The NCAA men's division 1 tournament is down to it's final eight teams after this weekend's games. Unfortunately only one school with Sporting KC academy players remains in the tournament. Creighton with senior Eric DeJulio and freshman Bryce Gibson took out two other academy players in Andy Lopez and Zach Wright of UNC 1-0 to advance to the final eight. The 12th seeded Blue Jays will now take on the fourth seeded Akron with a trip to Kansas City on the line this coming weekend.
Here's the full update.
Class of 2012
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started Creighton's 1-0 win over North Carolina.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Season over.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Season over.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - No game this week.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Season over.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Season over.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Season over.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - No game this week.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Came on as a substitute and scored in UCSB's 3-2 loss to Clemson.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Season over.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Season over.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Season over.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Season over.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Season over.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Season over.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Season over.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Season over.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Season over.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Season over.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Season over.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - No game this week.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Season over.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in UNC's 1-0 loss to Creighton.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Season over.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Season over.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started UNC's 1-0 loss to Creighton.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Season over.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in Ohio State's 3-1 loss to Stanford.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in Creighton's 1-0 win over UNC.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Notre Dame's 2-1 loss to Maryland.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Season over.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Season over.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Season over.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Feilhaber Named to MLS Best XI
End of the season awards for Sporting Kansas City continued yesterday with the announcement of the league's "Best XI." No surprise in the announcement that Sporting KC midfielder and MVP finalist, Benny Feilhaber is among the players on this year's team. Feilhaber is the only Kansas City representative on the team, collecting 10 goals and 15 assists in 2015. He becomes the 13th different player from KC to make a Best XI in the club's history. Sporting KC' MVP is joined on the team by Luis Robles of New York in goal, Laurent Ciman of Montreal, Kendall Waston of Vancouver, and Matt Hedges of Dallas on defense, Fabian Castillo of Dallas, Dax McCarty of New York, and Ethan Finaly of Columbus in midfield, and up top by Sebastian Giovinco of Toronto, Kei Kamara of Columbus, and Robbie Keane of LA.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Comets Sweep Weekend Road Trip
The Missouri Comets made it a clean sweep of Central Division opponents on the road this weekend as they topped the Cedar Rapids Rampage 9-3 at the US Cellular Coliseum in Cedar Rapids.
As has been the case it seems over the last couple games, the Comets fell behind early, this time it was Elmo Neto scoring in the first minute of the game to put the Rampage on top 1-0. The Comets though rallied and had the lead by the end of the quarter with Robert Palmer and Bryan Perez both scoring to give the Comets the 2-1 lead after one quarter. The second quarter saw the Comets add to their lead as Leo Gibson scored the only goal of the quarter to put the Comets up 3-1 going into the half time break.
The beginning of the second half saw the Rampage get themselves back into the game as Sam Guernsey and Hewerton Moreira scored, the later on the power play to tie the game at 3-3. A little over a minute later though the Comets were back up by two scoring two goals just 17 seconds a part as Perez and Ramone Palmer both scored to quickly restore Missouri's two goal lead. The Comets were able to add to their lead late in the third quarter as Perez scored on the power play, firing high over Joey Kapinos to make it 6-3 Comets after three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw the Comets take care of business with two goals around the mid-point of the quarter as Vahid Assadpour and Gibson scored to extend the Comets lead to 8-3. The Rampage went with the sixth attacker from there but could not find a way back into the game. Another blue card on the Rampage saw the Comets on another power play that Lucas Rodriguez scored on to make it 9-3 late and the Comets shut the Rampage out for their seventh win of the season.
As has been the case it seems over the last couple games, the Comets fell behind early, this time it was Elmo Neto scoring in the first minute of the game to put the Rampage on top 1-0. The Comets though rallied and had the lead by the end of the quarter with Robert Palmer and Bryan Perez both scoring to give the Comets the 2-1 lead after one quarter. The second quarter saw the Comets add to their lead as Leo Gibson scored the only goal of the quarter to put the Comets up 3-1 going into the half time break.
The beginning of the second half saw the Rampage get themselves back into the game as Sam Guernsey and Hewerton Moreira scored, the later on the power play to tie the game at 3-3. A little over a minute later though the Comets were back up by two scoring two goals just 17 seconds a part as Perez and Ramone Palmer both scored to quickly restore Missouri's two goal lead. The Comets were able to add to their lead late in the third quarter as Perez scored on the power play, firing high over Joey Kapinos to make it 6-3 Comets after three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw the Comets take care of business with two goals around the mid-point of the quarter as Vahid Assadpour and Gibson scored to extend the Comets lead to 8-3. The Rampage went with the sixth attacker from there but could not find a way back into the game. Another blue card on the Rampage saw the Comets on another power play that Lucas Rodriguez scored on to make it 9-3 late and the Comets shut the Rampage out for their seventh win of the season.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Gibson Hattrick Helps Comets Top Stout St. Louis Defense
The Missouri Comets moved to 6-0 on the season last night in St. Louis as they defeated the Ambush 9-4 thanks in part due to a hattrick by Leo Gibson on his return from a two game suspension.
Early on though it was the Ambush that looked like the better side, looking strong defensively while killing a penalty and grabbing the lead a little over half way through the quarter through Gordy Gurson. That didn't last though as a pair of late blue cards for too many men and a slide tackle twice saw the Ambush go down a man. Both times the Comets capitalized on the man advantage as Gibson scored his first on the first power play before John Sosa gave the Comets the lead with less than a minute left on the second power play.
Seconds into the second quarter the Comets extended their lead after Marcelo Moreira committed a foul leading to a shootout attempt for the Comets. Gibson stepped up and scored his second of the game. Minutes later the Comets were on the penalty kill after a Brian Harris foul, but it was the Comets that again found the net as Ramone Palmer scored on a counter for a short handed goal to make it 4-1. Late in the quarter Vahid Assadpour scored on a rocket to extend Missouri's lead to 5-1 as the two teams headed into the half time break.
The third quarter saw the Comets control plenty of the play including plenty of chances on a power play, but couldn't find the net. Instead it was Gurson for the Ambush who cut the Comets lead back to three with the only goal of the quarter, a little over half way through.
While the third quarter lacked scoring, the fourth made up for it greatly. Within the first five minutes, both teams had scored twice. Odaine Sinclair scored just 17 seconds into the quarter after a turnover by Harris. A minute later Gibson finished off his hattrick to put Missouri back up by three at 6-3. The Ambush responded quickly with Sinclair getting his second goal of the game just over two and a half minutes in before Lucas Rodriguez scored to make it 7-4 with just over four minutes played. For the majority if the rest of the quarter the Comets were able to kill the clock, keeping the Ambush from gaining possession. Not only did the Comets keep the ball for the most part, the clock kept running, the Comets kept the ball in play for a good seven to eight minute period without the ball going out. That kept the Ambush from getting their goalkeeper off to add the sixth attacker. Once the Ambush finally did get the sixth attacker on, it was the Comets who ended up extending their lead with two counters with empty nets as Harris and Assadpour both scored racing onto clearances and going the length of the floor to score to win 9-4. The Comets now head to Cedar Rapids to take on the Rampage tonight.
Early on though it was the Ambush that looked like the better side, looking strong defensively while killing a penalty and grabbing the lead a little over half way through the quarter through Gordy Gurson. That didn't last though as a pair of late blue cards for too many men and a slide tackle twice saw the Ambush go down a man. Both times the Comets capitalized on the man advantage as Gibson scored his first on the first power play before John Sosa gave the Comets the lead with less than a minute left on the second power play.
Seconds into the second quarter the Comets extended their lead after Marcelo Moreira committed a foul leading to a shootout attempt for the Comets. Gibson stepped up and scored his second of the game. Minutes later the Comets were on the penalty kill after a Brian Harris foul, but it was the Comets that again found the net as Ramone Palmer scored on a counter for a short handed goal to make it 4-1. Late in the quarter Vahid Assadpour scored on a rocket to extend Missouri's lead to 5-1 as the two teams headed into the half time break.
The third quarter saw the Comets control plenty of the play including plenty of chances on a power play, but couldn't find the net. Instead it was Gurson for the Ambush who cut the Comets lead back to three with the only goal of the quarter, a little over half way through.
While the third quarter lacked scoring, the fourth made up for it greatly. Within the first five minutes, both teams had scored twice. Odaine Sinclair scored just 17 seconds into the quarter after a turnover by Harris. A minute later Gibson finished off his hattrick to put Missouri back up by three at 6-3. The Ambush responded quickly with Sinclair getting his second goal of the game just over two and a half minutes in before Lucas Rodriguez scored to make it 7-4 with just over four minutes played. For the majority if the rest of the quarter the Comets were able to kill the clock, keeping the Ambush from gaining possession. Not only did the Comets keep the ball for the most part, the clock kept running, the Comets kept the ball in play for a good seven to eight minute period without the ball going out. That kept the Ambush from getting their goalkeeper off to add the sixth attacker. Once the Ambush finally did get the sixth attacker on, it was the Comets who ended up extending their lead with two counters with empty nets as Harris and Assadpour both scored racing onto clearances and going the length of the floor to score to win 9-4. The Comets now head to Cedar Rapids to take on the Rampage tonight.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Season Review - Midfielders - Revamped Midfield for KC in 2015
Continuing to make the way up the field we take a look at the midfield this year for Sporting Kansas City.
Sporting saw plenty of turnover in the midfield from the 2014 season, with just four players, Benny Feilhaber, Mikey Lopez, Jimmy Medranda, and Paulo Nagamura returning for the 2015 season for KC as the club parted company with the likes of Toni Dovale, Lawrence Olum, Victor Munoz, and Jorge Claros in an effort to remake their midfield. The 2015 season saw Kansas City stick with their three man midfield, but there was a lot of movement regarding who played where in the system. The beginning of the season saw Sporting's playmaker, Feilhaber playing very deep in the midfield, in a holding role, but with an ability to play more out of the back. The deep lying playmaker allowed KC to build more out of the back, but it really limited Feilhaber's involvement in the offense, and KC's attack sputtered early on. From there the revolving door at the holding midfield spot picked up again with offseason acquisition, Servando Carrasco getting the run out there before being replaced by Haitian, Soni Mustivar who spent the majority of the season at the holding spot.
Higher up in the midfield, Sporting welcomed back Roger Espinoza to the club after spending two years in England with Wigan Athletic. A little less "Roger the red," Espinoza seemed much more composed at times on the field for Kansas City while still being the box-to-box midfielder that KC needed to break up play and get into the attack. Once Mustivar came in Espinoza and he formed a solid partnership, and KC's late season drop in form and loss of Espinoza is more than just a coincidence. When he went down, Paulo Nagamura took over that role, and while the Brazilian has written himself into Sporting KC lore with some clutch performances, he just doesn't play the position the same way. At the attacking position, Feilhaber found his grove, setting records that most probably wouldn't have been touched after Preki left the club, but KC's #10 really proved to be such in 2015.
The Players
Servando Carrasco - Brought in during the offseason from Houston, Carrasco was the first player to get a crack at the bottom of the midfield triangle after Peter Vermes moved Benny Feilhaber to a more advanced position. Carrasco didn't play poorly there, but he also didn't give everything that was required of the position in Peter Vermes' system. His last appearance as a regular starter was the 4-4 draw in Houston. After that he made just three league appearances, only one start before being traded to Orlando in exchange for Amobi Okugo.
Roger Espinoza - The World Cup and Olympic stand out for Honduras returned to Kansas City in 2015 after a string of rumors throughout the summer and fall of his return. He took up his normal position in the box-to-box role and was successful in getting attacking play through the middle shut down. When paired with Soni Mustivar, Espinoza really was able to funnel attack to the Haitian who was then able to cut the attacks out. Espinoza came back to KC as the team's highest paid player at $750,000 according to the players' union numbers. That led a number of fans to question the signing since he didn't contribute a lot to the offense. While that his true, his contribution to the defense and team as a whole can't be overlooked as easily. After Espinoza went down in the 1-1 draw against Houston, KC won five of their remaining 14 league games, going from Supporters' Shield favorites to squeaking into the playoffs as the six seed. Their defense that had been one of the best in the league when he went down finished around the middle of the league. He may not provide the offensive numbers, but his importance to the team can't be understated.
Benny Feilhaber - The team's MVP and a league finalist for the award, I'm not sure that KC could have asked for more from Feilhaber this year. He had a career year scoring 10 goals and assisting on 15 more in league play while appearing in 32 of 34 games. He also added another two goals and five assists in KC's run to the US Open Cup and played virtually all three midfield positions at different points in the 2015 season and was still able to produce offensively.
Mikey Lopez - the only play on KC's roster to go out on loan to their USL affiliate, Oklahoma City this year, Lopez was recalled from the Energy after playing in eight games, five of them starts. Upon his return he played in six games, five of them starts. He did an okay job filling in for the likes of Nagamura and Mustivar when they needed a break or were injured, but overall it wasn't the breakout season that many people were really hoping that he'd have in 2015. Even though the club says they'll make him an offer for 2016 since he's out of contract, now that he's no longer on a Generation Adidas player, and therefore no longer counting against the cap, his position with the club has to be a lot less secure.
Jimmy Medranda - Medranda, like Lopez, was one of those players that you felt really needed to start contributing more to the team this year. Early on it appeared he could as he started three straight games for KC, where the team went 2-0-1. The Colombian couldn't lock down a starting job though and returned to the bench for the most part until early August when injury issues forced him to play left back on the road against Toronto. The experiment went well and KC won 3-1. The next game Medranda started again at left back, this time against Vancouver, but after falling behind 2-0 early, Peter Vermes used a first half substitution to get Medranda off after just 34 minutes. Medranda started shortly after that, on the road in Columbus, but in a more advanced role that he played more regularly. He started just seven games on the season for KC, a number you'd really like to see him push and force Vermes to give him more time, either that or send him to Swope Park next year to play with the Rangers.
Soni Mustivar - Peter Vermes appeared to find his replacement for Oriol Rosell in the Haitian, Mustivar. While a different player than Rosell in terms of skill set, Mustivar was able to help settle KC's deep midfield position and formed a good partnership with Espinoza in front of him and Matt Besler and Kevin Ellis behind him. Wasn't ever flashy, and didn't provide the passing ability that KC had in Rosell, but was more than able to hold his own against plenty of attacking midfielders in MLS. His play, like much of the team's suffered when Espinoza went down for the season.
Paulo Nagamura - The man with ice in his veins, Nagamura continues to give KC good performances in the center of midfield. Called upon greatly after Espinoza went down for the season, Nagamura filled in well. His performance against Vancouver is the stuff that makes you a legend to the fans, and in the Open Cup final and playoff game he continued his run of perfect penalty kicks in high stress situations, converting both times in situations where missing would have resulted in a loss for Kansas City. Every year there seems to be questions (from myself too) about how long Nagamura can hang on at this level and continue to be successful with the team. He's out of contract at this point, and the team has made him an offer towards 2016.
