres in college. Just an unreal atmosphere and great game. Unfortunately we lost and they went on to win the tournament.

TFM: What was your major?

NC: It's weird I first went to school to be in Graphic Design, but I had my troubles freshman year and couple that with it taking up a ton of time so I had to switch it. So I left there majoring in Social Science and an emphasis in History.

TFM: After you're college experience you were selected in the Super-Draft by the then Kansas City Wizards, what was it like to be in your first pro-soccer environment?

NC: It was exciting and to be honest a lil nerve wracking. I went in realizing that all my hard work had sort of paid off but knew i still had some work and some convincing to do. Unfortunately I let my nerves get the best of me and it didn't work out for me at the time.

TFM: Like you said, things didn't work out with the Wizards, did you have any other offers from MLS teams?

NC: I actually had a run with my hometown Rapids team. They knew about me since I was a "homegrown" player at the time so they brought me in to training with them just to let me train. I think it was more of a generosity kind of thing just so they could see me play because they already had about 4 CB's on their roster.

TFM: After your spell in the MLS you found a home in Puerto Rico with USL Pro team Sevilla FC Puerto Rico right? What was that like?

NC: Yes that is where I ended up at. In all honesty it wasnt my first choice but its probably a good thing I went there. While there i was able to correct some of the things in my game that were lacking a bit such as my technique. I was able to start and play in 20 + some odd games giving me the playing time and experience I needed. I had a good time while there and the country as a whole is a beautiful place. Very different from everything i was used to. I was able to catch up on my spanish and check out a new country.

TFM: How long were you with Sevilla FC Puerto Rico?

NC: I was with Sevilla FCPR for about 5 or 6 months

TFM: Did you win any titles with them?

NC: We were actually unfortunate not to win the PRSL league championship. We were the number one team all season and made it to the final but came up short at the end in a PK shootout.

TFM: In your eyes how does the USL Pro differ from MLS?

NC: In all honesty it doesn't differ much. The speed of the game is probably the biggest difference. Everyone is able to play a bit at that level its just a matter of how fast the game goes and how fast you can make decisions and adjust.

TFM: How do the fans compare?

NC: Fan support is still big. There may not be as many fans but that doesnt stop them from being very supportive fan bases.

TFM: Now you're back in KC, who was instrumental in bringing you back up here?

NC: I have to give a lot of credit to my agent Eddie Rock. He has done some good things for me this year and getting me another run in over here is one of them. I couldnt be more thankful.

TFM: How has the trial process been?

NC: Its gone very well I have to say. I'm getting pretty used to these sort of things now a days haha, but I feel good about how everything is going here for me. The guys have been welcoming and I am still friends with some of the guys from last year so it makes the process go a lot smoother and a lot more relaxing.

TFM: Sporting Kc have had some depth problems at center back lately and you are also a center back, do you think that gives you a better chance at getting onto the team?

NC: Yes I knew that Collin had gone down earlier in the year and then Monday playing along Cyrus I saw him go down. You never want to see anybody get hurt but if the team is lacking in that department I want to and am sure I can come in and help out. Thats the goal anyways right?

TFM: Haha yes, so If KC doesn't work out do you still have a place back in PR?

NC: Actually no, my season over in PR ended which is why I had the break to come out to KC and have another run with them. It may have been perfect timing with all the injuries and such but who knows. I'm just going out there, having fun, and trying to impress.

TFM: You're a very big guy, 6'5 I believe. Do you feel as if that gives you an advantage over other center backs?

NC: I actually do think it gives an advantage. I mean that's usually the very first thing people say when they see me is how big I am. I think it gives me an advantage in ariel contests, especially against other big forwards. I feel I am able to go up and win the ball over anybody. It is actually something I pride myself upon.

TFM: What do you think are your best soccer abilities?

NC: Well like I said my size is definitely one and ariel contests are one of my strong suits. I have the ability to defend our box and attack the other box. I like to joke that it's the only reason im ever in a game and it's to win air balls. Set pieces are a strong suit of mine.

TFM: You're obviously not just a professional soccer player, what do you like to do outside of soccer?

NC: Well growing up in CO, I loved to go out and snowboard but I dont really take that risk much anymore. However I have gained very much a California attitude and I love going to the beach. I do love to go camping in the summer though. I love listening to music and finding new music. Sleeping and eating are other big hobbies of mine

TFM: How much of an influence does Twitter have for pro soccer players like yourself?

NC: Influence? I'm not sure, but I will say its always entertaining when you see what people like Kei are doing. Its always a nice time waster when you aren't doing anything.

TFM: Do you ever sit down and play a game of EA Sports Fifa?

NC: Oh of course I do. Although I have been on the bandwagon of COD a lot more, I still get on the sticks and play a bit.

TFM: One last question, what is your FIFA nationality?

NC: FIFA nationality would be American, but I am also Spanish and Swedish.

As you can tell Nick is a great guy, I appreciate your time Nick! Good luck on the rest of the trial process.

The Final Push

2011-08-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

11 more games. That's all that Sporting Kc have to go before the regular season is over. With the majority of those games being at home Sporting Kc will be eager to earn most of the 33 points that are still up for grab in the remaining games of the season. However that's not to say that this final stretch will be easy. In fact 6 out of the next 11 games are against teams that are above Sporting in terms of points in MLS.

If the season were to end today Sporting Kc would be in the final play-off spot. With everything that's happened in this eventful season I think Sporting would be fairly happy with that. But to be floating in and out of that final play-off spot for the rest of the season would be very dramatic and i'm fairly certain most fans would have a heart attack.

At the beginning of the season the owners and investors goal was to not be left out of the play-offs for the 3rd year in a row. To obtain that goal Sporting Kc have to do 3 things. Find the right center back pairing, win at home, and improve depth. I'll explain a little bit more about what I mean....

Find The Right Center Back Pairing
Center back pairings have been a problem for KC dating back to the 2010 season when Pablo Escobar and Aaron Hohlbein "graced" Community America Ballpark. And at the beginning of the 2011 season it seemed as if this would yet again plague KC's season. But then after a couple weeks of tinkering Peter Vermes found the perfect pair of center backs. Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler. They compliment(ed) each other so very well and you can easily say they were the reason for Sporting's turn-around. But then Collin fell to injury and won't see the field until late September. Following in Collin's footsteps, newly acquired CB Daneil Cyrus also fell to injury and will miss the rest of the 2011 season. Leaving Sporting with only 3 real center backs, Matt Besler, Julio Cesar, and Shavar Thomas. In that order. If Vermes and co. can figure out which of them can play best together while Collin is recovering then Sporting Kc will have checked off step one of securing a play-off spot.

Win At Home
It's long been said that home advantage in soccer can give the home-side the upper hand. And Sporting Kc have certainly proved that this season. Losing only once at home this season to MLS opposition. And should KC get into the play-offs they will have to continue winning at LSP. What happens on the road happens on the road, plus, 8 of Sporting's next 11 games will be played at home. If they can win most of their next games at home then Sporting Kc will have checked off step two of securing a play-off spot.

Increase Depth
For a team like Sporting Kc and pretty much any other team in MLS their are three ways to increase depth in a squad. The first and easiest step is to simply sign a new player from abroad or from another team. Maybe that means getting someone on loan or trading a player for some draft-picks. The second way to increase roster depth is to sign a player from the youth-system. They don't count against the salary cap, you can mold them into the player you want them to be, and they don't necessarily need to be starting right off the bat. The third way is to teach players how to play new and different positions. Teach them some tactical awareness so they can become the jack-knife that was Jack Jewsbury who could pretty much play anywhere in the midfield. For Sporting Kc the easiest and most do-able ways to increase depth would be to sign a player from the youth squad or teach a player a new position. The next 11 games will be tough on the player's bodies and depth will be very important. If Sporting Kc can increase their depth they will have checked off the 3rd and final step of securing a play-off spot.

