Heineman Takes to Twitter Again

Once again while killing time while on a flight, Sporting Club CEO, Robb Heineman took to Twitter again, conducting a Q&A with fans. Heineman answered a number of questions over an hour or so of Tweeting. There was lots of decent information in his tweets, but as always with these conversations you always have to take it with a grain of salt and remember Heineman's tendency to troll the fans on occasion.

Heineman came out with his first question answering Orlando City fans who have held out hope that they could some how get Dom Dwyer to return to their club now that they've entered MLS in 2015. Quickly seeming to put an end to any speculation (and really any hope Orlando City fans had of getting him were a delusional to begin with).

Heineman also crushed some wild fan hopes for player signings, from the hopeful, to the never gonna happen. And also crushed the baseless speculation that the team was chasing Giovanni Dos Santos again. He did though provide some hope of an incoming Designated Player, and also said that the team was still looking to bring in a defensive midfielder. Heineman also seemed to indicate that the club has yet to give up on getting Brazilian right back, Igor Juliao back in Kansas City.

Heineman answered a few questions pertaining to stadiums throughout the tweet along as well. The first one would be a blow to a number of fans who were hoping for an expanded Sporting Park in the future. When asked when we'd see an expanded Sporting Park, Heineman responded "I'd guess never." It's a departure from his previous comments on the topic when he's said things from five years to that they'd look into it after 2015. While Toronto is working on an expansion of BMO Field to up their capacity, Sporting Park really is restricted by the land it is on. The only way to go is up. In the past talk has been about raising the roof on the East Stand so that he matched the level of the West Stand and adding a second tier, as well as adding more seats above the Cauldron. The process for that certainly wouldn't be cheap or as easy as the expansion of BMO appears to be. On other stadium topics, Heineman was asked whether the team would ever return to the Truman Sports Complex, to play at either of the two stadiums out there. In regards to Kauffman, Heineman was more interested in the idea if it were a downtown stadium. As for Arrowhead, Heineman was asked about playing one game a year at the team's former home, to which he responded that the chances were low.

Back to Sporting Park, Heineman was asked about friendlies this summer for Sporting, to which Heineman responded that they had nothing lined up at this time regarding a big name European team. Heineman did though say that they were working on setting up a friendly between the team and former goalkeeper, Jimmy Nielsen's Oklahoma City Energy, which would be fun. But on the other hand I also think that game would do a lot more for Oklahoma City to host Sporting for a game (just don't get hurt). My assumption had been that one of the friendlies this summer would be a visit from partner club Fluminense as part of the home and home friendlies that were part of the agreement. Heineman was asked about training at Fluminense ahead of the 2016 season, for which Heineman said that the club would like to, which would be the perfect time for the "return" leg of the friendlies.

Heineman also pretty much confirmed the leaked jerseys as the team's new primary jersey for those that were doubting that the leaked jersey was really going to be the team's new jersey in 2015. He also gave further proof to the word going around that there was going to be no third jersey in 2015. Rumors had been making the rounds that KC would have a third that would keep the argyle pattern but would instead go to white instead of the black that the team had over the past two years.

A few other minor bits of information from his tweets tonight. He said that the land where the US Training Complex will be going in is currently being prepped for the ground breaking, which previously mentioned was planned for some time in the first half of 2015. He also seemed to confirm an eventual interest in the team creating a USL team that would play at Swope Park with FC Kansas City. It's an area that I feel is the next logical step for Kansas City. The LA Galaxy showed how a successful model for their USL team can help players develop to eventually help the main team. With a number of other MLS teams starting USL teams themselves this year, it'll be interesting to see how many do it right and how many do it wrong, and whether that pushes Kansas City to create their USL team quicker or not.

We also may have finally found out why I'll likely never get a job with Sporting Kansas City. This may have been my favorite question of the night, though it went unanswered.

Heineman ended the night with the below Tweet, that will certainly lead to a lot of responses and create further interest locally in the team and their push in 2015.

Keep hearing rvdv rumor....definitely on the radar.  Not imminent...
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) February 12, 2015

Of course, as I feel obligated to say each time Robb does one of these things, make sure you take your grain of salt.

DM Deal Dead (And Who Could it Have Been?)

Failed physical. ...dm deal dead
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) January 11, 2015

Robb Heineman posted the above Tweet earlier today, letting Sporting KC fans know that a player that Sporting KC had been chasing would not be coming to the team. It's a bit of a blow to Sporting as the team had been looking for a defensive midfielder (DM) who could come in and really replace Oriol Rosell and Julio Cesar. Since those two players have left, both Lawrence Olum and Jorge Claros have struggled to fill the role of distributor that both players filled so well for Sporting over the last few years.

The obvious next step for fans was wanting to know who said player was. I'm going to take a stab at this based on what has been said this offseason and some looking around the internet. First thing that I looked at along with Heineman's Tweet was the comments that Peter Vermes made last week at the Q&A at Sprint with Heineman, Nate Bukaty, and Roger Espinoza. While Vermes was talking about building the team and the stadium and word of mouth helping to bring player interest to Kansas City instead of KC having to really push for some higher end talent, Vermes said "We're dealing with a player right now that has been in our stadium, and played a game in our stadium, who's a foreign player, and wants to come to us because he has been in our environment and seen what it's like and he wants to come here. And if we're open that way we're going to attract more players than we lose."