Amobi Okugo - Acquired from Orlando City around the middle of the season for Servando Carrasco, Okugo struggled in KC. He played just three times for KC after being acquired on July 20th, starting only one game. The one start was the San Jose home loss where he was pulled at half time. He did notch one assist in the club's 3-1 win over Toronto though. I thought when KC acquired him that he'd get more time at center back for Kansas City, a position that most thought he excelled at when with the Philadelphia Union, while being just good at his defensive midfield position. But that never happened as even when Kevin Ellis didn't play with Matt Besler, it was Erik Palmer-Brown that got the minutes there ahead of Okugo. This past season Orlando helped cover a portion of his salary as part of the trade deal. How much, if any, they cover in 2016 will be a big factor in this trade. Right now this feels like one that KC ended up on the wrong end of.
Jordi Quintilla - During the summer, Kansas City picked up just two players to help strength their squad for the second half of the season. One was the above mentioned Okugo, the other was Quintilla. The Spaniard joined KC at the beginning of August after spending time in Spain and France. At 22 and from Barcelona's academy many fans likened the signing to when Vermes brought in Rosell. Like Rosell, Quintilla had a limited, but big impact with KC over his first half a season. He played in eight league games, starting three of them. But what he'll likely always be remembered for in KC was scoring the winning penalty kick in the eighth round of the US Open cup final. Also like Rosell, what he will do for the club can't be fully judged on this season, and has to be seen with an eye towards 2016 and beyond.
Looking Towards 2016
KC has two thirds of their starting midfield already under contract for 2016 with Benny Feilhaber and Roger Espinoza both already signed for 2016. The last penciled in starter at this point is Soni Mustivar, who is currently out of contract. Those three returning heathy would answer a lot of questions heading into the 2016 without taking account any new signings. As for the rest of the midfield, the biggest question is KC's depth. Okugo was less than impressive in his minutes and he's under contract for next year. The team's other two defensive midfielders, Paulo Nagamura and Mikey Lopez are out of contract at this time. For those two it could become a matter of cap space and the ability to find a replacement either through the draft or elsewhere. Overall the main core of the midfield will be fine in 2016, there just needs to be some depth added.
Sporting saw plenty of turnover in the midfield from the 2014 season, with just four players, Benny Feilhaber, Mikey Lopez, Jimmy Medranda, and Paulo Nagamura returning for the 2015 season for KC as the club parted company with the likes of Toni Dovale, Lawrence Olum, Victor Munoz, and Jorge Claros in an effort to remake their midfield. The 2015 season saw Kansas City stick with their three man midfield, but there was a lot of movement regarding who played where in the system. The beginning of the season saw Sporting's playmaker, Feilhaber playing very deep in the midfield, in a holding role, but with an ability to play more out of the back. The deep lying playmaker allowed KC to build more out of the back, but it really limited Feilhaber's involvement in the offense, and KC's attack sputtered early on. From there the revolving door at the holding midfield spot picked up again with offseason acquisition, Servando Carrasco getting the run out there before being replaced by Haitian, Soni Mustivar who spent the majority of the season at the holding spot.
Higher up in the midfield, Sporting welcomed back Roger Espinoza to the club after spending two years in England with Wigan Athletic. A little less "Roger the red," Espinoza seemed much more composed at times on the field for Kansas City while still being the box-to-box midfielder that KC needed to break up play and get into the attack. Once Mustivar came in Espinoza and he formed a solid partnership, and KC's late season drop in form and loss of Espinoza is more than just a coincidence. When he went down, Paulo Nagamura took over that role, and while the Brazilian has written himself into Sporting KC lore with some clutch performances, he just doesn't play the position the same way. At the attacking position, Feilhaber found his grove, setting records that most probably wouldn't have been touched after Preki left the club, but KC's #10 really proved to be such in 2015.
The Players
Servando Carrasco - Brought in during the offseason from Houston, Carrasco was the first player to get a crack at the bottom of the midfield triangle after Peter Vermes moved Benny Feilhaber to a more advanced position. Carrasco didn't play poorly there, but he also didn't give everything that was required of the position in Peter Vermes' system. His last appearance as a regular starter was the 4-4 draw in Houston. After that he made just three league appearances, only one start before being traded to Orlando in exchange for Amobi Okugo.
Roger Espinoza - The World Cup and Olympic stand out for Honduras returned to Kansas City in 2015 after a string of rumors throughout the summer and fall of his return. He took up his normal position in the box-to-box role and was successful in getting attacking play through the middle shut down. When paired with Soni Mustivar, Espinoza really was able to funnel attack to the Haitian who was then able to cut the attacks out. Espinoza came back to KC as the team's highest paid player at $750,000 according to the players' union numbers. That led a number of fans to question the signing since he didn't contribute a lot to the offense. While that his true, his contribution to the defense and team as a whole can't be overlooked as easily. After Espinoza went down in the 1-1 draw against Houston, KC won five of their remaining 14 league games, going from Supporters' Shield favorites to squeaking into the playoffs as the six seed. Their defense that had been one of the best in the league when he went down finished around the middle of the league. He may not provide the offensive numbers, but his importance to the team can't be understated.
Benny Feilhaber - The team's MVP and a league finalist for the award, I'm not sure that KC could have asked for more from Feilhaber this year. He had a career year scoring 10 goals and assisting on 15 more in league play while appearing in 32 of 34 games. He also added another two goals and five assists in KC's run to the US Open Cup and played virtually all three midfield positions at different points in the 2015 season and was still able to produce offensively.
Mikey Lopez - the only play on KC's roster to go out on loan to their USL affiliate, Oklahoma City this year, Lopez was recalled from the Energy after playing in eight games, five of them starts. Upon his return he played in six games, five of them starts. He did an okay job filling in for the likes of Nagamura and Mustivar when they needed a break or were injured, but overall it wasn't the breakout season that many people were really hoping that he'd have in 2015. Even though the club says they'll make him an offer for 2016 since he's out of contract, now that he's no longer on a Generation Adidas player, and therefore no longer counting against the cap, his position with the club has to be a lot less secure.
Jimmy Medranda - Medranda, like Lopez, was one of those players that you felt really needed to start contributing more to the team this year. Early on it appeared he could as he started three straight games for KC, where the team went 2-0-1. The Colombian couldn't lock down a starting job though and returned to the bench for the most part until early August when injury issues forced him to play left back on the road against Toronto. The experiment went well and KC won 3-1. The next game Medranda started again at left back, this time against Vancouver, but after falling behind 2-0 early, Peter Vermes used a first half substitution to get Medranda off after just 34 minutes. Medranda started shortly after that, on the road in Columbus, but in a more advanced role that he played more regularly. He started just seven games on the season for KC, a number you'd really like to see him push and force Vermes to give him more time, either that or send him to Swope Park next year to play with the Rangers.
Soni Mustivar - Peter Vermes appeared to find his replacement for Oriol Rosell in the Haitian, Mustivar. While a different player than Rosell in terms of skill set, Mustivar was able to help settle KC's deep midfield position and formed a good partnership with Espinoza in front of him and Matt Besler and Kevin Ellis behind him. Wasn't ever flashy, and didn't provide the passing ability that KC had in Rosell, but was more than able to hold his own against plenty of attacking midfielders in MLS. His play, like much of the team's suffered when Espinoza went down for the season.
Paulo Nagamura - The man with ice in his veins, Nagamura continues to give KC good performances in the center of midfield. Called upon greatly after Espinoza went down for the season, Nagamura filled in well. His performance against Vancouver is the stuff that makes you a legend to the fans, and in the Open Cup final and playoff game he continued his run of perfect penalty kicks in high stress situations, converting both times in situations where missing would have resulted in a loss for Kansas City. Every year there seems to be questions (from myself too) about how long Nagamura can hang on at this level and continue to be successful with the team. He's out of contract at this point, and the team has made him an offer towards 2016.
Amobi Okugo - Acquired from Orlando City around the middle of the season for Servando Carrasco, Okugo struggled in KC. He played just three times for KC after being acquired on July 20th, starting only one game. The one start was the San Jose home loss where he was pulled at half time. He did notch one assist in the club's 3-1 win over Toronto though. I thought when KC acquired him that he'd get more time at center back for Kansas City, a position that most thought he excelled at when with the Philadelphia Union, while being just good at his defensive midfield position. But that never happened as even when Kevin Ellis didn't play with Matt Besler, it was Erik Palmer-Brown that got the minutes there ahead of Okugo. This past season Orlando helped cover a portion of his salary as part of the trade deal. How much, if any, they cover in 2016 will be a big factor in this trade. Right now this feels like one that KC ended up on the wrong end of.
Jordi Quintilla - During the summer, Kansas City picked up just two players to help strength their squad for the second half of the season. One was the above mentioned Okugo, the other was Quintilla. The Spaniard joined KC at the beginning of August after spending time in Spain and France. At 22 and from Barcelona's academy many fans likened the signing to when Vermes brought in Rosell. Like Rosell, Quintilla had a limited, but big impact with KC over his first half a season. He played in eight league games, starting three of them. But what he'll likely always be remembered for in KC was scoring the winning penalty kick in the eighth round of the US Open cup final. Also like Rosell, what he will do for the club can't be fully judged on this season, and has to be seen with an eye towards 2016 and beyond.
Looking Towards 2016
KC has two thirds of their starting midfield already under contract for 2016 with Benny Feilhaber and Roger Espinoza both already signed for 2016. The last penciled in starter at this point is Soni Mustivar, who is currently out of contract. Those three returning heathy would answer a lot of questions heading into the 2016 without taking account any new signings. As for the rest of the midfield, the biggest question is KC's depth. Okugo was less than impressive in his minutes and he's under contract for next year. The team's other two defensive midfielders, Paulo Nagamura and Mikey Lopez are out of contract at this time. For those two it could become a matter of cap space and the ability to find a replacement either through the draft or elsewhere. Overall the main core of the midfield will be fine in 2016, there just needs to be some depth added.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Meola Named Jacksonville Coach and Technical Director - Former SKC Wizards Update
Last week's rumors have been confirmed this week as former Kansas City goalkeeper Tony Meola was given his first head coaching job, named the coach and technical director for NASL side, the Jacksonville Armada. Meola will take over the second year NASL franchise after their inaugural season saw them finish in 11th place, bottom of the entire league.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Mitchell Cardenas
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Season over.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Season over.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Season over.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Season over.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Season over.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Season over.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Season over.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Season over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 3-1 win over Dallas.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Columbus' 2-0 win over New York.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Season over.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Season over.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season over.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 win over New York.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes in New York's 2-0 loss to Columbus.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Season over.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Season over.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Season over.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Season over.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Season over.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Season over.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Season over.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Season over.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Season over.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Season over.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Yomby William - Richmond - Season over.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Played in Tacoma's 6-4 loss to Sonora.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 10-3 loss to Missouri.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Had a goal and an assist in Baltimore's 11-1 win over Detroit.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Had a goal and an assist in Dallas' 5-4 loss to Las Vegas.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Played in Missouri's 10-3 win over St. Louis and 9-5 win over Chicago.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Quilmes' 1-0 loss to Olimpo.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 3-0 loss to Santos Laguna.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - No game this week.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Mumbai's 2-0 loss to Northeast United.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Dressed but did not play in Leganes' 1-0 loss to Ponferradina.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 2-1 loss to Atletico Nacional.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied Humble Lions 0-0.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - Did not dress in either of Vasco's games.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - Did not dress in Macae's 1-1 draw with Boa.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Started and played 83 minutes in Dinamo's 3-2 loss to Speranta Nisporeni.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 win over Colo Colo.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Started and played 90 minutes in Lechia's 3-0 loss to Cracovia Krakow.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Did not dress in Spartak's 3-2 win over Krasnodar.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - Did not dress in Sporting's 2-1 win over Benfica.
Soony Saad - BEC Tero Sasana FC - Thailand - Did not dress in BEC's 5-0 loss to Suphanburi.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - No game this week.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Scored two goals in Deveronvale's 6-1 win over Clach.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Atromitos' 1-0 loss to Asteras Tripolis.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 89 minutes, scoring a goal in Saarbrucken's 1-0 win over Kickers Offenbach.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Mitchell Cardenas
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Season over.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Season over.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Season over.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Season over.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Season over.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Season over.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Season over.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Season over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 3-1 win over Dallas.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Columbus' 2-0 win over New York.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Season over.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Season over.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season over.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 win over New York.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes in New York's 2-0 loss to Columbus.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Season over.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Season over.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Season over.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Season over.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Season over.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Season over.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Season over.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Season over.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Season over.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Season over.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Yomby William - Richmond - Season over.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Played in Tacoma's 6-4 loss to Sonora.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 10-3 loss to Missouri.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Had a goal and an assist in Baltimore's 11-1 win over Detroit.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Had a goal and an assist in Dallas' 5-4 loss to Las Vegas.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Played in Missouri's 10-3 win over St. Louis and 9-5 win over Chicago.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Quilmes' 1-0 loss to Olimpo.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 3-0 loss to Santos Laguna.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - No game this week.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Mumbai's 2-0 loss to Northeast United.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Dressed but did not play in Leganes' 1-0 loss to Ponferradina.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 2-1 loss to Atletico Nacional.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied Humble Lions 0-0.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - Did not dress in either of Vasco's games.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - Did not dress in Macae's 1-1 draw with Boa.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Started and played 83 minutes in Dinamo's 3-2 loss to Speranta Nisporeni.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 win over Colo Colo.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Started and played 90 minutes in Lechia's 3-0 loss to Cracovia Krakow.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Did not dress in Spartak's 3-2 win over Krasnodar.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - Did not dress in Sporting's 2-1 win over Benfica.
Soony Saad - BEC Tero Sasana FC - Thailand - Did not dress in BEC's 5-0 loss to Suphanburi.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - No game this week.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Scored two goals in Deveronvale's 6-1 win over Clach.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Atromitos' 1-0 loss to Asteras Tripolis.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 89 minutes, scoring a goal in Saarbrucken's 1-0 win over Kickers Offenbach.
Sporting KC Make Roster Moves
Sporting Kansas City today announced roster moves for the end of the 2015 season. The team announced that they had declined the club option on defender Jalil Anibaba. Anibaba, who was acquired by Kansas City in the offseason in a deal with Orlando City that sent Aurelien Collin to the expansion club, played in 16 games for KC in 2015, starting 14 of them. He became a starter three games into the 2015 season after KC's defensive issues in a 3-1 loss to Dallas. Anibaba proceeded to start the next 13 games for Kansas City at right back. Unfortunately after that Anibaba got hurt in training and missed all of July and August. When he returned in September he made just three more appearances, only one start, the club's 1-1 draw with Seattle when starters were rested in preparation for the US Open Cup final. Anibaba could play both right back and center back, but never lined up in the middle of defense for Kansas City. Even when both Ike Opara and Kevin Ellis were down, teenager Erik Palmer-Brown was preferred to Anibaba at center back. Anibaba will now go into the re-entry draft in December.
