It's that time of year when MLS teams that are no longer in the playoffs announce their roster news for the offseason, the players that they have under contract for next season, those out of contract, those with options picked up and those with options declined. There's a lot of players on their way out. A number of former players though have had their options picked up, including three for the Swope Park Rangers. For the Rangers, Amer Didic, Christian Duke, and Nansel Selbol were just three of six players who were on last year's team that will return for the 2017 season. In terms of MLS players, Teal Bunbury had his option picked up by the New England Revolution while Jalil Anibaba and Mikey Lopez both signed new deals with Houston and New York City respectively.
In other news this week, on loan Erik Palmer-Brown made the bench for Porto for the first time. After spending most of his loan so far with Porto B, Palmer-Brown was on the bench for Porto's 0-0 cup draw with Belenenses.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Pablo Escobar
Brian Fekete
Jeferson
Neven Markovic
Victor Munoz
Jordi Quintilla
Brendan Ruiz
MLS
Jalil Anibaba - Houston - Offseason.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Offseason.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Offseason.
Aurelien Collin - New York - Offseason.
Marcel de Jong - Vancouver - Offseason.
Amadou Dia - Montreal - Did not dress in Montreal's 5-2 loss to Toronto.
Herculez Gomez - Seattle - Dressed but did not play in Seattle's 1-0 win over Colorado.
Michael Harrington - Chicago - Offseason.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Offseason.
Kei Kamara - New England - Offseason.
Chris Konopka - Portland - Offseason.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 5-2 loss to Toronto.
Mikey Lopez - NYCFC - Offseason.
Yura Movsisyan - Salt Lake - Offseason.
Amobi Okugo - Portland - Offseason.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Offseason.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Offseason.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Offseason.
NASL
Bernardo Anor - Minnesota (loan) - Offseason.
Omar Bravo - Carolina - Offseason.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Offseason.
Michael Kafari - Puerto Rico - Offseason.
James Marcelin - Carolina - Offseason.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
USL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Offseason.
Amer Didic - Swope Park - Offseason.
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Offseason.
Tomas Granitto - Swope Park - Offseason.
Cyprian Hedrick - San Antonio- Offseason.
Ryan James - Rochester - Offseason.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Offseason.
Alex Molano - Swope Park - Offseason.
Tyler Pasher - Swope Park - Offseason.
Nansel Selbol - Swope Park - Offseason.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Kris Tyrpak - Swope Park - Offseason.
Ualefi - Swope Park - Offseason.
Yomby William - Richmond - Offseason.
PDL
Adnan Gabeljic - San Francisco - Offseason.
Faik Hajderovic - St. Louis U23 - Offseason.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Cedar Rapids - Did not play in the Rampage's 7-5 win over Milwaukee.
Mike Jones - Dallas - No game this week.
Boris Pardo - San Diego - Playd in San Diego's 12-6 win over El Paso.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United- Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - YPA - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Belgrano - Argentina -Started and played 90 minutes in Belgrano's 0-0 draw with Atletico Tucuman.
Reinaldo Brenes - Belen Siglo XXI - Fall season over.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Started and played 85 minutes in Mumbai's 2-0 win over Chennaiyin.
Jorge Claros - Alajuelense - Costa Rica - Started and played 70 minutes in Alajuelense's 0-0 draw with Herediano.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - Defeate4d San Juan Jabloteh 3-0.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Dressed but did not play in either of Leganes' games.
Luis Gil - Queretaro - Mexico - Fall season over.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Fluminense - Brazil - Started and played 90 minutes in Fluminense's 1-0 loss to Figueirense.
Igor Kostrov - Slavia-Mozyr - Belarus - Started and played 90 minutes in Slavia's 1-0 win over Dinamo Minsk.
Luis Marin - CD Temuco - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Temuco's 1-0 loss to Huachipato.
Michal Mravec - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Krisztian Nemeth - Al-Gharafa - Qatar - Started and played 62 minutes in Al Gharafa's 2-1 win over Al Khor.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Porto (loan) - Portugal - Dressed but did not play in Porto's 0-0 cup draw with Belenenses.
Akeem Priestley - Metapan - El Salvador - Did not play in Metapan's 2-1 loss to Santa Tecla.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Belenenses (Sporting Club de Portugal)(loan) - Portugal - Started and played 90 minutes in Belenenses' 0-0 league draw with Porto. Did not dress in Belenenses' 0-0 cup draw with Porto.
Soony Saad - Pattaya United (BEC Tero Sasana) - Offseason.
Daniel Salloi - Gyirmot FC Gyor (loan) - Hungary - Started and played 79 minutes in Gyirmot's 2-0 loss to Ferencvaros.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 5-1 loss to FC Viktoria Koln.
Yann Songo'o - Plymouth Argyle - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Plymouth's 2-1 loss to Morecambe.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Did not play in Deveronvale's 2-2 draw with Nairn County.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Did not dress in Atromitos' 4-3 win over PAOK.
Matt Taylor - Kickers Offenbach - Came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Kickers' 3-2 loss to Saarbrucken.
Showing posts with label Jalil Anibaba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jalil Anibaba. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Okugo Loaned to USL Red Bulls 2 - Former SKC Wizards Update
Amobi Okugo finally has a new club, at least for now. While Okugo has been training with the New York Red Bulls in hopes of earning a contract with the club while they suffer through injury issues, he'll instead be going to the club's USL side. Okugo, who was waived by KC is on a guaranteed contract with MLS, so while he's waived, he's still under contract. With that so, the league has loaned Okugo to the New York Red Bulls 2 in the USL. He made his first start over the weekend against Bethlehem Steel, scoring a goal in their 4-0 win.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Jamar Beasley
Brian Fekete
Adnan Gabeljic
Faik Hajderovic
Ryan James
Michael Kafari
Kyle Miller
Victor Munoz
Akeem Priestley
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Jalil Anibaba - Houston - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Houston's 1-1 draw with Seattle.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Started and played 89 minutes in New England's 1-1 draw with Toronto.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City -Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Herculez Gomez - Seattle - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Houston.
Michael Harrington - Chicago - Started and played 90 minutes in Chicago's 0-0 draw with NYCFC.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-1 draw with LA.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 loss to Montreal.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 2-0 win over Columbus.
Mikey Lopez - NYCFC - Did not dress in NYCFC's 0-0 draw with Chicago.
Yura Movsisyan - Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Colorado.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Philadelphia's 2-1 win over Orlando.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Came off the bench and played 65 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 loss to Montreal.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes in New York's 2-0 loss to KC.
NASL
Bernardo Anor - Minnesota (loan) - Did not dress in Minnesota's 2-0 win over Edmonton.
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Did not dress in Tampa's 1-1 draw with Miami.
Marcel de Jong - Ottawa - Started and played 90 minutes in Ottawa's 1-1 draw with Indy.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Started and played 90 minutes in Jacksonville's 2-0 loss to New York.
James Marcelin - Carolina - Started and played 90 minutes in Carolina's 3-2 win over OKC.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 3-2 loss to Carolina.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Started and played 90 minutes in Swope Park's 1-1 draw with San Antonio.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-2 draw with St. Louis.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Did not dress in Charlotte's 2-1 loss to Cincinnati.
Amobi Okugo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in New York's 4-0 win over Bethlehem.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 4-1 loss to Louisville.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-2 draw with St. Louis.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 win over Rochester.
Indoor
Pat Healey - Baltimore -Played in Baltimore's 7-4 win over Sonora.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Offseason.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Offseason.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - Siah Jamegan - Iran - Started and played 90 minutes in Siah Jamegan's 1-0 loss to Foolad FC.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - No game until 4/24.
Claudio Bieler - Belgrano - Argentina - Started and played 69 minutes, recording an assist in Belgrano's 3-0 win over Gimnasia La Plata.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes, scoring a goal in Chivas' 3-0 win over Puebla.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in Belen's 2-0 win over Uruguay.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Bengaluru's 1-1 draw with Shivajians. Started and played 90 minutes in Bengaluru's 3-1 win over East Bengal.