So combining those two, Heineman saying that the player was a DM, and Vermes saying that the foreign player had played in our stadium, I went ahead and looked up the number of foreigners who have played games at Sporting Park. I was able to find 17 international teams that have played in Sporting Park, either club or international. You have the five friendlies that Sporting KC has played against Newcastle, Chivas, Stoke City, Montpellier, and Manchester City. You also have the competitive games that Sporting has played against international competition at Sporting Park and the teams they were against; Real Esteli, Olimpia, Cruz Azul, and Deportivo Saprissa. Then you have the 2013 MLS All Star game against Roma bringing in another team. The US meanwhile has played three foreign opponents at Sporting Park, Guadeloupe in the 2011 Gold Cup, and Guatemala and Jamaica in World Cup qualifiers. Finally you had the four U23 teams that played at Sporting Park in 2012 as part of CONCACAF's Olympic qualifying.

From those 17 teams, here is the list I've come up with of players that played defensive midfield for those teams (I left Canada blank because pretty much all their players are playing in US leagues):

Newcastle - Cheik Tiote
Chivas - Edgar Mejía
Stoke - Wilson Palacios
Montpellier - Marco Estrada,
Manchester City - Fernando, Javi Garcia
Roma - Kevin Strootman, Daniele De Rossi
Real Esteli - Elmer Mejia
Olimpia - Irvin Reyna
Saprissa - Juan Bustos
Cruz Azul - Alejandro Flores
Guadeloupe - Thomas Gamiette, Stephane Auvray
Guatemala - Wilfred Velasquez
Jamaica - Rudolph Austin
Mexico U23 - Jorge Enriquez
Honduras U23 - Wilmer Fuentes
El Salvador U23 - Edwin Sanchez
Canada U23 - not playing in foreign league.

So from this list you can immediately rule out a few names. Stephane Auvray seems unlikely to be making a comeback to Sporting KC, so he's off the list. Then you have players like Cheik Tiote, Fernando, and Kevin Strootman, and Javi Garcia who are all contributors for their current clubs and would all be well out of Sporting's price range.  The same is likely true for Cruz Azul's Alejandro Flores. Then you can probably rule out the likes of Real Esteli's Elmer Mejia, because of Esteli's talent level and the fact that he's 36. The talent gap I'd also put as a reason to rule out Guadeloupe's Thomas Gamiette, Wilfred Velasquez of Guatemala, and Edwin Sanchez of El Salvador's U23 team. Not to say they couldn't happen, I mean look at Aurelien Collin's pre-Sporting KC team history.

While Daniele De Rossi has been linked with a move to MLS, New York City FC seem to have him targeted at this time. I also think getting either Edgar Mejia or Jorge Enriquez away from Chivas would be a hard ask, although with Cubo Torres coming to MLS, maybe it's something that could be happening. At this time though I'd rule those two out as well.

That leaves us with this list:

Stoke - Wilson Palacios
Montpellier - Marco Estrada
Olimpia - Irvin Reyna
Saprissa - Juan Bustos
Jamaica - Rudolph Austin
Honduras U23 - Wilmer Fuentes

As for the remaining players, I just have a feeling Vermes is looking for a bit more of a veteran in the defensive midfield role, I know Rosell did well there, but I just feel like he's looking to have a veteran presence in front of the back four, so I've ruled out both Wilmer Fuentes and Juan Bustos (although I think Bustos would be a pretty good pick up overall).

For me, on the four remaining players I think the options are two, either Wilson Palacios of Stoke City or Marco Estrada of Montpellier. Palacios has been looking for a way out of Stoke for a while and had a move to Qatar ruled out due to fitness issues (reason for a failed physical?). As for Estrada, the Chilean left Montpellier in 2013 and moved to Al-Wahda FC of the UAE. Estrada though has not played in almost a year, also because he's still recovering from a knee injury he suffered last January and is currently training in Chile. Both players certainly have a reason for failing a potential physical that would see them sign with Sporting.

For me though I have to lean towards the player being Estrada. I just have a feeling about Vermes getting a midfield full of current and former Honduran national team players isn't going to happen. Estrada also could have come with a recommendation from goalkeeper Luis Marin who was on the 2010 World Cup team with Estrada.

So that's my guess for the failed signing, former Montpellier midfielder, Marco Estrada, who recorded an assist in Montpellier's 3-0 win over Sporting KC in 2012.

Of course having said that, all you need to do to poke holes in this is the fact that Rosell, Cesar, and Lawrence Olum have all been center backs before coming to Sporting KC and slotting into the midfield in front of the back four.

A Look at Heineman's #flyNtweet

With the offseason in full swing, it'd been a while since Robb Heineman had hosted one of his Twitter Q&A sessions. So today with a trip home from New York, Heineman held a #flyNtweet. Fans asked a number of questions, I'll just touch on a few of the higher points here.

One of the first questions posted a proposed starting 11 and asked Heineman how many of the 11 he expected to start the season. Heineman responded with just over half, six of the 11 he expected to start. You can make assumptions, but it's easy to guess Dwyer, Zusi, Feilhaber, Sinovic, Besler, and Marin as the six Heineman is thinking of. To go along with all those changes to the starting lineup that was posted, Heineman also said that he expects 10 new players to be brought in. Considering the team was sitting on 19 players under contract, adding 10 isn't that much of a surprise.

