Sporting KC: New additions paying off on offense
By Ben Almquist
This past offseason, Sporting KC made some aggressive moves to try and boost their offense. Those moves are starting to pay off on the pitch.
The 2016 season ended in disappointment for Sporting KC, and the reason why was pretty clear. While one of the most dominant defensive squads in Major League Soccer, SKC simply could not score enough to make a title run. That led to the club making some aggressive offseason moves. Those moves now appear to be paying off.
Two names stood out to me when looking at Sporting’s offseason acquisitions. Those names were Latif Blessing and Gerso Fernandes. Blessing, a 20 year old emerging star, had led the Ghana Premier League in scoring last year. Fernandes was signed to the team after six years in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Both players were expected to come in and provide a boost to the offense. Though Sporting KC has gotten off to a slow start offensively, we’re starting to see that offensive boost. In the past two games, Blessing and Fernandes have combined for five goals, including a hat trick for Fernandes last night.
THERE'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! THREE GOALS FROM GERSO LEADS TO THREE POINTS FOR #SPORTINGKC! #WeTogether pic.twitter.com/KhAuMuY54x
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 18, 2017
Sporting KC isn’t among the top scoring teams in Major League Soccer yet. However, the team’s offense has started to come around. Over Sporting’s first five games this year, they scored just five goals. They have now scored ten times in their last five games. That is a huge turnaround.
Related Story: Sporting KC: Ghana Premier League Star Lands With Kansas City
Moving Forward
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Gerso Fernandes should continue to play a big role for Sporting KC as the season moves forward. He has been a constant presence as a starter alongside Dom Dwyer at the forward spot. Fernandes and Dwyer actually share the lead on the team for goals scored, which says a lot about the value of Fernandes.
Hopefully we will also see more of Latif Blessing as the season goes on. The youngster hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time this year, but he is making the most of his opportunities. He has two goals on just six shots, which is a very good conversion rate. Giving him more chances should help him emerge as a real star in MLS.
Next: Sporting KC: Top Ten Players To Watch In 2017
This year’s Sporting KC squad is looking very dangerous. They currently lead the MLS Western Conference and have put up some very impressive victories. If the team can continue at their current pace, they will be a tough out in the playoffs. This is the SKC team that fans expect to see.