Jorge Claros - Alajuelense - Costa Rica - Started and played 90 minutes in Alajuelense's 2-1 loss to Herediano.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - No game this week.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Came off the bench and played 36 minutes in Leganes' 4-0 win over Real Valladolid.
Pablo Escobar - Jaguares de Córdoba - Colombia - Did not dress in Jaguares' 1-0 win over Atletico Huila.
Luis Gil - Queretaro - Mexico - Did not dress in Queretaro's 0-0 draw with Toluca.
Jeferson - Madureira EC - Brazil - Lost 1-0 to Vasco da Gama.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Came off the bench and played 21 minutes in RoPS' 1-0 loss to Mariehamn.
Igor Juliao - Ferroviária - Brazil - Did not dress in Ferroviaria's 0-0 draw with Linense.
Chris Konopka - Ross County - Scotland - Dressed but did not play in Ross County's 1-0 win over Patrick Thistle.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Did not dress in Dinamo's 2-1 loss to Zimbru.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 loss to Antofagasta.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Did not dress in Lechia's 2-0 win over Ruch Chorzow.
Michal Mravec - RoPS - Finland - Dressed but did not play in RoPS' 1-0 loss to Mariehamn.
Krisztian Nemeth - Al-Gharafa - Qatar - Started and played 90 minutes in Al Gharafa's 3-1 loss to Qatar SC.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Porto (loan) - Portugal - Started and played 45 minutes in Porto B's 2-1 loss to Mafra. Did not dress in Porto B's 2-1 win over Sporting Covilha.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - No game until 5/1.
Oriol Rosell - Vitoria (Sporting Club de Portugal) Portugal - Did not dress in Vitoria's 2-0 loss to Rio Ave.
Brendan Ruiz - DJK Don Bosco Bamberg - Germany - Defeated Alemannia Haibach 2-0.
Soony Saad - Pattaya United (BEC Tero Sasana) - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Pattaya's 1-0 win over Satun United.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 2-0 win over SC Kapellen-Erft.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Started and played 90 minutes in Deveronvale's 0-0 draw with Huntly.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Atromitos' 4-2 win over Kalloni.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 66 minutes in Saarbrucken's 2-2 draw with Eintracht Trier.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Jamar Beasley
Brian Fekete
Adnan Gabeljic
Faik Hajderovic
Ryan James
Michael Kafari
Kyle Miller
Victor Munoz
Akeem Priestley
Yann Songo'o
MLS
Jalil Anibaba - Houston - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Houston's 1-1 draw with Seattle.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Started and played 89 minutes in New England's 1-1 draw with Toronto.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City -Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Herculez Gomez - Seattle - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Houston.
Michael Harrington - Chicago - Started and played 90 minutes in Chicago's 0-0 draw with NYCFC.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-1 draw with LA.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 loss to Montreal.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Dressed but did not play in Montreal's 2-0 win over Columbus.
Mikey Lopez - NYCFC - Did not dress in NYCFC's 0-0 draw with Chicago.
Yura Movsisyan - Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Colorado.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Philadelphia's 2-1 win over Orlando.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Came off the bench and played 65 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 loss to Montreal.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes in New York's 2-0 loss to KC.
NASL
Bernardo Anor - Minnesota (loan) - Did not dress in Minnesota's 2-0 win over Edmonton.
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Did not dress in Tampa's 1-1 draw with Miami.
Marcel de Jong - Ottawa - Started and played 90 minutes in Ottawa's 1-1 draw with Indy.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Started and played 90 minutes in Jacksonville's 2-0 loss to New York.
James Marcelin - Carolina - Started and played 90 minutes in Carolina's 3-2 win over OKC.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 3-2 loss to Carolina.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Started and played 90 minutes in Swope Park's 1-1 draw with San Antonio.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-2 draw with St. Louis.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Did not dress in Charlotte's 2-1 loss to Cincinnati.
Amobi Okugo - New York - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in New York's 4-0 win over Bethlehem.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 4-1 loss to Louisville.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Started and played 90 minutes in OKC's 2-2 draw with St. Louis.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-0 win over Rochester.
Indoor
Pat Healey - Baltimore -Played in Baltimore's 7-4 win over Sonora.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Offseason.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Offseason.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - Siah Jamegan - Iran - Started and played 90 minutes in Siah Jamegan's 1-0 loss to Foolad FC.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - No game until 4/24.
Claudio Bieler - Belgrano - Argentina - Started and played 69 minutes, recording an assist in Belgrano's 3-0 win over Gimnasia La Plata.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes, scoring a goal in Chivas' 3-0 win over Puebla.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in Belen's 2-0 win over Uruguay.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Bengaluru's 1-1 draw with Shivajians. Started and played 90 minutes in Bengaluru's 3-1 win over East Bengal.
Jorge Claros - Alajuelense - Costa Rica - Started and played 90 minutes in Alajuelense's 2-1 loss to Herediano.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - No game this week.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Came off the bench and played 36 minutes in Leganes' 4-0 win over Real Valladolid.
Pablo Escobar - Jaguares de Córdoba - Colombia - Did not dress in Jaguares' 1-0 win over Atletico Huila.
Luis Gil - Queretaro - Mexico - Did not dress in Queretaro's 0-0 draw with Toluca.
Jeferson - Madureira EC - Brazil - Lost 1-0 to Vasco da Gama.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Came off the bench and played 21 minutes in RoPS' 1-0 loss to Mariehamn.
Igor Juliao - Ferroviária - Brazil - Did not dress in Ferroviaria's 0-0 draw with Linense.
Chris Konopka - Ross County - Scotland - Dressed but did not play in Ross County's 1-0 win over Patrick Thistle.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - Did not dress in Dinamo's 2-1 loss to Zimbru.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-0 loss to Antofagasta.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Did not dress in Lechia's 2-0 win over Ruch Chorzow.
Michal Mravec - RoPS - Finland - Dressed but did not play in RoPS' 1-0 loss to Mariehamn.
Krisztian Nemeth - Al-Gharafa - Qatar - Started and played 90 minutes in Al Gharafa's 3-1 loss to Qatar SC.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Porto (loan) - Portugal - Started and played 45 minutes in Porto B's 2-1 loss to Mafra. Did not dress in Porto B's 2-1 win over Sporting Covilha.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - No game until 5/1.
Oriol Rosell - Vitoria (Sporting Club de Portugal) Portugal - Did not dress in Vitoria's 2-0 loss to Rio Ave.
Brendan Ruiz - DJK Don Bosco Bamberg - Germany - Defeated Alemannia Haibach 2-0.
Soony Saad - Pattaya United (BEC Tero Sasana) - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Pattaya's 1-0 win over Satun United.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 2-0 win over SC Kapellen-Erft.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Started and played 90 minutes in Deveronvale's 0-0 draw with Huntly.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Atromitos' 4-2 win over Kalloni.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - Started and played 66 minutes in Saarbrucken's 2-2 draw with Eintracht Trier.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Anibaba Signs with Houston - Former SKC Wizards Update
MLS teams are continuing to build their roster for the 2016 MLS season. The Houston Dynamo have continued this process by signing former Sporting KC defender, Jalil Anibaba this week. Anibaba played just one season in KC and will likely be best remembered for his goal in stoppage time that tied the game 2-2 against the Philadelphia Union in a game KC would win 3-2.
Elsewhere other players are now looking for a new team, specifically in Atlanta, where the NASL's Silverbacks announced this week that they were ceasing operations. Two former Kansas City players, Rauwshan McKenzie and Michal Mravec were members of the team last year and are now looking for new clubs.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Jorge Claros
Brian Fekete
Michael Harrington
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Chris Konopka
Jonathan Leathers
Rauwshan McKenzie
Kyle Miller
Michal Mravec
Nelson Pizarro
Soony Saad
Yann Songo'o
Khari Stephenson
MLS
Jalil Anibaba - Houston - Offseason.
