Sporting KC’s Peter Vermes confident in center-back options despite Kortne Ford injury
Kortne Ford’s season-ending injury has left Sporting KC in a lurch late in the preseason. After the club decided to part ways with Nicolas Isimat-Mirin this offseason, instead of looking outside the building to replace him, it looked inside.
Ford was ready for the opportunity, too, according to manager Peter Vermes.
“I really feel bad for Kortne,” Vermes told reporters on Tuesday. “He really worked his butt off in the offseason. It’s not me just saying that or looking at the numbers, I watched him here training a lot of days in the offseason, and he really put the time in.”
Sporting won’t be down to four center-backs for much longer, though. Vermes was not ready to announce a name or a signing yet, but a new face is expected to be present within the back line. That signing is expected to be announced in the coming days. Vermes said the club is looking at some “other situations” as well.
As teams near the roster compliance date, there might be solutions within the league, as well as outside the league. The Primary Transfer Window for MLS stays open until April 24. And even though the European transfer window closed a few weeks ago, Sporting could still bring someone in from outside the league.
Even so, any new signing would need time to get up to speed with the team with only 11 days until the season opener. That leaves Robert Voloder and Chris Rindov as the two center-backs available to partner with Andreu Fontas.
Whichever of the two Vermes calls on has the confidence of their manager. Vermes dismissed any concerns about playing Voloder and Fontas and gave a heavy vote of confidence to recently signed rookie Chris Rindov.
Rindov, naturally right-footed and by nature a more pure defender, has caught the eye of Vermes, enough to be Sporting’s first college draft pick signed in five seasons.
“He’s a smart kid,” Vermes said. “He’s a kid that has a good future in front of him in this league if he continues to progress the way that he has. He’s a solid player.”
As for what stood out about him the most?
“He’s a hard worker, like he’s really committed to being good,” Vermes said. “One of our four core values is a winning mentality, which (means a) pursuit of excellence in everything that you do. And he’s one of those guys that walks the walk, and talks the talk.”
It’s not all bad news on the injury front.
Alan Pulido is expected to join full-training sessions later this week. Gadi Kinda is just a few weeks behind Pulido’s track as well. Logan Ndenbe was the only non-participant in training on Tuesday, as Vermes noted he had a hamstring injury and was being held out.
Khiry Shelton, Tim Melia, Erik Thommy and Nemanja Radoja were all active and participating on Tuesday after picking up minor injuries throughout their first preseason stint.
Sporting KC begins the 2023 campaign in under two weeks, when the club faces Portland on February 25. That match kicks off at 9:30 p.m. CT and will be available for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Sporting KC’s Peter Vermes confident in center-back options despite Kortne Ford injury."