A busy day of Sporting KC news today involving a number of Sporting KC players.
The biggest news of the day was the announcement that Sporting KC will be without starting goalkeeper, Eric Kronberg for 8 weeks. Kronberg suffered a broken fourth metacarpal in his left hand in training today. The injury is a big blow to Kronberg and to Sporting. Kronberg is leading the league in goals against average for players who have played over 360 minutes this season with .88 goals per game. I'd been critical of some of Kronberg's decision making earlier in the season but lately he's been doing better with that and has been leader in the back with all the injuries. Now he's just become the latest of KC's injury casualties.
If he makes his return on time he'd miss nine league games and a CONCACAF Champions League game. He'd be available for the September 3rd game against New England if it's exactly eight weeks. If longer that'd be his 10th league game.
The injury means that KC product, Andy Gruenebaum will likely be KC's starting goalkeeper. He started both of KC's US Open Cup games this year and had been a starter in Columbus for the past few years before moving to KC.
To back up Gruenebaum, Sporting has recalled goalkeeper Jon Kempin from his loan to Oklahoma City. One question that immediately comes to mind with Kempin and the injury is KC starting CONCACAF Champions League play in a little over a month. One would think that Kempin could make his second appearance for Sporting when the team travels to Nicaragua to play Real Esteli in August.
Speaking of loans, Sporting KC has sent midfielder Jimmy Medranda to OKC on loan. The midfielder has played in four league games this year, starting one for KC. He'll now join the Energy on loan. Currently he'll be the only healthy player on loan to OKC with Christian Duke injured and Kempin and Mikey Lopez recalled to Sporting. Medranda will join OKC ahead of their game this weekend against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
In other news for Sporting KC's home grown keeper, Kempin, he's been named to the 2014 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game roster along with defender Erik Palmer-Brown. The two were named to the 20 man roster that will play against the Portland Timbers U23 team two nights before the All Stars take on Bayern Munich. While it's not a glamor opponent, it's still nice for those two to be selected.
One homegrown player though that I personally feel was disappointing left off the list of homegrown players is KC's Kevin Ellis. Of the three KC homegrown players, Ellis has played the most of the three and has been playing very well, especially in central defense as an emergency center back with all of KC's injury issues. It would have been nice for Ellis to get the credit for it.
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
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2 comments:
i kinda got the feeling that ellis, along with some others like bill hamid, were unofficially unavailable because they have been in the league a long time. i think they wanted only first and second year players but didn't want to make it an official rule because they couldn't fill the entire roster that way.
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