Toni Dovale flexes his way into Sporting KC lineup

The Sporting Kansas City training facility at Swope Park fell silent on a late morning last week. Two hours after the club finished a brief practice, the players had departed the locker room for the day. The weight room had completely emptied, too, except for one straggler.

Toni Dovale.

The man listed with the third lightest build on the Sporting KC roster — and probably generously so — spent more than an hour completing a solo workout that day.

With good reason.

“It’s a different game here. It’s a lot more (physical),” said Dovale, a Spanish forward who signed with Sporting KC in March. “I’ve had to work really hard to get my body ready to handle it.”

It wasn’t ready when he arrived. Dovale, 24, started only one of the club’s first eight MLS matches. And he was removed from that match before halftime.

Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said he pulled Dovale from a match later in the summer because the game took on a more aggressive, fast tone — and Dovale wasn’t equipped to keep up with it.

But that’s changed. Dovale says he’s put on weight during the season and learned how to better apply his strength.

It’s kept on him on the field. He has started four straight matches between MLS and CONCACAF Champions League play heading into Friday’s tilt with New England at 7 p.m. at Sporting Park.

“It’s always difficult bringing in foreign players to our team because there’s an adaptation period,” Vermes said. “For him, it’s not about the soccer. It’s the speed of play and the physicality of the game.

“The quality that was lacking the most is something he’s worked on an incredible amount since he got here, and that is the physical aspect. He’s gotten stronger.”

The improvements to his toughness have not only shown up in playing time — where Dovale has recently emerged as the top choice on the right side of the offense — they have also produced results.

Dovale scored twice in a 3-1 victory against Deportivo Saprissa last week. Five days later, he assisted on Sal Zizzo’s goal Tuesday against Real Esteli.

He also clanked a shot off the post in a match against Chivas USA, the club’s most recent MLS appearance, setting up Benny Feilhaber’s tap-in score.

“He’s a guy that’s very good on the ball, very skillful, very intelligent,” Feilhaber said. “So once he’s able to match — well maybe not match, because he’s never going to be as fast or physical as some of the other guys — but once he’s able to adapt to it, then his technical abilities are able to come out and shine.”

He’s not the first one to travel such a path with Sporting KC. Vermes said the club went through a similar transition period with another recent foreign addition — Uri Rosell.

Rosell signed with Sporting KC in August 2012 and started only one of his first 12 matches before becoming a regular fixture in 2013, when he started 31 matches. Rosell was transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal earlier this season.

“They’re very similar in that aspect,” Vermes said. “But the one thing that Toni had is he had played at a higher level for a number of years before.”

That’s led to a quicker transition to MLS play than Rosell enjoyed.

Dovale has also formed an intriguing connection with another foreign teammate, Brazilian defender Igor Juliao. Dovale typically occupies the right side of the offense, with Juliao responsible for the same side of the defense. Juliao, though, is known for his preference to stay involved in the offense.

“Igor is a box-to-box guy. He likes to run. You have to have a guy who can give (him) the ball with good timing,” Vermes said. “... They’re a good partnership from that point of view. They complement each other well.”

This story was originally published September 25, 2014 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Toni Dovale flexes his way into Sporting KC lineup."