Sporting Kansas City II (formerly Swope Park Rangers) Catch-All Thread

Discussion in 'Sporting Kansas City' started by Blando13, Jan 6, 2017.

  1. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #1 Blando13, Jan 6, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 30, 2017
    Link to previous year's thread HERE

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This is awesome! Ideally, SPR signs 2-5 players per year out of the academy and SKC signs 2-3 players per year from SPR (Pasher and Zendejas).

    I thought we were a little "old" last year at certain spots, but I didn't worry because it was year 1 and we needed bodies and some veterans (Meyer and Kelly specifically). Now that players like Selbol, Didic, Ballo, Gonzalez have some experience in the system and we can bring in a few young outside players (Belmar, Musa, etc.) ... supplement that with a couple of Academy kids on SPR contracts and then a few more on academy contracts (assuming a few of them are still looking at college as an option). I mean, ideally, Lindsey & Armstrong get some more minutes with SPR this spring.

    There will likely be players that bypass the SPR contract and get the MLS HG contracts (Lindsey may eventually be one of them ... as could Duke's younger brother) ... and Josh Sargent (?). But this works for kids that want to start their professional career but aren't at that level but don't care to go to college either.
     
  2. Sachsen

    Sachsen Member+

    Aug 8, 2003
    Broken Arrow, Okla.
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  3. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Anyone heard about any other former SPR players signing. Ualefi and Ayrton are of most interest to me, but players like Granitto, Barrett, Molano, etc.
     
  4. Buzz Killington

    Buzz Killington Member+

    Oct 6, 2002
    Lee's Summit
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ualefi we probably won't hear anything about for a little while since he tore his ACL in the playoff race. He won't be signing anywhere soon. I'd heard Ayrton was heading back to Brazil, but not sure if that was permanent or just for the offseason. The other three I'd expect to catch on somewhere in USL/NASL if not brought back to KC.
     
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  5. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://scratchingthepitch.com/2017/01/16/2017-mls-superdraft-should-provide-talent-for-usl/

    Good article describing the likelihood of SKC's 3rd round pick either being released (like last year) or fighting for an SPR contract.

    I think eventually, unless you have a top 10-15 pick in the 1st round, the player is likely to go to the USL squad (unless you just have multiple open spots in the "last 8 players" of your roster (ones that don't count against the cap).
     
  6. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    People try to talk about the "level of MLS" based on their perceptions or feelings.

    For me, someone who lives in a D2 town, sees the best of NCAA D1 soccer every year in person, has worked 9 of the last 10 MLS Player Combines, I look at the transition from amateur to MLS.

    It's become the exception, not the rule. Ten years ago an Erik Palmer-Brown would probably have 100 MLS games under his belt by this time. Now? He's still a project, a work in progress.

    MLS, despite expansion, is easily at the highest playing level its ever been. And the gap between MLS and D2 and MLS and NCAA/amateur is growing. And that's with D2 being the best it has ever been. In fact, with the exception of multiple "allocated players", D2 rosters today are mostly indistinguishable from MLS rosters of 1996. Last year the RailHawks had Omar Bravo. In 1996, Kansas City had Preki, Mike Sorber, Frank Klopas, Digital, and Mo Johnston. The rest of the Wiz and the rest of the RailHawks would be a really good game.

    The net result is that it is increasingly hard to make the amateur to MLS first team (much less first XI) jump. Throw in the fact that teams are locking up about half the cream of the crop (Hermann winner Ian Harkes would've been #1 or #2 in the SuperDraft) as home grown players, and the SuperDraft quickly drops to long term project level.

    Our draft from two years ago with Abdul-Salaam, Hallisey, and Dia is the exception, not the rule.

    What scares me most, as an SKC fan, is the amount of players being turned out by Dallas, Red Bulls, and Galaxy youth academies. If we want to stay competitive in the future, we've got to get better results from our youth system. And I see SPR as part of that.

    I'd like to see at least half of SPR being local academy graduates.
     
  7. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So much there I agree with. I think SKC's trying to bring in talent from other parts of the country (NC, TN, and surrounding states) to try to keep up. We need things like Josh Sargent (HG eligible for SKC by some odd rules) to keep up with the Dallas/LAs/NYRB's as far as academy output. Teams like LA are already starting to trade draft picks for cash simply because it's worth more to them because they can produce talent (their recent HG signing would likely have been a top 10 draft pick).

    SAS, Hallisey and Dia are an exception, but really ... Hallisey should have seen more time at SPR than SKC the last 2 years (he'd be a better player for it). Same likely could be said about Dia and SAS. And really ... Storm needs to be on SPR's roster instead of SKC ... it would be better for him developmentally.

    You're completely right about the talent level of the current MLS/NASL and USL and how now the jump from college to MLS is like skipping 2 tiers (NASL and USL didn't used to be much higher than the top college soccer ... which isn't the case anymore IMO). I think the draft gradually fades away (I could see it down to 2 or 3 rounds as early as 2019). I hope NASL starts to take advantage of it though and sign young players to provide depth (something that USL teams are doing a much better job of at this point in time).
     
  8. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Fades, maybe. Goes away, I doubt it. It's a made for television part product that generic American sports fans understand. It brings attention to the league in January - a dead zone for the league.

    The one curveball is if the NCAA Division I men's coaches manage to get men's soccer moved to a full year sport. Which I'm doubtful of. It would be politically hard to change D1 Men and not change D1 Women, and the women's coaches are fine where things are. You also run into both staffing and facility issues during the Spring season with schools that tend to use the same facilities for Lacrosse and Soccer, not to mention support and administration staff duties. Conference and NCAA tournaments will be real painful for the staffs. Moving a November/December championship into the crowded late Spring creates all sorts of problems. The current college sports season is a carefully weighted jigsaw puzzle designed for the minimum staff necessary, but keeping that staff steadily working through the school year. And, of course, if you move D1 Men, but not D2 Men, you run into other issues.

