Sporting KC Need To Make A Change
Sporting KC are now three games into the 2015 season, which is also three games into their first season in the Western Conference after moving West to make room for the two expansion teams Orlando City SC and New York City FC to join the East.
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The move to the Western Conference has proved to be difficult for Sporting KC as they are currently at the bottom of the Western Conference standings as they have only managed two draws and one loss in three games played which is good for two points. Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids are both sitting on two points but they both have a game in hand on Sporting KC because they have only played two games.
Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes must know that what he has put out on the field hasn’t been working because he has experimented in every game this season with three different starting line-ups in three games. Sporting has seen guys like rookie Amadou Dia, Jalil Anibaba, Marcel de Jong, Jimmy Medranda, Krisztian Nemeth, Servando Carrasco, Bernardo Anor, and Soni Mustivar make their debut with Sporting KC, but none of them have featured in all three games. The only two players that were signed after the 2014 season that have played in all three games are goalkeeper Luis Marin and midfielder Roger Espinoza.
Vermes seems to be treating the start of the regular season like most teams do the preseason. Historically Sporting KC has featured very consistent line-ups from one week to the next. Prior to all the injuries in the 2014 season everyone knew the back five for Sporting KC was going to feature goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, right back Chance Myers, centerback Matt Besler, centerback Aurelien Collin, and left back Seth Sinovic. Nielsen retired, Collin was traded, Myers has been injured, and Besler and Sinovic are the only two left to anchor the defense.
Sinovic started the first game of the season but newcomer De Jong has taken hold of the starting spot at left back the last two games. Myers continues to rehab from the injury he suffered last season, and the hope is to get him back sometime between the quarter point and midway through the season. \
The defense hasn’t been the biggest weakness for Sporting KC thus far though, except for the game that Besler missed due to suspension. The offensive third is the biggest concern as Sporting KC only has two goals in three games played and neither of the goals came from a forward. The first goal was scored by defender Ike Opara and the second goal was scored by midfielder Roger Espinoza.
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After a 22 goal performance in the 2014 season Dom Dwyer has been relatively ineffective in 2015 with no goals scored. He has been marked out of games a majority of the time and is often invisible on the pitch. Dwyer has missed some good scoring chances but his poor performance isn’t completely his fault. Dwyer doesn’t have a traditional winger to get up and down the wings to provide him service and take some heat off of him. Often times he is taking on defenders one on four.
Sporting KC still has an international roster spot and a designated player roster spot open on their roster. It would be wise to use that spot on either a experienced pacey winger or another center forward. If you use the designated player spot on another center forward you would have to change formations which Vermes has unwilling to do throughout his coaching career. More than likely Sporting KC will stay in their traditional 4-3-3 formation so the winger seems to be the safest bet.
With all that being said it should be noted that it is still really early in the season and their are a lot of new guys on the team trying to form chemistry together so maybe the best move isn’t as drastic as signing someone or changing formations, maybe it is just being patient and giving the guys a chance to get on the same page.
Sporting KC will get the opportunity to secure their first MLS regular season win next Saturday against David Villa and the Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.