"When I say historically bad, there’s no hyperbole. Sporting’s -28.15 xGD in 2025 is the worst in American Soccer Analysis’ database, going back to 2013. Worse than 2019 FC Cincinnati. Worse than 2013 Chivas USA. The worst! In the wake of that, how does SKC’s 2026 look?" Who's excited about playing an MLS match next Saturday?
"While other teams are dealing with where players fit on the depth chart, SKC’s major roster question is more fundamental: who is even on the depth chart? What is a depth chart? Why is a depth chart?"
And this year it ends. SKC with Atlanta are the two most commonly overrated clubs in MLS since 2019. Worth a read, or at least a look at the graphs.For those who can't be bothered to click, the SKC bit: " on the other end there are no teams who are more consistently overrated than Atlanta United and Sporting Kansas City. This is presumably because of different causes;... Sporting Kansas City is MLS royalty whose attractive style made them exciting, and the time period covered here coincides with an unfortunate fall from grace. SKC also benefits from Andrew Wiebe’s hometown infatuation with the team, who he rated on average 10 spots above their finish over 3 seasons. Life advice: find somebody who loves you with the same reckless abandon that Andrew Wiebe loves SKC."
The MLS writers predictions have the bottom of the western conference looking like this: "FC Dallas Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes St. Louis CITY SC Colorado Rapids Sporting Kansas City" .
There's never been a SKC/Wiz season where the sense of dread and impending doom was anywhere near that of preseason 2026. Maybe Wiki pulls a fast one, but absent a water into wine like miracle, its hard to see SKC finish anywhere but bottom 2 or 3 in the West. From $14 opening day tickets in the Cauldron, to being listed as last in nearly every MLS preview, to other fan basses poking fun at the roster, to our fanbase having retreated online, its obvious we all know what's coming. For the wheels to fall off, they would have to have been on. SKC 2026 is like a car on blocks.
I don't know that I'd use dread or impending doom, inevitability is what I'd use. I haven't gotten a call from my rep yet, which is slightly surprising b/c I've moved from the Cauldron to more expensive seats (unrelated to on the field more to do with the fact that everyone I hung out with is gone). I've been almost anticipating their response when I say "no" after they ask me if I'm ready for the season.
So, I'm setting the over/under on players who start the season in our first 11 and finish in the first 11 (excluding injury necessitated moves) at 5.5.
The Guardian's MLS writer's team adds three votes to the SKC for the Spoon movement. For those who don't want to read, because it's painfully dead on, here are a couple quotes from it: "Do they even have a team to field? " "issue isn’t just that they lack enough players to field a full squad; it’s that they lack the top-end talent needed to compete in MLS these days." "There are a couple decent players in that group, but not nearly enough."
Basically, we're asking a coach who failed in MLS with a subpar roster to see what he can do with an historically poor one.
Interesting fact in a KCSJ piece by someone who probably won't link his own piece on here: "For the first time in club history, Sporting played a game without a single player over the age of 30. ... Six players (Wyatt Meyer, Jayden Reid, Justin Reynolds, Calvin Harris, Kwaku Aygabeng, and Taylor Calheira) made their debut for Sporting KC last night. That’s the most in a single game in the club’s history, not counting their very first game." It's not a long piece, but worthwhile to click and read.
The actual use and validity the in season MLS rankings is pretty close to zero (I mean, the standings kind of already do this). But they aren't divorced from reality, and do reflect the standings. This week, we're down to, uhm, 30th. In the actual standings, we're tied for that spot, or 27th depending on how you look at it, with Orlando, Atlanta and Philly, though Orlando pips us to the spoon spot by a just ridiculous goal difference of -19 after 8 games. We're the second worst, with a -13.
Just based on eyeball test, hard to imagine there's a worse MLS team than SKC right now. It's not just losing, which they do a lot of, but its how they lose. Colorado Springs absolutely dominated a first team SKC lineup. As MLS.soccer noted, Vancouver had a 4.3 to 0.3 xG. SKC is terrible and they are not magically going to get better in 2026 unless Wiki coahes to the level of his roster, rather than some aspirational ideas about what they should play like. If they want to not "win the spoon" the only hope is a back 5 with two 6s sitting in front of that. Basically 7 defenders. Go 5-4-1. Put your fast guy up top for long balls and hope to not concede. This is how the really bad teams in college play to survive. I suggest adopting a similar approach, or plan to see a lot of 3-0 scorelines. But they won't do that, so expect wing backs that have zero attacking ability, along with near zero defensive capability, to continue making runs forward and leaving the two CBs plus one 6 to defend on their own. Which they can't do. I don't expect major reinforcements this summer and, even if they come, what are they going to do? 2026 is lost. 2027 could be as well unless the front office starts figuring $hit out soon.