Davy Arnaud - DC - Offseason.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Offseason.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Offseason.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Offseason.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Offseason.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Offseason.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Offseason.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Offseason.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Offseason.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Offseason.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Offseason.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Offseason.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Started and played 90 minutes in Haiti's 1-0 win over Trinidad.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Offseason.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Offseason.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Offseason.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Offseason.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Yomby William - Richmond - Offseason.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - No game this week.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 5-3 loss to Milwaukee.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Played in Baltimore's 9-3 win over Detroit. Had a goal and two assists in Baltimore's 6-4 win over Harrisburg.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Had a goal and an assist in Dallas' 7-6 loss to Saltillo. Played in Dallas' 5-3 win over Brownsville. Played in Dallas' 7-5 win over Brownsville.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Started in Missouri's 10-3 loss to Chicago.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - Siah Jamegan - Iran - No game until 2/2.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Belgrano - Argentina - No game until 2/6.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 2-2 draw wtih Veracruz.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - No game until 1/16.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Bengaluru's 2-1 win over Salgaocar.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 1-0 loss to Haiti.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Did not dress in Leganes' 1-0 win over Llagostera.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Season over.
Luis Gil - Queretaro - Mexico - Did not dress in Queretaro's 3-1 loss to Atlas.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game until 3/6.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - No game until 1/18.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - No game until 2/13.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - No game until 2/29.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - No game until 2/28.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Game against Forres Mechanics postponed.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Did not dress in Atrmoitos 0-0 draw with Platanias. Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Atromitos 2-1 cup win over Platanias.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - No game until 2/27.
Elsewhere other players are now looking for a new team, specifically in Atlanta, where the NASL's Silverbacks announced this week that they were ceasing operations. Two former Kansas City players, Rauwshan McKenzie and Michal Mravec were members of the team last year and are now looking for new clubs.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Vicente Arze
Jorge Claros
Brian Fekete
Michael Harrington
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Chris Konopka
Jonathan Leathers
Rauwshan McKenzie
Kyle Miller
Michal Mravec
Nelson Pizarro
Soony Saad
Yann Songo'o
Khari Stephenson
MLS
Jalil Anibaba - Houston - Offseason.
Davy Arnaud - DC - Offseason.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Offseason.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Offseason.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Offseason.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Offseason.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Offseason.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Offseason.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Offseason.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Offseason.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Offseason.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Offseason.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Offseason.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Started and played 90 minutes in Haiti's 1-0 win over Trinidad.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Offseason.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Offseason.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Offseason.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Offseason.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Yomby William - Richmond - Offseason.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - No game this week.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 5-3 loss to Milwaukee.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Played in Baltimore's 9-3 win over Detroit. Had a goal and two assists in Baltimore's 6-4 win over Harrisburg.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Had a goal and an assist in Dallas' 7-6 loss to Saltillo. Played in Dallas' 5-3 win over Brownsville. Played in Dallas' 7-5 win over Brownsville.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Started in Missouri's 10-3 loss to Chicago.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - Siah Jamegan - Iran - No game until 2/2.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Belgrano - Argentina - No game until 2/6.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Chivas' 2-2 draw wtih Veracruz.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - No game until 1/16.
Sunil Chhetri - Bengaluru - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Bengaluru's 2-1 win over Salgaocar.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 1-0 loss to Haiti.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Did not dress in Leganes' 1-0 win over Llagostera.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Season over.
Luis Gil - Queretaro - Mexico - Did not dress in Queretaro's 3-1 loss to Atlas.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game until 3/6.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - No game until 1/18.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - No game until 2/13.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - No game until 2/29.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - No game until 2/28.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Game against Forres Mechanics postponed.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Did not dress in Atrmoitos 0-0 draw with Platanias. Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Atromitos 2-1 cup win over Platanias.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - No game until 2/27.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Two Former KC Players Available in Re-Entry Draft - Former SKC Wizards Update
The MLS offseason continues to move along as we approach Christmas. The second stage of the re-entry draft is scheduled to take place this Friday. While KC was busy in the first phase, selecting goalkeeper Alec Kann, both former KC players are available for selection still on Friday. Neither Jalil Anibaba or Chris Konopka were taken in the first stage and will now wait to see if they are selected in the second phase.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Jalil Anibaba
Vicente Arze
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Chris Konopka
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Nelson Pizarro
Soony Saad
Yann Songo'o
Khari Stephenson
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Offseason.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Offseason.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Offseason.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Offseason.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Offseason.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Offseason.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Offseason.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Offseason.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Offseason.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Offseason.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Offseason.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Offseason.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Offseason.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Offseason.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Offseason.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Offseason.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Offseason.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Offseason.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Offseason.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Offseason.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Offseason.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Yomby William - Richmond - Offseason.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Did not play in either of Tacoma's games.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 6-5 OT loss to Tacoma.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Played in Baltimore's 5-2 win over Syracuse.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Had an assist in Dallas' 9-7 win over San Diego.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Started Missouri's 12-5 win over Tacoma.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Offseason.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - No game this week.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in Belen's 2-1 win over Herediano.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Season over.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Came off the bench and played 7 mintues in Leganes' 1-0 win over Gimnastic Tarragona.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Season over.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game until 3/6.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-1 win over Univ. Concepcion. Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 1-0 win over Univ. Concepcion.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Did not dress in Lechia's 2-0 win over Wisla Krakow.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - No game until 2/29.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 0-0 draw with VfB 03 Hilden.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Started and played 90 minutes in Deveronvale's 4-1 win over Fort William.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Did not dress in Atromitos' 1-0 win over Kalloni.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - No game until 2/27.
Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Jalil Anibaba
Vicente Arze
Brian Fekete
Michael Kafari
Neal Kitson
Chris Konopka
Jonathan Leathers
Kyle Miller
Nelson Pizarro
Soony Saad
Yann Songo'o
Khari Stephenson
MLS
Davy Arnaud - DC - Offseason.
Teal Bunbury - New England - Offseason.
Servando Carrasco - Orlando City - Offseason.
Aurelien Collin - Orlando City - Offseason.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Offseason.
Herculez Gomez - Toronto - Offseason.
Michael Harrington - Colorado - Offseason.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Offseason.
Kei Kamara - Columbus - Offseason.
Eric Kronberg - Montreal - Offseason.
CJ Sapong - Philadelphia - Offseason.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Offseason.
Sal Zizzo - New York - Offseason.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Tampa Bay - Offseason.
Mechack Jerome - Jacksonville - Offseason.
James Marcelin - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason.
Rauwshan McKenzie - Atlanta - Offseason.
Michal Mravec - Atlanta - Offseason.
US
Christian Duke - Swope Park - Offseason.
Adnan Gabeljic - Sacramento - Offseason.
Cyprian Hedrick - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Alex Martinez - Charlotte - Offseason.
Victor Munoz - Arizona - Offseason.
Tony Rocha - Orlando - Offseason.
Michael Thomas - Oklahoma City - Offseason.
Yomby William - Richmond - Offseason.
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Tacoma - Did not play in either of Tacoma's games.
Adnan Gabeljic - St. Louis - Did not play in St. Louis' 6-5 OT loss to Tacoma.
Pat Healey - Baltimore - Played in Baltimore's 5-2 win over Syracuse.
Mike Jones - Dallas - Had an assist in Dallas' 9-7 win over San Diego.
Boris Pardo - Missouri - Started Missouri's 12-5 win over Tacoma.
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - AFC United - Sweden - Offseason.
Scott Angevine - KPV - Finland - Offseason.
Claudio Bieler - Quilmes - Argentina - Offseason.
Omar Bravo - Chivas - Mexico - No game this week.
Reinaldo Brenes - AD Belen Siglo XXI - Costa Rica - Did not dress in Belen's 2-1 win over Herediano.
Sunil Chhetri - Mumbai City - India - Season over.
Jorge Claros - Qingdao Jonoon - China - Offseason.
Eloy Colombano - AD Berazategui - Offseason.
Toni Dovale - CD Leganes - Spain - Came off the bench and played 7 mintues in Leganes' 1-0 win over Gimnastic Tarragona.
Pablo Escobar - Cúcuta Deportivo - Colombia - Season over.
Jeferson - Vasco da Gama - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Will John - RoPS - Finland - Offseason.
Peterson Joseph - Azam FC - Tanzania - Offseason.
Igor Juliao - Macaé - Brazil - No game until 1/29.
Igor Kostrov - Dinamo-Auto - Moldova - No game until 3/6.