KC also announced that there were five players out of contract, goalkeeper Jon Kempin, midfielders Mikey Lopez, Soni Mustivar, and Paulo Nagamura, and defender Seth Sinovic. Sporting announced that they were extend offers to all five of those players in the hopes that they would return in 2016. Re-signing Mustivar has to be the priority of the five with his standing as a starter at this point. Kempin as the perceived future starter in goal also should probably be a priority. The other three it becomes a question of what the players are wanting and where the club stands depth wise. Lopez will graduate from the Generation Adidas program that means his salary next year would count against the cap. The question is whether he's contributed enough to justify it. On Nagamura it likely will come down to salary demands. Nagamura will turn 33 next season and while he's been great for the club, making $230,000 or more may not be the best way to spend cap space. But it's hard to argue with what he's done for the team. As for Sinovic, it depends on his recovery from his concussion to me. I've said many times how I feel he wasn't the same player after the concussion. It becomes about where he's at and how he's doing for me on whether you bring him back as well.
Also today KC announced they'd picked up the option on 13 other players; Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, Kevin Ellis, Benny Feilhaber, Connor Hallisey, Jimmy Medranda, Tim Melia, Chance Myers, Krisztian Nemeth, Ike Opara, Erik Palmer-Brown, and Jordi Quintilla. That list combined with the list of players KC currently have under contract; Bernardo Anor, Matt Besler, Marcel de Jong, Dom Dwyer, Roger Espinoza, Amobi Okugo, Jacob Peterson, and Graham Zusi puts KC at 20 players under contract for 2016. Add in the five players that the team is said to be making offers to that were on the team last year and you're up to 25 of 28 roster already filled. That's not to say that players who had their option picked up won't be waived during preseason, or that trades won't be made. But at the moment it appears that plenty of the team will be back for the start of the 2016 season.
KC also announced that there were five players out of contract, goalkeeper Jon Kempin, midfielders Mikey Lopez, Soni Mustivar, and Paulo Nagamura, and defender Seth Sinovic. Sporting announced that they were extend offers to all five of those players in the hopes that they would return in 2016. Re-signing Mustivar has to be the priority of the five with his standing as a starter at this point. Kempin as the perceived future starter in goal also should probably be a priority. The other three it becomes a question of what the players are wanting and where the club stands depth wise. Lopez will graduate from the Generation Adidas program that means his salary next year would count against the cap. The question is whether he's contributed enough to justify it. On Nagamura it likely will come down to salary demands. Nagamura will turn 33 next season and while he's been great for the club, making $230,000 or more may not be the best way to spend cap space. But it's hard to argue with what he's done for the team. As for Sinovic, it depends on his recovery from his concussion to me. I've said many times how I feel he wasn't the same player after the concussion. It becomes about where he's at and how he's doing for me on whether you bring him back as well.
Also today KC announced they'd picked up the option on 13 other players; Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, Kevin Ellis, Benny Feilhaber, Connor Hallisey, Jimmy Medranda, Tim Melia, Chance Myers, Krisztian Nemeth, Ike Opara, Erik Palmer-Brown, and Jordi Quintilla. That list combined with the list of players KC currently have under contract; Bernardo Anor, Matt Besler, Marcel de Jong, Dom Dwyer, Roger Espinoza, Amobi Okugo, Jacob Peterson, and Graham Zusi puts KC at 20 players under contract for 2016. Add in the five players that the team is said to be making offers to that were on the team last year and you're up to 25 of 28 roster already filled. That's not to say that players who had their option picked up won't be waived during preseason, or that trades won't be made. But at the moment it appears that plenty of the team will be back for the start of the 2016 season.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Rockhurst Advances to NCAA D2 Semifinals - SKC Academy in College Update
The NCAA Division 1 tournament that finishes up at Sporting Park this December kicked off this past week with a number of former SKC academy alum on the field. Meanwhile the division 2 tournament has already reached the semifinals. Paul Dean and Rockhurst defeated Drew Wilson and Fort Hays State to advance to the national semifinals in Pensacola after winning 4-1 on penalty kicks.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Class of 2012
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started Creighton's 5-1 win over Drake.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Season over.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Did not play in either of Dayton's games.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started and had a goal in Baker's 2-0 win over Wiley.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Season over.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Season over.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Season over.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started both Rockhurst's 2-1 win over Northwood and their 1-1 (4-1) PK shootout win over Fort Hays.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Was a substitute in UCSB's 1-0 win over South Carolina.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Season over.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Season over.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Season over.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal Poly's 2-0 loss to UCLA.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started and had a goal in Fort Hays 4-2 win over Upper Iowa and started Fort Hays' 1-1 (4-1) shootout loss to Rockhurst.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Season over.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Season over.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Season over.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in either of Colorado's games.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Season over.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Started and had an assist in Drake's 2-1 win over Kentucky, started Drake's 5-1 loss to Creighton.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started Baker's 2-0 win over Wiley.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Season over.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in UNC's 2-1 win over Coastal Carolina.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Season over.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Did not play in Denver's 1-0 loss to SMU.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started and had a goal in UNC's 2-1 win over Coastal Carolina.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in any of Drake's games.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in Ohio State's 1-1 (4-3) shootout win over Dayton.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in Creighton's 5-1 win over Drake.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started both Drake's 2-1 win over Kentucky and their 5-1 loss to Creighton.
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Notre Dame's 1-1 (3-0) shootout win over Tulsa.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Season over.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Season over.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Season over.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Class of 2012
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started Creighton's 5-1 win over Drake.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Season over.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Did not play in either of Dayton's games.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started and had a goal in Baker's 2-0 win over Wiley.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Season over.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Season over.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Season over.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started both Rockhurst's 2-1 win over Northwood and their 1-1 (4-1) PK shootout win over Fort Hays.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Was a substitute in UCSB's 1-0 win over South Carolina.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Season over.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Season over.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Season over.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal Poly's 2-0 loss to UCLA.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started and had a goal in Fort Hays 4-2 win over Upper Iowa and started Fort Hays' 1-1 (4-1) shootout loss to Rockhurst.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Season over.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Season over.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Season over.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in either of Colorado's games.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Season over.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Started and had an assist in Drake's 2-1 win over Kentucky, started Drake's 5-1 loss to Creighton.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started Baker's 2-0 win over Wiley.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Season over.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in UNC's 2-1 win over Coastal Carolina.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Season over.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Did not play in Denver's 1-0 loss to SMU.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started and had a goal in UNC's 2-1 win over Coastal Carolina.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in any of Drake's games.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in Ohio State's 1-1 (4-3) shootout win over Dayton.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in Creighton's 5-1 win over Drake.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started both Drake's 2-1 win over Kentucky and their 5-1 loss to Creighton.
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Notre Dame's 1-1 (3-0) shootout win over Tulsa.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Season over.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Season over.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Season over.
Comets Continue Unbeaten Run
After weather delays pushed their game against the Chicago Mustangs back a day, the Missouri Comets continued their unbeaten start to the 2015-2016 season and pushed their overall league unbeaten run to 30 games as they beat the Mustangs 9-5 in Chicago last night.
The Mustangs grabbed the lead midway through the first quarter through Luis Ortega in the only goal of the period. The Comets though came storming back in the second quarter scoring five straight to take the lead into half time. Vahid Assadpour got the scoring started less than five minutes in with a penalty shootout goal. Josh Sosa gave the Comets the lead on the power play before 10 minutes had been played in the quarter. Forty seconds later, Ramone Palmer made it 3-1 to the Comets. In the final five minutes, Lucas Rodriguez and Max Touloute both scored to put the Comets up 5-1 heading into half time.
While the Comets had a run in the first half, it was the Mustangs who went on the second half run. Over the third quarter and the first half of the fourth, the Mustangs scored four goals of their own. After the Mustangs had scored their first goal just two minutes into the quarter, Bryan Perez was able to make is 6-2 with just under five minutes left. The Mustangs then scored three more in a row to pull the Mustangs within a goal at 6-5 with just over half the fourth quarter yet. With the teams only separated by a single goal things got a lot more interesting. But while the Mustangs were trying to tie the game, it was the Comets that were able to extend their lead. First with just over nine minutes played in the fourth, Rodriguez added his second goal of the game to make it 7-5. Palmer scored his second of the game with just under four minutes left to make it 8-5. And then with the Mustangs putting on the sixth attacker, Stefan Stokic finished off the game with just over two minutes left to make it 9-5. The Comets remain on the road next week taking on the St. Louis Ambush.
The Mustangs grabbed the lead midway through the first quarter through Luis Ortega in the only goal of the period. The Comets though came storming back in the second quarter scoring five straight to take the lead into half time. Vahid Assadpour got the scoring started less than five minutes in with a penalty shootout goal. Josh Sosa gave the Comets the lead on the power play before 10 minutes had been played in the quarter. Forty seconds later, Ramone Palmer made it 3-1 to the Comets. In the final five minutes, Lucas Rodriguez and Max Touloute both scored to put the Comets up 5-1 heading into half time.
While the Comets had a run in the first half, it was the Mustangs who went on the second half run. Over the third quarter and the first half of the fourth, the Mustangs scored four goals of their own. After the Mustangs had scored their first goal just two minutes into the quarter, Bryan Perez was able to make is 6-2 with just under five minutes left. The Mustangs then scored three more in a row to pull the Mustangs within a goal at 6-5 with just over half the fourth quarter yet. With the teams only separated by a single goal things got a lot more interesting. But while the Mustangs were trying to tie the game, it was the Comets that were able to extend their lead. First with just over nine minutes played in the fourth, Rodriguez added his second goal of the game to make it 7-5. Palmer scored his second of the game with just under four minutes left to make it 8-5. And then with the Mustangs putting on the sixth attacker, Stefan Stokic finished off the game with just over two minutes left to make it 9-5. The Comets remain on the road next week taking on the St. Louis Ambush.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Comets Remain Unbeaten, Top Ambush
The Missouri Comets won their 29th straight league games against the St. Louis Ambush at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena tonight 10-3. The Comets used a big third quarter to propel them to victory, scoring six goals in the quarter to really break the game open.
The first half saw the Ambush be the more aggressive side as they controlled the first portion of the game, but were unable to find the net. Missouri made the Ambush pay late in the first quarter for their missed opportunities early as Vahid Assadpour and Max Touloute both scored in the final six minutes of the quarter to put Missouri up 2-0 after one. The Comets started to get more of the ball in the second quarter but were unable to extend their lead. The Ambush though were able to cut into the lead as Lucas Almeida and Freddy Moojen played a give and go off a restart to get the only goal of the quarter as the teams went into the half time break with Missouri up 2-1.
The third quarter is where Missouri really took the game over. Less than a minute in the Comets made it 3-1 as Ramone Palmer redirected a Brian Harris shot into the net. Thirty seconds later, Touloute scored his second goal of the night collecting his own rebound to make it 4-1 before a minute and a half had been played. Shortly after Kevin Ten Eyck scored his second goal of the season to make it 5-1. That goal was almost immediately countered by Moojen scoring his first goal of the season to get the game back to three goals. The rest of the quarter belonged to the Comets though as they scored three more times before the quarter was over to extend their lead to 8-1. Palmer scored his second goal of the game on a scissor kick while the Comets were on the power play. In the last five minutes the Comets added two more as Harris scored his first goal of the season blasting a shot past the goalkeeper on a restart before Lucas Rodriguez ran onto a through ball by Assadpour that he fired over the goalkeeper into the corner to put the Comets up 8-2 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw the teams trade early goals with John Sosa scoring after a Missouri restart and Kentaro Takada redirecting a Chad Vandergriffe shot that made the score 9-3. From there the Ambush continued to pressure the Comets but were unable to find the net again. With all the pressure the Comets were able to hit on the counter as Touloute finished off his hattrick after a throw down field by goalkeeper, Boris Pardo to finish off the scoring at 10-3.
The Comets will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Chicago to play the Mustangs tomorrow night at the Sears Centre.
The first half saw the Ambush be the more aggressive side as they controlled the first portion of the game, but were unable to find the net. Missouri made the Ambush pay late in the first quarter for their missed opportunities early as Vahid Assadpour and Max Touloute both scored in the final six minutes of the quarter to put Missouri up 2-0 after one. The Comets started to get more of the ball in the second quarter but were unable to extend their lead. The Ambush though were able to cut into the lead as Lucas Almeida and Freddy Moojen played a give and go off a restart to get the only goal of the quarter as the teams went into the half time break with Missouri up 2-1.
The third quarter is where Missouri really took the game over. Less than a minute in the Comets made it 3-1 as Ramone Palmer redirected a Brian Harris shot into the net. Thirty seconds later, Touloute scored his second goal of the night collecting his own rebound to make it 4-1 before a minute and a half had been played. Shortly after Kevin Ten Eyck scored his second goal of the season to make it 5-1. That goal was almost immediately countered by Moojen scoring his first goal of the season to get the game back to three goals. The rest of the quarter belonged to the Comets though as they scored three more times before the quarter was over to extend their lead to 8-1. Palmer scored his second goal of the game on a scissor kick while the Comets were on the power play. In the last five minutes the Comets added two more as Harris scored his first goal of the season blasting a shot past the goalkeeper on a restart before Lucas Rodriguez ran onto a through ball by Assadpour that he fired over the goalkeeper into the corner to put the Comets up 8-2 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw the teams trade early goals with John Sosa scoring after a Missouri restart and Kentaro Takada redirecting a Chad Vandergriffe shot that made the score 9-3. From there the Ambush continued to pressure the Comets but were unable to find the net again. With all the pressure the Comets were able to hit on the counter as Touloute finished off his hattrick after a throw down field by goalkeeper, Boris Pardo to finish off the scoring at 10-3.
The Comets will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Chicago to play the Mustangs tomorrow night at the Sears Centre.
Season Review - Defenders - Once Again Injuries Plague the Back Line
Continuing to work up from the back on our review of the Sporting Kansas City season, we reach the defense. You can read my review of the goalkeeper position here. Sporting's defense in 2015 suffered one of the main issues that plagued the team during their 2014 run. Injuries were a big issue for the team with Chance Myers, Ike Opara, and Seth Sinovic, all three considered starters, missed considerable time due to different injuries. At one point in the season, KC had the best defensive record in the league, allowing the fewest goals in the league. Unfortunately after the 5-0 drubbing by San Jose, KC started leaking goals the rest of the season, allowing 20 over their last 12 games to finish the season with 45 goals against, the fourth most in the Western Conference.
The Players
Saad Abdul-Salaam - KC's second of three first round picks in the 2015 Superdraft, Abdul-Salaam started the season on loan with Jon Kempin at San Antonio, before being recalled in mid-May after starting five games for the NASL club. With injuries and squad rotation, Abdul-Salaam was able to get plenty of time over the course of the season at both left and right back as well as some time at winger to kill time late in some games. Abdul-Salaam improved so much over the course of the season that he displaced Jalil Anibaba who had started the 2015 season at right back with Chance Myers still recovering from injury. He finished second among KC's three rookies with 1,074 minutes played in league play, but down the stretch seemed at times to be preferred over his counterpart, Amadou Dia, even at left back.
Jalil Anibaba - Anibaba started the season as KC's starting right back after coming to the club as part of the Aurelien Collin trade with Orlando City. Anibaba did well enough for KC defensively and gave KC a big body for set pieces that helped in KC's 3-2 win over Philadelphia early in the season. He picked up a quadricep injury in early July that limited him the rest of the season. He only made one start after KC's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on 6/21, and that was against Seattle at home when KC rested the majority of their starters for the US Open Cup final. He made just two other appearances after his injury, both substitution appearances. His injury combined with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam to play right back made him a bit expendable.
