Pulskamp has re-signed, had just an option for 2023 left on his current deal. https://www.sportingkc.com/news/sporting-kc-re-signs-21-year-old-goalkeeper-john-pulskamp
https://www.thebluetestament.com/20...ory-kansas-city-fc-dallas-tzionis-russell-mls This article talks about JFR playing at the 10 and Hernandez playing the 6 among other things. I wonder how a lineup like this might work: Salloi - Shelton/Vujnovic - Tzionis Walter (8) - JFR (10) - Hernandez (6) Ndembe - Voloder - Ford - Duke
It was a tuesday night game, too. I know that makes it very difficult for the body of a, say, fontas to rebound in time. but the younger players? I'd think they're good to go.I'd be excited to see hernandez get a shot at the 6. I'd be thrilled if he was the answer for that spot.
That would be a wild stroke of luck. Personally, I don't feel like Dallas is good at all creating or playing through the middle. I'd like to see Hernandez get additional opportunities at the spot, but I'm keeping my enthusiasm tempered on that one until we play a team that can threaten from the position he's defending, haha.
https://www.sportingkc.com/news/spo...winger-julian-vazquez-to-short-term-agreement SKC short term agreement to put another body on the bench for the Rapids game. The injury report is grim with Out: Isimat-Mirin, Cisneros, Voloder (susp.), Espinoza (susp.), Kinda, Pulido Questionable: Russell (Knee), Shelton (Hamstring), Zusi (Thigh) Tonight could shape up to be another embarrassing night of soccer for PV and the boys.
Seems like there is an update about every other day that some former SKC academy or SKCII player has signed with another club and/or done something positive with that team. Did Vermes wash out the entire academy after last season? He made a comment about the young players having to 'want it' or something like that at some point. There must be some talent left in the pipeline, but what was in the 'might be MLS ready' a year ago all seems to be gone now.
If you're looking for academy kids that could move up, look at the ones on "pro" contracts with SKCII, which is basically just J Rad and Jones. The other academy kids (including Bunbury) are all on academy contracts. Bunbury appears to be the one most ready to make the jump from the SKCII games I've seen.
While there is some talent in the pipeline, it often decides not to follow the "player pathway". Most/all the academy kids I know that were in the system were either: 1) told they are not good enough to ever play for SKCII/SKC so they should enjoy their senior year and play HS soccer; or 2) decided on their own that they should go to college and not put all of their eggs into the SKC basket. Players I know personally have used the Academy to get scholarships to Stanford, ND/Pitt, UMKC, and Baker. Three players I know personally have had opportunities with SKCII/Rangers on Academy contracts. All decided to go to college.
I'll add to your list that I know of another player whose college you didn't mention who also passed up an SKCII contract for college.
To me, this is the major issue with the academy as currently operating. It's to be expected that some players won't be good enough and will be told that they can go play HS soccer. It's to be expected that some players will choose to play college soccer. It is not to be expected that, when given an opportunity to be a pro player, a kid that spent the last 6 or 7 years working towards that goal chooses to play college soccer. Something ain't working.
I'm guessing that school is Northwestern. Sending kids to Stanford/ND/Northwestern helps a lot of great kids get opportunities at some of the very best universities in the country but it doesn't do much for the SKC first team or the product on the field. With Perry retiring there's an opportunity for the Academy to make the next evolution. Who they replace that with is almost as critical as who coaches the first and second teams.
The international break is here and PV has about 2 weeks to figure something out. I see this playing out a number of different ways. 1. He tries to nurse everyone back to health (as much as he can) bites the bullet and puts all his cards on the USOC (which may salvage some credibility for this year). 2. Again, tries to get everyone fit, then just run all the regulars right into the ground every regular season game in an attempt a climb above the red line. 3. He knows each of those first two are a giant long shot, so he grabs a couple of guys in the summer window to stop the bleeding and again,,,try to claw their way out of the cellar. 4. He keeps what he has, plays each game with whoever looks the healthiest in practice that week, plugs in players wherever he needs a guy (whether they have played that position or not) and lets the chips fall where they may.
