Duke and Kempin Join Oklahoma City on Loan

Sporting Kansas City today announced the first of their loan moves to their USL-Pro affiliates for the 2014 season. The first moves were for their affiliate in Oklahoma City, the Energy.

The two players loaned to the Energy, Christian Duke and Jon Kempin are headed out for their second loan spells. Both Duke and Kempin spent the 2013 season with Orlando City. The fact that both are going out on loan is not a surprise. Kempin going to Oklahoma City is probably the least surprising move as it allows him to continue to learn from Jimmy Nielsen, who mentored Kempin many times while he was still with Kansas City. Duke showed a lot of improvement during his time with Orlando City, but he still isn't quite ready to contribute in KC's midfield.

We're still awaiting word on who will be heading to Orlando this year. One possibility, especially with the emergence the past two games of Kevin Ellis, is Mechack Jerome, who played with Orlando before being brought in by KC last year. Other possibilities include Alex Martinez, Soony Saad, or even Erik Palmer-Brown.