For 13 years, teams have tried to replace Seth Sinovic. He won’t let it happen

Weeks after his high school graduation, Seth Sinovic took a summer road trip with his older brother. They visited a handful of colleges all across the country, where Sinovic would meet with men’s soccer head coaches.

He had grown tired of waiting for the recruiters to come to him. So he traveled to them, making brief sales pitches with the hopes of landing a Division I scholarship. The response was quite predictable. “We already have something lined up, but, you know, we’ll be sure to call if something pops up.”

Thirteen years later, sitting at a coffee shop in Kansas City, Sinovic shares this story with a literal shrug of his shoulders. “I just wanted to play,” he says matter-of-factly.

But there’s a deeper substance behind it. The anecdote is emblematic of his career.

Of his entrance into Major League Soccer. Of his release from New England. Of the back half of his tenure with Sporting Kansas City.

“When I think of Seth, the first thing that comes to mind is extremely underrated,” Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler says. “I think that’s obvious.”

Sinovic, a graduate of Rockhurst High School, is in his eighth season in his hometown, occupying the left side of the defense. He didn’t envision lasting this long when he got into the business, and truth be told, few MLS teams thought he would either.

He’s managed to hang on, even as Sporting KC supplements its roster with left back after left back.

In recent seasons, that’s become a running joke within the team. When a trialist — essentially a tryout player — joins a week of practice, a Sporting KC player will quip, “What position does that guy play?” Another will respond, “Must be a left back.” It always draws a laugh.

In 2018 alone, the club has tried four players at left back. But two months later, on Aug. 4, a familiar name returned to the top of the depth chart.

Seth Sinovic.

“It’s certainly frustrating at times,” Sinovic says. “I know I’m not going to be anything close to the perfect player, but as long as I take care of myself and come in with the right attitude, things seem to usually work out.”

That’s the thing. As dim as a situation might appear, Sinovic has a way of emerging from it. Always been that way.

He had only one Division I offer (Evansville) but instead walked on at Creighton. After two years, the coaches decided they could ill-afford to lose him, and they finally gave him a scholarship.

The assumption was he would make use of his economics degree. When he went to the MLS SuperDraft combine, Real Salt Lake was the only team to interview him. “But I think they interviewed every single kid,” Sinovic says.

He didn’t throw a draft party. That’s wouldn’t really be his style, but he also couldn’t be certain he would be selected. So he watched the draft alone on his parents’ couch, clicking refresh on his browser every few seconds. After 25 picks, he got the call from New England.

He started 18 games as a rookie. Two months into Year Two, after he had dressed for practice and jogged onto the field, New England coach Steve Nichol whistled him into his office and cut him.

He landed in Kansas City, a hometown reunion he preferred to avoid. The whispers within the league suggested it was a disorganized franchise. But a rebrand was underway, and so Sinovic saw it through.

“I was hesitant and nervous, because from the outside, it looked like an organization that wasn’t doing well,” Sinovic says. “But things took a turn. I got to see the new stadium; I enjoyed the trainings a lot; and the rest is history.”

Sinovic has played in 178 games since joining Sporting KC in 2011. The club has has won four trophies in his stay— the 2013 MLS Cup and the 2012, 2015 and 2017 U.S. Open Cups. Sinovic is one of only three players to start all four finals, along with Besler and Graham Zusi.

On paper and in the highlight reels, Sinovic has done little to stand out, with the exception of a playoff goal against New England in the 2013 postseason run. He has just one MLS regular season goal to his name. But there is one vital statistic the former college walk-on holds in his corner.

Wins.

Since Sinovic joined Sporting KC in 2011, the club is 79-46-44 in his starts, collecting an average of 1.66 points per match. When he sits, the club is just 34-32-27, an average of 1.39 points per game. That’s the separation between a playoff team on comfortable footing and a club whose season ends in October.

In 2018, Sinovic’s age-31 season, the difference is even more drastic. Sporting KC is 6-1-2 in his starts and 6-5-4 when he opens the game on the bench.

“That’s the most important thing,” Besler says. “When you talk about value, what’s the record when you’re on the field? I don’t know how you can place more importance on anything else than that. To me, it’s so simple: What’s your record?

“Seth, he’s not concerned about playing well enough so he can keep his spot. He’s concerned about playing well enough so the team wins. That’s his mindset.”

The fight for his spot roars on. Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes is a firm believer in not just adding depth but finding players who can push his starters for jobs. He acquires players on all three lines because it brings out the best in them, he says, and a recent run of form proves his case.

The competition at left back has been especially plentiful. Jimmy Medranda, Jaylin Lindsey and Cristian Lobato have received a chance to start there this season alone.

Yet the position found its way back to Sinovic once more. In turn, the defense rediscovered its form. Sinovic rejoined the lineup three games ago. Sporting KC responded with three consecutive shutout victories.

“The fact Seth is in form has been huge for us,” Vermes says. “It not only gives us a reliable player there, it gives us some cover with some other positions.”

He wasn’t the first choice this year. The spot was slated for Medranda before a season-ending injury altered the plan.

But 13 years ago, he wasn’t anyone’s first choice either. As nine of his high school teammates were playing Division I soccer, Sinovic was forcing his way onto Creighton’s roster. He finished his career there as a two-year captain and two-time all-conference selection.

“I’ve accepted my role,” he says. “I try to do what I’m asked and what I feel is necessary to help the team in every situation. I know I’m not going to be the guy that’s going to be scoring a bunch of goals. That’s not me. If I’m asked to sit back and help our team stay balanced, that’s what it is. I’ve always just taken what the game gives me.”

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 10:35 AM with the headline "For 13 years, teams have tried to replace Seth Sinovic. He won’t let it happen."