Luis Marin - CD Palestino - Chile - Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 2-1 win over Univ. Concepcion. Started and played 90 minutes in Palestino's 1-0 win over Univ. Concepcion.
Neven Markovic - KS Lechia Gdansk - Poland - Did not dress in Lechia's 2-0 win over Wisla Krakow.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - No game until 2/29.
Akeem Priestley - Sheikh Russel KC - Bangladesh - Offseason.
Pablo Punyed - IBV - Iceland - Offseason.
Oriol Rosell - Sporting Club de Portugal Portugal - Did not dress in either of Sporting's games.
Peter Schmetz - Wuppertaler SV - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Wuppertaler's 0-0 draw with VfB 03 Hilden.
Kevin Souter - Deveronvale FC - Scotland - Started and played 90 minutes in Deveronvale's 4-1 win over Fort William.
Martin Steuble - Ceres-La Salle - Philippines - Offseason.
Milos Stojcev - Atromitos - Greece - Did not dress in Atromitos' 1-0 win over Kalloni.
Matt Taylor - Saarbrücken - Germany - No game until 2/27.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Sporting KC Make Roster Moves
Sporting Kansas City today announced roster moves for the end of the 2015 season. The team announced that they had declined the club option on defender Jalil Anibaba. Anibaba, who was acquired by Kansas City in the offseason in a deal with Orlando City that sent Aurelien Collin to the expansion club, played in 16 games for KC in 2015, starting 14 of them. He became a starter three games into the 2015 season after KC's defensive issues in a 3-1 loss to Dallas. Anibaba proceeded to start the next 13 games for Kansas City at right back. Unfortunately after that Anibaba got hurt in training and missed all of July and August. When he returned in September he made just three more appearances, only one start, the club's 1-1 draw with Seattle when starters were rested in preparation for the US Open Cup final. Anibaba could play both right back and center back, but never lined up in the middle of defense for Kansas City. Even when both Ike Opara and Kevin Ellis were down, teenager Erik Palmer-Brown was preferred to Anibaba at center back. Anibaba will now go into the re-entry draft in December.
KC also announced that there were five players out of contract, goalkeeper Jon Kempin, midfielders Mikey Lopez, Soni Mustivar, and Paulo Nagamura, and defender Seth Sinovic. Sporting announced that they were extend offers to all five of those players in the hopes that they would return in 2016. Re-signing Mustivar has to be the priority of the five with his standing as a starter at this point. Kempin as the perceived future starter in goal also should probably be a priority. The other three it becomes a question of what the players are wanting and where the club stands depth wise. Lopez will graduate from the Generation Adidas program that means his salary next year would count against the cap. The question is whether he's contributed enough to justify it. On Nagamura it likely will come down to salary demands. Nagamura will turn 33 next season and while he's been great for the club, making $230,000 or more may not be the best way to spend cap space. But it's hard to argue with what he's done for the team. As for Sinovic, it depends on his recovery from his concussion to me. I've said many times how I feel he wasn't the same player after the concussion. It becomes about where he's at and how he's doing for me on whether you bring him back as well.
Also today KC announced they'd picked up the option on 13 other players; Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, Kevin Ellis, Benny Feilhaber, Connor Hallisey, Jimmy Medranda, Tim Melia, Chance Myers, Krisztian Nemeth, Ike Opara, Erik Palmer-Brown, and Jordi Quintilla. That list combined with the list of players KC currently have under contract; Bernardo Anor, Matt Besler, Marcel de Jong, Dom Dwyer, Roger Espinoza, Amobi Okugo, Jacob Peterson, and Graham Zusi puts KC at 20 players under contract for 2016. Add in the five players that the team is said to be making offers to that were on the team last year and you're up to 25 of 28 roster already filled. That's not to say that players who had their option picked up won't be waived during preseason, or that trades won't be made. But at the moment it appears that plenty of the team will be back for the start of the 2016 season.
KC also announced that there were five players out of contract, goalkeeper Jon Kempin, midfielders Mikey Lopez, Soni Mustivar, and Paulo Nagamura, and defender Seth Sinovic. Sporting announced that they were extend offers to all five of those players in the hopes that they would return in 2016. Re-signing Mustivar has to be the priority of the five with his standing as a starter at this point. Kempin as the perceived future starter in goal also should probably be a priority. The other three it becomes a question of what the players are wanting and where the club stands depth wise. Lopez will graduate from the Generation Adidas program that means his salary next year would count against the cap. The question is whether he's contributed enough to justify it. On Nagamura it likely will come down to salary demands. Nagamura will turn 33 next season and while he's been great for the club, making $230,000 or more may not be the best way to spend cap space. But it's hard to argue with what he's done for the team. As for Sinovic, it depends on his recovery from his concussion to me. I've said many times how I feel he wasn't the same player after the concussion. It becomes about where he's at and how he's doing for me on whether you bring him back as well.
Also today KC announced they'd picked up the option on 13 other players; Saad Abdul-Salaam, Amadou Dia, Kevin Ellis, Benny Feilhaber, Connor Hallisey, Jimmy Medranda, Tim Melia, Chance Myers, Krisztian Nemeth, Ike Opara, Erik Palmer-Brown, and Jordi Quintilla. That list combined with the list of players KC currently have under contract; Bernardo Anor, Matt Besler, Marcel de Jong, Dom Dwyer, Roger Espinoza, Amobi Okugo, Jacob Peterson, and Graham Zusi puts KC at 20 players under contract for 2016. Add in the five players that the team is said to be making offers to that were on the team last year and you're up to 25 of 28 roster already filled. That's not to say that players who had their option picked up won't be waived during preseason, or that trades won't be made. But at the moment it appears that plenty of the team will be back for the start of the 2016 season.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Season Review - Defenders - Once Again Injuries Plague the Back Line
Continuing to work up from the back on our review of the Sporting Kansas City season, we reach the defense. You can read my review of the goalkeeper position here. Sporting's defense in 2015 suffered one of the main issues that plagued the team during their 2014 run. Injuries were a big issue for the team with Chance Myers, Ike Opara, and Seth Sinovic, all three considered starters, missed considerable time due to different injuries. At one point in the season, KC had the best defensive record in the league, allowing the fewest goals in the league. Unfortunately after the 5-0 drubbing by San Jose, KC started leaking goals the rest of the season, allowing 20 over their last 12 games to finish the season with 45 goals against, the fourth most in the Western Conference.
The Players
Saad Abdul-Salaam - KC's second of three first round picks in the 2015 Superdraft, Abdul-Salaam started the season on loan with Jon Kempin at San Antonio, before being recalled in mid-May after starting five games for the NASL club. With injuries and squad rotation, Abdul-Salaam was able to get plenty of time over the course of the season at both left and right back as well as some time at winger to kill time late in some games. Abdul-Salaam improved so much over the course of the season that he displaced Jalil Anibaba who had started the 2015 season at right back with Chance Myers still recovering from injury. He finished second among KC's three rookies with 1,074 minutes played in league play, but down the stretch seemed at times to be preferred over his counterpart, Amadou Dia, even at left back.
Jalil Anibaba - Anibaba started the season as KC's starting right back after coming to the club as part of the Aurelien Collin trade with Orlando City. Anibaba did well enough for KC defensively and gave KC a big body for set pieces that helped in KC's 3-2 win over Philadelphia early in the season. He picked up a quadricep injury in early July that limited him the rest of the season. He only made one start after KC's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on 6/21, and that was against Seattle at home when KC rested the majority of their starters for the US Open Cup final. He made just two other appearances after his injury, both substitution appearances. His injury combined with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam to play right back made him a bit expendable.
Matt Besler - Despite the number of goals that KC allowed this year, Besler, Sporting KC's captain, may have had his best season with the club. He didn't get a ton of credit, but Besler took on a much larger role defensively this year. With Collin traded in the offseason, Ike Opara going down injured again, along with Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic, Besler at times had a lot more recovery work to do in settling the defense and keeping it organized, sometimes with two rookies and a converted wing back, and some times with a pair of rookies and a teenager with him. He did so playing the most league games he has since 2011. He also set a career high for assists this year, with only one coming from one of his long throws.
