The MLS July 1st guaranteed contract deadline is right around the corner, and teams are making their moves to clear players off their roster. KC made their move today, waiving midfielder, Luke Sassano. Sassano had been picked up by KC after the Re-Entry draft in a trade with the LA Galaxy that sent the rights to Frankie Hejduk to LA.
Sassano appeared in 10 league games for KC, scoring one goal, in the team's 4-1 win last season over Dallas. He also appeared in all four of KC's US Open Cup games (qualifiers and proper). He'd only made one appearance this season for KC, in their home opener vs New England. He also missed time due to a knee injury that required surgery.
As a whole this move, while disappointing is not completely without surprise. With Paulo Nagamura, Peterson Joseph, and Michael Thomas all playing a similar position to Sassano it was a bit of a numbers game. Factor that in with Sassano's salary of $81,000 per the players union, and it's not surprising that Sporting KC decided to drop the veteran midfielder at this time.
Can't say I blame them, I was a little surprised that we re-signed him in the offseason. He is usually solid but rarely spectacular, his skill seems to have plateaud so he was no project that we could expect to get better, and he was clearly pretty injury prone. All the same, he seemed to be a quality human, and a good stabalizing force on the field and in the locker room. Thanks for you services Luke, and I wish you the best.
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