A number of the questions that Heineman was asked pertained to the team's pursuit of Roger Espinoza and bringing him back into a KC uniform. Heineman continues to have high hopes for bringing up back, and also stated that the Honduran would not be a DP if and when he returns. His return is something that Heineman seems to be really interested in and wanting to happen.

Speaking of Espinoza and the defensive midfield position, Heineman said the team is looking at several DMs. He also said that DM is one of the three positions that he felt needed the most improvement along with goalkeeper and left winger.

Elsewhere on the field, another question from fans was the health of Chance Myers and how his recovery was going. Heineman said that Myers is currently ahead of schedule and will start.

When it came to the Superdraft and Sporting's 3 first round picks, Heineman said that right now he's guessing that the team will trade some of those picks. Whether that's for allocation money, or to move up in the draft like Heineman hinted at yesterday, remains to be seen.

Another question that Heineman has been asked that has been a topic of discussion off and on all year is the future of Erik Palmer-Brown. With the interest from Juventus apparently still going strong the question is how long he'll stay. When asked about the plans for EPB, Heineman said that he'd like to go to Europe. He does come back later though and says that there aren't plans to sell him this winter. Of course since EPB isn't 18 yet and can't get an EU work permit yet, selling him before his 18th birthday doesn't make sense anyway.

In terms of player signings, Heineman confirmed another one for the club, saying the team has signed a guy that can play on the wing, another area that Heineman said needed to improve. Heineman was also asked about signing another designated player, to witch Heineman responded that the chances were "strong to quite strong." When I responded wtih a question asking if that mean there would be a fourth DP slot or if that meant getting rid of Claudio Bieler, Heineman responded that the team has allocation money that would be able to be used to pay down the salary to below DP levels. As a follow up to that, Heineman was asked whether the new DP was a new player or if Dwyer's contract would make him a DP. He confirmed that it would be a new player, meaning Dwyer signed his new contract for under a DP contract. Heineman was also asked specifically about TFC's Dominic Oduro, which he responded by saying that while he's a guy they like, his salary is too high. Heineman also said that the two players that Sporting is looking to bring in this year to play goal are both from outside MLS curently. He also confirmed that KC's new goalkeeper is not a DP as well.

Another question for the team heading into 2015 was whether Brazilian Igor Juliao would return to KC. The Fluminense right back was on loan last year, and Heineman seems to be optimistic on him returning to Kansas City for the new season.
Heineman also has high on the possibility of bringing back Jacob Peterson.

There's another opportunity for KC to pick up players this week in the second stage of the re-entry draft. Based off Heineman's Tweet though it doesn't look like KC fans should expect much from that draft.

While bringing in new players is important, one area on the field has been lacking a lot since the stadium opened has been the team's home form. Sporting Park hasn't been the fortress that the team really wants. It hasn't become a stadium like Rio Tinto where Sporting can have a long unbeaten run. Heineman said that this is one of the biggest things that the team is emphasizing.

Questions about the CBA came up, and while Heineman said that he can't speak on it, he did make one comment regarding the potential layout of the league, saying that the odds of adding 2 more DPs to bring the total to 5 or doubling the cap were both 0.

One response I was sad to see was Heineman's answer to a question about a hall of fame in Kansas City. I'd read articles last week about US Soccer signing a non-compete agreement with the city of Frisco, Texas to negotiate building a Hall of Fame there. But it's still disappointing to see Heineman come out and say it's not going to happen in KC.

Over the course of the Tweets, Heineman did kill a couple of the silly rumors that fans have come up with. Including the idea that Sporting should go after Steven Gerrard of Liverpool or make a trade with Columbus to try to bring Kei Kamara back to Kansas City or even the thought of moving US-Mexico away from Columbus before the US team actually loses there.

Another area that hasn't been touched on in a while that was brought up again is the stadium sponsorship of Sporting Park. Since the split with the LiveStrong corporation Sporting Park has not had a stadium sponsor. And unfortunately according to Heineman, there is no new news on it either.

Another off the field area that Heineman touched on was some news that was also in the letter the team sent to the Garden City mayor about the USSF training facility. The facility will apparently be starting in March, a big step for Kansas City.

But remember about Heineman's answers:

“@jhujhubee: @RobbHeineman Also, favorite part about your job?” Twitter trolling
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) December 16, 2014

A Look at Heineman's Q/A on Twitter Tonight

Tonight while on his way to Orlando, Robb Heineman did another one of his impromptu Twitter Q/A's. As always, there were a number of lighthearted questions and some trolling, but there were some good questions in there as well that he answered.

One of the early questions that Heineman was asked had to do with the team adding players to the current squad. A number of fans have questioned whether KC would add to their roster and if they could possibly fall behind other teams. Heineman's response to the question doesn't sound to optimistic at least at this moment.

