Sporting KC expects Dwyer, Zusi, Feilhaber to be 'full force' for second half of preseason

As Sporting Kansas City concluded the initial wave of its preseason camp with a scrimmage Tuesday, it had three MLS All-Stars saddled on the bench.

But the club expects the absences to be short-lived. Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said Tuesday that Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber and Dom Dwyer are each expected to be ready for the second leg of camp, which opens Sunday in Tucson, Ariz.

None of the three appeared in the club's second scrimmage of the preseason, a 2-1 loss to New England. Nansel Selbol scored the only goal for Sporting KC.

"There was a lot of good stuff on the field, especially going forward. We created a ton of really good opportunities in the attacking third — great buildup in a lot of situations, which is what we've been working on this last week," Vermes said of the preseason scrimmage. "We actually played pretty well. I was pretty happy with the way we played."

Sporting KC defender Matt Besler played the initial half hour, his first scrimmage of the preseason after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. Dwyer is also working his way back from offseason ankle surgery but has yet to appear in a match.

"Both (Besler) and Dom are pain free in their ankles, which is a really important aspect," Vermes said.

Zusi and Feilhaber re-joined the team earlier this week after participating in the United States men's national team camp last month.

"I wanted to give them a little bit of a break," Vermes said. "This way they could get themselves into a position where when we return on Sunday, they're going to be full force with us."

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Sporting KC expects Dwyer, Zusi, Feilhaber to be 'full force' for second half of preseason."