If Sporting Kc can follow these 3 steps I can personally guarantee you we will be playing play-off soccer come October and November. Should Sporting fail to complete these 3 simple steps then they could see yet another year without play-offs.

Sporting Kc's Center Back Depth Falls Dramatically

2011-08-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

The news came in yesterday that Sporting KC center back Daniel Cyrus will miss the rest of the 2011 season with a fractured foot. The Trinidad & Tobago international hadn't really gotten a solidified spot at center back but seeing as Aurelien Collin had been injured with a fractured back it looked as if Cyrus would get his chance to step into the starting XI. Obviously he didn't get that chance and Sporting Kc now have a serious problem with depth at CB. Cesar can play their but he's been a useful CDM since Rocastle and Arnaud went down with injuries. (Both of which have now made a full recovery and are again training with the team.) We've also seen Espinoza unconvincingly step in to play there as an emergency center back but it seems as if Peter Vermes and co. want to do everything in their power to keep Shavar Thomas from starting. Who has gone from no-good reserve CB to a possible starter in about a month.

Thank the Lord that this injury crisis at center back happened during a transfer window hence giving Sporting Kc the opportunity to get a center back into the squad. But I certainly don't expect them to get another Collin. What will probably end up happening is SKC will find a decent American MLS player on loan to provide cover while Collin recovers.

So right now the preferred center back pairing would have to be Cesar and Besler right? And then Thomas would of course be on the bench. But then who would play in reserve games?

I wanna here your guys' thoughts on this. Tell me in the comment section below.

Kansas City's Best Ever XI

2011-07-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

Looking back over the past 15+ great and not-so-great years Sporting Kc/Kansas City Wizards/The Wiz have compiled a great stock-pile of players. Some good, most bad. Some of them that put on the coveted blue jersey were merely here with us for awhile and there names have been forgotten. But some players stick with us in our minds and carry on with us in our day to day lives. How many of you seriously don't remember when Jimmy Conrad jumped into the Cauldron to celebrate his now infamous header goal? How many of you don't remember Claudio Lopez's 60 yard goal against the LA Galaxy? How many of you don't replay Miklos Molnar's game-winning goal in the MLS Cup at least once a week? How many of you don't remember the classic digecel crawl? Or Ryan Smith's tricks and flicks? Those are the moments that make players legends and club-favorites. And that is what this post is about; a dedication to the best players ever to play for a Kansas City soccer team. To commemorate those players I can't just right a brief bio of them and show a picture can I? No. Instead I will tell you who I think were/are the best 11 players that have ever graced the Arrowhead, CAB, or LSP grounds.

Without further Adu here's the best ever Sporting Kc Starting XI:

The Legends

GK: Tony Meola
LB: Michael Harrington
CB: Jimmy Conrad
CB: Peter Vermes
RB: Chris Klein
CDM: Kerry Zavagnin
CAM: Preki
LM: Ryan Smith
RM: Davy Arnaud
ST: Eddie Johnson
ST: Josh Wolff

Subs: Kevin Hartman, Jose Burciaga Jr., Nick Garcia, Jack Jewsbury, Sasha Victorine, Claudio Lopez, Mo Johnston, Carlos Marinelli, Alexandru Zatinca

***Did I leave anyone out? Tell me in the comment section below.***

Chris Estridge Trialling With Sporting Kc?

2011-07-28T14:02:00.002-05:00

Through the power of twitter I believe I have discovered the newest player to be trialling with Sporting Kc. I believe his name is Chris Estridge and that he is an Indiana University forward/midfielder. I found this out through a series of tweets from his twitter account and another (very popular) Sporting Kc twitter account.

If he is on trial it seems a little pointless to sign him because of the depth found at the striker and midfield positions. But extra depth is always good.

Furthermore, a lot of players trial for SKC and a lot are never seen in KC again so don't get your hopes up...

A Good Problem To Have

2011-07-26T13:04:00.000-05:00

Heading into the 10 game home stretch at LSP Sporting Kc find themselves in an interesting situation. There situation is a good one though because for the first time this season they can say they have depth. Not just a couple players in certain positions kind of depth - but real depth. And the depth that they have is actually good. Take a look at DM for example. In the formation that SKC plays they have been using 2 DM's. Normally Cesar and Espinoza. Two players that at the beginning of the season wouldn't even be considered DM's. Now, by themselves they wouldn't be much good, but together they compliment each other. Espinoza is the hit man in the partnership and Cesar is the true DM and can possess the ball very well.

If either of them aren't available on gameday Vermes must look no further than Sassano and Diop (The "Second Tier" DM's.). And if for some reason they can't play you still have the injured Rocastle and Arnaud who are recuperating from their respective injuries. When they're both fit it will be very interesting to see what the starting lineup at DM will be.

So all-in-all you can see Sporting Kc has depth at DM. 6 players in all that can play their. But let's look at some other positions on Sporting Kc's roster. Take a look at the defense.

At Center Back Sporting Kc have about 5 players that can play there: Cesar, Collin, Besler, Cyrus, and Thomas. This is where Sporting Kc have some of the best depth in the team. Although it seems Thomas may soon be on his way out.

At Wingback SKC have about 7/8 players that CAN play there, (Granted there are two wingback positions...) : Aiyegbusi, Ellis, Espinoza, Harrington, Lorenz, Myers, Sinovic, and Sassano. At the beginning of the season it seemed as if this position had the greatest depth. But to me it seems as if the depth in midfield is getting larger.

At Striker Sporting Kc have about 6 players that could play there: Bravo, Bunbury, Diop, Kamara, Saad, Sapong. However players like Bravo, Kamara, and Diop help out at other positions on the pitch for SKC.

At Attacking Mid Sporting have 6 players that play there: Jeferson, Arnaud, Bravo, Stojcev, Warzycha, and Zusi. Although Warzycha has been injured all season and I doubt he will be back for 2012.

At the RW and LW positions KC have 6 players that can play there: Aiyegbusi, Bravo, Ellis, Kamara, Myers, and Stojcev. The best players at this position are Kamara and Bravo.

And at Goalkeeper Sporting Kc have 3 players: Nielsen, Kronberg, and Kempin. Nielsen is the best out of those three but Kronberg is probably one of the best backup keepers in the entire league.

As you can see Sporting Kansas City have A LOT of talent in a lot of different positions. Which promotes good competition, and every player is different from the last and I feel like Vermes has made some very good moves to promote and grow this depth.

What do you guys think? Is there any one position we need more/less depth? Tell me in the comment section below.

Sporting Kc Weekly Update

2011-07-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

Matches: -- Sporting Kc played to a 0-0 draw with EPL team Newcastle United on Wednesday in the first ever international club friendly at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. -- Sporting Kc beat Chivas USA 4-2 at home on Saturday, keeping their unbeaten streak against MLS teams alive. --

Standings: -- Sporting Kc move up to 4th place in the Eastern Conference following their 4-2 win on Saturday. -- Sporting Kc move up to 10th place in the overall MLS standings following their 4-2 win on Saturday. --

Last Five Games: -- W-T-T-T-W --

Next Game: -- New England @ Sporting Kc. 7:30 PM.

