Sporting Kansas City is girding for 2023 season as MLS Cup Playoffs begin. Here’s how

For just the second time since 2011, Sporting Kansas City will be home for the MLS postseason — not home for playoff games, but rather watching the playoffs on TV.

It’s an unfamiliar feeling for the Sporting fanbase, club/staff and majority of the team’s players. The last time Sporting missed the postseason was in 2019. That winter, the club overhauled its roster, bringing in designated players Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda.

While the pandemic and an injury to Pulido altered Sporting’s course for 2020, KC came out firing. By season’s end, Sporting KC sat atop of the Western Conference.

But things are different this time around ... for a multitude of reasons. Let’s start with what manager Peter Vermes believes: He does not subscribe to the notion that the roster needs another large-scale overhaul now.

“I think obviously with players returning, I think it’s inevitable that everybody’s going to make changes every year,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with the salary cap. Obviously there will be some changes, but for sure not a major overhaul.”

In other words, expect more of a shoring-up than blowing-up this offseason.

“There are some places that we need to bolster the roster, for sure,” he said.

Neither Kinda nor Pulido saw the field during a frustrating 2022 season that produced a 12th-placed finish in the Western Conference. Both are expected back healthy for 2023.

Sporting, as currently constructed minus those two guys, ended the current campain on a high note. Through the first 24 games of 2022, Sporting KC earned 20 points, stood 4-15-5 and scored just 19 goals while conceding 43. In the club’s final 10 matches of ‘22, Sporting earned 20 points at 7-1-2 and scored 23 goals while conceding 11.

Sporting KC earned an average of 2.2 points per game during this season’s final 10 matches, which extrapolated over the course of a 34-game season would’ve earned the Supporter’s Shield by 7 points. Sporting also would’ve broken the league record for most points in a season.

Sporting KC forward Daniel Salloi said the turnaround needed heading into 2023 has already taken place.

“In a way it already happened,” he said. “I think we had an awesome last two months. That is something that we are proud of because it’s not easy to overcome a season that we’ve been having.”

Added Sporting captain Johnny Russell: “I don’t think we’re far away as you’ve seen the last couple of months.”

So what does need to happen before the first match of ‘23?

Right now, four Sporting players are out of contract for next year: keeper Tim Melia, Andreu Fontas, Roger Espinoza, and Felipe Hernandez. In addition, Graham Zusi, Nicholas Isimat-Mirin, Kaveh Rad, Cam Duke and Khiry Shelton all have club options on the table. Espinoza and Melia are eligible for free agency.

It’s likely that a few of the above-mentioned players won’t be on next year’s roster. With the returns of Kinda and Pulido, Sporting should have ample depth at the four main attacking positions. But that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to the midfield and back line.

Vermes wouldn’t divulge the positions at which the club hopes to add talent, preferring to instead focus on making sure the players who do return for 2023 do so in the best condition possible.

“It’s going to be incredibly important that our players pay attention to the offseason training program and come back as fit as they’ve ever been as a professional,” Vermes said. “The foundation, their physical foundation, is going to be incredibly important to a successful preseason, which then, in my experience, leads to a successful regular season.”

Russell, for one, is already looking forward to the challenge. And a shot at some redemption.

“(I want to) turn what this season has been, which is obviously a huge disappointment and a failure, turn around next year and get right back at the top,” he said. “(We want to be) challenging for everything and competing with the better teams in this league, which I feel that we are one of.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Sporting Kansas City is girding for 2023 season as MLS Cup Playoffs begin. Here’s how."