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Like any good soap opera, Major League Soccer never really goes the way anyone expects. In Kansas City, that trend is no different. Here are a few of the biggest surprises so far from the Sporting KC season:
Goals raining down
If you read any story about Sporting Kansas City during the preseason, it’s likely focused on the team’s defense. And for good reason: Goalkeeper Tim Melia and defender Ike Opara were both coming off all-league seasons in 2017. The team conceded only 29 goals.
With that defense still intact this year, a similar balance was expected in 2018 – stellar defense, and maybe a middling offense. In 2017, Sporting was in the bottom five in the league offensively, scoring only 40 goals. And with a myriad of new faces to mesh after an active offseason, it wouldn’t have been a shocker if Sporting struggled to score this year.
That, of course, has been the biggest revelation in 2018 – because Sporting has scored, and scored, and scored. Twelve different players have notched goals. Kansas City has scored three or more goals in five wins this season, including a 6-0 shellacking of Vancouver in May. Johnny Russell, relatively unknown in the states before transferring from Europe this year, already has a hat trick included in his team-leading five goals.
Sporting has spread the goals among its roster, becoming a bit of an unexpected offensive powerhouse.
The kids are all right
We’re only about halfway through the 2018 MLS season, but Sporting has already seen a few of its youngest players contribute in a major way. Manager Peter Vermes has talked extensively about the strength of Sporting’s academy program and the importance of bringing players up through the system. And this season, it’s shown.
Sporting’s 2-0 U.S. Open Cup win over Salt Lake City saw the team trot out three teenagers, including the youngest starter in franchise history. Jaylin Lindsey (18 years old), Wan Kuzain (19) and Gianluca Busio (16) all saw significant minutes. Wan Kuzain and Lindsey have also seen time in regular-season matches. And Wan Kuzain even notched a goal, becoming the second-youngest player in franchise history to score.
From within the franchise, it’s not altogether surprising these guys are successful.
But a 16-year-old starting for the defending Open Cup champions, and 19-year-old Wan Kuzain scoring within his first couple MLS matches? That wasn’t exactly in the plans.
Team OK without Felipe Gutierrez
Remember Felipe Gutierrez? The crafty midfielder was a terror in the early part of the MLS season, slipping through defenses like it was nothing and scoring five goals in six matches. Then, a sports hernia derailed his season, and Gutierrez – the highest-paid player on Sporting’s roster – faced a 2-3 month absence. Gutierrez will miss the meat of the MLS season. He’s slated to return in either July or August for the stretch run.
Make no mistake: Sporting would love to have the squirmy Gutierrez in its midfield (and its attacking third). The team will be better when he returns. But for now, Kansas City’s production hasn’t dipped as much as some anticipated. The team is sixth in MLS with 28 goals scored. And, most importantly, Sporting is still holding strong atop the Western Conference, and is tied for second in Supporters Shield standings.