Hard 2 say....summer window more likely RT @zachbettis: @RobbHeineman Any more signings before the start of the season?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) February 18, 2014

In regards to the recent rumors about Juniors signing, Erik Palmer-Brown and Juventus, Heineman responded "Noooooo" when asked if the team had agreed to sell him abroad. And take it for what you will, but Heineman also had some high praise for the 16 year old later:

Epb RT @JaredSevers: @RobbHeineman Which young players do you expect to contribute this year that didn't last year? #skctweetandfly
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) February 18, 2014

He also fielded questions about the state of the league as it is now. Specifically he was asked if he felt he was concerned that KC hadn't done enough to improve while other teams like Toronto and DC had. Heineman said he wasn't concerned about that. But when questioned further about whether he was concerned about smaller market teams being "out-priced," Heineman responded with an affirmative. And it's certainly a concern that I think many KC fans feel, especially having seen similar things happen with the Royals over the years as the team has been "out-priced" (plenty of that of their own doing). Another question in that same vein asked if a 4th designated player spot was inevitable, to which Heineman responded no. That topic had come up for discussion recently with the fact that the Seattle Sounders had been linked with Didier Drogba. With them already having three DP's on their roster, assumption immediately turned to the league adding another DP spot for teams to use for Seattle to bring in the Ivory Coast international.

A topic that Heineman has used to troll numerous times in the past is the playing surface, starting the infamous "blue turf" a few years ago. When asked about the surface tonight, he said that the field would be changed to Bermuda grass this summer. When jokingly asked about the blue turf though, Heineman gave a response that I'm sure will cause worry for a number of fans around the league:

If bermuda fails....turf inevitable RT @DoctorJayhawk: @RobbHeineman When does the blue turf go in?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) February 18, 2014

The bane of many MLS fans' existence, turf. It'd be extremely disappointing if KC were forced to install turf at Sporting Park, especially since only a few years ago Sporting's grounds crew were given awards for the work that they'd done at Community America Ballpark. Hopefully the fungus, or disease, or whatever was causing the problem is resolved with the switch to Bermuda grass and we don't have to see a game played on turf at Sporting Park.

Heineman also reiterated a comment he made in an earlier Q/A in regards to a USL-Pro team for Kansas City. The team recently signed an agreement with the Oklahoma City Energy to be their affiliate, but Heineman said that OnGoal is still working on creating their own USL-Pro team, similar to the LA Galaxy II that was announced recently. Whether this team would be KC based or potentially in another market is certainly something that will likely be discussed.

Another thing in the Q/A tonight that I liked were his comments regarding a TV deal. Heineman was asked about an expanded TV deal that would see KC expand outside the KC area. In the past the team has made references to wanting to be a regional team that could have fans throughout the Midwest. Heineman in response to the question said that they are apparently looking to broadcast games in 5 states. Later in the Q/A when asked by the American Outlaws chapter of Sioux Falls, if they'd be able to watch games on local TV he said yes. So that would mean Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota would seem to be three of the five states. I could also see the likes of Nebraska, Iowa, and Oklahoma being included in that list of five when things are all said and done. I love the idea of KC becoming a more regional team in regards to pulling in fans. They're solidifying themselves in the KC metro area, and with them doing that, they can now look to pull in people from around the region.

The topic that probably brought up the most questions tonight though was the possibility of a summer friendly for Sporting KC this year. Heineman shot down the idea of a friendly against a Bundesliga team and a rematch against Manchester United. But did say Sporting Park when asked about a venue, and that he'd "given plenty of hints"  in regards to the team.

So the question becomes was this Tweet from the 14th a hint:

Tale of 2 cities
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) February 14, 2014

If so could it be a reference to the rumored Manchester City friendly that Oriol Rosell let slip in an interview? That would make some sense, but then again, City is playing in the Guinness International Champions Cup in the US from July 26th through August 4th. So who knows, it might not have been a hint at all, maybe he just likes Charles Dickens.

On one final question that is a personal crusade of mine, Heineman was asked about the soccer hall of fame and bringing it to KC. This is something I would truly love, specifically the archives (which I would love to work at). In the past it's something that's been brought up, specifically in conjunction with the training complex that OnGoal wants to build with US Soccer. This time Heineman again left the door open for it, but said that the format needs to be considered.

A Look at Robb Heineman Blowing Up My Twitter Feed

Earlier today, Sporting KC president, Robb Heineman spoke at the Ivy Sports Symposium in New York City. During his presentation, Heineman said that the team's goal to be transparent with fans is a strategic decision so the team can compete with the Chiefs and Royals.  Tonight, Heineman put that practice to good use on his flight back.  On Twitter, he solicited questions from fans to keep him entertained.  For the next two hours, Heineman answered questions on Twitter.  Heineman answered a ton of questions of the two hours giving some information, hinting at other things, and trolling fans at other times.  Certainly the lines could be blurred, but it's things like this that have made this team so well accepted in this city right now.  Let's take a look at some of his answers, I'll throw in a few comments.

6 new on roster RT @dwarner11: @robbheineman Roughly how many new faces do you expect to see on the field for #SKC next year?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

For a team that finished in first place in the East two years in a row Sporting certainly doesn't appear set to rest.  Six new players could be anywhere on the roster, from starting to bench warmer, but it is quite a few changes.  Plenty of comments throughout the chat with player movement.

We respect MrG, so no.if he wanted 2 sell, we'd discuss it.RT @simplyysoto: @robbheineman would you buy the #royals ?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Hopefully this helps put an end to this debate.  I know people want Sporting to buy the Royals and/or the Chiefs, but that isn't happening in the short term or in the real foreseeable future.

A south american one RT @gmd0012: @robbheineman What league are you targeting your next DP from?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

As I said earlier, the team is not resting with the roster the way it is.

