Soccer with the USMNT, final Chiefs OTA workouts, Royals homestand: KC’s Next Play

The final voluntary workouts are at hand for the Chiefs. After this week’s round of organized team activities, attendance is mandatory for the players from here on out.

That’s notable (though not overly concerning) because a couple of key players were absent during the past two weeks’ worth of OTAs.

Elsewhere, it’s a big week for the Royals, or as big as a particular stretch can get for a team already underwater in the American League standings.

But we lead off this week’s Next Play with a look at soccer ... starting with a match here today (Sunday, June 5) between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Uruguay at Children’s Mercy Park.

‘EPB,’ Pulisic and friends

The stadium in Kansas City, Kansas will be buzzing this afternoon with the sights and sounds of international soccer.

The American side, with Sporting KC Academy product Erik Palmer-Brown, Christian Pulisic and the rest of the gang, takes on South American powerhouse Uruguay in a match slated to start at 4:30 p.m.

The U.S. has already qualified for this year’s World Cup, so games like Sunday’s present a chance for guys like Palmer-Brown, who is seeking a roster spot for Qatar, to make a strong impression. The midfielder from Lee’s Summit has been starring for Troyes, a team in France’s top league, where he was recently signed long-term.

Practice time for Sporting + Current

After frequently playing multiple games per week of late, Sporting Kansas City and the Kansas City Current have a single game apiece in the next seven or eight days.

Sporting KC, off since May 28, resumes its Major League Soccer season at home one week from today — Sunday, June 12 — against the New England Revolution at 2 p.m. The NWSL Current play host to Gotham FC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Neither team has been playing up to its own expectations, so it’s likely that each will be using this coming week to address deficiencies in their respective attacks.

Chiefs on offseason grind

The Chiefs have one more round of OTAs this week as the weather heats up and we inch closer to the team’s annual mandatory minicamp.

Among the players not in attendance last week were defensive tackle Chris Jones, defensive end Frank Clark and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who recently hired a new agent, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Brown had been looking for a new agent for some time now. With that task accomplished, perhaps the coming week will include some meaningful negotiations between Brown and the Chiefs toward a long-term contract.

Home sweet home for Royals

After wrapping up a weekend series with the Houston Astros today — first pitch is 1:10 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium — the Royals will remain at home for two more series: one against the Toronto Blue Jays and one against the Baltimore Orioles.

Will this week be for the birds? In opponents’ name only, if the Royals have anything to say about it. They’d love nothing more than to win those two series before jetting off to San Francisco for a three-game set against the Giants.

This story was originally published June 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.