Player of the Week: -- Daneil Cyrus. The new 20 year old center back impressed a lot of people at the Newcastle friendly and also came in for an injured Collin and did a solid job at CB, despite a bad back-pass that lead to a Toronto goal. Look for him to be a future star at this club. Yes, i'm calling it. --

Transfers: -- None

Transfer Rumors: -- Shavar Thomas has NOT left Sporting Kc. Instead he was merely given personal time off. -- Stephane Auvray is still rumored to be leaving the club. --

Player News: -- Omar Bravo and Matt Besler were both selected to the All-Star game day squad by Hans Backe. -- Kei Kamara surpassed Omar Bravo to become Sporting Kc's leading goal scorer in the league this season. He has now netted 5 goals for KC. --

Interesting/Cool Links: -- Go check out the numerous new Sporting Kc podcasts on iTunes. Get the links to the podcasts on their twitter pages. @AndyEdSKC @downthebyline @thefull90 @TheBackpost @Sporting_Times

***** While you're on Twitter give me a follow @TheFrontMen *****

Sporting Kc Weekly Update

2011-07-17T16:46:00.000-05:00

Matches: --Sporting Kc lost 2-0 to the Richmond Kickers on Tuesday.-- Sporting Kc earned a point away at Houston on Saturday, 1-1 was the final score.--

Standings: -- Sporting Kc are 5th in the Eastern Conference and 12th in the league. --

Last Five Games: -- W-W-T-T-T --

Player of the Week: -- Aurelien Collin. The Frenchman was maliciously tackled two times in Houston. Resulting in 2 red cards for The Dyanmo. The defender also scored Sporting's only goal in a 1-1 draw over the weekend. --

Transfers: -- Daniel Cyrus has joined Sporting Kc on season long loan. -- Jeferson Rodrigues Goncalves has also joined Sporting Kc on a season long loan.--

Transfer Rumors: -- Auvray is rumored to be leaving Sporting Kc, if he hasn't already.
-- Ryan Smith is rumored to be trialing with Spainish side Real Zaragoza.--

Player News: -- 18 year old goalkeeper Jon Kempin has been called up to the U-18 US camp. -- Omar Bravo has been called up to the All-Star game vs. Manchester United via Don Garber. -- Aurelien Collin ties Kamara, Sapong, and Zusi with 3 goals for Sporting Kc in league play. --

Interesting/Cool Links: -- Sporting's TV announcer finally has a broadcast partner -- Bravo Callum, BRAVOOOOOOOO -- Practice and Press Conference Thoughts --

Jeferson Rodrigues Goncalves Joins Sporting Kc On Loan

2011-07-17T14:58:00.002-05:00

Brazilian midfielder Jeferson has joined Sporting until the end of the season. He will be SKC's third ever Designated Player and will join current DP Omar Bravo.

Jeferson comes from Vasco Da Gama, a Brazilian club that has become a decent powerhouse in Brazil's top flight.

According to reports and YouTube videos Jeferson has the traditional Brazilian playmaking ability and a powerful shot from distance.

Jeferson seems to know very little English seeing has he needed a translator for his interview on SportingMembership.com but I know 2 out of the 11 starters currently for Sporting Kc can speak Portuguese, Collin and Cesar.

As of right now I don't see him starting. Maybe if he played on the right wing in place of Kamara and maybe if there wasn't that big of language barrier I could see him starting. Time will tell but you'd expect your DP's to be in the Starting XI.

Welcome to the club Jeferson! May your time here be bountiful and your assists a plenty.

Daneil Cyrus Joins Sporting Kc On Loan

2011-07-16T13:45:00.002-05:00

Central defender Daneil Cyrus has joined Sporting Kc on a loan deal from FC Santa Rosa. The Trinidad & Tobago international will be wearing the number 25 for Sporting Kc.

Although Cyrus is a strong and physical CB he may not find many minutes in the league this season due to the outstnding performances of All-Star Besler and French defender Collin.

Welcome to the team Cyrus! May your time here be prosperous and your clean-sheets a plenty.

This is the first of many transfer deals from Sporting Kc. Expect this to be a long Transfer Window.

Who do you think Sporting Kc will let go / buy this summer?

Sporting Kc vs. Richmond Kickers Preview

2011-07-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc will welcome USL Pro club Richmond Kickers to beautiful LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Tuesday night. This comes after a win against the Chicago Fire Premier in the Round of 16 a couple weeks ago. Now Sporting Kc find themselves taking on the last non-MLS side in the tournament, and a chance to really have a run towards the MLS Open Cup final. Should Sporting KC win against the Kickers, KC would host the semifinal against either Chicago Fire or New York Red Bulls.

Projected Lineup

Prediction

Sporting Kc - 3 (Bunbury, Kamara, Collin)
Richmond Kickers - 0

Sporting Kc Weekly Update

2011-07-11T18:01:00.005-05:00

Looking at the many blogs that are around in KC, I've decided I needed to introduce a new segment here at TheFrontMen to somehow gain an advantage over everyone else. I call it "Sporting Kc Weekly Update" and basically every Monday or Sunday I will take a look at all things Sporting Kc and condense them down into an easy to read list that will help fans look back on the week of soccer that was and sort of review everything that's happened.

Matches: --Sporting Kc tied Chivas USA at home 1-1 on Saturday.-- Sporting Kc tied Colorado Rapids at home 1-1 on Wednesday. --

Standings: --Sporting Kc sit 5th in the East and 12th in all of MLS.--

Last Five Games: --T/W/W/T/T

Player of the Week: --Omar Bravo, the Mexican wore the captain's armband and rescued a point for Sporting Kc in the dying moments of a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA.--

Transfers: --None--

Transfer Rumors:-- 2 trialists are currently training with the team, names are undisclosed at this time. --

Player News: --Matt Besler was selected to his first ever All-Star game on July 10th. -- Omar Bravo moved to the top of SKC's leading goal-scorers in league play, netting 4 times.--

Interesting/Cool Links: Boot Camp with Davy Arnaud -- Through the Eyes of Vermes: Summer transfer window in horizon -- Midseason Grades -- Jimmy Nielsen post Chivas game interview

Matt Besler Selected to All-Star Team

2011-07-11T11:56:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc defender Matt Besler has been selected to the 2011 All-Star squad. He will join the likes of Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry in the All-Star camp. Although he was not selected to the Starting XI (meaning he did not receive the most fan votes through internet voting) he did however earn an overwhelming 30% of all votes via text. Whether or not he will start is up to coach Hans Backe.

The All-Star call up comes after what can only be described as a break out season for Matt. Appearing 16 times for KC he has scored once, and along with Aurelien Collin he has helped Sporting Kc improve defensively.

The All-Star game will be played on July 27 at Red Bull Arena. The All-Stars will take on EPL giant Manchester United. A team that your very own Sporting Kc beat last season.

Why the Western Conference Is Better Than the East, and How It Got There

2011-07-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

For the past 2 or 3 seasons now something has become quite clear around the league. Something that didn't simply happen overnight. Something that can be difficult to explain but can be clearly identified by fans, coaches, and players. Something that may have just changed the future of MLS forever...

The West is better than the East.

While this may be no big surprise to most supporters, some Eastern Conference fans are reluctant to admit it. Not me though, the West is actually a lot better than the East - there I said it. In a whole lot of different aspects. Like stadiums, fans, local support, money, ownership, coaches, players, and overall the level of soccer being played somewhat outweighs the Eastern Conference. In fact, 5 out of 6 of the last MLS Cup champions have been from the Western Conference. But that's not to say that all teams in the East are necessarily bad. Over the past couple of seasons the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew have clearly taken over as the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. With the Crew bringing in the MLS Cup in 2008 and earning the Supporters Shield back to back in '08 and '09. While the New York Red Bulls have invested a lot of money into their team and now have 2/3 Designated players gracing their side. With big name players like Henry and Marquez.

So why has the West emerged as the better conference? Well, to know why we must understand the past....