Marcel de Jong - 2015 probably wasn't the year that de Jong envisioned when he came to MLS. The Canadian international played in just 13 games for KC, starting 11 of them. Similar to Anibaba, de Jong saw his time late in the season really shrink. He made just three appearances for KC after the beginning of August, starting two games and coming on as a substitute in the 5-0 thrashing by San Jose. Like Anibaba with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam and Dia, de Jong could become expendable, but that may also depend on the long term health of Sinovic.
Amadou Dia - KC's other defensive rookie played the most minutes of any of KC's three first round picks, playing 1,317 minutes. Like his rookie counterpart, Abdul-Salaam, Dia kept more experienced wingbacks on the bench as the season went on with his play. Dia's minutes actually fell late in the season, like de Jong and Anibaba, as he lost minutes to Sinovic and Abdul-Salaam, but in the playoffs with both Sinovic and Myers hurt, Peter Vermes went with his two rookie outside backs. It speaks well of the strides that both players made in their rookie season.
Kevin Ellis - Speaking of strides, there's probably not one player on this list that made as big of strides this year as Ellis. KC's second homegrown player was once again thrust into a large number of minutes in 2015 due to injury. Once Opara went down, Ellis became Kansas City's starting center back next to Besler. Ellis played in a career high, 30 games, starting 28 of them, and played the fourth most minutes on the team, 2,335, behind only Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Dom Dwyer. And despite being listed at only 5'9", he was a major threat on set pieces, scoring four league goals this past year, good for fourth on the team, and added another in the playoffs, all with his head off of set pieces. For all the good work he did though he was also a point of contention with his play as he had poor play during the season which were really apparent because of the way KC played out of the back, either with poor passing or some poor choices when he would make runs forward. I think a lot of the anger though came from the fact that he was a converted wingback and KC didn't bring in another true central defender when Opara went down.
Chance Myers - Missed the first few months of the 2015 season still recovering from his Achillies tear that he suffered in 2014. When he did return, Myers was solid, but still struggled with some other injuries. He was limited to just 10 starts and 13 appears for KC. At times he still looked to be a step slower than his top speed before the injury, which isn't incredibly surprising given the nature of it. Next season is going to be big for Myers with a full preseason to continue to work back fully from his lingering injuries, and with the likes of Abdul-Salaam coming along last year he'll certainly be pushed for minutes.
Ike Opara - Looked set for a monster break out season in 2015, and fulfilling the potential that saw him go third overall in the 2010 MLS Superdraft. He was KC's leading goalscorer early in the season was a massive threat on set pieces and was a solid partner for Besler in defense. Unfortunately he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the sixth game of the season and his year was done. It's the four time in his five pro seasons that Opara has missed significant time with an injury. He's certainly a strong, very capable defender, but his inability to keep healthy is a risk that KC has to be running low on patience for. It's what made acquiring him from San Jose so cheap. I don't doubt that Opara will be back in 2016, but I think he's going to have a lot of competitions for the starting spot next to Besler next year. And if he does win it, he's going to be on a short leash. Another long term injury and he'll be gone.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting KC's youngest player had a career high in games played (7), started (4), and minutes (376). He missed time in 2015 while with the US U20 team at the U20 World Cup as well as other tournaments. when KC was struggling though Palmer-Brown had been unable to displace Ellis next to Besler in central defense. A bit of a concern, but the kid is still just 18. The hope at this point has to be that he either has a Matt Miazga break out season for Sporting or that he is loaned to the Swope Park Rangers to get regular playing time like will hopefully happen to Jon Kempin.
Seth Sinovic - Like his partner on the other wing, Myers, Sinovic missed quite a bit of time this year with injury. A concussion against DC United in early May caused him to miss the majority of the season as he didn't return until late August. When he did return though Sinovic didn't seem to be at the same level that he'd been at pre-injury. Judgment and speed just seemed a little off for him after the injury. Hopefully a full offseason and preseason will see him get back to his old level. But like Myers, he has a young player behind him in Dia that looks ready to step up.
Looking towards 2016
Robb Heineman stole a bit of my thunder yesterday when he mentioned how the team needed to find a high-quality center back. With Opara's injury history I'm not sure how much you can rely on him to be able to go in 2016. I'd like to have higher hopes for him, but he hasn't given much of a reason to with his injuries. He's a good player and would help out KC a lot if he was healthy. But that if has gotten a lot bigger as the years have gone on. And while Ellis didn't do a horrible job at center back, his position is one that Sporting really needs to look to upgrade in the offseason if they're wanting to compete for more trophies in 2016.
I'd like to see Palmer-Brown get more time next year, everyone from the club to the national team coaches talk up his ability and his high ceiling, in 2016 I'd hope we'd get to see more of it. He's shown flashes at times, but needs more game play to really step up. That seems more likely to happen at the USL level with the Rangers at this point though.
The other area that I think KC needs to address a little bit in the offseason is their depth at outside back. Not necessarily needing to add more to it, but actually to reduce some of the players the team currently has. At this time KC has six players currently whose primary position with the team is outside back. With Abdul Salaam, Anibaba, de Jong, Dia, Myers, and Sinovic all predominately outside backs, there's probably some space to cut some fat and cap space there. Outside Abdul-Salaam and Dia, they're all making over $100,000, ranging from Anibaba's $120,000 to de Jong's $180,000. Myers and Sinovic both have tenure with the team on their side, but Myers' injury issues again coming up and Sinovic's play post concussion have to give at least a little pause. Anibaba meanwhile is the least expensive of the experienced outside backs and did good, but not exceptional at that position early in the season. With de Jong, if he provides a lot more to the attack than the other five do, and is also able to play the wing position as he did against Columbus this year. At the same time, de Jong's Canadian citizenship may make him the most appealing trade, specifically for the Canadian clubs.
In the end, heading into 2016, KC needs to look to add a center back who can at the least be a replacement for Ellis and at best push and potentially beat out Opara for the starting job. Out wide it becomes a matter of needing to probably shed at least one of their outside backs.
The Players
Saad Abdul-Salaam - KC's second of three first round picks in the 2015 Superdraft, Abdul-Salaam started the season on loan with Jon Kempin at San Antonio, before being recalled in mid-May after starting five games for the NASL club. With injuries and squad rotation, Abdul-Salaam was able to get plenty of time over the course of the season at both left and right back as well as some time at winger to kill time late in some games. Abdul-Salaam improved so much over the course of the season that he displaced Jalil Anibaba who had started the 2015 season at right back with Chance Myers still recovering from injury. He finished second among KC's three rookies with 1,074 minutes played in league play, but down the stretch seemed at times to be preferred over his counterpart, Amadou Dia, even at left back.
Jalil Anibaba - Anibaba started the season as KC's starting right back after coming to the club as part of the Aurelien Collin trade with Orlando City. Anibaba did well enough for KC defensively and gave KC a big body for set pieces that helped in KC's 3-2 win over Philadelphia early in the season. He picked up a quadricep injury in early July that limited him the rest of the season. He only made one start after KC's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on 6/21, and that was against Seattle at home when KC rested the majority of their starters for the US Open Cup final. He made just two other appearances after his injury, both substitution appearances. His injury combined with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam to play right back made him a bit expendable.
Matt Besler - Despite the number of goals that KC allowed this year, Besler, Sporting KC's captain, may have had his best season with the club. He didn't get a ton of credit, but Besler took on a much larger role defensively this year. With Collin traded in the offseason, Ike Opara going down injured again, along with Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic, Besler at times had a lot more recovery work to do in settling the defense and keeping it organized, sometimes with two rookies and a converted wing back, and some times with a pair of rookies and a teenager with him. He did so playing the most league games he has since 2011. He also set a career high for assists this year, with only one coming from one of his long throws.
Marcel de Jong - 2015 probably wasn't the year that de Jong envisioned when he came to MLS. The Canadian international played in just 13 games for KC, starting 11 of them. Similar to Anibaba, de Jong saw his time late in the season really shrink. He made just three appearances for KC after the beginning of August, starting two games and coming on as a substitute in the 5-0 thrashing by San Jose. Like Anibaba with the emergence of Abdul-Salaam and Dia, de Jong could become expendable, but that may also depend on the long term health of Sinovic.