There's a huge problem with 2026 being lost, and it's called Jovelic. If this mess is as good as it gets, should we be moving Jovelic to a rich club in need of a 9? He's proven that he's worth more than we paid.. I'd rather we not be crap, but I'm not sure that's an option
The club is minimum 7 starters (4 defenders, two wings and a midfielder) from being something better than absolute dog $hit. That's not happening in 2026, with only the summer window left. So, onto 2027. 27 is the MLS calendar transition year with the weird mini season from Feb to May 2027. With only two windows until then, there's no way the club is competitive until the start of the FIFA aligned 27/28 season, which starts July 2027. That date (July 2027), provides Lee with another 3 transfer windows (PVs magic number), and is to me the date when it is reasonable to expect for this club to not suck again. For those reasons, I really think they have to seriously think about moving on from Jovelic. It really pains me to say that, because I was super excited when he was signed and he is by far the best 9 we've had in KC for like 15 plus years. But he's a wasted talent here, as you can see by how low our chance generation numbers are. They also need to think about moving on from Manu. Both have contracts that expire end of 2027. Having them on this team, mostly made up of hopeless MLS rejects, is a giant waste of 1.5 of their 2 remaining contract years. Those moves made sense when Peter was clinging to relevancy (and his job), but this squad is so far from being relevant, why have 2 great players surrounded by 9 USL quality starters? It's better business to sell your only two good players for cash (or trade within MLS for more players). By the time its all said and done, SKC, and its 5 remaining fans, will have suffered trough five or six or seven years of being stuck in the muck and the mire of MLS.
The problem with the numbers is that while, in a best case scenario, Blorian might be a CB to build around, and Bassong might be a relevation, and Borges or James might be much better playing next to much better players, we'd be relying on a best case scenario, and still be crap at right back. While I do hope that Capita is a step up after getting over jet lag and adjusting to a new country for another month (which is very possible), we're still sucking at the other wing. Also, man, Pulskamp has not inspired confidence lately. Is he injured?
Not saying he's good but name a goalkeeper that would look good behind this backline? This defense is atrocious.
Friedel, circa 2001-03, for Blackburn? Keller, circa that amazing season with Borrussia Monchen? Could argue that both those sides were, compared to comp, similarly crap but saved by superhuman keeping. Still, good point, this really is not on Pulskamp. Here's a problem: Where do we go from here? as total crap as we are on the back line? Also, is Mallouk by saying we're going to spend a lot, letting us know SKC will move foward in the 3+3 model? I mean, we've still only got one U22, I think.
Also, after not having a midweek game while many others did, we're now alone in 30th. Orlando looks to be turning around. Is the Spoon gonna come down to SKC and Atlanta? We are built for the spoon. Atlanta are very much not, but they are earning it, game after game.
This team needs more help from the GAM the 2/4 model provides than the help they'd get from brining in 1 player as a 3rd DP.
We could also use three more really nice u22s. If we bring in these players, I am all for this sort of build. but if we don't, I'd rather have more talent than less. Question, regarding Cashfers in MLS, the in league transfer money doesn't count against the cap or TAM/GAM, right? The salary of course does, but that would be the place for Mallouk to make a huge difference with cash, bringing in legitimate MLS starters.
I mean, we can hope current players get better, dream about our foreign signings looking better after some miracle happens (terrible first touch and overly one footed should not be impacted by jet lag), and split hairs about 2DPs /3DPs/U22 model all we want. The fact remains, this roster is deficient of about 10 players, roughly half of which need to be good enough to displace current starters for this team to make any meaningful improvement. And as much as we bag on these players, guys like Shapi, Harris, Reid, Bartlow, etc are OK to be on an MLS roster, but they absolutely can't be your default starters. Sadly, the number of new players needed to be competitive really hasn't changed from when the roster turnover began, which I blame on Lee. OK, you got rid of older players with bad contracts, but you (mostly) replaced those with MLS scrap heap or trialists. That's not an improvement.