Matt Besler - Despite the number of goals that KC allowed this year, Besler, Sporting KC's captain, may have had his best season with the club. He didn't get a ton of credit, but Besler took on a much larger role defensively this year. With Collin traded in the offseason, Ike Opara going down injured again, along with Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic, Besler at times had a lot more recovery work to do in settling the defense and keeping it organized, sometimes with two rookies and a converted wing back, and some times with a pair of rookies and a teenager with him. He did so playing the most league games he has since 2011. He also set a career high for assists this year, with only one coming from one of his long throws.
Marcel de Jong - 2015 probably wasn't the year that de Jong envisioned when he came to MLS. The Canadian international played in just 13 games for KC, starting 11 of them. Similar to Anibaba, de Jong saw his time late in the season really shrink. He made just three appearances for KC after the beginning of August, starting two games and coming on as a substitute in the 5-0 thrashing by San Jose. Like Anibaba with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam and Dia, de Jong could become expendable, but that may also depend on the long term health of Sinovic.
Amadou Dia - KC's other defensive rookie played the most minutes of any of KC's three first round picks, playing 1,317 minutes. Like his rookie counterpart, Abdul-Salaam, Dia kept more experienced wingbacks on the bench as the season went on with his play. Dia's minutes actually fell late in the season, like de Jong and Anibaba, as he lost minutes to Sinovic and Abdul-Salaam, but in the playoffs with both Sinovic and Myers hurt, Peter Vermes went with his two rookie outside backs. It speaks well of the strides that both players made in their rookie season.
Kevin Ellis - Speaking of strides, there's probably not one player on this list that made as big of strides this year as Ellis. KC's second homegrown player was once again thrust into a large number of minutes in 2015 due to injury. Once Opara went down, Ellis became Kansas City's starting center back next to Besler. Ellis played in a career high, 30 games, starting 28 of them, and played the fourth most minutes on the team, 2,335, behind only Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Dom Dwyer. And despite being listed at only 5'9", he was a major threat on set pieces, scoring four league goals this past year, good for fourth on the team, and added another in the playoffs, all with his head off of set pieces. For all the good work he did though he was also a point of contention with his play as he had poor play during the season which were really apparent because of the way KC played out of the back, either with poor passing or some poor choices when he would make runs forward. I think a lot of the anger though came from the fact that he was a converted wingback and KC didn't bring in another true central defender when Opara went down.
Chance Myers - Missed the first few months of the 2015 season still recovering from his Achillies tear that he suffered in 2014. When he did return, Myers was solid, but still struggled with some other injuries. He was limited to just 10 starts and 13 appears for KC. At times he still looked to be a step slower than his top speed before the injury, which isn't incredibly surprising given the nature of it. Next season is going to be big for Myers with a full preseason to continue to work back fully from his lingering injuries, and with the likes of Abdul-Salaam coming along last year he'll certainly be pushed for minutes.
Ike Opara - Looked set for a monster break out season in 2015, and fulfilling the potential that saw him go third overall in the 2010 MLS Superdraft. He was KC's leading goalscorer early in the season was a massive threat on set pieces and was a solid partner for Besler in defense. Unfortunately he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the sixth game of the season and his year was done. It's the four time in his five pro seasons that Opara has missed significant time with an injury. He's certainly a strong, very capable defender, but his inability to keep healthy is a risk that KC has to be running low on patience for. It's what made acquiring him from San Jose so cheap. I don't doubt that Opara will be back in 2016, but I think he's going to have a lot of competitions for the starting spot next to Besler next year. And if he does win it, he's going to be on a short leash. Another long term injury and he'll be gone.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting KC's youngest player had a career high in games played (7), started (4), and minutes (376). He missed time in 2015 while with the US U20 team at the U20 World Cup as well as other tournaments. when KC was struggling though Palmer-Brown had been unable to displace Ellis next to Besler in central defense. A bit of a concern, but the kid is still just 18. The hope at this point has to be that he either has a Matt Miazga break out season for Sporting or that he is loaned to the Swope Park Rangers to get regular playing time like will hopefully happen to Jon Kempin.
Seth Sinovic - Like his partner on the other wing, Myers, Sinovic missed quite a bit of time this year with injury. A concussion against DC United in early May caused him to miss the majority of the season as he didn't return until late August. When he did return though Sinovic didn't seem to be at the same level that he'd been at pre-injury. Judgment and speed just seemed a little off for him after the injury. Hopefully a full offseason and preseason will see him get back to his old level. But like Myers, he has a young player behind him in Dia that looks ready to step up.
Looking towards 2016
Robb Heineman stole a bit of my thunder yesterday when he mentioned how the team needed to find a high-quality center back. With Opara's injury history I'm not sure how much you can rely on him to be able to go in 2016. I'd like to have higher hopes for him, but he hasn't given much of a reason to with his injuries. He's a good player and would help out KC a lot if he was healthy. But that if has gotten a lot bigger as the years have gone on. And while Ellis didn't do a horrible job at center back, his position is one that Sporting really needs to look to upgrade in the offseason if they're wanting to compete for more trophies in 2016.
I'd like to see Palmer-Brown get more time next year, everyone from the club to the national team coaches talk up his ability and his high ceiling, in 2016 I'd hope we'd get to see more of it. He's shown flashes at times, but needs more game play to really step up. That seems more likely to happen at the USL level with the Rangers at this point though.
The other area that I think KC needs to address a little bit in the offseason is their depth at outside back. Not necessarily needing to add more to it, but actually to reduce some of the players the team currently has. At this time KC has six players currently whose primary position with the team is outside back. With Abdul Salaam, Anibaba, de Jong, Dia, Myers, and Sinovic all predominately outside backs, there's probably some space to cut some fat and cap space there. Outside Abdul-Salaam and Dia, they're all making over $100,000, ranging from Anibaba's $120,000 to de Jong's $180,000. Myers and Sinovic both have tenure with the team on their side, but Myers' injury issues again coming up and Sinovic's play post concussion have to give at least a little pause. Anibaba meanwhile is the least expensive of the experienced outside backs and did good, but not exceptional at that position early in the season. With de Jong, if he provides a lot more to the attack than the other five do, and is also able to play the wing position as he did against Columbus this year. At the same time, de Jong's Canadian citizenship may make him the most appealing trade, specifically for the Canadian clubs.
In the end, heading into 2016, KC needs to look to add a center back who can at the least be a replacement for Ellis and at best push and potentially beat out Opara for the starting job. Out wide it becomes a matter of needing to probably shed at least one of their outside backs.
The Players
Saad Abdul-Salaam - KC's second of three first round picks in the 2015 Superdraft, Abdul-Salaam started the season on loan with Jon Kempin at San Antonio, before being recalled in mid-May after starting five games for the NASL club. With injuries and squad rotation, Abdul-Salaam was able to get plenty of time over the course of the season at both left and right back as well as some time at winger to kill time late in some games. Abdul-Salaam improved so much over the course of the season that he displaced Jalil Anibaba who had started the 2015 season at right back with Chance Myers still recovering from injury. He finished second among KC's three rookies with 1,074 minutes played in league play, but down the stretch seemed at times to be preferred over his counterpart, Amadou Dia, even at left back.
Jalil Anibaba - Anibaba started the season as KC's starting right back after coming to the club as part of the Aurelien Collin trade with Orlando City. Anibaba did well enough for KC defensively and gave KC a big body for set pieces that helped in KC's 3-2 win over Philadelphia early in the season. He picked up a quadricep injury in early July that limited him the rest of the season. He only made one start after KC's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on 6/21, and that was against Seattle at home when KC rested the majority of their starters for the US Open Cup final. He made just two other appearances after his injury, both substitution appearances. His injury combined with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam to play right back made him a bit expendable.
Matt Besler - Despite the number of goals that KC allowed this year, Besler, Sporting KC's captain, may have had his best season with the club. He didn't get a ton of credit, but Besler took on a much larger role defensively this year. With Collin traded in the offseason, Ike Opara going down injured again, along with Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic, Besler at times had a lot more recovery work to do in settling the defense and keeping it organized, sometimes with two rookies and a converted wing back, and some times with a pair of rookies and a teenager with him. He did so playing the most league games he has since 2011. He also set a career high for assists this year, with only one coming from one of his long throws.
Marcel de Jong - 2015 probably wasn't the year that de Jong envisioned when he came to MLS. The Canadian international played in just 13 games for KC, starting 11 of them. Similar to Anibaba, de Jong saw his time late in the season really shrink. He made just three appearances for KC after the beginning of August, starting two games and coming on as a substitute in the 5-0 thrashing by San Jose. Like Anibaba with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam and Dia, de Jong could become expendable, but that may also depend on the long term health of Sinovic.
Amadou Dia - KC's other defensive rookie played the most minutes of any of KC's three first round picks, playing 1,317 minutes. Like his rookie counterpart, Abdul-Salaam, Dia kept more experienced wingbacks on the bench as the season went on with his play. Dia's minutes actually fell late in the season, like de Jong and Anibaba, as he lost minutes to Sinovic and Abdul-Salaam, but in the playoffs with both Sinovic and Myers hurt, Peter Vermes went with his two rookie outside backs. It speaks well of the strides that both players made in their rookie season.
Kevin Ellis - Speaking of strides, there's probably not one player on this list that made as big of strides this year as Ellis. KC's second homegrown player was once again thrust into a large number of minutes in 2015 due to injury. Once Opara went down, Ellis became Kansas City's starting center back next to Besler. Ellis played in a career high, 30 games, starting 28 of them, and played the fourth most minutes on the team, 2,335, behind only Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Dom Dwyer. And despite being listed at only 5'9", he was a major threat on set pieces, scoring four league goals this past year, good for fourth on the team, and added another in the playoffs, all with his head off of set pieces. For all the good work he did though he was also a point of contention with his play as he had poor play during the season which were really apparent because of the way KC played out of the back, either with poor passing or some poor choices when he would make runs forward. I think a lot of the anger though came from the fact that he was a converted wingback and KC didn't bring in another true central defender when Opara went down.
Chance Myers - Missed the first few months of the 2015 season still recovering from his Achillies tear that he suffered in 2014. When he did return, Myers was solid, but still struggled with some other injuries. He was limited to just 10 starts and 13 appears for KC. At times he still looked to be a step slower than his top speed before the injury, which isn't incredibly surprising given the nature of it. Next season is going to be big for Myers with a full preseason to continue to work back fully from his lingering injuries, and with the likes of Abdul-Salaam coming along last year he'll certainly be pushed for minutes.
Ike Opara - Looked set for a monster break out season in 2015, and fulfilling the potential that saw him go third overall in the 2010 MLS Superdraft. He was KC's leading goalscorer early in the season was a massive threat on set pieces and was a solid partner for Besler in defense. Unfortunately he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the sixth game of the season and his year was done. It's the four time in his five pro seasons that Opara has missed significant time with an injury. He's certainly a strong, very capable defender, but his inability to keep healthy is a risk that KC has to be running low on patience for. It's what made acquiring him from San Jose so cheap. I don't doubt that Opara will be back in 2016, but I think he's going to have a lot of competitions for the starting spot next to Besler next year. And if he does win it, he's going to be on a short leash. Another long term injury and he'll be gone.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting KC's youngest player had a career high in games played (7), started (4), and minutes (376). He missed time in 2015 while with the US U20 team at the U20 World Cup as well as other tournaments. when KC was struggling though Palmer-Brown had been unable to displace Ellis next to Besler in central defense. A bit of a concern, but the kid is still just 18. The hope at this point has to be that he either has a Matt Miazga break out season for Sporting or that he is loaned to the Swope Park Rangers to get regular playing time like will hopefully happen to Jon Kempin.
Seth Sinovic - Like his partner on the other wing, Myers, Sinovic missed quite a bit of time this year with injury. A concussion against DC United in early May caused him to miss the majority of the season as he didn't return until late August. When he did return though Sinovic didn't seem to be at the same level that he'd been at pre-injury. Judgment and speed just seemed a little off for him after the injury. Hopefully a full offseason and preseason will see him get back to his old level. But like Myers, he has a young player behind him in Dia that looks ready to step up.
Looking towards 2016
Robb Heineman stole a bit of my thunder yesterday when he mentioned how the team needed to find a high-quality center back. With Opara's injury history I'm not sure how much you can rely on him to be able to go in 2016. I'd like to have higher hopes for him, but he hasn't given much of a reason to with his injuries. He's a good player and would help out KC a lot if he was healthy. But that if has gotten a lot bigger as the years have gone on. And while Ellis didn't do a horrible job at center back, his position is one that Sporting really needs to look to upgrade in the offseason if they're wanting to compete for more trophies in 2016.
I'd like to see Palmer-Brown get more time next year, everyone from the club to the national team coaches talk up his ability and his high ceiling, in 2016 I'd hope we'd get to see more of it. He's shown flashes at times, but needs more game play to really step up. That seems more likely to happen at the USL level with the Rangers at this point though.
The other area that I think KC needs to address a little bit in the offseason is their depth at outside back. Not necessarily needing to add more to it, but actually to reduce some of the players the team currently has. At this time KC has six players currently whose primary position with the team is outside back. With Abdul Salaam, Anibaba, de Jong, Dia, Myers, and Sinovic all predominately outside backs, there's probably some space to cut some fat and cap space there. Outside Abdul-Salaam and Dia, they're all making over $100,000, ranging from Anibaba's $120,000 to de Jong's $180,000. Myers and Sinovic both have tenure with the team on their side, but Myers' injury issues again coming up and Sinovic's play post concussion have to give at least a little pause. Anibaba meanwhile is the least expensive of the experienced outside backs and did good, but not exceptional at that position early in the season. With de Jong, if he provides a lot more to the attack than the other five do, and is also able to play the wing position as he did against Columbus this year. At the same time, de Jong's Canadian citizenship may make him the most appealing trade, specifically for the Canadian clubs.
In the end, heading into 2016, KC needs to look to add a center back who can at the least be a replacement for Ellis and at best push and potentially beat out Opara for the starting job. Out wide it becomes a matter of needing to probably shed at least one of their outside backs.
Swope Park Rangers Name First Coach, First Player Signing
The Swope Park Rangers, Sporting KC's USL team, today announced the club's first head coach and their first player signing. The team confirmed rumors that have been around for the last couple months about their head coach, as Marc Dos Santos was named the team's first coach. Dos Santos joins the Rangers from the Ottawa Fury, where he'd spent the last two seasons coaching the NASL side. This past season he won coach of the year helping lead the Fury to the NASL title game while finishing first in the fall season. He finished with a record of 22-18-17 with Ottawa, going 15-4-11 this season. From everyone that I've seen talk about Dos Santos, that follow him and the Fury more closely than I do, this is a steal, Dos Santos seems to be a very smart coach that will bring a lot of the same things that Peter Vermes brought to Sporting KC, but also new ideas as well.
Also as part of Dos Santos signing on with the Swope Park Rangers is that he will become an assistant for Peter Vermes and Sporting KC at the same time. This makes the deal look that much better.