His owner wont move him RT @nickhagel: @robbheineman Still trying for Javi Guerra? #SKC
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Appears we've reached the end of the Javi Guerra to KC talk.

Resurfacing to sporting blue astroturf RT @_billygrant: @robbheineman what's most interesting thing going on at Livestrong this off season?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Heineman's biggest troll of the night.

Europe and SA RT @cameronarey: @robbheineman where are you sending the scouts this offseason?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Nothing yet RT @danuel1225: @robbheineman what's the word on Espinoza??
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

The only way we'd have gotten much information here is if Roger Espinoza had re-signed with KC.

Hopefully....i think so RT @canfieldlaw: @robbheineman Shirt sponsor in 2013?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

KC is one of the few teams left in the league without a shirt sponsor, and one of only two, with Colorado, to never have one.  Plenty of people have been on both sides of the debate, wanting KC to get a shirt sponsor, but some wanting to keep the clean front.  But you always knew that KC was going to work towards a jersey sponsor, it's a stream of revenue that KC has not taken advantage of yet.

Some good stuff.start of next year RT @kendricbeachey: @robbheineman what will our Sporting Membership points and coins get us, and when?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

As long as this happens, this saves me from a post I was going to write this offseason.  It's been 2 years since the Sporting Explorer App was launched and we still don't have anything to do with our coins and points.  The lack of "reward" has caused me to play the game less and less over the course of the season.  A goal to work towards would get me back involved.

Dont think so RT @laura_c0: @robbheineman your last tweet worried us... Is @mbesler going somewhere?!
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Sporting's other out of contract player this year Matt Besler has gotten a lot more attention this year.  But like Heineman I don't expect him to go anywhere this offseason, I expect him to be re-signed soon enough.

Great idea....RT @realdstorm: @robbheineman Silver kit in honour of the US Open Cup - like it, love it, or gotta have it?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

KC's been rumored to be getting a third jersey next year, and one of the thoughts is that gray or silver would be the 3rd jersey.  Whether you want to believe this tweet means something in regards to that is up to you.

Tried...no stoke interest RT @graham_fox: @robbheineman ever thought about bringing p crouch on board?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Choose whether you want to believe this one or not.  I'm not positive Crouch would work in our system with the amount of running that's expected, but he'd certainly give a big body to play those crosses to.

The turf is longer and simulates grass RT @danuel1225: @robbheineman u do put turf in might lose some big bids on games if so just 2cents
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Trollolololol

I thinkhe wants to stay a little longerRT @ben_yates4: @robbheineman does it look like Zusis great play is going to take him overseas?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

TonsnRT @gmd0012: @robbheineman Has there been any interest abroad on Zusi?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

The MVP finalist has certainly attracted attention from Jurgen Klinsmann pushing himself into the naitonal team picture, but apparently from abroad as well.  Interest abroad is a big thing and makes the fact that Sporting locked Zusi down last off season all the more important.

Ahead of schedule.love that kid RT @lgasper4: @robbheineman How is @tealbunb doin?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Great news that Teal Bunbury is ahead of schedule in his recovery.

Nope....we dont imitate RT @kcevidenceguy: @robbheineman Thoughts on a @sportingkc Ring of Honor like the @kcchiefs?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

I really want to see some sort of hall of fame for the greats that have played for this team somewhere in the stadium.  I understand not copying the Chiefs, but doing something to honor those of the past would be nice.

2018 RT @ryanhetu: @robbheineman when do you see LSP expanding?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Another one of those that I'm not sure about believing.  In the past the team has said that they'd need consistent sellouts for something like 10 years before even considering expanding LSP.  But maybe that mindset has changed.

No nats moving to all turf RT @rbitter79: @robbheinemanturf?Im disapointed. I undrstnd the $ (cont) tl.gd/k1hulv
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Figured out he's trolling you yet?

Dont know yet RT @hoagieskc: @robbheineman Do you see Cesar going anywhere soon?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Julio Cesar turns 34 in a few days, so his career is certainly winding down.  The question is whether KC would keep him for one more year to help ease someone like Oriol Rosell more into that role.

No RT @acurttright: @robbheineman Do you plan on going after anyone like Arshavin since I heard US teams may be interested in him? #Sport
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Sorry Arsenal fans.

Do u want it?RT @chrisgeorgekc: @robbheineman What do you think our chances are of hosting All Star game 2013?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

All Star game isn't high on my list, but would certainly be a spectacle that would show off the stadium.

Yep RT @jonlorenz: @robbheineman anything new regarding the team's tv rights/contract in the pipeline?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

No doubt RT @sportingkcgft: interest to spreading media coverage of skc in surrounding communities via local tv stations 100miles ouside kc
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

KC has improved their TV production and presence greatly over the past few years, glad it's going to continue to improve.

Usl, not nasl RT @sportingkcgft: @robbheineman any interest in developing a loan setup with an (cont) tl.gd/k1i400
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

The reserve league's lack of player development is a problem for all MLS teams.  Really more teams need to look into loaning players out to get those fringe players more time so that they're able to contribute down the road.  The likes of Ruben Luna have suffered from an insufficient reserve league.

No RT @douglas__adams: @robbheineman ever see MLS with multiple divisions/relegation?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Poor Euro snobs and pipe dreamers that think promotion and relegation is going to happen in the United States.