    As someone at ground zero of NCAA soccer, I'm not holding my breath. It might happen, but it's a decided long shot no matter what Sasho Cirovski would have you believe.
     
  9. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Isn't it up to the AD's now? That's what it sounded like from Sasho on the Draft coverage.

    I agree, I doubt it ever goes away, and really, rounds 1 and 2 are fine (and only ones televised) but 3 and 4 over a conference call isn't something the helps the "dead zone" or "made for TV".

    I'm not sure if going to a full season effects the MLS draft (obviously it would effect the "date" possibly, but the length/number of rounds?). I just think a 2 round MLS draft is enough ... at some point ... MLS teams won't be able to give a 4th round pick away (let alone get anything of value) so why would you keep having the draft that long?
     
  10. Buzz Killington

    Buzz Killington Member+

    Oct 6, 2002
    Lee's Summit
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To add to that link, only 3 players drafted in the third round last year made MLS appearances, 24 between the three, 19 of those by Femi Hollinger-Jazen for New England. The vast majority played in USL if they played at all. The 58th pick last year (where KC picks today) was a kid who played 26 games for Rochester.
     
  11. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And he was a teammate of KC's 3rd round pick (who we didn't sign to even an SPR roster spot).
     
  12. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.sportingkc.com/post/2017...former-sporting-kc-academy-defender-joe-amico

    Former SKC Academy kid signs with SPR after finishing college eligibility at Jacksonville University!

    Right back, which I believe is a position SPR struggled with last year. Meyer played a lot there as a converted CB after Didic and Ballo took his spot in the center. Grant also played there (after Meyer got suspended) off and on with marginal success. Duke may still play there from time to time as well.
     
  13. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    It's also the position of #14 draft pick Colton Storm

    http://andymead.photoshelter.com/se...VwPhwjN7R_6B5_cWSkAvHus99ezgmuyG9Hrqg_g3Wt3Oa
     
  14. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Very true! I'd really like to see SPR sign Storm instead of SKC just from a roster flexibility standpoint. He'd likely need at least a half season at SPR anyways before expecting much contribution there.

    A backline including Didic, Ballo and Storm on the right in front of an on loan Zendejas seems like a good recipe for keeping opponents off the board.
     
  15. KCWIZFLAG

    KCWIZFLAG Member

    Oct 31, 2002
    Gladstone, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Quick update on the Rangers preseason:

    DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT) VENUE RESULT
    Feb. 19 UMKC 1 p.m. Swope Soccer Village (W) 5-0
    Feb. 26 University of Tulsa 2 p.m. Swope Soccer Village (W) 5-0
    March 2 Indy Eleven 2 p.m. Grand Park Sports Complex (D) 1-1
    March 5 Indiana University 3 p.m. Grand Park Sports Complex
    March 11 Saint Louis FC 1 p.m. Columbia College (Columbia, MO)
    March 18 Creighton University 3:30 p.m. Swope Soccer Village

    Went to the first two preseason games and the team looked very promising. The reason I say promising is that they were playing against college teams and it is hard to judge against non-USL teams what a team will be. However, I saw lots of good ball movement, communication, and new players fitting in well with the returning Rangers from last year. Looking forward to seeing what the 2017 Rangers can do.
     
  16. Buzz Killington

    Buzz Killington Member+

    Oct 6, 2002
    Lee's Summit
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rangers win their opener 3-1 with two goals from SKC loanees (Blessing and Salloi) with a starting lineup where the average age was 21.6
     
  17. Inca Roads

    Inca Roads Member+

    Nov 22, 2012
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Cool to win. Really hoping that at least one of those guys is at minimum a regular bench guy for SKC's main team.
     
  18. Sachsen

    Sachsen Member+

    Aug 8, 2003
    Broken Arrow, Okla.
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    @vividox, what do you think about starting a new thread and having one new thread each year for SPR? Split out the last couple posts into a new one for 2017?

    No big deal, we can leave it as is if that's better.
     
    Blando13 repped this.
  19. Buzz Killington

    Buzz Killington Member+

    Oct 6, 2002
    Lee's Summit
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pasher & EPB to SPR with Storm & Zendejas. Ellis, Blessing, & Salloi back to SKC.
     
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  20. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hopefully a first step to getting minutes for SKC for EPB.
     
  21. vividox

    vividox Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 10, 2005
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    If enough guys want it, no problem. I kind of like it all being in one place, but you know how opinions are.

    How does everyone else feel?
     
  22. Inca Roads

    Inca Roads Member+

    Nov 22, 2012
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Or at least fitness. I'm assuming he's still not 90 minutes fit?
     
  23. SportingKCFan

    SportingKCFan Member

    Sep 2, 2010
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    It will be helpful to separate out by years once we have a longer history of SPR, so might as well start now.
     
  24. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    I don't really care, but if you do move somewhere else, leave a breadcrumb at thet end of this thread, so I know it just hasn't gotten quiet. I don't check the forum very often, mostly I find this because I do check threads I'm following.
     
    vividox repped this.
  25. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Or maybe leave him there for a while getting 90/game. If he's not playing at SPR, then I'll start to worry. Remember, he'll be gone again soon enough for the World Cup. I can't see any non-injury reason to try to rush him into SKC - especially if he's going to ride pine as third or fourth choice centerback - until after the World Cup. Even then, I'd be fine with him spending the full season with SPR getting minutes and experience if Besler and Opara stay healthy and fit.
     

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