Also as part of Dos Santos signing on with the Swope Park Rangers is that he will become an assistant for Peter Vermes and Sporting KC at the same time. This makes the deal look that much better.
The club also announced today the signing of their first player. Returning to Kansas City after being waived last year, Christian Duke was the Swope Park Rangers first player signing. Duke spent two years with Sporting KC, never appearing for the first team in a league game. He spent a lot of time those two years on loan with Sporting's two USL affiliates, Orlando City and Oklahoma City Energy. After being waived by Sporting, Duke signed on with the Energy for the 2015 season, becoming a key part of their 2015 run to the Western Conference finals.
It is two strong starts for the club as they build for the 2016 season.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Heineman Talks DPs, Everton, the Offseason, and More
Robb Heineman is always good for some interesting information in the majority of his interviews. Usually you can get information regarding the team's plans for the future and some insight into what the team is looking at. His recent interview with ProSoccer Talk that came out today is no exception as Heineman provides insight on new a new designated player, Everton, the offseason, the Swope Park Rangers, and other things.
On the topic of Sporting Club purchasing EPL side Everton FC, Heineman stated a lot of the same things that he did when the news originally came out. He talked about how they'd been interested over the summer but it's not something that they were actively pursuing. Heineman talked about American owners moving into the EPL and said that he wouldn't be surprised to see more, and again stated that if anyone in Sporting Club gets involved with an EPL team, it will likely be as a group.
In terms of the offseason, Heineman lamented the teams dip in form down the stretch for the second straight season. He talked about the ability to have gone further if they'd have been able to secure home field advantage, and even if they had been able to beat Portland he felt that things lined up well for Sporting KC to make it to MLS. But looking towards next year Heineman said the team had two specific areas that the team felt they must strengthen before next year. Heineman talked about how the team had more depth this and talked up the club's three rookies, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, and Connor Hallisey, but lamented the lack of an impact substitute off the bench when they needed a shot in the arm for the offense. So one of the things the team feels they need is some attacking depth. It's an area that many fans have called for the team to address. The other area that the team felt they needed to focus on in Heineman's words was central defender, where he said "bringing in another high-quality central defender is going to make some sense for us."
With Ike Opara going down with a second straight season ending injury, and the fourth of his career, it is hard to argue that point. While Kevin Ellis performed well, it's an area that you'd be hard pressed to argue that KC doesn't need to address.
On the Swope Park Rangers, Heineman said that the club is looking at their USL team as a developmental tool for their players first. Bridging the gap between the academy and the first team is what the Rangers are looking to focus on. He talked up the relationship that Sporting has had with their two affiliates, Orlando and Oklahoma City, but emphasized that with players there it isn't purely focused on player development and that now the two teams can train on the same field. Heineman also talked about the coaching staff being announced on Friday, with rumors being that it will be former Ottawa Fury coach, Marco dos Santos who just left the club after they made a run to the Soccer Bowl.
On the big talking point of the designated player, Heineman talked about a new direction the team is going with regards to finding their next designated player. All four of the team's prior designated players that weren't prompted from within (Claudio Lopez, Omar Bravo, Jeferson, Claudio Bieler) have all come from Mexico or South America. While all but Jeferson have had some measure of success while here, they haven't fully lived up to the billing of a designated player. Instead, Heineman says that Sporting is focused on Europe, specifically Eastern Europe along with Spain and Portugal. Heineman touted their working relationship with Barcelona B as well as the success that another Eastern European, Krisztian Nemeth, has had with Sporting KC as reasons for this change in scouting. Heineman also explained how the team won't be going after the Andrea Pirlo's or Steven Gerrard's of the world, that it is not their formula. He also explained that the players they're looking to bring in will require either the Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) or require them to be designated players. With two DPs already on the roster, KC could be looking to pay down one of Matt Besler or Graham Zusi, or both to bring in these potential signings.
On the topic of Sporting Club purchasing EPL side Everton FC, Heineman stated a lot of the same things that he did when the news originally came out. He talked about how they'd been interested over the summer but it's not something that they were actively pursuing. Heineman talked about American owners moving into the EPL and said that he wouldn't be surprised to see more, and again stated that if anyone in Sporting Club gets involved with an EPL team, it will likely be as a group.
In terms of the offseason, Heineman lamented the teams dip in form down the stretch for the second straight season. He talked about the ability to have gone further if they'd have been able to secure home field advantage, and even if they had been able to beat Portland he felt that things lined up well for Sporting KC to make it to MLS. But looking towards next year Heineman said the team had two specific areas that the team felt they must strengthen before next year. Heineman talked about how the team had more depth this and talked up the club's three rookies, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, and Connor Hallisey, but lamented the lack of an impact substitute off the bench when they needed a shot in the arm for the offense. So one of the things the team feels they need is some attacking depth. It's an area that many fans have called for the team to address. The other area that the team felt they needed to focus on in Heineman's words was central defender, where he said "bringing in another high-quality central defender is going to make some sense for us."
With Ike Opara going down with a second straight season ending injury, and the fourth of his career, it is hard to argue that point. While Kevin Ellis performed well, it's an area that you'd be hard pressed to argue that KC doesn't need to address.
On the Swope Park Rangers, Heineman said that the club is looking at their USL team as a developmental tool for their players first. Bridging the gap between the academy and the first team is what the Rangers are looking to focus on. He talked up the relationship that Sporting has had with their two affiliates, Orlando and Oklahoma City, but emphasized that with players there it isn't purely focused on player development and that now the two teams can train on the same field. Heineman also talked about the coaching staff being announced on Friday, with rumors being that it will be former Ottawa Fury coach, Marco dos Santos who just left the club after they made a run to the Soccer Bowl.
Overall there's a lot of really good information in the interview with Heineman and is well worth the full read.
Sporting KC and Children's Mercy Announce Partnership, Sporting Park Now Children's Mercy Park
Sporting Kansas City and Children's Mercy Hospital today announced a long term partnership "to promote health and fitness among Kansas City-area schoolchildren and provide specialized sports medicine to a youth athlete market that has experienced a substantial increase in sports-related injuries."
The partnership will also give Children's Mercy exclusive naming rights to Sporting Park, which will be renamed Children's Mercy Park. It also gives Children's Mercy the naming rights to the team's training center as well as the championship field at the Swope Soccer Village. It'll be the third official name for the stadium since its completion back in 2011 when it was LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
The partnership is a 10 year agreement that will begin in 2016 and will focus on three areas; improving access to pediatric-trained sports medicine, strengthing community, protecting youth athletes and educating parents and coaches. And while there's plenty of PR speak in the release about these sections I don't doubt that much of this will be done. On the first point, Children's Mercy will open a sports medicine and rehabilitation center at the National Training Center when it opens.
Having one of the best medical centers for children in the country opening a center in a facility that will very likely be used by US youth national teams over the years (along with SKC academy and other children) is a no brainer. As for strengthing the community, it's a lot of PR speak, but this will strength Sporting's connection with Children's Mercy, especially with the Victory Project. And on the protecting youth athletes point, Children's Mercy will develop a "soccer-specific curriculum" for the Sporting Club Network as well as providing training, rehabilitation, and conditioning program for the academy.
Having one of the best medical centers for children in the country opening a center in a facility that will very likely be used by US youth national teams over the years (along with SKC academy and other children) is a no brainer. As for strengthing the community, it's a lot of PR speak, but this will strength Sporting's connection with Children's Mercy, especially with the Victory Project. And on the protecting youth athletes point, Children's Mercy will develop a "soccer-specific curriculum" for the Sporting Club Network as well as providing training, rehabilitation, and conditioning program for the academy.
The partnership will also give Children's Mercy exclusive naming rights to Sporting Park, which will be renamed Children's Mercy Park. It also gives Children's Mercy the naming rights to the team's training center as well as the championship field at the Swope Soccer Village. It'll be the third official name for the stadium since its completion back in 2011 when it was LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
Overall I don't think SKC could have done any better with their new name for the stadium. Children's Mercy is a fantastic hospital and working with them on this seems to be a no brainer.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Melia Wins Award, Trialists Coming to Town
MLS continues to slowly announce their end of season awards for players. Today they announced the winner of this year's Comeback Player of the Year award. Sporting KC's Tim Melia was given the award after "coming back" from basically being out of the game. Last year Melia had started the season with Chivas USA before being waived and becoming a league goalkeeper. Melia became a league goalkeeper and spent time with Kansas City during their goalkeeping issues in 2014. Signed to KC during the offseason, Melia started the season as KC's back up to Luis Marin. After Marin's issues adjusting to MLS Melia took over the starting job and played 23 of the final 26 games for Kansas City.
Melia beat out Diego Valeri and Will Trapp who were the other two finalists. Of the three, Melia finished third in the player vote with Trapp and Valeri tying for first. The media vote is where Melia ran away with things, getting over 30% of the vote there. In front office voting, Melia finished second behind Valeri in the top three.
Melia becomes the fourth KC player to win the award, and the fifth time KC has brought the award home. Tony Meola won the award in 2000, Chris Klein won it in both 2002 and 2005, while Eddie Johnson won it in 2007.
Trialists coming to town
Peter Vermes makes a habit of regularly bringing in trialists to look at. More often than not those players come in with no one knowing and leave the same way. Some times though the names of players get out, like this time where Guyanese player Daniel Wilson and Dominican player Julian Wade are apparently coming on a trial.
Both players currently play in Guyana, Wilson for Alpha United, a club that regularly has won the league championship in recent years and has participated in the CONCACAF Champions League. Wilson according to the article is the club's captain at only 22 and has already appeared 12 times for his country, scoring a goal in 2018 World Cup qualifying against St. Vincent and Grenadines.
Wade plays for Slingerz FC in Guyana, and has spent his entire career in the Caribbean. Before moving to Slingerz, the 25 year old played for Caledonia AIA in Trinidad. He has also appeared three times for Dominica, scoring twice in that time.
The article says that the pair were invited to an "invite only" three day trial November 21 through 23 at the suggestion of former Kansas City forward, and Guyana native, Alex Bunbury. Two of those three days are also the tryout dates for Sporting's USL side, the Swope Park Rangers. So while the pair may be getting a bit of a closer look, this feels more like the two will be trying out more so for the Rangers.
Melia beat out Diego Valeri and Will Trapp who were the other two finalists. Of the three, Melia finished third in the player vote with Trapp and Valeri tying for first. The media vote is where Melia ran away with things, getting over 30% of the vote there. In front office voting, Melia finished second behind Valeri in the top three.
Melia becomes the fourth KC player to win the award, and the fifth time KC has brought the award home. Tony Meola won the award in 2000, Chris Klein won it in both 2002 and 2005, while Eddie Johnson won it in 2007.
Trialists coming to town
Peter Vermes makes a habit of regularly bringing in trialists to look at. More often than not those players come in with no one knowing and leave the same way. Some times though the names of players get out, like this time where Guyanese player Daniel Wilson and Dominican player Julian Wade are apparently coming on a trial.
Both players currently play in Guyana, Wilson for Alpha United, a club that regularly has won the league championship in recent years and has participated in the CONCACAF Champions League. Wilson according to the article is the club's captain at only 22 and has already appeared 12 times for his country, scoring a goal in 2018 World Cup qualifying against St. Vincent and Grenadines.
Wade plays for Slingerz FC in Guyana, and has spent his entire career in the Caribbean. Before moving to Slingerz, the 25 year old played for Caledonia AIA in Trinidad. He has also appeared three times for Dominica, scoring twice in that time.
The article says that the pair were invited to an "invite only" three day trial November 21 through 23 at the suggestion of former Kansas City forward, and Guyana native, Alex Bunbury. Two of those three days are also the tryout dates for Sporting's USL side, the Swope Park Rangers. So while the pair may be getting a bit of a closer look, this feels more like the two will be trying out more so for the Rangers.
Meola Lead Candidate for Jacksonville Job - Former SKC Wizards Update
Tony Meola could be getting his first head coaching gig. The former KC goalkeeper and league MVP is apparently the leading candidate to take over the Jacksonville Armada of the NASL. Back in September, the Armada fired their head coach, Guillermo Hoyos, the club's first head coach. Now it appears that Meola could get his first crack at a coaching gig if things come off with the Armada.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Mitchell Cardenas
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Season over.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Season over.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Season over.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Season over.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 2-1 win over Guatemala and in their 0-0 draw with the USA.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Season over.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Season over.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Season over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - No game this week.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - No game this week.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Season over.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Season over.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season over.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - No game this week.
Sal Zizzo - New York - No game this week.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Season over.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale -
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Season over.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Season over.
US
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Season over.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Season over.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Season over.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Season over.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Season over.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Yomby William - Richmond - Season over.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Played in Tacoma's 7-2 win over Turlock, their 9-5 win over Sacramento, and their 4-3 win over Sacramento.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 9-7 loss to Chicago.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Had 2 assists in Baltimore's 6-0 win over Syracuse.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Played in Dallas' 8-6 loss to Missouri.
Boris Pardo - Missouri -Played in Missouri's 8-6 win over Dallas and 11-1 win over Harrisburg.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - No game this week.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 1-0 win over Atlas.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in Belen's 1-0 loss to Perez Zeledon.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Dressed but did not play in Mumbai's 0-0 draw with Pune City. Started and played 90 minutes in Mumbai's 7-0 loss to Goa.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Drew San Telmo 2-2.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Came off the bench and played 24 minutes in Leganes' 3-0 win over Alcorcon.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - No game this week.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Defeated Boys Town 2-1.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - No game this week.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - Did not dress in Macae's 4-3 win over Atletico Go.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game this week.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - No game this week.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - No game this week.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - No game this week.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - No game this week.
Soony Saad - BEC Tero Sasana FC - Thailand - Lost 1-0 to Bangkok United.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minute sin Wuppertaler's 3-1 win over TSV Meerbusch.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Started and played 68 minutes in Deveronvale's 1-0 win over Fraserburgh.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Started and played 90 minutes in the Philippines' 2-0 loss to Bahrain. Started and played 90 minutes in the Philippines' 1-0 loss to Yemen.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - No game this week.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 88 minutes, scoring a goal in Saarbrucken's 3-0 win over Saar Saarbrucken.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Mitchell Cardenas
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Season over.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Season over.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Season over.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Season over.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 2-1 win over Guatemala and in their 0-0 draw with the USA.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Season over.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Season over.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Season over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - No game this week.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - No game this week.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Season over.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Season over.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season over.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - No game this week.
Sal Zizzo - New York - No game this week.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Season over.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale -
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Season over.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Season over.
US
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Season over.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Season over.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Season over.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Season over.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Season over.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Yomby William - Richmond - Season over.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Played in Tacoma's 7-2 win over Turlock, their 9-5 win over Sacramento, and their 4-3 win over Sacramento.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 9-7 loss to Chicago.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Had 2 assists in Baltimore's 6-0 win over Syracuse.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Played in Dallas' 8-6 loss to Missouri.
