Sporting KC waives defender Ben Sweat. Who could be in line to replace him?

Just over a week after Peter Vermes’ strong comments in the aftermath of a 4-1 loss to Seattle, Sporting KC waived defender Ben Sweat on Tuesday afternoon.

After Sweat was a non-injury absence in Sporting KC’s training session on Tuesday, Vermes told reporters there would be more to come regarding the left back’s status.

Sweat joined the team in free agency ahead of the 2022 season, while working back from an ACL injury. In total, Sweat made 29 appearances with Sporting KC in 2022 and 2023, delivering three assists.

Vermes was notably upset in the aftermath of Sporting’s home loss to the Sounders on March 25. He critiqued specific on-field actions that Sweat had made, all but naming the defender. Sweat committed two yellow card offenses and held Jordan Morris onside by a good four or five steps for Seattle’s go-ahead goal in a 10-minute span.

“The two yellows, its not hard to understand,” Vermes said after the match. “It’s definitely a second yellow. The first card, I don’t know, maybe could’ve been a red.

“When you have experience, you have to use it. Experience means nothing if you don’t use it.”

When asked where his concern level was with the team, Vermes said he was “pissed off” and lamented the mistakes of the back line. He said the team’s reaction needed to be different in the next games.

“It’s gotta be different than the mentality of making a mistake, making a mistake, making a mistake, and (it’s) the same people making it,” Vermes said.

He then alluded to the upcoming suspension for Sweat saying Sporting was “in a situation where we’ll change some things because we have to. And maybe that’s for the best.”

Tuesday’s move does add some uncertainty to Sporting KC’s back line. Here are a few of the options Sporting could turn to without Sweat:

Tim Leibold

The addition of Leibold in the offseason makes this move much easier for Sporting. He was brought in to be the starter but has struggled with a hamstring injury and match fitness since his arrival. When he has played, he’s been impressive, but he aggravated his hamstring in Sporting’s 0-0 draw against the Galaxy on March 11 and hasn’t played since. He is anticipated to return in the next week or two.

Logan Ndenbe

Ndenbe has been on the injury report since the start of the season, but he was in full training for the first time on Tuesday. The young Belgian arrived late in the preseason, as he was finishing up getting his green card and then had multiple hamstring injuries before being shut down entirely for a few extra weeks. He seems more likely to be slowly brought back over the next couple of weeks.

Robert Voloder

While he played there in a pinch, and Sporting did get a clean sheet at Philadelphia over the weekend with him at left back, it’s not Voloder’s ideal place.

“I gotta say, I prefer my center back position,” Robi Voloder said on Tuesday. “I had to get in the groove the first 10 or 15 minutes, but I think after that I tried to do my best. And I think I managed to play the game at a decent level.”

If there is a game in which Sporting feels it will face a significant amount of pressure from the other team, Voloder might be a good option because of his defensive prowess. But that would take away from the club’s attack on the other end.

Cam Duke

Duke played 90 minutes as a left back in a 1-1 draw for Sporting KC II over the weekend. He was dangerous in the attack and picked his moments to combine and get forward with an overlapping run.

He would need to improve his awareness to be as effective with the top club, but Duke could be a viable option for a match in which Sporting hopes to be the primary aggressor with the ball.

Sporting KC hosts the Colorado Rapids on Saturday with kickoff from Children’s Mercy Park set for 7:30 pm Central.

This story was originally published April 4, 2023 at 6:50 PM.