De Jong on His Way Out?

Outside back is one area on the field that Sporting KC is quite deep in heading into the 2016 season. Specifically at left back where Kansas City has veteran Seth Sinovic, who has been with the club since 2011, Amadou Dia, one of KC's three first round picks in the 2015 Superdraft, Marcel de Jong, the Canadian international, and even the likes of Saad Abdul Salaam, normally a right back and Jimmy Medranda who played there a couple times last season. Needless to say, if there was an area on the field that KC could look to downsize to upgrade in other areas outside back would seem to be a prime location.

Reports out of Canada are that KC is set to do just that in the near future as Sporting's Canadian left back, Marcel de Jong has been told he's no longer in the team's plans. While to an extent I question that, especially with de Jong still in KC training with the team according to his Instagram, it's not that far fetched to think he wouldn't be back with KC in 2016. If de Jong is indeed out it wouldn't be incredibly surprising, he made 11 starts for Sporting KC in the 2015 season, but only two of those came after August first, and both of those games were at left wing, not left back. When Sinovic was out for extended periods of time de Jong was left behind the rookie Dia for much of the time, including KC's playoff game against the Portland Timbers when KC started a pair of rookies at the outside back positions. KC then went and re-signed Sinovic early in the offseason to bring him back, which would seem to keep de Jong buried on the depth chart at left back.

Even the position de Jong started his final two games last season, left wing, is not thin for KC. Even with the departure of Krisztian Nemeth, Kansas City has Brad Davis and Justin Mapp as a likely platoon at that position for much of the season.

Of the players currently on KC's roster he has to be one of the ones in the most precarious situation with the team. He made $180,000 last season for KC, not exactly a great return for that amount as de Jong played in only 13 games, adding a goal and an assist to his 11 starts I'd previously mentioned. All offseason almost it just seems like it made too much sense to get de Jong off the roster with his salary, lack of playing time, and his holding an international roster spot. If he is gone, one would hope that KC would be able to get something for him, maybe a trade to one of the Canadian clubs would work in KC's favor.