Sporting KC going all-in on MLS is Back tourney. Prepare to see Busio, other young guns
Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes isn’t holding back on reinforcements for the MLS is Back Tournament kicking off July 8 in Orlando.
Major League Soccer’s longest-tenured coach plans to bring every healthy body he’s got with him to the Sunshine State next month. Sporting KC is set to play three games in 11 days to begin the tournament after not playing at all since March 7 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team’s last game was a 4-0 rout of the Houston Dynamo in KC that helped them start the season 2-0-0.
Sporting kicks off the group stage against Midwest rival Minnesota United on July 12 at 7 p.m. Central Time, before taking on the Colorado Rapids July 17 at 7 p.m. and playing Real Salt Lake the morning of July 22 at 8 a.m.
“There may be some guys coming off an injury that I may leave back, just because I want to take all healthy bodies down there,” Vermes said.
“We’re playing a lot of games in a short period of time; the staff’s concentration is going to have to be on the guys getting ready for games. It’s not going to be rehabbing guys so whoever we all feel will not have an impact in playing we’ll probably leave behind.”
With that in mind, aside from Felipe Guttierez, who underwent a season-ending knee operation earlier this month, Sporting should have a full side. That includes Winston Reid, who is on loan and is yet to make an appearance for the club.
“(Reid’s) back and he’s out training today,” Vermes said. “He’s taking his tests and everything and he’s negative, right now everybody is, but he went through the protocol of taking his tests back-to-back. He’s actually taken three in a row.”
Reid joined Kansas City in February. The New Zealand international joins Sporting after a series of knee injuries that have kept him out of play since March 2018.
He’s since been stuck in the United Kingdom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having moved there to be with his family during the lockdown. He was unable to return to the U.S. until recently and joined his teammates Thursday.
“He was working out but he’s got to get back into the full team training,” Vermes said. “That’s going to take a little bit of time, but he does have a good base of fitness.”
Reid joins an already deep central defensive corps that includes Matt Besler, Roberto Puncec, Botond Barath, Graham Smith and Andreu Fontas.
But due to MLS’ newly implemented five-substitute rule — put in place for the tournament to battle fatigue and protect players’ health — Reid stands a good chance of making his MLS debut soon.
“What I won’t do is put him out there in a risky situation,” Vermes said. “I want to make sure that whenever I put him in he’s prepared for it, whether it’s 10 minutes, a half or whatever the time period is, we’ve just got to make sure he’s prepared and he’s confident to do that as well.”
The five-substitute rule and Vermes’ all hands on deck approach also offers an excellent opportunity for Sporting’s youth to shine through.
Sporting Kansas City II and the rest of the United Soccer League is slated to return to play on July 11, but Vermes has opted to keep his youth with the first team.
“They’ve worked hard in this quarantine period as well to come in in a good place,” Vermes said. “I also think it probably helped them a little bit with that attitude to go through the every-day and get a little bit of a break prior.”
Gianluca Busio stands a lot to gain from the tournament. The 18-year-old a contender to replace Guttierez in the midfield. Fans may also see backup right back Jaylin Lindsey earn minutes, as well as midfielders Wan Kuzain and Cameron Duke.
“They’re a good case,” Vermes said. “And the good thing is they’ll be available because all of those guys are healthy at the moment, so I’m not going to be afraid to use any of those guys.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Sporting KC going all-in on MLS is Back tourney. Prepare to see Busio, other young guns."