Major Powerhouses Fall In the East

In the first 5 years of the MLS' existence 5 teams that are now in the Eastern Conference won the MLS Cup. DC United won it 3 times, while Chicago and KC each won it once. So it became somewhat clear that DC United was the powerhouse team. Not just in the East but in all the league. In the first 4 years of the league DC United won the Supporters Shield twice, and the MLS Cup 3 times. But have seen very bad seasons in recent years.

While DC United reigned terror down on the rest of the league, Chicago slowly became a stable in the league. A team that you could count on being in the playoffs every year and one that you would expect to fight for the title every year as well. Mostly due to the leadership of Chris Armas, Zach Thorton, and C.J. Brown. But then head coach Bob Bradley left and the club looked to be in a state of despair. Despite the future USMNT coach leaving Chicago made the playoffs every year except for last season.

Then it was Kansas City's turn to enjoy some Eastern Conference dominance. They won both the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup in 2000. And went 12 games without losing, a team record that has not been broken to this day. However KC's dominance was to be short lived, seeing "off-seasons" in 2001 and 2002. Since then they haven't won any silverware since 2004 when they beat out the Chicago Fire to win the US Open Cup.

The Rise Of the West

In 2001 San Jose became the first Western Conference team to win the MLS Cup. Having Landon Donovan on your team never hurts either, the future USMNT star scored 32 times in 87 games for San Jose, but left in 2004 to join the Galaxy. San Jose continued to fight for titles all the way until 2005. Maybe Donovan foresaw the future, because in 2005 the San Jose Earthquakes (players and staff) were moved to Houston and became the Houston Dynamo. Thus starting the reign of Houston Dynamo. Houston won back to back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. The first team to do so since DC United won the MLS Cup back in 1996 and 1997. Maybe somewhat shifting the balance between the Eastern and Western Conference.

Again, during one team's dominance another team emerges. In the Western Conference's case it was the LA Galaxy. LA won their first title in 2002 but didn't seem that powerful until 2005 when they really got kickin. Landon Donovan has become a key figure in LA. Playing for the Galaxy, Landon has gained captaincy and proved to be possibly the best American player of all time. Since 2005 La Galaxy have been one of the biggest threats in the league. Signing Juan Pablo Angel, David Beckham and Abel Xavier in recent years.

Recent Years
The Western Conference has certainly become the more dominant conference in the league. The past two years have seen MLS Cup winners Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids grow into two great teams, while FC Dallas have also been thrown into the limelight as a serious MLS contender . All clubs have become very competitive teams and compete for the title every year.

While the East has seen the resurgence of the Philadelphia Union and Sporting Kc who have both started to gain a real presence in the MLS.

I don't know where the MLS will be in the next couple of years, but it seems as if the Western Conference has a tight grip on the MLS Cup.

As for the East? Well, the future looks grim.

Sporting Kc Tie Colorado Rapids

2011-07-07T12:35:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc retain 4th place after a physical 1-1 draw against the defending MLS Cup Champions at LSP. Graham Zusi and Connor Casey were the scorers for each team, Casey netting in the 32nd minute after what can only be described as a defensive error, and Zusi scoring from a Sapong shot that Perkins parried right to Zusi, who was left with an easy tap in - his 3rd goal of the season.

The Standings
Neither teams moved up or down in their respective conferences.

The Stats

Julio Cesar conceded the most fouls for SKC - 3 in total.
Espinoza had 32 completed passes
Omar Bravo had 5 shots for SKC

Sporting Kc vs. Colorado Rapids Game Preview

2011-07-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc welcome yet another team to LSP on Wednesday night as they take on the Colorado Rapids. Who are, of course, the reigning MLS champions. Last time Sporting Kc played The Rapids it ended in a 1-1 draw. That was away at Dick Sporting Goods Park, now, Sporting Kc will have the 12th man behind them.

Sporting Kc enter the match with one of the best hot-streaks in the entire league (9 games undefeated). Meanwhile, The Rapids are without a win in their past 3 games. Sporting Kc will likely have the edge in this match.

A win for Sporting Kc would not move them up any positions but it would keep 4th place out of the grasps of clubs below them,(Houston Dynamo, DC United, Chicago Fire, etc.). While a win for Colorado would not move them up any spaces either.

Wednesday's match won't be a huge game in terms of either team jumping up any spaces in their respective conferences but it could do them both a lot of good in the long run.

Projected Lineup

Key Match-ups

Collin vs. Folan: Collin will most likely have the difficult task of marking the former Hull City front man. Who netted 11 times in 3 seasons for "The Tigers". Both are big strong players and it should be fun to watch them.

Zusi vs. Larentowicz/Mastroeni: Larentowicz and Mastroeni will have the not-so-easy task of trying to contain the July Player of the Month, who has become absolutely essential for Sporting Kc's offense over the past couple of games.

Prediction

Sporting Kc - 2 (Sapong, Espinoza)
Colorado Rapids - 0

Sporting Kc Sign Soony Saad

2011-07-05T12:18:00.002-05:00

Sporting Kc have signed 18 year old Soony Saad through a league wide lottery in which 4 different MLS clubs competed to get a contract with the striker. The signing merely adds on to the powerful strike force that Sporting already posses.

Soony Saad broke multiple records at both his college and high school level as a striker.

Here's his Wikipedia page.

Welcome to the club Soony! May your time here be long and your goals a plenty!

Sporting Kc Face a Disheartened Portland Timbers Side

2011-07-01T18:18:00.000-05:00

Sporting Kc will travel to the pacific northwest on Saturday night to take on the Portland Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field. Sporting will have to make the long trip to Portland without "Mr.Captain Fantastic" Davy Arnaud, who has a hernia injury and will likely miss 6 weeks. Despite their captain being injured Sporting Kc will enter the match with high hopes, going undefeated in the past 8 league games. While Portland haven't won a game since May 21st. Both teams are 7th place in their respective conferences, but Sporting Kc seem to be the more dominant side heading in to the match.

Should Sporting Kc win their match on Saturday it could push them up to 4th place, depending on the other results around the league on Friday and Saturday.

Projected Lineup

Key Match-Ups

Sapong vs. Brunner/Danso
Sapong will have to come up against two of the biggest center backs in all of MLS. However Sapong himself will impose a threat to Portland's back line. Whoever can win most of the aerial challenges should be able to control the ball.

Myers vs. Alhassan
The speedy Ghanaian will look to go at Sporting's back line all night. Myers will have the difficult task of marking him, but Alhassan will have to be mindful Myers runs down the flank.

Collin vs. Cooper
It seems as if Collin is in the key match-ups every week, but yet again he will have to mark another strong CF in Kenny Cooper. Both players are quite strong but Cooper likes to play with the ball at his feet instead of getting flicks on to other players like Hassli or Lenhart. Collin will have to be careful when diving in to tackle the ball away from Cooper, he's a skillful player.

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 2 (Sapong, Bravo)
Portland Timbers - 2 (Jewsbury, Cooper)

Who Should Mark Who? (Portland Timbers Version 3.0)

2011-06-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't updated "Who Should Mark Who?" in quite a few weeks but today I just wanna do a quick post. This time however it will be pre-game. As opposed to post-game.

If you've never read this segment of the blog yet it's basically just a list of Sporting players along with who I think they should mark on the opposing team, mainly off of set-pieces. I generally match players up according to height and aerial ability.

Obviously I won't list all the players. Just the ones that pose the biggest threat in the air for Sporting Kc.