No....not good enough RT @andydiorio: @robbheineman Any thought about adding Eastern Conf. Reg season champs 2 the wall?
— Robb Heineman (@RobbHeineman) November 17, 2012

Just another reason to never doubt this team's commitment to winning.

I enjoyed reading through his tweets tonight, but as I said earlier, take some with a grain of salt and some with a mountain of it.

No DP Likely This Window

Late last night, once again Robb Heineman brought us news via Twitter. This time pertaining to the potential designated player that KC was looking to sign. And that news doesn't appear to be good news. Heineman says that "unless something dramatic happens in the next two days, we will not be announcing a DP in this window."

It all seems pretty cut and dry right there, KC's plans for bringing in a DP seem to have fallen through. It's not incredibly surprising based on an earlier tweet where Heineman was commiserating an injury in Spain. The assumption is that the injury was to the Spanish DP that KC had on their radar and were looking to sign.

It's certainly a blow to fans, who had been anticipating this big move for much of the offseason, but unfortunately now KC has to go in another direction. I'm sure that Peter Vermes had plans to build the team in place that did not include the DP, but it's still a blow to the team, because it's fairly hard to replace a DP level talent. But then again there are no guarantees that the DP would have fit into the league, that he would produce on the level you expect from a designated player. It's still a blow though to the team's development of the roster heading into this season. The roster though right now looks pretty good as a whole, one or two depth moves right now and the team should be in good shape. And if things don't turn out well, KC could still be working towards a summer transfer window move.

Quick Sporting KC News

Two quick bits of Sporting KC news to throw out real quick for you.

First, last night during the Comets game, Robb Heineman posted on Twitter that there was good news on a "GREAT friendly." Nothing is finalized per the tweet, as Heineman said that "hopefully they'll be able to finish it up." So let the speculation begin on what the "GREAT friendly" is. One would assume it would be a well known club based off the "GREAT" comment, someone considered a top tier club in one of the top leagues. Someone like a "top 4" EPL club, or one of the big Italian or Spanish clubs. To a lesser extent maybe someone like Bayern Munich. It'll be interesting to see who it is that KC brings in for the friendly. I'm excited, but the excitement is tempered and will be until we know when the friendly will take place. I don't want the friendly to force the movement of a league game, and I'd also hope the friendly is in an off week or something that doesn't really cause problems for the efforts for winning trophies.

In other news, KC has apparently missed out on signing of 27 year old Venezuelan forward, Jesus Gomez. According to The Daily Wiz, Sporting was beat to the player's signature by Venezuelan club, FC Caracas. The posting on Facebook by FC Caracas is the only reference I can find to Sporting's interest in the striker, who was last with Belgian club, Lierse SK. He's also been capped 15 times by Venezuela. Finding highlights online, Gomez looks impressive, but without knowing what KC offered I'm can't say I'm really disappointed.

Another Trade in the Works

Robb Heineman posted on Twitter today that pending one more approval another player would be joining "US". As I was talking about the announcement on Twitter, I'd assumed it was a new player signing. I tried to not get fans too excited about the move because if it happened tomorrow it was unlikely to be announced at that time due to league rules. Heineman in the fashion that I've come to expect when I assume something, said that it was a trade, not a player signing. Which means that KC could make the announcement of the trade tomorrow. When pressed on who, if anyone KC was going to trade away, Heineman responded with another Tweet saying that there was no KC player involved in the move. What that means is that the trade is likely to involve sending allocation money or a draft pick the other direction.

Heineman said the announcement was hopefully going to be some time tomorrow around one in the afternoon so it'll be interesting to see who the announcement will end up being. Tomorrow is also the last day that team's can negotiate with the players for the reentry draft before all talks are cut off until after the first stage on Monday. So it's possible that KC could have made a deal for one of the players that is currently in the draft. Maybe something like the trade San Jose made for Jean Alexandre, want of the players that I'd put on my list yesterday as someone interesting to look at in the reentry draft. I'm honestly not sure who it could be. The capital US in his original comment could be interesting, but could also be absolutely nothing. We'll all hopefully find out tomorrow.

The Truth About MLS Cup 2004 Comes Out

Yesterday as a bit of a joke on retiring former Kansas City Wizards defender, Jimmy Conrad, there was a roast done on Twitter using the hash tag, #JimmyConradRoast. Plenty of people got in on the roasting, including current and former players like Kei Kamara and Alecko Eskandarian (see some of the highlights here). One of Eskandarian's comments referred back to the 2004 MLS Cup final between KC and Eskandarian's team at the time, DC United. Plenty was made of Eskandarian's second goal as it certainly seemed that the ball played off Eskandarian's arm, allowing him to control the ball and take it past Conrad. No call was made by Michael Kennedy the referee, but Conrad and KC fans would continue to claim for years that Eskandarian's goal should not have counted. During the roast, Eskandarian finally "came clean" saying that it was indeed a handball on his second goal.

It doesn't change the game, or the result, in fact for me it just opens the wound up again. But with a game coming up tomorrow against DC United, watching the highlights certainly gets the blood flowing.



Seven years on from that game, only Davy Arnaud remains playing for the same team, although two players, Ben Olsen and Kerry Zavagnin have moved to coaching positions within their respective clubs.