Boris Pardo - Missouri -Played in Missouri's 8-6 win over Dallas and 11-1 win over Harrisburg.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - No game this week.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 1-0 win over Atlas.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in Belen's 1-0 loss to Perez Zeledon.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Dressed but did not play in Mumbai's 0-0 draw with Pune City. Started and played 90 minutes in Mumbai's 7-0 loss to Goa.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Drew San Telmo 2-2.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Came off the bench and played 24 minutes in Leganes' 3-0 win over Alcorcon.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - No game this week.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Defeated Boys Town 2-1.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - No game this week.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - Did not dress in Macae's 4-3 win over Atletico Go.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game this week.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - No game this week.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - No game this week.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - No game this week.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - No game this week.
Soony Saad - BEC Tero Sasana FC - Thailand - Lost 1-0 to Bangkok United.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minute sin Wuppertaler's 3-1 win over TSV Meerbusch.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Started and played 68 minutes in Deveronvale's 1-0 win over Fraserburgh.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Started and played 90 minutes in the Philippines' 2-0 loss to Bahrain. Started and played 90 minutes in the Philippines' 1-0 loss to Yemen.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - No game this week.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 88 minutes, scoring a goal in Saarbrucken's 3-0 win over Saar Saarbrucken.
Sporting's CONCACAF Internationals Go Winless
Sporting KC's three CONCACAF internationals all started last night for their countries in World Cup qualifiers, unfortunately though none of them were able to pick up a win. Matt Besler, Marcel de Jong, and Soni Mustivar all started for the US, Canada, and Haiti in the second match of the fourth round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The US and Canada had both picked up wins in their first game while Haiti had lost on the road to Costa Rica in their first game.
Last night it was the first road game for both the US and Canada. The US took on Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain. Besler started for the US again, partnering Geoff Cameron in the middle of the USA's defense. The pair was solid for the US all night working to keep Trinidad striker Kenwyne Jones in check. At the other end of the field though the USA struggled offensively. It certainly wasn't a pretty game for the US and ended 0-0, but they'll take the point on the road and will remain strong favorites to advance out of the group.
Canada's first road trip was in San Salvador where they played an El Salvador team that has players on strike. De Jong once again started at left back for Canada as they too escaped with a road point. Like the US, Canada now has four points from their first two games. They now sit second in their group behind Mexico, who has six points.
Mustivar and Haiti weren't as lucky at home against Jamaica. After a strong Gold Cup it was thought that Haiti could make Group B a real group of death in CONCACAF that could see Costa Rica or Panama upset and not make the Hex. Haiti though suffered a 1-0 loss at home last night in Port-au-Prince to Jamaica which now leaves them rooted at the foot of the group after two games. Mustivar started for the Haitians in his traditional midfield position.
Qualifying is now done until March when the US will take on Guatemala in a pair of games, Canada will play Mexico, and Haiti will play Panama.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Season Review - Goalkeepers
Just about three weeks ago, Sporting Kansas City's 2015 season came to a close in a penalty kick shootout against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. A season that started out promising with Kansas City being in the running for the Supporters' Shield and having a strong US Open Cup run, fizzled by the end of the season, but not without KC taking home their third trophy in four years as they lifted the 2015 US Open Cup in a shootout over the Philadelphia Union. Now that we've all had a chance to come down and get some separation from the season it's time to take a look at Sporting KC's roster this season and take a quick look at 2015.
I figured I'd break these down positions over a couple posts. We'll start in the back and move forward, so today I'm looking at goalkeepers. In 2015 it looked like KC found a starting goalkeeper to replace Jimmy Nielsen, but it wasn't who anyone expected. Sporting KC started the season with Luis Marin in goal, and the Chilean had some decent moments, but also looked incredibly shaky at times coming for crosses and missing, and being very eager to race off his line. After some poor results, more than one fan was calling for back up Tim Melia to get a chance. Lots of people like to make the "backup quarterback" argument about back up goalkeepers as well in that he's a team's favorite player when the starting goalkeeper is doing poorly. In KC's case though it turned out to be true, Melia stepped in after eight games and made the position his. After a month or so of sitting on the bench, Marin was released and returned to Chile. To replace Marin on the senior roster, Sporting recalled homegrown goalkeeper, Jon Kempin from his loan to NASL side, the San Antonio Scorpions. Kempin made three league starts this year in place of Melia when he was hurt and also came on as a substitute in the playoff game against Portland.
The Players
Jon Kempin - KC's first homegrown goalkeeper finished his sixth professional season tying his career high for starts with three and appearances with four. He played well in his three starts, going 1-1-1 in Orlando and at home against Dallas and Seattle, making six saves on 11 shots. Where he really shined though was in the playoff game against Portland. Coming on after Melia had suffered a head injury, Kempin performed well in overtime and was left with little he could have done on Portland's equalizer. In penalty kicks he made three saves on Portland penalty kicks, twice in sudden death giving KC the chance to win but the shooters were unable to capitalize on it.
For 2016 for Kempin the big thing is to get him consistent playing time. At 22 he really needs to start getting games every week, and if Melia is going to be the starter next year I want Kempin to spend the entire season in goal for the Swope Park Rangers on loan. He needs professional games and that is likely to be the best spot for him to get them at this point. The other big thing is that Kempin is one of two players who are out of contract for Kansas City, so before all that the key will be getting Kempin signed to a new contract to keep him in Kansas City.
Luis Marin - Joined KC in the offseason before the 2015 season and was expected to be the starter from day 1 after having a successful career in Chile that included being named to Chile's 2010 World Cup roster. Despite Peter Vermes' comments that there was a competition, most fans knew the job was Marin's to start the season. Marin started the first eight games of the season, going 2-2-4 and recorded two shutouts for KC. Overall I'm not sure that Marin couldn't have been a successful in MLS I'm just not sure that he would have ever been fully successful in KC's system. He struggled with claiming crosses and corners and at times almost seemed reckless in how fast he came off of his line.
Finally benched after the 4-4 draw with Houston where he gave up a near post goal from 30 plus yards out, he was never able to get his spot back. Vermes deserves credit here for pulling the plug when things weren't working and going with a different goalkeeper.
Tim Melia - The man who took over for Marin after he couldn't lock down the starting spot, Melia made it his own. Taking over for Marin after the first eight games of the season, Melia started 23 of the remaining 26 league games for KC, posting an 11-8-4 record with a goal difference of 1.22 and eight shutouts. Melia also started all five of KC's US Open Cup games on the way to winning the 2015 edition, making two saves in the shootout to help KC win. Melia proved to be a good shot stopper, saving 75% of the shots he faced, while at the same time having control of his area. The combination of the two is something that KC has really struggled with in goal over the last few years, even with Nielsen in goal. KC's had players who were good with stuff in the air (Eric Kronberg) and guys that were good shot stoppers (Nielsen), but Sporting hasn't really had a player that did both the way Melia did for KC this season. Any other season and Melia is likely your team MVP.
Looking Towards 2016
While there are not as many questions about the goalkeeping position this offseason as there was in 2014, there are still a number of them. Melia is under contract for the 2015 season, but probably deserves a bit of a raise after his performance in goal. Keeping Kempin should be a priority for the team; he's improved each season and has started to look really confident in goal for KC. That said, once he is under contract, he needs to spend the entire season with the Swope Park Rangers. Kempin needs to play 20 plus games next year at least, he really needs to get games to continue his development at this point. KC also needs to add a third goalkeeper, someone who is likely to be cheap and can sit on the bench while Melia starts. I'd personally lean towards a goalkeeper from the lower divisions that has some experience starting to give some confidence in goal in Open Cup games and if Melia comes up with an injury over a rookie who you'll stall developmental wise since you're giving the minutes with SPR to Kempin.
I figured I'd break these down positions over a couple posts. We'll start in the back and move forward, so today I'm looking at goalkeepers. In 2015 it looked like KC found a starting goalkeeper to replace Jimmy Nielsen, but it wasn't who anyone expected. Sporting KC started the season with Luis Marin in goal, and the Chilean had some decent moments, but also looked incredibly shaky at times coming for crosses and missing, and being very eager to race off his line. After some poor results, more than one fan was calling for back up Tim Melia to get a chance. Lots of people like to make the "backup quarterback" argument about back up goalkeepers as well in that he's a team's favorite player when the starting goalkeeper is doing poorly. In KC's case though it turned out to be true, Melia stepped in after eight games and made the position his. After a month or so of sitting on the bench, Marin was released and returned to Chile. To replace Marin on the senior roster, Sporting recalled homegrown goalkeeper, Jon Kempin from his loan to NASL side, the San Antonio Scorpions. Kempin made three league starts this year in place of Melia when he was hurt and also came on as a substitute in the playoff game against Portland.
The Players
Jon Kempin - KC's first homegrown goalkeeper finished his sixth professional season tying his career high for starts with three and appearances with four. He played well in his three starts, going 1-1-1 in Orlando and at home against Dallas and Seattle, making six saves on 11 shots. Where he really shined though was in the playoff game against Portland. Coming on after Melia had suffered a head injury, Kempin performed well in overtime and was left with little he could have done on Portland's equalizer. In penalty kicks he made three saves on Portland penalty kicks, twice in sudden death giving KC the chance to win but the shooters were unable to capitalize on it.
For 2016 for Kempin the big thing is to get him consistent playing time. At 22 he really needs to start getting games every week, and if Melia is going to be the starter next year I want Kempin to spend the entire season in goal for the Swope Park Rangers on loan. He needs professional games and that is likely to be the best spot for him to get them at this point. The other big thing is that Kempin is one of two players who are out of contract for Kansas City, so before all that the key will be getting Kempin signed to a new contract to keep him in Kansas City.
Luis Marin - Joined KC in the offseason before the 2015 season and was expected to be the starter from day 1 after having a successful career in Chile that included being named to Chile's 2010 World Cup roster. Despite Peter Vermes' comments that there was a competition, most fans knew the job was Marin's to start the season. Marin started the first eight games of the season, going 2-2-4 and recorded two shutouts for KC. Overall I'm not sure that Marin couldn't have been a successful in MLS I'm just not sure that he would have ever been fully successful in KC's system. He struggled with claiming crosses and corners and at times almost seemed reckless in how fast he came off of his line.
Finally benched after the 4-4 draw with Houston where he gave up a near post goal from 30 plus yards out, he was never able to get his spot back. Vermes deserves credit here for pulling the plug when things weren't working and going with a different goalkeeper.
Tim Melia - The man who took over for Marin after he couldn't lock down the starting spot, Melia made it his own. Taking over for Marin after the first eight games of the season, Melia started 23 of the remaining 26 league games for KC, posting an 11-8-4 record with a goal difference of 1.22 and eight shutouts. Melia also started all five of KC's US Open Cup games on the way to winning the 2015 edition, making two saves in the shootout to help KC win. Melia proved to be a good shot stopper, saving 75% of the shots he faced, while at the same time having control of his area. The combination of the two is something that KC has really struggled with in goal over the last few years, even with Nielsen in goal. KC's had players who were good with stuff in the air (Eric Kronberg) and guys that were good shot stoppers (Nielsen), but Sporting hasn't really had a player that did both the way Melia did for KC this season. Any other season and Melia is likely your team MVP.
Looking Towards 2016
While there are not as many questions about the goalkeeping position this offseason as there was in 2014, there are still a number of them. Melia is under contract for the 2015 season, but probably deserves a bit of a raise after his performance in goal. Keeping Kempin should be a priority for the team; he's improved each season and has started to look really confident in goal for KC. That said, once he is under contract, he needs to spend the entire season with the Swope Park Rangers. Kempin needs to play 20 plus games next year at least, he really needs to get games to continue his development at this point. KC also needs to add a third goalkeeper, someone who is likely to be cheap and can sit on the bench while Melia starts. I'd personally lean towards a goalkeeper from the lower divisions that has some experience starting to give some confidence in goal in Open Cup games and if Melia comes up with an injury over a rookie who you'll stall developmental wise since you're giving the minutes with SPR to Kempin.
Monday, November 16, 2015
13 Academy Players Make NCAA Tournament - SKC Academy Update
The NCAA announced the 48 teams that will be competing for the NCAA championship in the Division 1 tournament. Thirteen of Sporting's academy players in college qualified for the tournament from nine different schools. Of those 13 players, eight of them are regular contributors for their school at six different schools. Five of the eight players play for schools that picked up byes, including fifth seeded UNC with Andy Lopez and Zach Wright, 12th seeded Creighton with Eric DeJulio, 13th seeded Denver with Cole Stevenson, and 15th seeded UCSB with Seo-In Kim.
Here's the full update.
Class of 2012
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Started Bradley's 1-0 loss to Drake.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started both Creighton's 2-1 win over Providence and their 2-1 OT loss to Georgetown.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Started both Loyola's 1-0 win over Missouri State and their 0-0 (4-3) shootout loss to SIU-Edwardsville.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Did not play in any of Dayton's games.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started both Baker's 2-1 win over Grand View and their 2-1 OT loss to Missouri Valley.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Season over.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Season over.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Season over.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started and had a goal in Rockhurst's 3-0 win over Cedarville.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Did not play in UCSB's 1-0 win over UC Davis. Came on as a substitute in UCSB's 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Season over.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Season over.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Season over.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal Poly's 3-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - No game this week.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Season over.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in Missouri State's 1-0 loss to Loyola.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in Missouri State's 1-0 loss to Loyola.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in Colorado's 2-1 win over St. Edward's.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Started West Virginia's 3-2 loss to Akron.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Came on as a substitute in Drake's 2-0 win over Central Arkansas and their 1-0 win over Bradley. Started Drake's 1-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started both Baker's 2-1 win over Grand View and their 2-1 OT loss to Missouri Valley.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Started both Fordham's 1-0 win over Massachusetts and 1-0 loss to VCU.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - No game this week.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Started West Virginia's 3-2 loss to Akron.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Came on as a substitute and scored a goal in Denver's 4-0 win over Western Illinois and came on as a substitute in Denver's 2-0 win over Oral Roberts.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - No game this week.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in any of Drake's games.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Xavier's 1-0 loss to Georgetown.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Ohio State's games.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Creighton's games.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started and scored a goal in Drake's 2-0 win over Central Arkansas, started and scored a goal in Drake's 1-0 win over Bradley, and started their 1-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville..
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in either of Notre Dame's games.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Season over.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in either of UNLV's games.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Started West Virginia's 3-2 loss to Akron.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Season over.
Here's the full update.
Class of 2012
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Started Bradley's 1-0 loss to Drake.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started both Creighton's 2-1 win over Providence and their 2-1 OT loss to Georgetown.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Started both Loyola's 1-0 win over Missouri State and their 0-0 (4-3) shootout loss to SIU-Edwardsville.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Did not play in any of Dayton's games.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started both Baker's 2-1 win over Grand View and their 2-1 OT loss to Missouri Valley.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Season over.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Season over.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Season over.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Season over.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started and had a goal in Rockhurst's 3-0 win over Cedarville.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - Did not play in UCSB's 1-0 win over UC Davis. Came on as a substitute in UCSB's 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Season over.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Season over.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Season over.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal Poly's 3-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - No game this week.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Season over.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in Missouri State's 1-0 loss to Loyola.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in Missouri State's 1-0 loss to Loyola.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in Colorado's 2-1 win over St. Edward's.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Started West Virginia's 3-2 loss to Akron.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Came on as a substitute in Drake's 2-0 win over Central Arkansas and their 1-0 win over Bradley. Started Drake's 1-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started both Baker's 2-1 win over Grand View and their 2-1 OT loss to Missouri Valley.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Started both Fordham's 1-0 win over Massachusetts and 1-0 loss to VCU.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - No game this week.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Started West Virginia's 3-2 loss to Akron.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Came on as a substitute and scored a goal in Denver's 4-0 win over Western Illinois and came on as a substitute in Denver's 2-0 win over Oral Roberts.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - No game this week.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in any of Drake's games.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Xavier's 1-0 loss to Georgetown.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Ohio State's games.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Creighton's games.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started and scored a goal in Drake's 2-0 win over Central Arkansas, started and scored a goal in Drake's 1-0 win over Bradley, and started their 1-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville..
