Hello everyone, I am new! I hope to cheekily probe this forum for information! I am a football (soccer) obsessed Brit who hopes to learn a lot more about MLS generally. I write content for some UK based websites on a freelance basis. There is growing interest in MLS and I see an opportunity to start positioning myself as an MLS expert. To get there I need to do my research. I think by far the best way to shortcut this is to ask club fans their thoughts. So if one or two of you could indulge me.... 1) What do you think your team's prospects are for 2022 2) Who in your existing roster do you think can be a breakout player in 2022. Why? (By breakout player - I am thinking of someone who is currently on the fringes, but who you think will play MLS regularly next year with good success) 3) Is there anyone in your roster that you expect to leave and play at a top European club within a year or two. Do your think they would succeed? Why? 4) What is the atmosphere like at home games? I have watched games in a lot of countries and plan to take in some MLS games someday. Should your stadium be on the shortlist?! 5) Who at your club do you expect to play at next year's world cup? Many thanks in advance to anyone who is prepared to share their thoughts
Expat fan of SKC here ( i did take in the last two games of the playoffs in person), and was a season ticket holder from day one, 1996, until I moved overseas. 1. The Sporting Kansas City (SKC) prospects for 2022 are essentially what they are every season. SKC will be among the best clubs in MLS, and if things go right we will win things. The odds are against things all going right though, so we will be in the "not there but thereabouts" category. Consider SKC the MLS equivalent of Leicester. Well run club, well managed. Very, very identifiable identity (the manager, Vermes, is obsessed with Barca, circa 2011, so think that, without much talent. A 4-3-3 driven by ball playing CBs), and enough silverware to make fans always think it's possible (2 MLS playoffs championships, 1 regular season championship, 4 US Cups, all since 2000). 2. Isimit Marin. He was probably our best defender in 2021 in the few games in which he was healthy. I'm thinking he will be healthy for most of 2022, so I will predict a break out season. 3. Maybe Salloi, newly minted Hungarian int who in 2018 was attracting a lot of attention from here (Germany) then absolutely imploded, sucked for all of 2019 and 2020, before returning to might be a star level in 2021. another great year (16 goals, 8 assists) and might be gone this summer. He might be quite good here. His feet are really fast, esp in the way he gets his shot off and he's got a great sense of space and timing. he can create and fit into a system. good work ethic. But history suggests there is a fragility to his performance, maybe he lets success get to him. 4. Yeah, SKC is always a short list to see in person side.Stand in the Cauldron (the club used to be nicknamed the Wiz, then the Wizards, and now simply SKC). It's a classic stands experience, but with a very nice (for me, I'm 60) sense of American space. I stand at Union games, and you're smashed against the people around you on every side (you have to bounce with them or your shirt gets ripped off). In KC, that sort of thing does not fly. Stand, bounce, sing, but a little personal space, please. 5. Play? In the 2022 World Cup? is that a thing? We had a couple US starters in the last Cup the US was in (2014) but they're too old, and as of now both gone. Pulido might be in the Mexico squad, but he doesn't play much for them. Our backup keeper got a US call up but not a cap recently. if Scotland gets in, they might add Russell to their bench, but probably not. We will root for Busio, who left for Venice this summer, but is still one of ours, though he's a US bench option, probably.