Rocastle Out 2 Months

So it sounds like the injury that Craig Rocastle suffered with the Grenada national team in their first Gold Cup game is kind of serious. Andrew Wiebe, Sporting KC's beat writer for MLSsoccer.com posted on Twitter today that Rocastle was at training with a wrap on his leg. He also said that Rocastle has a torn PCL and meniscus. The injury will keep him out about 2 months. The team is hoping to schedule surgery for early next week.

It's a big blow to the Wizards as Rocastle had helped to turn the midfield and defense around after the issues early in the season. The injury would seem to mean more playing time for Luke Sassano or Stephane Auvray (when he returns from the Gold Cup).

Mike Jones Released

Sporting KC has apparently released defender Mike Jones from his contract with the team. That's the word from Callum Williams, the clubs play-by-play announcer today on Twitter. Looking at some of Jones' Tweets from yesterday, that certainly seems to make sense. Jones was Kansas City's second round pick in this year's Supplemental draft. The SIU Edwardsville graduate appeared in Sporting KC's first reserve league game of the season down in Houston against the Dynamo playing the entire game. That was his only appearance for KC during his time here. Jones did make one other bench appearance for KC, appearing on the bench during KC's trip to Chicago this year. The move leaves KC with 25 players on their active roster with Konrad Warzycha currently on IR. Good luck to Jones in his career whether it's in the game or not.

SKC After Another Colombian? UPDATE

Well this rumor has lasted longer than the Diego Chara rumor did earlier this week. Earlier today Charles Gooch tweeted about Peter Vermes being excited about a possible transfer deadline deals. He also mentioned the the name Cristian Nazarit. Nazarit, or Nazarith as his wikipedia page spells it, currently plays for Independiente Santa Fe in Colombia. Gooch isn't the first to link him with a move to KC, as this article shows. Nazarit seems to have a decent scoring touch based on his recent record with Santa Fe and the Colombian youth teams. Back in December he was apparently being watched by both Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Certainly not the defensive help that I think most Sporting KC fans think KC needs with the window about to close. But it'd likely make KC the deepest offensive team in the league with Nazarit competing for time with Teal Bunbury, Omar Bravo, Kei Kamara, CJ Sapong, and Ryan Smith.




UPDATE: And I think Robb just waits until after I post to squash these rumors as he's done it again tonight. Nazarit doesn't look to be on his way either.

Diego Chara to Sporting KC? (UPDATED)

Posted a little bit ago on Twitter was this comment from Raza Deportiva. For those that don't read Spanish, or don't want to pull up a translator, it basically says that Sporting KC is going to pay a $2 million transfer fee for Colombian holding midielder, Diego Chara. I've been unable to find anything other than that Tweet that links him with the SKC Wizards, but I did find this article that says that Chara has been sold to MLS for $2 million. Chara is a 24 year old holding midfielder currently playing for Deportes Tolima in the Colombian first division. According to his Wikipedia page, Chara also has one cap for the Colombian national team as well.

An interesting development for KC. Is this the player that Robb Heineman mentioned via twitter? The defense has been shaky this season, and could use some shoring up, but I still think central defense is the big need. We haven't gotten word on Aurelien Collin or Aaron Galindo and the transfer window for MLS is almost closed. The interesting thing will be what this means for the team's current d-mids, like Craig Rocastle, Stephane Auvray, and even Birahim Diop.

UPDATE: Robb Heineman has killed this rumor pretty quickly, posting on Twitter tonight that he's never heard of the guy before.

Potential Player News

In the past day or so there's been some interesting news on some potential players for KC that has come out. The biggest bit of news came from Robb Heineman last night on Twitter where he stated that the team had come to a verbal agreement with a defender/defensive midfielder. Certainly a good sign after the performance late in the game in Vancouver. And is that player Aaron Galindo? That's the belief of Andy over at The Daily Wiz. Galindo has most recently played with Chivas Guadalajara in 2009 through 2010 after spending time with Eintracht Frankfurt and Grasshoppers. He began his career with Cruz Azul. Back in 2005 Galindo was suspended for testing positive for performance enhancers. He hasn't played a competitive game in about a year, and has recently been trying to settle a lawsuit with Chivas. Certainly an interesting pick up and will be interesting to see what comes out of this.

In other news, Andrew Wiebe has some more news on potential players in today's notebook. First, as Thad and I talk about on this week's podcast, Michal Mravec is gone from the team, looks like just the number of internationals already with the team. The UAB midfielder had made it all the way through preseason but couldn't find a spot on the team's roster due probably in large part due to his international status. The other news is on a trialist that's been in camp for a while, Omar Colley. The team appears very interested in signing the Gambian, but even though he's out of contract his former club is wanting some compensation by the Wizards that the team currently looks unwilling to pay. It will be interesting to see if they can reach some kind of agreement.

Finally on Aurelien Collin looks to be in a similar boat as Colley where he current club is wanting some compensation. He is basically going to arbitrators to try and get out of his current contract. If he can he could be here soon. Hopefully the team can get it done soon.

Quick News Bits

Some quick news before I head out to catch the bus.

Chad Ochocinco's trial with Sporting KC has been extended by 2 days to Monday. This is to give KC to get a look at him in a reserve game, as Monday the Rangers take on the Kansas City Brass. This is the first reserve game of the season since the league started. I'm sure this will be the first of a few against the local PDL side this season. It'll be interesting to see how the game goes and how Ochocinco does in more of a real game situation on Monday.