Amadou Dia - KC's other defensive rookie played the most minutes of any of KC's three first round picks, playing 1,317 minutes. Like his rookie counterpart, Abdul-Salaam, Dia kept more experienced wingbacks on the bench as the season went on with his play. Dia's minutes actually fell late in the season, like de Jong and Anibaba, as he lost minutes to Sinovic and Abdul-Salaam, but in the playoffs with both Sinovic and Myers hurt, Peter Vermes went with his two rookie outside backs. It speaks well of the strides that both players made in their rookie season.
Kevin Ellis - Speaking of strides, there's probably not one player on this list that made as big of strides this year as Ellis. KC's second homegrown player was once again thrust into a large number of minutes in 2015 due to injury. Once Opara went down, Ellis became Kansas City's starting center back next to Besler. Ellis played in a career high, 30 games, starting 28 of them, and played the fourth most minutes on the team, 2,335, behind only Besler, Benny Feilhaber, and Dom Dwyer. And despite being listed at only 5'9", he was a major threat on set pieces, scoring four league goals this past year, good for fourth on the team, and added another in the playoffs, all with his head off of set pieces. For all the good work he did though he was also a point of contention with his play as he had poor play during the season which were really apparent because of the way KC played out of the back, either with poor passing or some poor choices when he would make runs forward. I think a lot of the anger though came from the fact that he was a converted wingback and KC didn't bring in another true central defender when Opara went down.
Chance Myers - Missed the first few months of the 2015 season still recovering from his Achillies tear that he suffered in 2014. When he did return, Myers was solid, but still struggled with some other injuries. He was limited to just 10 starts and 13 appears for KC. At times he still looked to be a step slower than his top speed before the injury, which isn't incredibly surprising given the nature of it. Next season is going to be big for Myers with a full preseason to continue to work back fully from his lingering injuries, and with the likes of Abdul-Salaam coming along last year he'll certainly be pushed for minutes.
Ike Opara - Looked set for a monster break out season in 2015, and fulfilling the potential that saw him go third overall in the 2010 MLS Superdraft. He was KC's leading goalscorer early in the season was a massive threat on set pieces and was a solid partner for Besler in defense. Unfortunately he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the sixth game of the season and his year was done. It's the four time in his five pro seasons that Opara has missed significant time with an injury. He's certainly a strong, very capable defender, but his inability to keep healthy is a risk that KC has to be running low on patience for. It's what made acquiring him from San Jose so cheap. I don't doubt that Opara will be back in 2016, but I think he's going to have a lot of competitions for the starting spot next to Besler next year. And if he does win it, he's going to be on a short leash. Another long term injury and he'll be gone.
Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting KC's youngest player had a career high in games played (7), started (4), and minutes (376). He missed time in 2015 while with the US U20 team at the U20 World Cup as well as other tournaments. when KC was struggling though Palmer-Brown had been unable to displace Ellis next to Besler in central defense. A bit of a concern, but the kid is still just 18. The hope at this point has to be that he either has a Matt Miazga break out season for Sporting or that he is loaned to the Swope Park Rangers to get regular playing time like will hopefully happen to Jon Kempin.
Seth Sinovic - Like his partner on the other wing, Myers, Sinovic missed quite a bit of time this year with injury. A concussion against DC United in early May caused him to miss the majority of the season as he didn't return until late August. When he did return though Sinovic didn't seem to be at the same level that he'd been at pre-injury. Judgment and speed just seemed a little off for him after the injury. Hopefully a full offseason and preseason will see him get back to his old level. But like Myers, he has a young player behind him in Dia that looks ready to step up.
Looking towards 2016
Robb Heineman stole a bit of my thunder yesterday when he mentioned how the team needed to find a high-quality center back. With Opara's injury history I'm not sure how much you can rely on him to be able to go in 2016. I'd like to have higher hopes for him, but he hasn't given much of a reason to with his injuries. He's a good player and would help out KC a lot if he was healthy. But that if has gotten a lot bigger as the years have gone on. And while Ellis didn't do a horrible job at center back, his position is one that Sporting really needs to look to upgrade in the offseason if they're wanting to compete for more trophies in 2016.
I'd like to see Palmer-Brown get more time next year, everyone from the club to the national team coaches talk up his ability and his high ceiling, in 2016 I'd hope we'd get to see more of it. He's shown flashes at times, but needs more game play to really step up. That seems more likely to happen at the USL level with the Rangers at this point though.
The other area that I think KC needs to address a little bit in the offseason is their depth at outside back. Not necessarily needing to add more to it, but actually to reduce some of the players the team currently has. At this time KC has six players currently whose primary position with the team is outside back. With Abdul Salaam, Anibaba, de Jong, Dia, Myers, and Sinovic all predominately outside backs, there's probably some space to cut some fat and cap space there. Outside Abdul-Salaam and Dia, they're all making over $100,000, ranging from Anibaba's $120,000 to de Jong's $180,000. Myers and Sinovic both have tenure with the team on their side, but Myers' injury issues again coming up and Sinovic's play post concussion have to give at least a little pause. Anibaba meanwhile is the least expensive of the experienced outside backs and did good, but not exceptional at that position early in the season. With de Jong, if he provides a lot more to the attack than the other five do, and is also able to play the wing position as he did against Columbus this year. At the same time, de Jong's Canadian citizenship may make him the most appealing trade, specifically for the Canadian clubs.
In the end, heading into 2016, KC needs to look to add a center back who can at the least be a replacement for Ellis and at best push and potentially beat out Opara for the starting job. Out wide it becomes a matter of needing to probably shed at least one of their outside backs.
Monday, June 22, 2015
S.A.S. Wednesday After Stats
Jacob Peterson made his 250th appearance in all competitions in his MLS career.
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 29th in league play for KC, breaking his tie with Digital Takawira and Scott Sealy for 7th on that list.
Dwyer's goal was also his 33rd in all competitions, breaking his tie with Mo Johnston for 6th all time on that list.
Dwyer scored his 13th goal away from home in league play, tying him with Takawira for 5th on that list.
His goal was his 15th away from home in all competitions, also tying him with Takawira for 5th on that list.
Dwyer started his 50th league game for KC, he's the 46th player to hit that mark for KC.
In the 49th minute, Graham Zusi moved past Matt McKeon and into 11th place for league minutes played, he finished the game with 11,626 minutes played.
Zusi made his 126th league start for KC, breaking his tie with Tony Meola and moving him into a tie with McKeon for 13th place on that list.
Benny Feilhaber's assist was his 18th in league play for KC, breaking his tie with McKeon and Jose Burciaga for 13th on that list.
It was Feilhaber's 25th in all competitions for KC, tying him with Kerry Zavagnin for 8th on that list.
Roger Espinoza made his 143rd appearance in all competitions, breaking his tie with Jimmy Nielsen and CJ Sapong for 19th on that list.
It was Espinoza's 125th league appearance for KC, tying him with Meola for 15th all time on that list.
It was Espinoza's 105th league start for KC, breaking his tie with Sean Bowers for 20th on that list.
Espinoza, Feilhaber, and Jalil Anibaba, all made their 125th league appearance in their MLS careers.
Dom Dwyer's goal was his 29th in league play for KC, breaking his tie with Digital Takawira and Scott Sealy for 7th on that list.
Dwyer's goal was also his 33rd in all competitions, breaking his tie with Mo Johnston for 6th all time on that list.
Dwyer scored his 13th goal away from home in league play, tying him with Takawira for 5th on that list.
His goal was his 15th away from home in all competitions, also tying him with Takawira for 5th on that list.
Dwyer started his 50th league game for KC, he's the 46th player to hit that mark for KC.
In the 49th minute, Graham Zusi moved past Matt McKeon and into 11th place for league minutes played, he finished the game with 11,626 minutes played.
Zusi made his 126th league start for KC, breaking his tie with Tony Meola and moving him into a tie with McKeon for 13th place on that list.
Benny Feilhaber's assist was his 18th in league play for KC, breaking his tie with McKeon and Jose Burciaga for 13th on that list.