The List

(KC Player) Name - Height - *Position*/(Portland Player) Name - Height - *Position*

*If you're new to soccer and don't understand what certain positions stand for look over on the left hand side, there's a list.*

Birahim Diop - 6'3 - CDM/Kenny Cooper - 6'3 - ST

CJ Sapong - 6'2 - ST/Mamadou Danso - 6'3 - CB

Aurelien Collin - 6'2 - CB/Eric Brunner - 6'4 - CB

Auvray To Leave Sporting Kc?

2011-06-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

Stephane Auvray

Although it is still just a developing story Stephane Auvray may leave Sporting Kc in the upcoming summer transfer window. James Starrit over at "Sporting_Times.net" announced on twitter today that he talked to Peter Vermes at training, James asked if Auvray was injured because he wasn't at training, and this was Peter's response, "It's just something i'm not going to comment on right now, just because there are some other things happening."

Now from that statement it seems as if there are some other developing stories going on, possible transfers? Maybe. But why would Sporting Kc sell/let go a Defensive Mid when the midfield is a little short(Rocastle injured, Arnaud injured). Well they could possibly be bringing in another Designated Player at Center Defensive Mid? Also, Auvray has under-performed since returning from the Gold Cup with Guadalupe, and he's pretty much at the bottom of the list when choosing CDM's for the starting 11. Behind Cesar, Diop and Sassano.

Like I mentioned before, this is all just a developing story. Auvray may not leave at all. But I would expect a couple of buys/trades for Sporting Kc before the end of the summer transfer window.

Breaking Down the Last Half of Sporting Kc's Season

2011-06-27T22:04:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already been a fantastic 15 weeks of soccer for Sporting Kc. The weeks always go by so fast during the season don't they? Now Sporting Kc find themselves 6th place in the East with 17 points, and look to be a good bet to make the playoffs in what has been an under performing Eastern Conference so far.

Although it is not exactly half way through the season (in terms of weeks)(32 weeks this season but 34 league games), I will be cutting down the rest of the season, looking at points Sporting can gain, and whether or not KC can make the playoffs.

So let's dive right into this and look at the month of July.

July
Peter Vermes will have almost all of his players available for in July, except for Craig Rocastle, Ryan Smith and Konrad Warzycha. July won't be much of a test for Sporting Kc, as only two of all the 6 games played in July will be away, Houston and Portland. However, both fixtures will be tough.

July will be one of the longest months for Sporting, but it may also be one of the easiest months for soccer. As they will welcome three of the "easier" teams in MLS to LSP.(New England, Toronto, and Chivas.) So I expect a decent amount of points from July, I think expecting 10-15 points isn't out of the question.

August
In August Sporting Kc will play all 5 of their games at home. But they will also be hosting the likes of Seattle, Real Salt Lake, and FC Dallas at LSP. It could mean a lot of losses under the hot Kansas sun. Or it could provide Sporting Kc with a lot of valuable points.

Sporting Kc could see a semifinal in the US Open Cup on the 30th. If they were to win that game they would only be a win away from silverware. And just a touch away from the CONCACAF group stage.

To get 8-12 points from this month should be expected.

September
September will be yet another tough month for Sporting Kc, but all 5 games except for 1 will be at home. KC will welcome Philly, LA, Houston and Columbus to LSP. LA and Philadelphia will be the hardest games at home. But the hardest match will be away at Real Salt Lake. There will be no Open Cup games or Friendlies for Sporting Kc in this month, even if they do make the finals of the Cup, the final isn't till October. Just a regular month for Sporting Kc, which means more consistency in terms of the lineup.

Sporting Kc should be able to get within 7-10 points in September.

October
Besides March this is the shortest month of soccer for Sporting Kc. There will be only 3 games played in October and only 1 one of those will be at home. Something that could seriously hurt Sporting Kc if the playoff race comes down to a couple points in late October and KC are looking for them. But that doesn't mean the single home game will be easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. As Sporting Kc will host the New York Red Bulls at 3:00 pm on Sat. the 25th.

Furthermore, on October the 4th the US Open Cup final will be played. Should Sporting Kc qualify for that, (which is a long shot) it could make for a more congested last month.

Getting 3-6 points out of October should be expected.

The End
On October 22 the regular season will end for Sporting Kc, whether or not we're in the playoffs is squared solely on the player's shoulders. I think we should be able to creep into one of the final playoff spots in the East.

Do you think Sporting Kc will make the playoffs? And potentially win the US Open Cup? Tell me in the comment section below.

Kc Beat Vancouver Whitecaps In A Convincing 2-1 Win

2011-06-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

After a 2-1 win against Vancouver, Sporting Kc find themselves undefeated in 7 league games. One of the best, if not the best record in the league. The unbeaten run that KC have enjoyed over the past month have seen Sporting gain points and move up to 6th place in the East. Not where Vermes and the club's owners had envisioned their team to be after 15 games, but still. Sporting Kc are out of last place and almost all of the rest of the season's games are at home, meaning a high percentage of points will be gained before the end of the regular season.....Playoffs anyone?

The First Half

Sporting Kc put out a lineup that excluded star players such as Davy Arnaud, Kei Kamara and Teal Bunbury. Having said that, I can see why the coaching staff didn't want to field Bunbury and Kamara, the two forwards have been out of form the past couple games and Kei seemed fatigued. However, keeping out Arnaud was most likely due to some sort of injury picked up in training, nothing major.

Sporting Kc seemed the more dominant side in the first half. But after 15 minutes of play Vancouver found themselves with the shocking 1-0 lead from a set piece. Chiumiento played in a curling ball from the left-hand side that Camilo flicked on beautifully into the right-handed side of the goal, well out of Nielsen's reach.

Sporting Kc didn't equalize until about 15 minutes later when designated player Omar Bravo was taken down in the box and the home side earned the first ever penalty kick at LSP. Bravo stepped up to take the ensuing PK and buried it into the right side of the goal, sending Cannon the wrong way.

Just 8 minutes later and Sporting Kc were ahead. Some decent pressure from the home side resulted in just one of many corner kicks Kc had that night. Graham Zusi played a good curling ball towards the back post that found the on-coming Omar Bravo who headed it back into the danger area only for Julio Cesar to volley-slide it into the back of the net. Giving the Brazilian his first goal of the campaign.

The Second Half

Vancouver came out of the half time break with a game plan to attack, and attack they did. The Whitecaps had some decent possession in the first half, but failed to really test Nielsen with any of it. CJ Sapong nearly doubled KC's lead in the 65'. After a cross was played in from the wing that found the head of Sapong, but the ball flew past the top of the cross bar. Neither SKC or Vancouver had any real clear-cut chances to score in the second half after that.

Player Ratings

Nielsen 7, Sinovic 7, Collin 7, Besler 7, Myers 6, Espinoza 6, Cesar 8, Stojcev 6, Zusi 7, Bravo 8*, Sapong 7

*Denotes Man of the Match

**Special Note: I just posted some neat and interesting stats on my twitter about the game, via Chalkboard. Go look at them and give me a follow while you're at it.**

Sporting Kc Set to Battle Last Place Vancouver

2011-06-24T14:28:00.004-05:00

The Vancouver Whitecaps will travel to LSP on Saturday night to face Sporting Kc at 7:30 CT, and will look to pass on the unwanted MLS "wooden spoon" to Sporting Kc. Both teams are currently in last place of their respective conferences and will look to climb up the league standings. A win for either team could potentially see them move up at least 1 space to 8th place(Vancouver), or up 4 places to 5th place(Sporting Kc). It's a huge game for both teams.

Sporting Kc seem the more dominant side heading into the game, going undefeated the past 6 games and letting in only 2 goals in those games. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps are coming off of a huge 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union last Saturday and will look to test Sporting Kc.