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in either of Notre Dame's games.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Season over.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in either of UNLV's games.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Started West Virginia's 3-2 loss to Akron.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Season over.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Season over.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Nemeth and Hungary Qualify for 2016 Euros
Heading into the second leg in Budapest today, Hungary had to be considered big favorites against the visiting Norway after pulling off a 1-0 win in Oslo on Thursday. Hungary made good on being the favorites in Budapest and beat Norway 2-1 to advance to next summer's European Championship in France. Sporting KC's Krisztian Nemeth, who started the first leg in Oslo was on the bench for the return leg. Like in Oslo, Hungary grabbed an early lead, this time Tamas Priskin, who raced onto a ball down field, cut insider his defender and fired a ball into the far corner to put Hungary 1-0 up on the night, and 2-0 up on aggregate. The goal eliminated the chance of extra time and guaranteed that Norway would have to score twice to advance.
Norway continued to push but thanks to the post and goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, Norway was kept off the board. Nemeth entered the game for Hungary in the 74th minute as they searched for an insurance goal. That goal came in the 83rd minute when a corner was knocked into the net by Norway's Markus Henriksen to put Norway up 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate, virtually punching their ticket for France. Norway did make a bit of a game of it in the 87th when Henriksen scored one on the other end after Kiraly had made another save. Norway though couldn't find two more goals to win the match up and Norway advanced. The win will see Hungary end a 44 year absence from the European Championship, and a 30 year absence from major international competition.
The tournament next year kicks off on June 10th and runs through July 10th, right in the middle of KC's MLS season. If Nemeth were to be named to the roster for the tournament he'd miss probably all of June, potentially part of late May, and part of July depending on how well Hungary does. The group stage at the latest would end on June 22nd for Hungary. So that's a lot of time that KC would have to deal without Nemeth, similar to KC's having to deal without Miklos Molnar back in 2000 when the Danish striker was part of Denmark's 2000 Euros run. Nemeth would become the second KC player to represent his country at the Euros, after Molnar, if Nemeth makes the final roster.
Norway continued to push but thanks to the post and goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, Norway was kept off the board. Nemeth entered the game for Hungary in the 74th minute as they searched for an insurance goal. That goal came in the 83rd minute when a corner was knocked into the net by Norway's Markus Henriksen to put Norway up 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate, virtually punching their ticket for France. Norway did make a bit of a game of it in the 87th when Henriksen scored one on the other end after Kiraly had made another save. Norway though couldn't find two more goals to win the match up and Norway advanced. The win will see Hungary end a 44 year absence from the European Championship, and a 30 year absence from major international competition.
The tournament next year kicks off on June 10th and runs through July 10th, right in the middle of KC's MLS season. If Nemeth were to be named to the roster for the tournament he'd miss probably all of June, potentially part of late May, and part of July depending on how well Hungary does. The group stage at the latest would end on June 22nd for Hungary. So that's a lot of time that KC would have to deal without Nemeth, similar to KC's having to deal without Miklos Molnar back in 2000 when the Danish striker was part of Denmark's 2000 Euros run. Nemeth would become the second KC player to represent his country at the Euros, after Molnar, if Nemeth makes the final roster.
Comets Remain Unbeaten on Season
Last season the Missouri Comets were blowing almost everyone away in the regular season, winning most of their games by at least eight goals. This season so far the Comets had been in games that have been much more back and forth with wins against Cedar Rapids and Dallas. In Harrisburg last night against the Heat though the Comets were back to winning big, blowing out Harrisburg 11-1 on the road.
The Comets jumped on top of the Heat early as Vahid Assadpour and Leo Gibson both scored early on to put Missouri up 2-0. Before the half way point of the quarter the Heat had gotten a goal of their own, but it would be all the Heat would get on the night. By the end of the quarter, John Sosa had scored and Missouri was up 3-1.
The second quarter saw the Comets add to their lead, but only once as Lucas Rodriguez scored off an assist from Stefan Stokic and the Comets went into the half up 4-1.
Early in the second half Assadpour again scored early, this time on the power play, an area that the Comets have struggled with this season after leading the league in power play conversion last season. Bryan Perez would make it 6-1 before four minutes had passed in the quarter. Between the third and fourth quarter though Gibson apparently picked up a red card for what some people on site said was shoving an official. If that's true, Gibson could see himself sitting for a little while.
The Comets didn't need him in the fourth quarter though as the Comets ran away with things late. First Robert Palmer made it 7-1 with a short handed goal. Three minutes in Kevin Ten Eyck made it 8-1 to the Comets and the rout was on. The Comets then closed out the game with Ramone Palmer scoring a natural hattrick to finish out the scoring an end the game 11-1 for the Comets. Missouri will return home next Friday when they'll welcome the St. Louis Ambush to the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.
The Comets jumped on top of the Heat early as Vahid Assadpour and Leo Gibson both scored early on to put Missouri up 2-0. Before the half way point of the quarter the Heat had gotten a goal of their own, but it would be all the Heat would get on the night. By the end of the quarter, John Sosa had scored and Missouri was up 3-1.
The second quarter saw the Comets add to their lead, but only once as Lucas Rodriguez scored off an assist from Stefan Stokic and the Comets went into the half up 4-1.
Early in the second half Assadpour again scored early, this time on the power play, an area that the Comets have struggled with this season after leading the league in power play conversion last season. Bryan Perez would make it 6-1 before four minutes had passed in the quarter. Between the third and fourth quarter though Gibson apparently picked up a red card for what some people on site said was shoving an official. If that's true, Gibson could see himself sitting for a little while.
The Comets didn't need him in the fourth quarter though as the Comets ran away with things late. First Robert Palmer made it 7-1 with a short handed goal. Three minutes in Kevin Ten Eyck made it 8-1 to the Comets and the rout was on. The Comets then closed out the game with Ramone Palmer scoring a natural hattrick to finish out the scoring an end the game 11-1 for the Comets. Missouri will return home next Friday when they'll welcome the St. Louis Ambush to the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Comets Continue Undefeated Start to the Season
The Missouri Comets had another back and forth affair last night and picked up their second win of the season 8-6 over the Dallas Sidekicks.
After a tight opening 10 minutes to the game Dallas opened the scoring through Rubencho Hernandez. The Comets though would respond with two goals of their own before the end of the quarter with Max Touloute and Ramone Palmer giving the Comets a 2-1 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the Sidekicks tie the game early through a goal by Cody Ellis. They'd then take the lead into halftime as Ricardinho scored a penalty kick with just over five minutes left to make it 3-2.
The third quarter saw both teams trade goals as Dallas extended their lead to two goals less than five minutes into the quarter through Paolo Da Silva. Around the midpoint of the quarter though the Comets would get the game back on level ground as Kevin Ten Eyck and Touloute each scored a goal less than a minute apart to tie the game at 4-4. Dallas would retake the lead late in the quarter with Ricardinho scoring a second goal before Touloute finished off his hattrick with 34 seconds left in the quarter and the teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 5-5.
Like they'd done all game, the Sidekicks scored first in the fourth quarter, this time a little over a minute in to once again take the lead at 6-5 with RJ Luevano the goal scorer. As the Comets did against the Cedar Rapids Rampage though, they fought back and once again scored three unanswered in the fourth quarter to put themselves on top. The goals weren't as dramatic as last week when the Comets scored three in the final three minutes to force overtime, but it was what the Comets needed. John Sosa tied the game at 6-6 before Leo Gibson gave the Comets only their second lead of the game at 7-6. Touloute finished off the night with his fourth goal of the game and gave the Comets some breathing room half way through the fourth quarter as the Comets held on for the 8-6 win.
After a tight opening 10 minutes to the game Dallas opened the scoring through Rubencho Hernandez. The Comets though would respond with two goals of their own before the end of the quarter with Max Touloute and Ramone Palmer giving the Comets a 2-1 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the Sidekicks tie the game early through a goal by Cody Ellis. They'd then take the lead into halftime as Ricardinho scored a penalty kick with just over five minutes left to make it 3-2.
The third quarter saw both teams trade goals as Dallas extended their lead to two goals less than five minutes into the quarter through Paolo Da Silva. Around the midpoint of the quarter though the Comets would get the game back on level ground as Kevin Ten Eyck and Touloute each scored a goal less than a minute apart to tie the game at 4-4. Dallas would retake the lead late in the quarter with Ricardinho scoring a second goal before Touloute finished off his hattrick with 34 seconds left in the quarter and the teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 5-5.
Like they'd done all game, the Sidekicks scored first in the fourth quarter, this time a little over a minute in to once again take the lead at 6-5 with RJ Luevano the goal scorer. As the Comets did against the Cedar Rapids Rampage though, they fought back and once again scored three unanswered in the fourth quarter to put themselves on top. The goals weren't as dramatic as last week when the Comets scored three in the final three minutes to force overtime, but it was what the Comets needed. John Sosa tied the game at 6-6 before Leo Gibson gave the Comets only their second lead of the game at 7-6. Touloute finished off the night with his fourth goal of the game and gave the Comets some breathing room half way through the fourth quarter as the Comets held on for the 8-6 win.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Sporting Internationals Go 3-1 in First Games of Break
Sporting Kansas City's four internationals on duty with their national team went 3-1 over the last two days as the international break kicked off.
The first game occurred yesterday when Kristian Nemeth and Hungary kicked off their European Championship playoff in Oslo, Norway against the Norwegians. Norway controlled the game at home, but a goalkeeping error by Orjan Nyland allowed Laszlo Kleinheisler to score on his debut with the senior national team. The Hungarian defense held out and Hungary took a 1-0 lead back to Budapest for their game on Sunday. A win, a draw, or a one goal loss when Hungary scores will see them through to next summer's Euros. Nemeth went 90 minutes for Hungary in the win.
The other three games all occurred tonight. Sporting's captain, Matt Besler started the game for the US national team in St. Louis against St. Vincent and Grenadines. Things didn't start well as the US fell behind 1-0 early, but the US came back though and scored six unanswered to win 6-1. Besler had a couple chances himself to score his first international goal, including a flick on header that hit the cross bar. Late on Besler actually moved up into the midfield and played much more advanced than any KC fan has seen him play after Jermaine Jones picked up an injury after the US had used all three substitutions. The US will now travel to Trinidad for a game early next week against Trinidad and Tobago.
Up in Vancouver, Marcel de Jong started for the Canadian national team as they were able to exercise some of their demons from last cycle against Honduras. The last time the two teams had met in World Cup qualifiers Canada just needed a draw to advance to the "Hex" but ended up getting destroyed 8-1 and were eliminated from the World Cup. Canada though got a deflected goal by Cyle Larin and the Canadian defense shut down Honduras to pick up a 1-0 win. Canada now gets to travel to El Salvador for their second game.
The lone loss from the first set of internationals came from Soni Mustivar and Haiti as they played on the road against Costa Rica. Mustivar started the game on the bench for Haiti. Costa Rica scored in the 29th minute to take a 1-0 lead. On the hour mark Mustivar was inserted into the game for Haiti for they were unable to find an equalizer and fell 1-0 on the road. Haiti will now get to host Jamaica in their second game in the group.
The first game occurred yesterday when Kristian Nemeth and Hungary kicked off their European Championship playoff in Oslo, Norway against the Norwegians. Norway controlled the game at home, but a goalkeeping error by Orjan Nyland allowed Laszlo Kleinheisler to score on his debut with the senior national team. The Hungarian defense held out and Hungary took a 1-0 lead back to Budapest for their game on Sunday. A win, a draw, or a one goal loss when Hungary scores will see them through to next summer's Euros. Nemeth went 90 minutes for Hungary in the win.
The other three games all occurred tonight. Sporting's captain, Matt Besler started the game for the US national team in St. Louis against St. Vincent and Grenadines. Things didn't start well as the US fell behind 1-0 early, but the US came back though and scored six unanswered to win 6-1. Besler had a couple chances himself to score his first international goal, including a flick on header that hit the cross bar. Late on Besler actually moved up into the midfield and played much more advanced than any KC fan has seen him play after Jermaine Jones picked up an injury after the US had used all three substitutions. The US will now travel to Trinidad for a game early next week against Trinidad and Tobago.
Up in Vancouver, Marcel de Jong started for the Canadian national team as they were able to exercise some of their demons from last cycle against Honduras. The last time the two teams had met in World Cup qualifiers Canada just needed a draw to advance to the "Hex" but ended up getting destroyed 8-1 and were eliminated from the World Cup. Canada though got a deflected goal by Cyle Larin and the Canadian defense shut down Honduras to pick up a 1-0 win. Canada now gets to travel to El Salvador for their second game.
The lone loss from the first set of internationals came from Soni Mustivar and Haiti as they played on the road against Costa Rica. Mustivar started the game on the bench for Haiti. Costa Rica scored in the 29th minute to take a 1-0 lead. On the hour mark Mustivar was inserted into the game for Haiti for they were unable to find an equalizer and fell 1-0 on the road. Haiti will now get to host Jamaica in their second game in the group.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
#TBT Kevin Souter and Open Tryouts
Thanks to a poster in the comments to yesterday's former player update, we know that Kevin Souter is still playing soccer, having moved back to Scotland, he is playing in the P&J Scottish Highland League for Deveronvale FC. With that pointed out to me I thought I'd use this week's Throwback Thursday to look at the one of the last players to make the KC roster through the team's open tryouts.
Back in 2008, after the club's last season at Arrowhead full time, the Kansas City Wizards held open tryouts ahead of the team's official preseason. Due to weather, the tryouts were moved from the Swope Park complex to the KC Sports Lodge. The tryout actually produced two signings for the Wizards and another that played in the US second division for a couple years. KC ended up signing Souter and fellow tryout participant, Nelson Pizarro after the 2008 MLS season started, Souter was signed in May of 2008 while Pizarro was signed in late April. The other open tryout participant was Youssouf Kante, who signed with the Seattle Sounders when they were still in the USL, and later played with the Minnesota Thunder.
Pizarro would be the first to make his debut for the first team, coming on as a substitute in the team's US Open Cup quarterfinal against the Sounders. He would also end up playing in three league games in the 2008 season before being waived early in the 2009 season.
Souter had the much more successful run with KC. Souter made his debut in the club's 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at Arrowhead on September 13th. From there, Souter would appear in every game down the stretch for KC as they went 5-1-1 over the final seven regular season games to make the playoffs. Souter would end up starting four of those seven games, and scored his only goal for the club in the 79th minute of their 2-0 win over Toronto FC. Souter would also start both of the club's playoff games that year as they fell to eventual MLS Cup winners, the Columbus Crew. Souter would stick around one more season in Kansas City, but played just one game in the 2009 season for KC, a start in a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy.
