Football Season Guide

Sporting Kansas City enjoyed a successful campaign last season as they finished at the top of a Conference standings for the first time since 2012 while also breaking the sequence of being dumped out of the Knockout Round in the playoffs, making it to the Conference finals. Peter Vermes has once again held on to the core of his side but there will be changes following departures of Khiry Shelton and Diego Rubio. Erik Hurtado has been traded from Vancouver but is expected to provide cover to existing attacking options in Krisztian Nemeth and Daniel Salloi. They will be supported by the likes of Gerso, Jhonny Russell and Yohan Croizet as well as new signings Rodney Wallace and Kelyn Rowe who arrive from New York City FC and Colorado Rapids Ike Opara has also left the club which should see Andreu Fontàs emerge as the first choice alongside Matt Besler in the center of the defense. Vermes has a number of options in the center of midfield with Gutierrez, Sanchez and Espinoza continuing to be first choice while Croizet and Rowe can also offer creativity from the midfield. Kansas have struggled to find a reliable goalscorer ever since Dom Dwyer's departure and that area continues to remain their biggest weakness though they do have enough quality in rest of the pitch to once again challenge for the top spot in the Western Conference.