Sporting Kc will have Honduras international Roger Espinoza back from Gold Cup duty, but will likely not feature in the starting XI for Saturday night's game, while French CB Aurelien Collin should find himself back at the heart of defense after missing out on SKC's midweek game at Philly due to suspension.

Predicted Lineup:

Important Match-Ups

Sassano/Diop v. Chiumiento

The two Sporting Kc CDM's will look to stop any attacking play from the creative Swiss CAM, a player who has jump-started a lot of the Whitecaps attack this year.

Collin v. Hassli

Collin will again have to mark another big striker, and somehow prevent him from getting too close to SKC's goal.

Prediction

Sporting Kc - 3 (Sapong x 2, Bravo)

Vancouver - 1 (Hassli)

-SKC's offense finally finds their stride and let's it rip on poor old Vancouver. But Hassli has another wonder goal.

Sporting Kc Earn Important Road Point At PPL Park

2011-06-22T21:20:00.001-05:00

Sporting Kc played a dirty, sloppy and hard-fought game against the Philadelphia Union in a midweek league game at PPL Park, and most importantly, walked away with a well deserved point. Now Sporting Kc find themselves with only 5 road games left in the entire season and 14 points through 14 games.

The First Half
Peter Vermes fielded a lineup that was somewhat identical to the one we saw at home on Friday night against the San Jose earthquakes, the two biggest changes were Cesar coming in at CB for the suspended Collin, and Bunbury in for Sapong, which was a surprise to say the least.

Sporting started the game relatively well, Kamara and Bravo had some early looks but both shots were off target. Then Philly got going and created some of their own chances, but none of them were converted.The high-pressure system that Philly used for much of the half was just a taste of what was to come for KC. Not much more to the first half than that, Bunbury was again trying to do it all by himself, and Cesar looked a little off balance. It was a really sloppy game from Sporting and Philly, but the latter looked by far the better team.

The Second Half
Sporting Kc made one change coming out of the halftime break. Sapong on for Bunbury, something that most fans were pleased with. Bunbury just hasn't looked himself these past couple of games, and I believe Sapong should have started.

Sporting Kc came out with more intent in the second half but played with a lot less pressure than they did in the first. Mainly due to Vermes wanting to get something out of this game, a point at least. But Philadelphia showed why they're second place in the Eastern Conference and created A LOT of chances. One of those chances nearly payed off in the 72' minute when Sassano failed to close down Le Toux from a couple yards outside KC's box and the ensuing cross from Le Toux was nearly turned in by the unmarked head of Ruiz, but the crossbar came to Sporting's rescue once again. The last 20 minutes of the game Sporting Kc dropped almost all 11 men behind the ball to try and stop any attack from Philly. Hence, the Union went on to record 26 shots but only 7 of those were on target as compared to Sporting's 8 shots, out of those 0 were on target. But Sporting Kc did hold on, mainly due to the fact that Nielsen was a beast all night.

They earned a very valuable point on the road, and are now unbeaten in 6 games.

Player Ratings
Nielsen 8*, Myers 6, Besler 6, Cesar 7, Sinovic 5, Sassano 6, Diop 6, Arnaud 6, Bravo 5, Kamara 6, Bunbury 4.
Subs: Sapong 6, Harrington 6, Auvray N/A.
*Denotes Man Of the Match

New Name, Same Game

2011-06-22T17:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's official, I have changed my blog name. You may be disappointed, excited, or don't really give a crap, it's just soccer. Well, whatever you think about it, I just want to thank you for either voting on the poll or on twitter. I realize this choice was not on either of them but I had to go with my gut feeling and I liked this one the best.

Cool. So why'd you change it?
Well, basically I made the blog mid-April (obviously). Then about a month later I decided I should change my twitter name so that it correlates with my blog name. Unfortunately the name on twitter had already been taken and I got into a fight of epic proportions over the name to the rights of "SportingBlueKc" with another twitter user. But, I didn't win. So I decided that if I can't have the name on Twitter than it would be very confusing, and so I decided to re-brand my blog name and twitter name completely. Hence, the new name, The Front Men.

OK, but what does The Front Men Mean?
"The Front Men" is an ancient term traced all the way back to pre-renaissance age, used as a friendly word/saying when bantering with another person, The Front Men is derived from the Latin word soccer, meaning "playi.............

Haha just kidding.

I decided to use The Front Men because it sounded somewhat catchy and people could easily put it on Twitter. As a side note if you're new to soccer "The Front Men" is used when describing the attackers on the team. Get it?

*Alright guys, thanks for all the support you've given me over these past couple months, keep checking back here for the best coverage on Sporting Kc. The Front Men FTW*

Sporting Kc Face Off Against The Philadelphia Union

2011-06-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

*First off before you read this article check out the poll to the right, it's extremely important that you vote for the one you think is the best name, thanks guys! Enjoy.*

Sporting Kc head north to face off against one of the newer teams in the league, the Philadelphia Union. Although they are one of the most recent expansion teams in MLS they've done quite well this season, netting 16 goals and only conceding 12.They also have a solid 22 points in only 14 games, giving them 2nd place in the Eastern Conference.

Sporting Kc will be without some of their marquee players. Including Ryan Smith and Aurelien Collin. Meaning that we should see the same formation we've seen the past few games, except Collin comes out and Cesar will come in, along with fellow CB Matt Besler.

As far as the game itself goes I think Sporting Kc have a chance. They're on a role and the're defense is looking very good (we'll see what effect Cesar has on that). Philadelphia on the other hand are win-less in three and seem to be having trouble scoring goals. But Philly are undefeated at home this season so let's not get too excited.

Lineup

Prediction
Sporting Kc - 2 (Sapong, Bravo)
Philadelphia - 1 (Mwanga)

Ryan Smith Leaves Sporting Kc

2011-06-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

Ryan Smith has left Sporting Kc for the rest of the 2011 season. The speedy winger appeared 6 times for Sporting Kc this season and scored once. The club released a statement on Tuesday saying that Ryan Smith will not return for the rest of the 2011 season. According to Sporting Kc's website he has left for family reasons.

Although I do not expect him to retire, I remain skeptical as to whether or not he will return to KC for the 2012 season.

This is truly a disappointing day for Sporting Kc fans, but I hope Ryan Smith continues playing soccer, wherever and whenever that may be.

Sporting Kc Get First Ever Win At LIVESTRONG Sporting Park

2011-06-18T19:48:00.001-05:00

Sporting Kc earned their 3rd win of the season when they beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on Friday night. But maybe more importantly, Sporting Kc won their first ever home game at LSP. CJ Sapong will go down in the history books as the first MLS player ever to score at LSP, along with Zusi, who gave Sapong the game-winning assist in the 31st minute.

First Half
At the start of the game you could see that Sporting Kc had a game plan. A game plan that essentially came down to man-marking Lenhart and feeding off of Sapong's flicks. For the first 30 minutes most of the attacking play and possession came from SKC. But then the goal came. Davy Arnaud was working hard on the right-hand side and drew a free-kick that Zusi stepped up to take.(It should be noted that I yelled "SHOOT" very loudly, but Zusi ignored my useful and well-worded advice). Anyway, Zusi curled in the most beautiful ball and Sapong connected sweetly with a left-footed volley/strike, giving SKC a well deserved lead and sending the capacity crowd into shock and amazement . There weren't many clear-cut chances for either team after the goal and the half ended with Sporting Kc heading into the break with their head held high.