It was Feilhaber's 25th in all competitions for KC, tying him with Kerry Zavagnin for 8th on that list.
Roger Espinoza made his 143rd appearance in all competitions, breaking his tie with Jimmy Nielsen and CJ Sapong for 19th on that list.
It was Espinoza's 125th league appearance for KC, tying him with Meola for 15th all time on that list.
It was Espinoza's 105th league start for KC, breaking his tie with Sean Bowers for 20th on that list.
Espinoza, Feilhaber, and Jalil Anibaba, all made their 125th league appearance in their MLS careers.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Sunday After Stats
In the 11th minute, Jalil Anibaba hit the 10,000 minute mark in MLS play in his career, he finished the game with 10,079 minutes played.
In the 39th minute, Roger Espinoza hit the 10,000 minute mark in all competitions while playing with Kansas City. He's the 22nd player to hit that mark for KC.
Matt Besler made his 150th start in league play for KC, he's the 7th player to hit that mark.
In the 39th minute, Roger Espinoza hit the 10,000 minute mark in all competitions while playing with Kansas City. He's the 22nd player to hit that mark for KC.
Matt Besler made his 150th start in league play for KC, he's the 7th player to hit that mark.
Sunday, April 05, 2015
Sporting KC Pull Off the Late Show, Get All 3 Points
Sporting may not have deserved it tonight with their play on the field, but they walked out of Sporting Park tonight with their second straight win of the season thanks to two stoppage time goals to give them a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Union. The game was book ended by goals as both the beginning and end saw the activity with the ball ending up in the net.
Just three minutes into the game the Union grabbed the lead. Off of a Sebastien Le Toux corner kick, Luis Marin came and completely missed the ball, which then hit off the shoulder of Sporting forward Jacob Peterson. The ball headed towards net where Jalil Anibaba tried to kick it clear but could not before the ball crossed the line giving the Union the 1-0 lead. The lead would last only 13 minutes before Sporting equalized on a set piece of their own. A corner kick by Benny Feilhaber was played to the back post for Dom Dwyer. Like Marin on the Union's opener, Rais M'bolhi completely whiffed as he came for the ball giving Dwyer a free header to put into the empty net and level the game at 1-1. The game was only level for three minutes though, as a foul by Marcel de Jong led to a Union free kick near the sideline. Le Toux played the ball into the box where Fernando Aristeguieta just out muscled Sporting KC captain Matt Besler for the ball and headed the ball from near the penalty spot past Marin and into the net giving the Union a 2-1 lead.
From there KC controlled possession in the game but couldn't find an equalizer that would count, although KC twice had goals called back due to offside calls or fouls. Dwyer was the culprit on both of them. The Union also had one of their own called back as a free kick into the box was knocked down by Marin into the path of Aristeguieta who put the ball away, but Maurice Edu was offside and the goal was called back. A couple minutes, Dwyer had his second goal waived off as he rose to head a Feilhaber corner kick in, but he used Union defender Raymon Gaddis to help him get height on his jump and the score remained at 2-1 Union.
The Union really should have put the game away late on as Aristeguieta striped Roger Espinoza of the ball in the Union's half and raced down the field towards goal. Espinoza caught The Venezuelan, tackling the ball away, but it fell to Le Toux who tried to curl his effort into the far corner, but Marin got a touch that carried the ball onto the post. The rebound fell to Michael Lahoud, but from close range he put his effort well over the bar. KC looked set to lose at home for the first time this season when a Feilhaber free kick from the sideline was headed clear towards Espinoza. The Honduran played the ball back into the box where it was met by Jalil Anibaba who headed the ball on goal towards the corner. Substitute, Krisztian Nemeth could reach the ball, but his play on it seemed to freeze M'bolhi who didn't make a play on the ball until it was past him and into the net tying the game at 2-2. With six minutes of stoppage time displayed on the board, KC still had plenty of time to find a winner and they did in the fourth minute of stoppage time as a corner by Feilhaber was flicked on to the back post by Matt Besler, where it was then turned in by Nemeth to give Kansas City the win. In the end, watching replays I'm not sure that Nemeth will get credit for the goal in the end, more likely it'll be a Raymond Lee (former SKC academy player) own goal. But they all count the same and Kansas City was able to escape with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphis Union.
There are plenty of questions to ask about KC though with regards specifically to the left back now after Marcel de Jong looked out of his element on the left side, being replaced at half time by Seth Sinovic who seemed to settle that side of the field down. We'll see if that has a long term effect on that Canadian international's playing time. But for tonight, KC will walk away with all three points.
Wizards man of the match - Benny Feilhaber - As of right now, a pair of assists for KC's midfielder. More was expected of him in the offense with Graham Zusi out and Servando Carrasco sitting deeper, and Feilhaber delivered with some very good set pieces that allowed KC to pull out the win.
Player Ratings - Marin 5, de Jong 4, Besler 5, Opara 5, Anibaba 5, Carrasco 6, Espinoza 5, Feilhaber 7, Peterson 4, Dwyer 5, Medranda 4. Subs Sinovic 6, Nemeth 6, Mustivar 6.
Just three minutes into the game the Union grabbed the lead. Off of a Sebastien Le Toux corner kick, Luis Marin came and completely missed the ball, which then hit off the shoulder of Sporting forward Jacob Peterson. The ball headed towards net where Jalil Anibaba tried to kick it clear but could not before the ball crossed the line giving the Union the 1-0 lead. The lead would last only 13 minutes before Sporting equalized on a set piece of their own. A corner kick by Benny Feilhaber was played to the back post for Dom Dwyer. Like Marin on the Union's opener, Rais M'bolhi completely whiffed as he came for the ball giving Dwyer a free header to put into the empty net and level the game at 1-1. The game was only level for three minutes though, as a foul by Marcel de Jong led to a Union free kick near the sideline. Le Toux played the ball into the box where Fernando Aristeguieta just out muscled Sporting KC captain Matt Besler for the ball and headed the ball from near the penalty spot past Marin and into the net giving the Union a 2-1 lead.
From there KC controlled possession in the game but couldn't find an equalizer that would count, although KC twice had goals called back due to offside calls or fouls. Dwyer was the culprit on both of them. The Union also had one of their own called back as a free kick into the box was knocked down by Marin into the path of Aristeguieta who put the ball away, but Maurice Edu was offside and the goal was called back. A couple minutes, Dwyer had his second goal waived off as he rose to head a Feilhaber corner kick in, but he used Union defender Raymon Gaddis to help him get height on his jump and the score remained at 2-1 Union.
The Union really should have put the game away late on as Aristeguieta striped Roger Espinoza of the ball in the Union's half and raced down the field towards goal. Espinoza caught The Venezuelan, tackling the ball away, but it fell to Le Toux who tried to curl his effort into the far corner, but Marin got a touch that carried the ball onto the post. The rebound fell to Michael Lahoud, but from close range he put his effort well over the bar. KC looked set to lose at home for the first time this season when a Feilhaber free kick from the sideline was headed clear towards Espinoza. The Honduran played the ball back into the box where it was met by Jalil Anibaba who headed the ball on goal towards the corner. Substitute, Krisztian Nemeth could reach the ball, but his play on it seemed to freeze M'bolhi who didn't make a play on the ball until it was past him and into the net tying the game at 2-2. With six minutes of stoppage time displayed on the board, KC still had plenty of time to find a winner and they did in the fourth minute of stoppage time as a corner by Feilhaber was flicked on to the back post by Matt Besler, where it was then turned in by Nemeth to give Kansas City the win. In the end, watching replays I'm not sure that Nemeth will get credit for the goal in the end, more likely it'll be a Raymond Lee (former SKC academy player) own goal. But they all count the same and Kansas City was able to escape with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphis Union.
There are plenty of questions to ask about KC though with regards specifically to the left back now after Marcel de Jong looked out of his element on the left side, being replaced at half time by Seth Sinovic who seemed to settle that side of the field down. We'll see if that has a long term effect on that Canadian international's playing time. But for tonight, KC will walk away with all three points.
Wizards man of the match - Benny Feilhaber - As of right now, a pair of assists for KC's midfielder. More was expected of him in the offense with Graham Zusi out and Servando Carrasco sitting deeper, and Feilhaber delivered with some very good set pieces that allowed KC to pull out the win.
