Football Season Guide

Sporting Kansas City huffed and puffed their way to another playoffs spot last season but saw their postseason campaign come to an early end as they were dumped out of the knockout round itself following an extra time defeat to Houston Dynamo. It was not all bad news for Kansas who did lift a fourth US Open Cup trophy though coach Peter Vermes will be more interested in improving his side's fortunes in the league campaign where they had failed to finish higher than fifth in each of their last four seasons and being knocked out at the first hurdle of the playoffs. With Kansas having completed a record deal for Dom Dwyer in the second half of last season, they had money to spend on new players and Vermes has been busy in the pre-season as he has overhauled his midfield. New arrivals Yohan Croizet, Johnny Russell and Felipe Gutierrez are expected to slot straight into the starting lineup when the campaign kicks off, with Gutierrez especially being billed as the best signing Kansas have made in recent years, while Khiry Shelton will prove to be a reliable backup across the three-man attack. Should Gutierrez settle down quickly, then Kansas will not feel the absence of Benny Feilhaber who has left the club for Los Angeles FC while Sony Mustivar, Latif Blessing and Saad Abdul-Salaam are the three other players who were considered first choice last season. For all their spending though, Kansas are yet to bring in a direct replacement for Dwyer and the club will be heading into the new season with Diego Rubio as the first choice striker though he is yet to convince in the role upfront. While Kansas continue to boast of one of the best defensive units in the MLS, their fortunes for the new season will depend on how their new acquisitions further up the field will work out and whether they will be able to improve their depth in the final third.