Official #SportingKC Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE - Fontas (hamstring), Rosero (hamstring)OUT - Russell (hamstring), Ndenbe (hamstring), Pierre (hamstring), Zusi (hamstring), Melia (quad), Agada (tibia), Ford (Achilles)Another brutal SKC injury report. #SKCvATX— Chad Smith (@PlayFor90) June 7, 2023 This is getting old. Either the training is too intense , the medical staff sucks or a combination of both.
Normally I think frustrations with medical staff are overblown. Lots of teams have as bad or worse injury reports than we do. Nothing wild, just unfortunate. Except six players currently with hamstring issues is way too clear of a pattern for me to handwave away. Something is wrong.
If Voloder and Castellanos are the starting CBs on Saturday, it’s going to be a rough night for McIntosh.
Vermes unsure if Rosero and Fontas will be available this weekend. Neither serious but trying to make sure not hurt worse. Fontas was running on side and Rosero did practice some this week #sportingkc— Thad (@TheBackpost) June 8, 2023
Or Shelton. I apologize to Pulido. I said Chivas might have turned his head and split his focus... Dude was all-in on this match. Looked sharp as ********. Really liked the game from the fullbacks. And Pulido's second goal, was the Voloder to Leibold to Pulido? That was incisive in a way we don't often see in a Vermes side. And it wasn't his game in the attacking third, but the defending and pressing from Salloi was awesome. Remember when he was a tender twig floating around trying to finesse some curled shots? Dude is very fast, plenty strong, and tireless. In a game where his goals weren't needed for the result, he put in a real shift.
Severeal quick observations: If this really is getting close to the end of Pulido's time with us, we will miss him. The problem with him is that too often during his time with the club, we've also missed him. But when he plays, just pure class, on the ball, his movement, his ability to see the openings before they happen. I still think if he won't re-sign and the interest is real, it makes sense to say goodbye, but that's nothing to do with a lack of quality. the guy has it in by the bucketfull. Jake Fing Davis is getting better and better and better as a right back. It wasn't, because Pulido scored twice and assisted, but this was a MOTM performance. There were a couple moments when he was isolated on Druissi and schooled him. His two way play was strong (okay, his shot was, uhm, peak Kei?), he ran people off the ball, repeatedly, and his defensive heading in the box was better than Zusi ever produced. If he continues to improve at this rate, we might have a problem holding on to him over the winter. Tzone is a lunch bucket superstar. His improvement of that side of his game since he arrived is amazing. I would really love to see him get a couple goals for confidence reasons, but his play in attack and getting back is making us a better side. There was a great moment in the second half, Davis was up doing wide back for SKC things, and they stepped in and saw the opening Davis had left, except it vanished before they could exploit it because Tzone was filling the gap. Obviously, JFR is a nice step up in that spot, but he's playing well enough to really cushion that injury blow. Also, that little alley-oop? F me that was fun. A final whine: The announcers kept referring to the Austin edge in xG into the early bits of the second half, as if it meant anything. Austin hadn't put a shot on goal. The xG from zero shots on goal really has to be zero, doesn't it? At the end of the game, we won the xG battle, 2.2 to 1.2 but I really hate that stat. I'm increasingly convinced it has zero meaning. And, we conceded 64 percent of possession. Did it matter, at all? Austin looks like us when we're having a bad spell.
I did not realize Davis would out of contract after this season. It would really suck to finally find a gem in our academy system only to lose him on a free because we did not recognize the quality and lock him in. I mean, I can easily see this happening based on how everything else has gone with PV and the academy system, but still. I suppose the analytics could still expect a goal to be scored if you missed the frame completely. Means that the striker did a very poor job. Seems like most of what I've heard on XG is that it's not valuable in small sample sizes - like a half of a game. We dominated this game playing completely against how we tried to manage games in March/April. I wonder if PV was cringing on the sideline watching his team sit back and let Austin futz around with the ball knowing that it was working so well.
I guess I have to apologize to Voloder and Castellanos. When I saw Druissi, Zardes, Fagundes, and Riaoni in the attack for ATX, my assumption was that both SKC center backs would not do well. In fact, outside of a couple of shaky moments, they played very well. Jake Davis saved them a couple of times, but that is what he is supposed to do. Davis was a force all night and I just can't see Zusi getting back on the field unless Davis has an injury or just to give him a rest. Leibold, while not being as dynamic as Ndembe, serves in the best crosses of all the wing backs. And,,,while Salloi didn't make the score sheet, he was a pest down the left side all night long on both sides of the ball. The announcers on Apple TV were very complimentary of the SKC midfield play and especially of Thommy, who turned in a really inspired performance. Fun game, but most are when SKC win.
Mods, can we say boner on bigsoccer? Bc watching the way Jake Davis plays and what he gives this team gives me one. He’s 100% of the player that this team desperately needed going into the past off season. He’s that guy who you always hate having to play against
Missed this game as I am in Canada. Watched the highlights and looks like the resurgence is continuing. Went to TFC/Nashville. My goodness, we are lucky we are not TFC. Huge BOO for Bradley when announced. Their big stars have terrible body language and piss poor work rate. The stadium experience feels like attending a Wizards match at CAB.
Yikes. I didn’t know Davis was out of contract either. That would be a terrific example of poor self scouting if we lost him on a free. Can we pretty please with sugar on top offer the guy a deal now, before he lays more tape and the price goes up as the season gets shorter.
Watched highlights. Heck of a finish by Pulido on second goal. Heck of a finish by Castellanos on his goal. Heck of a play by Shelton on his offsides goal. McIntosh excels at making routine saves look spectacular.
For 2023 at right back: Davis $85,500 Zusi $325,000 Pierre $91,800 Call JFD in this week and offer triple what he's making
Davis is NOT completely out of contract after this year. Sporting has a 2024 option on his contract. https://www.sportingkc.com/news/sporting-kc-signs-19-year-old-academy-product-jake-davis
Are option years two way in MLS? I know there was a FIFA discussion on this, but I cannot find what I thought I remembered about the topic. Option year or not, this is when to make the player happy. He is going to have options about where to play, and if we don't make him happy now, tie him up for a further 3 years, next summer he signs a precontract and leaves for free.
OMG! I made the highlights in one of the crowd shots! Love how the guys are playing right now. There is a creativity and joyfulness I much enjoy watching. mschofield said much of what my thoughts are and my only quibble with the game is the subs. 58 minutes in and you are up 3 nil and the momentum is clearly in your favor. This is the ideal time to begin bringing on players to gain vital MLS experience. No need to make a wholesale change but start with one. You cannot know if Rindov (4 min) or Flores (6 min) or Afrifa (1 min) will make an impact unless you give them real minutes to show what they can do. And PV said in the press conference that it is better to bring guys into games of a low pressure situation. Austin, now really under pressure, made a change 2 minutes later and scored 2 min after that. Some teams are going to take that momentum shift and run us over with it. PV waited 16 minutes to respond. Now I am happy for Khiry, this was his best outing in a long time. He earned full credit for both those goals, especially on the second one. It is wonderful how better team play leads to better individual play and vice versa. So why not spread that around? Sure one can argue that PV waited to see how the momentum would shift after the Austin goal before he made a sub and that is a good argument. But once it was clear that SKC had reestablished control three players still did not get a real chance to come into a game where there was no real pressure other than that which they brought themselves. It makes me sad cause I wonder what we could be missing.