Robb Heineman gave us the latest little bit of news today as well with regards to a summer friendly. Heineman posted on Twitter that a summer game announcement will be coming on Monday. Could it be the long awaited friendly against Chivas Guadalajara? Or is it someone different? Both Everton and Ajax are both playing in the US this summer and have already scheduled some MLS teams. Or could it be someone else like a Manchester City, Tottenham, Sevilla, or other upper mid-tier team from Europe. Will be interesting to see who it is.

Aurelian Collin Signed

Today on Twitter, Robb Heineman announced that Sporting KC had a new player coming in. Aurelian Collin, who had been rumored to be coming to the club back in December by The Daily Wiz has apparently been signed. Collin is a 25 year old French defender who most recently played with Vitoria Setubal in Portugal, where he signed a 2 year contract in 2009. Collin will come in and will likely compete for one of the starting central defender positions for Kansas City.

SKC draw with RSL Called Early Due to "Brawl"

In the final preseason game for the Sporting KC first team, the Wizards came back from 2 goals down to tie 2-2 in a game that was reportedly called early after a bench clearing brawl. After Alvaro Saborio and Fabian Espindola had given RSL a 2-0 lead KC responded first with a PK from Kei Kamara after Roger Espinoza was fouled in the box. KC equalized through Omar Bravo, his first for Sporting KC.

Things apparently were chippy throughout with some hard fouls not being called. The situation reached a boiling point when Espinoza fouled Espindola with was called "dirty" by one person at the game. Both benches apparently cleared. Bravo was mistakenly given a red card instead of Espinoza as the referee tried to sort things out. According to what RSL staffers told the Salt Lake Tribune, Bravo then came back onto the field and kicked Morales. You can read a full break down from the Tribune's website with quotes from RSL players' Twitter feeds. It would appear that it was Jason Kreis that pulled his team off the field leading to the abandoning of the game. SKC's players have been fairly quiet about the incident since the game ended, except for this tweet from Kamara that just says the game was physical. Teal Bunbury, who was providing some play by play of the action stopped posting basically after the Bravo goal.

The two teams are still scheduled to play tomorrow morning this time in a game that will feature reserves. Based on the reports hopefully it's a different referee.

This is one of those interesting times in "journalism" where pseudo journalism Twitter creates the story. Without something like Twitter this story doesn't have anywhere close to the legs it does now. You'd have stories from the players, but with a tool like Twitter you get the raw emotion of the players fairly shortly after it happens.

Player News Coming Soon

Before all the news about the Gold Cup and the stadium came out today, Robb Heineman threw out a little bit of news for Sporting KC fans to start the day. First Heineman tweeted that the team is expecting to announce the signings of Julio Cesar Santos Correa and Milos Stojcev in the next week or so. Santos Correa had missed the last few preseason games as he'd been back in Spain, but was still on the team's radar, he seems like a good candidate to take one of the two starting central defensive positions or KC. Stojcev was a late arrival to camp, plays mainly in the center of midfield or on the left wing. Both have spent most of the preseason playing with the first team in games and it would seem would be expected to contribute this season.

Also today in response to a question by Thad at The Back Post, Heineman said that the team is still working on one more center back and another attacking player. So the team is still trying to improve the central defense, the area of the field that continues to give me worries as the season gets closer. The attacking player would seem to be the max salary midfielder that the team has been chasing for basically the entire offseason. Will be interesting to see if the team can pull off these other two signings.

More Trialists

Robb Heineman continues to give us an inside look at some players that are in camp on trial as preseason kicks off. Yesterday he told us about trialist Julio Cesar Santos, and today he gave us four more names. Two have already been mentioned, the two Trinidad players, Daneil Cyrus and Sheldon Bateau, both defenders. We've been given two new names though, another defender and a winger/forward. Both are younger, and while Butcher may not be set to contribute this year, although Djeziri could potentially contribute this year.

The defender is Englishman, Calum Butcher. Butcher is 19 years old Tottenham youth player. He's yet to appear for Spurs in a league game, but was a substitute in a UEFA Cup game against Shakhtar Donetsk. He also did spend time on loan last season for League Two side Barnet, appearing minimally. Before moving to Spurs, Butcher was in Ipswich and Southend's youth system.

The second is Algerian, Adda Djeziri. Djeziri is a midfielder/forward that has jumped around a bit since turning pro with Boldklubben Frem in Denmark. He spent time with Rangers, Leicester, and Portsmouth. He's most recently found his most success with Vejle Boldklub in Denmark and was last with HB Koge in Denmark. Below is a video of Djeziri in in a reserve match during his time with Portsmouth.

Trialist Julio Cesar Santos

Robb Heineman just tweeted that a trialist to keep an eye on this preseason is Julio Cesar Santos. There are a few when you do a Google search for that name, but the one that stands out, is this one that's currently listed as being on CS Maritimo's roster.

The reason that one stands out, is because of two reasons, first he previously played in the Spanish first division, La Liga, which goes along with a previous tweet by Heineman this past week. And second of all, the club he's currently listed for, CS Maritimo, plays in the Portuguese first division, a location that SKC Wizards head coach, Peter Vermes and his staff scouted this offseason.