Second Half
The second half started with San Jose looking the more dangerous side. Hence, they created some decent chances and got a couple of corners. SKC had trouble holding off the ensuing pressure from San Jose until about the 65th minute when Vermes brought on Cesar at CDM to hold off some of San Jose's pressure. I really like Cesar in his new role but because Collin will miss the next match due to suspension we may find Cesar back at CB, meaning that SKC will not have a traditional CB on Wednesday when they take on PHI. Anyway, after Cesar was brought on SKC found themselves with decent possession and created a few chances but nothing too major. Then, in the dying moments of the game former KC striker Scott Sealy found himself behind SKC's defense with a lot of space to run into. But Collin showed some excellent defending by stepping in at exactly the right time, essentially winning the game for SKC.

Sporting Kc are still bottom of the Eastern Conference with 13 points, but now find themselves 2nd to last in MLS (only Vancouver have less points). But it's worth mentioning that a win at Philadelphia (who are undefeated at home) on Wednesday would hurl Sporting Kc up to either 6th,7th, or 8th place in the Eastern Conference depending on the outcome of the NE-CHI game tonight.

Player Ratings (out of 10)
Nielsen 6, Sinovic 6, Besler 7, Collin 9*, Myers 7, Sassano 7, Diop 7, Zusi 8, Arnaud 8, Bravo 7, Sapong 9.
*Denotes man of the match
Subs: Cesar 7, Bunbury N/A, Kamara 6

Top Ten Players to Watch In This Summer's Transfer Window

2011-06-17T17:31:00.039-05:00

The summer transfer window is upon us yet again, and it gives managers a chance to improve their squads. But, managers want to buy players that will exceed and help out the club (Chicharito). They don't want players that are "big money busts" and don't make an important impact with the club (Bebe, Torres). So, who will the top teams look for this year? We know that Brazilian sensation Neymar will be at the top of a lot of teams shortlists...but who else will managers be looking for this season? Well, let's take a look into some of the most sought after players in Europe, and around the world.

Number(1-10) - Description

1: Neymar. - Last year Chelsea offered Santos a hefty amount of money for the then 18 year old. Pele urged him to stay at least one more year, now many top sides in ENG, ESP, and ITA are interested in the Brazilians services.

2: Lukaku. - RSC Anderlacht have already come to terms with the fact that Lukaku won't be around for another season with the Belgian club, now the only question is, where does he go?

3: Alexis Sanchez. - The Udinese man is in high demand all across Europe, netting 12 goals for the Italian side and impressing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

4: Samir Nasri. - The Arsenal man impressed many with his passing and goals in the Premiership. Can he do it somewhere else?

5: Luka Modric. - The former Dinamo Zagreb star had a very good 10/11 season with Tottenham, but now it looks as if he's looking to move on to a bigger club.

6: Cesc Fabregas. - He's has had a great career at Arsenal, but after an "off-season" this campaign, he may just be itching to leave and start new somewhere else.

7: Clint Dempsey. - The American had a wonderful season with Fulham in the EPL, notching ten goals along the way, he has surely attracted the attention of big clubs from around the world.

8: Matthew Upson. - The English center back has been let go by the relegated West Ham, and will be a a bargain for any team to snatch up, free of any transfer fees.

9: Samuel Eto'o. - The former Barcelona striker will look to get back to his top form we saw two years ago, a move to England could be just what he needs.

10: Nigel Reo-Coker. - After being let go by Aston Villa at the end of the 10/11 season, this free agent will certainly be looked at by a lot of top managers.

Toulalan Joins Spanish Side Malaga

2011-06-17T16:53:00.000-05:00

French CDM Jeremy Toulalan has joined Spanish side Malaga. The 27 year old joins Malaga on a 4 year deal and will look to keep the once "relegation threatened" side in the first division of Spain.

Toulalan is the 4th player Malaga have brought in during the off-season and will join the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Joris Mathijsen in Spain. Along with former Roma man, Julio Baptista.

Look for Malaga to be one of the better teams in Spain the season, they surely won't be up to par with Barca and Real, but look for them to do something interesting.

*Note: I don't know if there's a new investor or a change in the board, but Malaga have been, for me, the smartest and best off-season buyers in Europe so far.

Sporting Kc Look To Extend Unbeaten Streak Against San Jose

2011-06-16T23:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, Sporting will be back at LSP Friday night to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. The "Quakes" are coming off somewhat of a goal scoring high. Having scored 8 goals in their last 3 games and are unbeaten in 6 games. However, Sporting Kc have their own 4 game unbeaten streak to protect.

This will be the second ever game Sporting Kc will play at LSP. Hence, I am assuming the player's nerves will have calmed down quite a bit from opening night when they played Chicago to a 0-0 draw. Hopefully this will result in all 3 points for Sporting.

This game should be an indicator on how many fans LSP and Sporting can attract without a bunch of advertising (Chicago) or without the draw of the Gold Cup. I predict a little over 17,000 people there. I may be way off, we will see.

Lineup

Prediction
3 - Sporting Kc (Sapong x 2 , Zusi)
1 - San Jose (Lenhart)

3 Key Match-ups

Collin vs. Lenhart
The two big men will mark each other all night on set pieces and off of goal kicks, it will be interesting to see who will win on the aerial challenges.

Harrington vs. Convey
These are the two most attacking full backs in the MLS, both love to get forward, who ever exploits the other player's space will have a big advantage.

Sporting's CDMs vs. Stephenson
Stephenson has become one of the better attacking mids in the Western Conference, he's not too creative but has outstanding strength and is a good passer of the ball. Sporting's CDMs will look to stop him.

Who Will Leave Sporting Kc Next?

2011-06-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

Ryan Smith's transfer rumor was sort of random, weird, and short-lived. But it's kinda cool to know that he is good enough to be attracting attention from other leagues, specifically the Mexican league. So, this kind of raises an interesting question doesn't it? If Sporting Kc were to receive an offer for a player from a club, (not necessarily a big one) who has the highest chances of leaving?

Well, I will try to answer that question by making a simple list of all of Sporting's players and then giving them a number (1-10) (1 being the highest likely to leave, 10 being the least likely to leave) based on who I believe is the most likely Sporting would let go should they receive an offer. For the top and bottom 3 players I will write a couple of sentences defending my decision.

*Note: The rating of 5 is reserved for players who I think would almost never receive an offer from another club.

Name - Rating
Aiyegbusi - 5
Arnaud - 10 - This is the captain and the longest tenured player for this team, Sporting Kc would never let him go.
Auvray - 6
Besler - 7
Bravo - 10 - Bravo is the team's DP and is a very good asset to connect with the Hispanic community.
Bunbury - 1 - Sporting Kc want to keep this player around, he has a bright future, but with the money that some of the "bigger" clubs in Europe can offer, you'd think it'd be very tough for Sporting to walk away from the money.
Cesar - 6
Collin - 7
Diop - 5
Ellis - 6
Epsinoza - 8
Harrington - 9 - Sporting Kc have emphasized they want Harrington around for a long time, they will not sell this player.
Kamara - 4
Kempin - 6
Kronberg - 7
Lorenz - 5
Myers - 3
Nielsen - 9
Rocastle - 5
Sapong - 8
Sassano - 5
Sinovic - 5
Smith - 2 - Smith is a great player and is still on a lot of managers short-lists from his time in England, if the right price came along, could Sporting refuse?
Stojcev - 6
Thomas - 3 - Thomas does have international recognition with Jamaica, and he is not rated very highly at Sporting Kc, if an offer came, Vermes may be urged to accept it.
Warzycha - 5
Zusi - 7

Ryan Smith to Atlas?

2011-06-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today yet another Sporting Kc transfer rumor was sparked. However, this time the rumors were about one of our players moving to another team. This is something that is somewhat rare for an MLS side, especially if their name starts with a Sporting and ends with a Kc.

Nevertheless, the rumors started to come about after Chicago Fire forward Gaston Puerari was transferred to Mexican side Atlas for an undisclosed fee. Despite signing Puerari, this article shows that Atlas is also interested in Sporting Kc winger Ryan Smith.