If I had to bet money I'd say a combo of 1, 2, and 3. I think they put a focus on the open cup but also try anything they can up to and including running JFR et all into the ground trying to claw out some semblance of a season. Vermes is way too competitive to just commit to a rebuild.
I'd like to win another USOC. I fear we will try to do this by reasoning that next season, we return two DPs, so this year will become 2. BTW, in this, is the red line the playoffs, or just "not the wooden spoon?" The second is not simply done, but is do-able. Playoffs? Roster upsides to this season are few, but I do think we have to count seeing that Duke is a plus, in several spots, is one. Logan N is a second. Tzonis as a joker is a third. Ford is a plus. Volodor is, ehm, ah, well, it's nice to know where he is and I retain hope he will be worthwhile over time. Two spots that worry me, a lot for 2023: 6 and keeper.
There's zero chance PV will do anything other than grind every single first team player available into the ground in pursuit of both the USOC title and as high a league finish as possible. Those are the luxuries of not having to worry about relegation. If they win the USOC, they will try to convince the fans that winning that trophy somehow makes up for being one of the worst teams in the league. It does not. As this relates to player transfers, if you are a high value foreign target, you would have to be 100 percent insane to come to this club given its injury history and how PV grinds his stars into the ground.
i can already hear the marketing department firing up their engines to call it a "major" trophy. the usoc is the definition of a minor trophy. sure, i'd rather win it than not, but calling it anything other than minor or secondary is ridiculous. the only two major trophies for mls teams are mls cup and ccl (and i guess you could say the club world cup could be a third if you want to get fanciful).
This is the most distressing part of our entire situation. If true, we will forever be a bottom-half squad built, in the aggregate, with average to below-average talent. Occasionally we might over-perform - teasing hope while allowing the "system" to re-trench.
The USOC could be a "major" trophy, but MLS teams don't take it seriously. It has become a consolation tournament for the wooden spoon contenders to focus on. The bad MLS teams field their first team and the good MLS teams field their MLS2 roster.
LAFC, the Supporters' Shield leaders right now, put out the following players for their game against LA: Vela, Arango, Ilie, Acosta, Fall, Crepeau, Cifuentes, Palacios Vs Portland in the prior round: Arango, Blessing, Ilie, Fall, Crepeau, Hollingshead, Palacios
Pulido, Kinda, and Gutiérrez. All "international level" foreign DPs that sustained knee injuries while at SKC. Add to that the clubs overall track record with injuries, the Sporting flat phenomenon and how PV seems to be on a personal mission to end JFR's 2022 season with a hamstring pull, and there's no way any high quality player is coming here.
Fair. Also fair: 2013 winner DC United - MLS wooden spoon (16 point season!) 2014 winner Seattle - Supporters Shield No.1 vs Philly SS No. 12 2015 winner SKC SS No.10 2016 winner Dallas SS No.1 vs NER SS No. 14 2017 winner SKC - SS No. 13 2018 winner HOU - SS No.17 2019 winner ATL SS No. 3 vs Minnesota SS No. 7 Keep in mind that for some of those seasons MLS had < 20 teams. For all but 2019 at either the winner or the finalist (or both) have been mid to bottom level MLS teams. That is not reflective of a top tier competition that all top teams take seriously.
In a bit of fairness, Felipe Gutierrez walked in here with a history of significant injury problems. I think we actually got more games and sustained health out of him than virtually anywhere else he's been. Part of the problem is that this club does not want to pay transfer fees if they can help it. Even on a superstar level, they would rather go for free transfers (Pulido and Kinda are the exceptions). What that means is that, often, players are coming here because they have issues preventing them from competing at the highest Euro levels, and histories of injuries absolutely is a big element there. Guys like Nemeth, Gutierrez, Reid, Feilhaber, Opara, etc. all came with caution tape due to their injury histories. It's a regular gamble the team takes. So the numbers get skewed there. Hell, I think Kinda had some serious injury problems before arriving here too. Really, at this point the only outlier is Pulido who came in with a pretty good track record of health but has struggled here. I dunno. Just seems a little doom and gloomy, especially as the team has made bigger signings than they ever have in the last couple of years. And we're hardly the only team to see our biggest investments miss significant time for health reasons...