After the season KC waived him, he was picked up by the MLS Sounders but never was offered a contract. From there Souter appeared to move to the Toronto area where he became a coach at Ryerson University before returning to Scotland.
Back in 2008, after the club's last season at Arrowhead full time, the Kansas City Wizards held open tryouts ahead of the team's official preseason. Due to weather, the tryouts were moved from the Swope Park complex to the KC Sports Lodge. The tryout actually produced two signings for the Wizards and another that played in the US second division for a couple years. KC ended up signing Souter and fellow tryout participant, Nelson Pizarro after the 2008 MLS season started, Souter was signed in May of 2008 while Pizarro was signed in late April. The other open tryout participant was Youssouf Kante, who signed with the Seattle Sounders when they were still in the USL, and later played with the Minnesota Thunder.
Pizarro would be the first to make his debut for the first team, coming on as a substitute in the team's US Open Cup quarterfinal against the Sounders. He would also end up playing in three league games in the 2008 season before being waived early in the 2009 season.
Souter had the much more successful run with KC. Souter made his debut in the club's 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at Arrowhead on September 13th. From there, Souter would appear in every game down the stretch for KC as they went 5-1-1 over the final seven regular season games to make the playoffs. Souter would end up starting four of those seven games, and scored his only goal for the club in the 79th minute of their 2-0 win over Toronto FC. Souter would also start both of the club's playoff games that year as they fell to eventual MLS Cup winners, the Columbus Crew. Souter would stick around one more season in Kansas City, but played just one game in the 2009 season for KC, a start in a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy.
After the season KC waived him, he was picked up by the MLS Sounders but never was offered a contract. From there Souter appeared to move to the Toronto area where he became a coach at Ryerson University before returning to Scotland.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Appears that Movsisyan Could be on His Way Out at Spartak - Former SKC Wizards Update
It appears once again that Yura Movsisyan could be on his way out of Russia. Movsisyan appears on a list of Spartak Moscow's "unwanted players," meaning Movsisyan is likely to put transfer listed this winter. There had been rumors earlier this year of a return to MLS and Real Salt Lake for Movsisyan, but that didn't happen. It will be interesting if this is true, whether those rumors return again.
Here is the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Mitchell Cardenas
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Did not play in DC's 1-0 loss to New York.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Season over.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Season over.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Season over.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Season over.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Season over.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Season over.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Season over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Portland's 2-0 win over Vancouver.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 120 minutes, scoring two goals in Columbus' 3-1 win over Montreal.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Season over.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 3-1 loss to Montreal.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season over.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Came off the bench and played 5 minutes in Columbus' 3-1 win over Montreal.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes in New York's 1-0 win over DC.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Season over.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-1 loss to New York.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Season over.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Antonio - Out injured.
US
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Season over.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Season over.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Season over.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Season over.
Tony Rocha - Austin - Season over.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Yomby William - Richmond - Season over.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Had a goal and an assist in Tacoma's 5-1 win over Sacramento.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - No game this week.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Had an assist in Baltimore's 7-4 win over Chicago.
Mike Jones - Dallas - No game this week.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Started Missouri's 9-8 OT win over Cedar Rapids.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Quilmes' 2-1 loss to Nueva Chicago.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 1-0 Copa MX win over Leon. Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 2-1 loss to Dorados.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in either of Belen's games.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Mumbai's 1-1 draw with Delhi Dynamos.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Tied Talleres Remedios 1-1.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Started and played 56 minutes in Leganes' 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 2-0 loss to Deportivo Pasto.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied UWI 1-1 and lost 2-1 to Cavalier.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - Did not dress in Vasco's 2-0 win over Palmeiras.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - Defeated Bonsucesso 3-2. Dressed but did not play in Macae's 1-1 draw with Nautico.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Started and played 90 minutes in Dinamo's 2-0 win over Petrocub.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 win over Antofagasta.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Dressed but did not play in Lechia's 3-2 loss to Ruch Chorzow.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Did not dress in Spartak's 2-1 loss to Terek Grozny.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Soony Saad - BEC Tero Sasana FC - Thailand - Did not dress in Tero's 1-1 draw with Bangkok Glass
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 2-0 win over MSV Duisburg II.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Atromitos' 2-1 loss to Panathinaikos.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 80 minutes in Saarbrucken's 1-0 loss to Hessen Kassel.
Here is the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Mitchell Cardenas
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Lawrence Olum
Nelson Pizarro
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Did not play in DC's 1-0 loss to New York.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Season over.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Season over.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Season over.
Daneil Cyrus - Chicago (Loan) - Season over.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Season over.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Season over.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Season over.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Portland's 2-0 win over Vancouver.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 120 minutes, scoring two goals in Columbus' 3-1 win over Montreal.
Chris Konopka - Toronto - Season over.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 3-1 loss to Montreal.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Season over.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Came off the bench and played 5 minutes in Columbus' 3-1 win over Montreal.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes in New York's 1-0 win over DC.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Season over.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-1 loss to New York.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Season over.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Season over.
Khari Stephenson - San Antonio - Out injured.
US
Christian Duke - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Season over.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Mechack Jerome - Charlotte - Season over.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Season over.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Season over.
Tony Rocha - Austin - Season over.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Season over.
Yomby William - Richmond - Season over.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Had a goal and an assist in Tacoma's 5-1 win over Sacramento.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - No game this week.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Had an assist in Baltimore's 7-4 win over Chicago.
Mike Jones - Dallas - No game this week.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Started Missouri's 9-8 OT win over Cedar Rapids.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Quilmes' 2-1 loss to Nueva Chicago.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 1-0 Copa MX win over Leon. Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 2-1 loss to Dorados.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in either of Belen's games.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Mumbai's 1-1 draw with Delhi Dynamos.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Tied Talleres Remedios 1-1.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Started and played 56 minutes in Leganes' 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Started and played 90 minutes in Cucuta's 2-0 loss to Deportivo Pasto.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied UWI 1-1 and lost 2-1 to Cavalier.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - Did not dress in Vasco's 2-0 win over Palmeiras.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - Defeated Bonsucesso 3-2. Dressed but did not play in Macae's 1-1 draw with Nautico.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Started and played 90 minutes in Dinamo's 2-0 win over Petrocub.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 win over Antofagasta.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Dressed but did not play in Lechia's 3-2 loss to Ruch Chorzow.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Did not dress in Spartak's 2-1 loss to Terek Grozny.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal - Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Soony Saad - BEC Tero Sasana FC - Thailand - Did not dress in Tero's 1-1 draw with Bangkok Glass
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 2-0 win over MSV Duisburg II.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Atromitos' 2-1 loss to Panathinaikos.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 80 minutes in Saarbrucken's 1-0 loss to Hessen Kassel.
MASL Issues Statement on End of Comets-Rampage Game
The MASL have come out with a statement regarding the end of the Missouri Comets vs Cedar Rapids Rampage game from last Friday, November 6th. After being tied at 8-8 at the end of regulation, the two teams went to overtime. The period started with 15 minutes on the clock, which is counter to the league's rules, which state that 10 minutes should have been put on the clock. The Comets winner was scored 11 minutes, 37 seconds into overtime, over a minute and a half after the overtime should have ended.
MASL's statement said that the league has suspended and reprimanded the officials in charge of the game, Ron Cory, Aaron Rench, and Chad Huhman. Cedar Rapids had filed a protest of the result shortly after the game had ended, but the league's Rules Committee ruled that no advantage was earned by either team during overtime, meaning that both teams were told by officials, and saw on the scoreboard that 15 minutes would be played, and therefore the result would stand.Cedar Rapids has appealed the ruling.
MASL's statement said that the league has suspended and reprimanded the officials in charge of the game, Ron Cory, Aaron Rench, and Chad Huhman. Cedar Rapids had filed a protest of the result shortly after the game had ended, but the league's Rules Committee ruled that no advantage was earned by either team during overtime, meaning that both teams were told by officials, and saw on the scoreboard that 15 minutes would be played, and therefore the result would stand.Cedar Rapids has appealed the ruling.
Monday, November 09, 2015
Piatczyc Sets Single Season Assist Record at WVU - SKC Academy in College Update
Class of 2012
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Came on as a substitute in Bradley's 1-0 loss to Western Michigan. Started and scored a goal in Bradley's 1-1 draw with Drake.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started #3 Creighton's 2-1 loss to Georgetown.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Started Loyola's 1-0 OT loss to SIU Edwardsville.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Did not play in Dayton's 3-2 loss to VCU.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started Baker's 2-0 win over William Penn.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Started and scored a goal in Evansville's 4-0 win over Nothern Kentucky.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Started UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Started Jacksonville's 3-2 OT loss to USC Upstate.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Started Cal Baptist's 3-2 loss to Notre Dame de Namur and as a substitute in their 2-0 loss to Academy of Art University.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started Rockhurst's 1-0 win over Southern Indiana, 2-0 win over Missouri S&T, and 1-0 win over Quincy as Rockhurst won the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - No game this week.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Came on as a substitute and had an assist in Northern Illinois' 3-2 loss to West Virginia.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Did not play in UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Came on as a substitute and scored a goal in UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal Poly's 1-0 win over UC Irvine.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started both Fort Hays' 1-0 loss to Upper Iowa and their 1-0 win over Lindenwood.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Did not play in UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in either of Colorado's games.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-2 OT loss to Penn. Started and had an assist in West Virginia's 3-2 win over Northern Illinois.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Did not play in Drake's 1-1 draw with Bradley.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started Baker's 2-0 win over William Penn.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Started Fordham's 1-0 loss to Massachusetts.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in #3 UNC's 1-1 (4-3) shootout loss to Syracuse.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-2 OT loss to Penn, started and had a goal and assist in West Virginia's 3-2 win over Northern Illinois.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Came on as a substitute in Denver's 1-0 win over IPFW.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started in #3 UNC's 1-1 (4-3) shootout loss to Syracuse.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Drake's 1-1 draw with Bradley.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Xavier's 3-0 loss to Butler.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Ohio State's games.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in #3 Creighton's 2-1 loss to Georgetown.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started Drake's 1-1 draw with Bradley.
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Notre Dame's 1-0 win over Virginia.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Did not play in Air Force's 1-0 loss to UMKC.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in UNLV's 4-0 win over Grand Canyon.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Niagara's 1-0 loss to Siena.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-2 OT loss to Penn and started West Virginia's 3-2 win over Northern Illinois.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Played in JCCC's PK shootout loss to Pratt Community College.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Started NSU's 3-0 win over Southwest Baptist.
Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - MF - Sr - Came on as a substitute in Bradley's 1-0 loss to Western Michigan. Started and scored a goal in Bradley's 1-1 draw with Drake.
Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - D - Sr - Started #3 Creighton's 2-1 loss to Georgetown.
Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - D - Sr - Started Loyola's 1-0 OT loss to SIU Edwardsville.
Andrew Lightner (Dayton) - D - RJr - Did not play in Dayton's 3-2 loss to VCU.
Andrew Miller (Baker University) - D - Sr - Started Baker's 2-0 win over William Penn.
Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - F - Sr - Started and scored a goal in Evansville's 4-0 win over Nothern Kentucky.
Derek Schrick (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF - Sr - Started UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Class of 2013
Joe Amico (Jacksonville) - D - Jr - Started Jacksonville's 3-2 OT loss to USC Upstate.
Matt Bernard (Cal Baptist) - MF - RSo - Started Cal Baptist's 3-2 loss to Notre Dame de Namur and as a substitute in their 2-0 loss to Academy of Art University.
Paul Dean (Rockhurst University) - D - Jr - Started Rockhurst's 1-0 win over Southern Indiana, 2-0 win over Missouri S&T, and 1-0 win over Quincy as Rockhurst won the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Seo-In Kim (UCSB) - MF - Jr - No game this week.
Adam Lightner (Northern Illinois University) - D - Jr - Came on as a substitute and had an assist in Northern Illinois' 3-2 loss to West Virginia.
Clay Stewart - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - MF/D - Jr - Did not play in UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Wes White (University of Missouri Kansas City) - F - RSo - Came on as a substitute and scored a goal in UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Austin Wilcox (Cal-Poly) - MF - Jr - Started Cal Poly's 1-0 win over UC Irvine.
Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - D - Jr - Started both Fort Hays' 1-0 loss to Upper Iowa and their 1-0 win over Lindenwood.
Kyle Vassar - (University of Missouri Kansas City) - D - RSo - Did not play in UMKC's 1-0 win over Air Force.
Class of 2014
Darby Cronin (Missouri State)- MF - So - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State) - GK - RSFr - Did not play in either of Missouri State's games.
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines) - MF - So - Did not play in either of Colorado's games.
Heath Honold (West Virginia) - F - So - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-2 OT loss to Penn. Started and had an assist in West Virginia's 3-2 win over Northern Illinois.
Mason Leonard (Drake) - D - So - Did not play in Drake's 1-1 draw with Bradley.
Blake Levine (Baker) - F - So - Started Baker's 2-0 win over William Penn.
Matthew Lewis (Fordham) - D - So - Started Fordham's 1-0 loss to Massachusetts.
Andy Lopez (North Carolina) - MF - RSFr - Came on as a substitute in #3 UNC's 1-1 (4-3) shootout loss to Syracuse.
Noah Mudd (Trevecca) - D - So - Season over.
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia) - MF - So - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-2 OT loss to Penn, started and had a goal and assist in West Virginia's 3-2 win over Northern Illinois.
Cole Stevenson (Denver) - F - So - Came on as a substitute in Denver's 1-0 win over IPFW.
Zach Wright (North Carolina) - F - So - Started in #3 UNC's 1-1 (4-3) shootout loss to Syracuse.
2015
Andrew Blalock (Drake) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Drake's 1-1 draw with Bradley.
Robert DeWitt III (Xavier) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Xavier's 3-0 loss to Butler.
Jack Freeman (Ohio State) - D - Fr - Did not play in either of Ohio State's games.
Bryce Gibson (Creighton) - D - Fr - Did not play in #3 Creighton's 2-1 loss to Georgetown.
Nic Jaimes (Drake) - MF - Fr - Started Drake's 1-1 draw with Bradley.
Ryan Krutz (Notre Dame) - GK - Fr - Did not play in Notre Dame's 1-0 win over Virginia.
Zane Moxley (Air Force) - D - Fr - Did not play in Air Force's 1-0 loss to UMKC.
Alexis Quevedo (UNLV) - MF - Fr - Did not play in UNLV's 4-0 win over Grand Canyon.
Hector Solorio (Niagara) - MF - Fr - Did not play in Niagara's 1-0 loss to Siena.
Tucker Stephenson (West Virginia) - F - Fr - Came on as a substitute in West Virginia's 3-2 OT loss to Penn and started West Virginia's 3-2 win over Northern Illinois.
Andy Velez (JCCC) - MF - Fr - Played in JCCC's PK shootout loss to Pratt Community College.
Bailey Weeks (Northeastern State University) - D - Fr - Started NSU's 3-0 win over Southwest Baptist.
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