Player Ratings - Marin 5, de Jong 4, Besler 5, Opara 5, Anibaba 5, Carrasco 6, Espinoza 5, Feilhaber 7, Peterson 4, Dwyer 5, Medranda 4. Subs Sinovic 6, Nemeth 6, Mustivar 6.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Sporting Lose Zizzo in Expansion Draft, Pick Up Anibaba
The MLS expansion draft is done, and Sporting KC pretty much made it out of the draft unscathed. The only player from Sporting KC that was selected in the draft was winger, Sal Zizzo, who had already had his option declined by the club. New York City FC took Zizzo with their 9th pick of the expansion draft. Zizzo had played 19 league games for KC, 24 in all competitions, and scored one goal for the club. He also added three assists in league play for Kansas City. The loss of Zizzo is felt more off the field because of his role in the Benny Feilhaber Show. With Zizzo off the board, Sporting had pulled back forward, Jacob Peterson. But with just two picks left, no more Sporting players were taken.
On top of Zizzo not being expected back, Sporting also got themselves allocation money for the pick.
The other part of the draft that Sporting fans were keeping an eye on were Orlando's selections. With the future considerations from the Aurelien Collin trade still hanging out there, each pick that Orlando made was met with comments of disappointment or hope that a player would be coming to KC. After Orlando's fourth pick, Pedro Ribeiro, was taken, Sporting's President Tweeted "Nice pick by Orlando..." immediately getting fans to focus on that pick specifically, but the top four in general.
After the draft was over, the future considerations became clear as sources in both Orlando and Kansas City said that it was former Seattle Sounders defender, Jalil Anibaba, taken with Orlando's third pick, that was headed to Kansas City. Anibaba played in 16 games for the Sounders last year, starting 14 of them. That was his first season in Seattle, before that he'd spent four years in Chicago. In 2013 with the Fire, Anibaba played every minute of Chicago's 34 games. Anibaba had been drafted one spot before Sporting KC's former forward, CJ Sapong in the 2011 draft. He'd actually been a player that myself and others thought would be a good fit for Kansas City as Sporting had needed center back depth heading into the 2011 season. Overall, I think getting Anibaba is a good move. He's experienced and gives KC options at both center back and right back. He's also not overly expensive, with a 2014 base salary of just under $120,000. His guaranteed compensation is a little higher, close to $160,000, but still manageable for Kansas City.
On top of Zizzo not being expected back, Sporting also got themselves allocation money for the pick.
The other part of the draft that Sporting fans were keeping an eye on were Orlando's selections. With the future considerations from the Aurelien Collin trade still hanging out there, each pick that Orlando made was met with comments of disappointment or hope that a player would be coming to KC. After Orlando's fourth pick, Pedro Ribeiro, was taken, Sporting's President Tweeted "Nice pick by Orlando..." immediately getting fans to focus on that pick specifically, but the top four in general.
After the draft was over, the future considerations became clear as sources in both Orlando and Kansas City said that it was former Seattle Sounders defender, Jalil Anibaba, taken with Orlando's third pick, that was headed to Kansas City. Anibaba played in 16 games for the Sounders last year, starting 14 of them. That was his first season in Seattle, before that he'd spent four years in Chicago. In 2013 with the Fire, Anibaba played every minute of Chicago's 34 games. Anibaba had been drafted one spot before Sporting KC's former forward, CJ Sapong in the 2011 draft. He'd actually been a player that myself and others thought would be a good fit for Kansas City as Sporting had needed center back depth heading into the 2011 season. Overall, I think getting Anibaba is a good move. He's experienced and gives KC options at both center back and right back. He's also not overly expensive, with a 2014 base salary of just under $120,000. His guaranteed compensation is a little higher, close to $160,000, but still manageable for Kansas City.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Some Random Questions
There's not been a whole lot of real interesting news lately involving KC and with that news there's a few questions that have been in my mind, so here's some random questions.
Is KC going to sign Luke Sassano?
The Wizards traded for his rights from LA, but there's been next to no word about what's going on with him. Lots of teams are starting to sign their players from the re-entry draft, including Tyrone Marshall with Colorado and KC pick Frankie Hejduk with LA, while New England appear closer to signing Fred to a contract. Others, like Jeff Cunningham, have already made their intentions to move abroad known. Meanwhile there's been next to nothing with regards to what's happening with Sassano. No word from the team, no word from anywhere else in the world that I've found about potential trials. The question is whether Sassano will be in Sporting blue next season or not.
What's going on with Michael Harrington?
We've heard that KC is waiting to hear back from Harrington and his agent, but that was a few weeks ago, since then there's been really nothing on the topic, the same deal as Sassano. No new word from the team, and again nothing that I've been able to find around the world about potential trials for Harrington either. I know KC definitely wants Harrington back, but the lack of news lack the lack of news on Sassano is a little worrisome about either of their playing for KC next season.
Where are the rumors on potential signings?
It seems like there are rumors of potential signings for most teams around the league with names being named for those players. KC though hasn't been one of those, other than the rumors from late November and early December involving Julien Rodriguez and Aurelien Collin, there's really been nothing regarding potential signings for KC. We know that KC is looking at numerous players based off of comments by Robb Heineman and Peter Vermes, but we've heard nothing of the names of those players. It's one thing to say we're looking at players but without names or hard evidence it's just talk.
Where should KC go with their first round pick?
This one isn't that big of a question in my opinion, because as things stand now, KC needs to get a central defender. There are two in the drop that could be available and worth grabbing at the number 10 spot, either Cal's AJ Soares or UNC's Jalil Anibaba would be solid selections at that spot, but the way I think the team should go with this pick could change depending on any potential signings that come in before the draft takes place next Thursday.
Is anyone else ready for the start of the season?
Christmas is over and things are slow for KC right now news wise, which means I'm begging for the season to start. I'm ready to get out and cheer on the SKC Wizards and I really can't wait until June and the opener of our new home, but I'll take March 19th and my trip to LA for the season opener against Chivas.
Is KC going to sign Luke Sassano?
The Wizards traded for his rights from LA, but there's been next to no word about what's going on with him. Lots of teams are starting to sign their players from the re-entry draft, including Tyrone Marshall with Colorado and KC pick Frankie Hejduk with LA, while New England appear closer to signing Fred to a contract. Others, like Jeff Cunningham, have already made their intentions to move abroad known. Meanwhile there's been next to nothing with regards to what's happening with Sassano. No word from the team, no word from anywhere else in the world that I've found about potential trials. The question is whether Sassano will be in Sporting blue next season or not.
What's going on with Michael Harrington?
We've heard that KC is waiting to hear back from Harrington and his agent, but that was a few weeks ago, since then there's been really nothing on the topic, the same deal as Sassano. No new word from the team, and again nothing that I've been able to find around the world about potential trials for Harrington either. I know KC definitely wants Harrington back, but the lack of news lack the lack of news on Sassano is a little worrisome about either of their playing for KC next season.
Where are the rumors on potential signings?
It seems like there are rumors of potential signings for most teams around the league with names being named for those players. KC though hasn't been one of those, other than the rumors from late November and early December involving Julien Rodriguez and Aurelien Collin, there's really been nothing regarding potential signings for KC. We know that KC is looking at numerous players based off of comments by Robb Heineman and Peter Vermes, but we've heard nothing of the names of those players. It's one thing to say we're looking at players but without names or hard evidence it's just talk.
Where should KC go with their first round pick?
This one isn't that big of a question in my opinion, because as things stand now, KC needs to get a central defender. There are two in the drop that could be available and worth grabbing at the number 10 spot, either Cal's AJ Soares or UNC's Jalil Anibaba would be solid selections at that spot, but the way I think the team should go with this pick could change depending on any potential signings that come in before the draft takes place next Thursday.
Is anyone else ready for the start of the season?
Christmas is over and things are slow for KC right now news wise, which means I'm begging for the season to start. I'm ready to get out and cheer on the SKC Wizards and I really can't wait until June and the opener of our new home, but I'll take March 19th and my trip to LA for the season opener against Chivas.
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