Sporting Kansas City’s midfield has the look of being in the middle of something big

Sporting Kansas City and Peter Vermes have a problem.

It’s not a bad problem. In fact, Vermes thinks it’s a necessary problem.

Sporting KC has too many quality midfielders and too little space for them on the pitch.

The club has seven first-team midfielders in 2021: Gianluca Busio, Cam Duke, Roger Espinoza, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Ilie Sanchez and Remi Walter.

But Vermes only plays with a midfield of three. He has done so since before anyone can remember, and will presumably continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

That doesn’t mean only three of those players listed above will command the starting lineup all season. Some players will certainly appear more often and certain partnerships will become a trend throughout the season, but all seven players will most likely make appearance in 2021.

“We’re going to need all of those guys throughout the course of the season,” Vermes said on Thursday. “I think all of them have something that they can offer and really contribute.”

Sporting KC has a full 34-game regular-season schedule that becomes backloaded later in the summer as stadiums inch closer to 100% fan capacity. Sporting KC will also compete in the Leagues Cup in July, adding at least one game, and up to three more, to SKC’s schedule.

Let’s look at each section of the midfield and how each player fits:

Defensive midfield - No. 6 role

Players: Remi Walter, Ilie Sanchez and Gianluca Busio

You’re going to be seeing Busio’s name a lot. Yes, part of that is because of the high-level talent that he is, but also because he can slot into every role of this midfield.

Sporting KC captain Johnny Russell spent time on Thursday marveling at the confidence and ability Busio has exhibited over the past year. Busio played four different positions over the course of the 2020 season.

“He played as a six, played as a winger, played in his natural position, played as a nine,” Russell said. “He can adapt to any situation and performs to the best of his capabilities in those situations as well.”

But barring a slew of injuries, it will most likely be Sanchez and Walter battling it out for the No. 6 position in 2021. Walter has started the first two games of 2021 at defensive midfield due to Sanchez suffering from back spasms, but the Spanish midfielder is inching back to full fitness.

Walter has looked solid at the 6 so far, but his potential could be truly tapped if he played more in the No. 8 role.

That leaves the position to Sanchez once healthy. Sanchez suffered a tough 2020 in which he missed a chunk of the season due to personal reasons and looked a little shaky when he was given the opportunity. But before that, he has always been a rock in the midfield for SKC, rarely misplacing a pass and transitioning from defense to attack well.

Central Midfield - No. 8 role

Players: Gianluca Busio, Roger Espinoza, Remi Walter, Felipe Hernandez, Cam Duke

I’m splitting the two center midfield roles into two positions — the classic box-to-box No. 8 and the more attack-minded No. 10.

This is Sporting KC’s most stacked position in the midfield, with five players able to play effectively.

Right off the bat, both Duke and Hernandez show massive promise — Espinoza has said Hernandez reminds him of himself but further along at 22 years old.

Busio is more than competent as a box-to-box midfielder, but he’s most devastating in the No. 10 role, so we’ll hold off on him for now.

That leaves Walter and Espinoza. Early in the season, it would not be a huge surprise to see Espinoza more in this role and Walter dropping to the No. 6 or coming off the bench. But as Sporting heads deeper into the season, we’re more likely to see more Walter than Espinoza as Vermes looks to manage the 34-year-old Espinoza’s minutes.

“I know that he probably would not say this, but I’ll say it: Roger’s going to need breaks here and there, and I have to manage that as best as I can,” Vermes said. “I need him throughout the course of the season, and I want to keep him healthy and keep him well-rested and charged when he’s ready to play.”

That leaves Walter to command the No. 8 role throughout the thick of the season. The French midfielder has been silky smooth when in tight spaces through the first two games, and given the freedom to roam up and down the field, he could be a crucial piece of KC’s midfield.

Central midfield - No. 10 role

Players: Gianluca Busio, Gadi Kinda

Busio should play every game in which he’s available for selection and not in need of a break.

That doesn’t mean Kinda will rot on the bench. As stated above, Busio can play any position in midfield, as well as the No. 9 role and occasionally on the wing.

But the No. 10 spot is Busio’s most devastating position. The 18-year-old American has shown proficiency both firing accurate balls up the field as a No. 6 or running onto them as a No. 9. But when he’s able to control the ball in the opposition half and run at goal? Look out.

Busio looks to have made the jump in the offseason and is on track to be a star in Major League Soccer. His goal against Orlando last Friday was world-class and his positioning, pressure and composure on the ball have all taken a big jump.

When Busio is at the No. 10, Sporting KC simply plays better.

But where does that leave Kinda?

Vermes has opted against playing Busio and Kinda in the midfield together so far this season, taking Kinda off for Alan Pulido and pushing Busio back into the midfield in the first two games. The two players together would create an imbalance unless Busio played as the box-to-box midfielder, but Espinoza has played there so far.

It’s harsh to say that Kinda is Busio’s backup, but that’s how it realistically is. The Israeli midfielder possesses plenty of talent too, and whenever Busio does need that rest or is required elsewhere on the field, Kinda is a fine fill-in.

Sporting KC certainly has depth issues elsewhere on the field. Who’s behind Daniel Salloi at left wing, or why is Busio being required to play the No. 9 when Pulido is not fully fit?

But the midfield is one place Sporting KC fans don’t need to be concerned about this season.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Sporting Kansas City’s midfield has the look of being in the middle of something big."