The rumors were only hyped up when people on twitter, (specifically @FootyChronicles), discovered that Ryan Smith had deleted his Twitter account, this of course could mean nothing, maybe he was fed up with negative comments or something along those lines, but the whole twitter ordeal just added to the suspicion that Ryan Smith was set to leave Sporting.

However, all rumors were effectively squashed when Thad Bell(@TheBackpost) tweeted that the rumors were not true. (Thad has somewhat of an exclusive insight with the Sporting Kc staff, so his info can be trusted)

So if the rumors were true, would Ryan Smith seriously leave us?

State your opinion down in the comments or on the poll to the right.

Kronberg Gets 3rd Ever Start Against Dallas

2011-06-14T17:37:00.000-05:00

Today we will be having a guest blogger, Jack Englen. He is a goal keeper himself and will be assessing Eric Kronberg's performance in Sporting's 4-1 thrashing of FC Dallas. Take it away Jack....

At Sporting Kansas City's home opener Jimmy Nielsen was forced to come out of his box to stop a goal scoring run, there was a chip-shot attempt but Nielsen reacted instinctively and shot his hand up to stop the ball, thus preventing a goal scoring opportunity. In my eyes it was the right decision. Now of course that meant Jimmy would get a red card, meaning Kronberg would get the start at Pizza Hut Park. I for one am happy Kronberg got to play, he is a great keeper (which he showed us in Toronto) and I wish they would play him more (not that Jimmy is bad).

The opposing goalkeeper on the Dallas side was none other than the old Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper, Kevin Hartman. Kevin is a very respected player in the MLS and has proved that with various MLS teams. However yesterday he didn't show it, he might have started off well but was caught off his line one too many times, I don't think it will affect the 36 year old's self esteem too much though.

First Half

It was a good start for Eric, he got some nice touches on the ball to get him up to tempo with the game. The only goal of the night for FC Dallas was a great run of "soccer artwork" from Brek Shea, thanks to three KC defenders diving in. The second Shea broke through the last defender Eric came out and went "Jimmy Nielsen on him" trying to do the famous kick-save, had Kronberg been fully extended it would have been an awesome stop.After that the defense was very solid, a great improvement.

Second Half

Kronberg didn't have much to do until the seventieth minute when a high cross was met by Eric's hand with a nice interception. Towards the end of the game there was more and more people taking shots and getting into the middle but Kronberg came out well each time and did awesome in the end.

Summary

All in all Kronberg did well but Hartman had a much more difficult game. Kronberg had great goal kicks the entire match that once or twice almost led to an assist. The defense really helped out this time. In the end Eric showed that he can play at the highest level for Sporting, something that will do his career a world of good.

Sporting Kc Beat FC Dallas 4-1, Zusi Earns Brace

2011-06-12T21:28:00.000-05:00

Haha. It's a funny game isn't it? That thing we call soccer. Most Sporting Kc fans think so, how could you not? SKC won, when they really shouldn't have done so, funny right? The odds were stacked up against them. International absences, injuries and FC Dallas' form were all reasons that SKC could have used as excuses leading up to the game at Pizza Hut Park, but, they didn't. And they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

So, you wanna know how this famous victory came about? Well, grab your favorite no-alcoholic beverage, take a load off, and sit back for the best blog post of your life.

The First Half
SKC fielded a team that was less than "first team material" on Sunday night, and essentially changed their formation to a 4-2-3-1. The major absences being Ryan Smith, Michael Harrington, and Omar Bravo. But that doesn't mean Sporting didn't press and attack FC Dallas in the opening stages, far from it. In fact, it seemed as if Dallas were somewhat asleep. Then, a superb strike from Graham Zusi outside the box gave Sporting the shocking 1-0 lead on a humid and hot Texas night. The goal awoke the beast. FC Dallas started to possess and play the ball around a lot quicker, and from some bad defending from Diop and Myers, Brek Shea made a terrific solo run that tied everything up at 1-1. Heading into the half time break it seemed as if Dallas were somewhat the more comfortable team at the half.

The Second Half
Sporting Kc got the dream start they were looking for, as Zusi curled in a good ball to the back post off of a corner which found Sapong who then had the presence of mind to pass the ball back into the danger area which found Aurelien Collin, who slammed it into the back of the net, giving him his second ever goal in a Sporting Kc uniform. After the goal Dallas were forced to attack, and attack they did. But nothing much came of it. Then, off of a free-kick from about 50 yards out, Zusi fired a rocket into the Dallas goal that stunned Kevin Hartman, and his team's fans. It really was a sensational strike from Zusi, congrats to him. But, almost immediately after the goal, Stojcev was ejected from the game after a second yellow. However, if you ever wanted a red card, you would want it when you're 3-1 up and when the player receiving the red card was an attacking center mid. The red card then forced SKC to play more of a 4-4-1 with Sapong as the lone striker up top. Therefore giving FC Dallas the chance to play a 3-4-1-2 and put more bodies on the attacking side of the field. SKC then had to hold off FC Dallas pressure for a good 20 minutes. Then, SKC got some rare possession that eventually led to a Luke Sassano goal. A ball chipped over the Dallas back line from Diop gave Sassano the not-so-easy task of chipping the ball over the keeper, but a task that Luke was up to, and the game was essentially over at 4-1 in the 78th minute. Now Sporting Kc can come back to KC with all 3 points, and their head held high heading into their Friday game at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

Player Ratings
Starting XI: Kronberg 6, Sinovic 5, Besler 6, Collin 7, Myers 6, Diop 6, Sassano 6, Arnaud 7, Stojcev 4, *Zusi 10, Sapong 8.
Subs: Bunbury N/A, Kamara 5, Cesar 6
* denotes man of the match

Sweden Thrash Rivals Finland 5-0

2011-06-10T17:20:00.000-05:00

Swedish and AC Milan striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic hadn't played with Sweden for 3 weeks before he came on in the 24' minute of their 5-0 UEFA qualifying win over Finland. Ibrahimovic came on in the 25' minute as Ola Toivonen was forced off with a toe injury. Zlatan then scored 2 goals in the space of 10 minutes, and a third one in the second half, moving Ibrahimovic into 3rd place on the goal-scoring leader boards for group E and giving him his first hat-trick of the qualifying stages.

Sweden is now within touching distance of 1st place in group E, as the win over Finland puts Sweden 3 points behind the Netherlands.

With 4 games remaining in the qualifying round Sweden will look to reach 1st place in their group and secure a Euro 2012 spot in Ukraine, instead of trying to qualify through the group-runners-up playoffs. With Zlatan leading the way it will be hard not to.

New Podcast. The Future Fans of Sporting Kc "Podcast Two"

2011-06-10T17:03:00.000-05:00

Check out the most recent podcast from The Future Fans of Sporting Kc. Isaac and I talk about Sporting Kc's home opener, Nick Garcia rumors, and possible jersey sponsors.

Listen to it here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-future-fans-of-sporting-/2011/06/10/future-fans-of-sporting-podcast-two

Or download it on iTunes.

New Podcast, The Future Fans of Sporting - "Introduction"

2011-06-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

The first podcast brought to you from Isaac(thefootychronicles.blogspot.com) and I. We talk about what the show is, the Members Club, the Toronto game recap, and a preview of the Chicago game at LSP. Thanks for listening if you listened live, you can listen to it here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-future-fans-of-sporting-/2011/06/05/introduction-to-the-future-fans-of-sporting-podcast , or on iTunes later this week, thanks.

Disclaimer

There are many long pauses in the show due to technical difficulties. Keep listening till the end, you won't regret it.