Why Sporting KC is excited about continued progression of talented forward Alan Pulido
Sporting Kansas City captain Johnny Russell greeted substitute striker Alan Pulido warmly while exiting the field in the 60th minute of last weekend’s match at Philadelphia.
The Scotsman hugged Pulido as the two forwards crossed paths, telling him, “Welcome back, hermano.”
It was an emotional and triumphant return for Pulido, who had not appeared in a professional soccer match for 489 days. His last action came during Sporting KC’s 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake in the 2021 Major League Soccer playoffs.
Since then, he’s endured an extensive process of surgery and recovery. Weight-bearing restrictions slowed his progress, limiting what he could do at times. Getting medically cleared to work out and train without limits was an arduous ordeal.
For some players, all of this could’ve been devastating mentally. But Pulido insisted Thursday that he has maintained a positive outlook throughout the past year-plus.
“In my mind, I always say ‘the past is the past,’” the Mexican national team mainstay said through a translator. “I need to be focused on the present and knowing my future, because, for me, this is more important.
“Life depends on how you take things in the difficult positions,” Pulido continued. “So I take these things, work on my mentality, (stay) positive in the injury, and now I’m back.”
When Pulido first resumed full training with Sporting KC (0-3-3), he didn’t quite look like his old self. But that didn’t last for long. During the team’s media day in early March, he seemed sharper in finishing drills.
The following week, after a small mistake, he picked up the ball, nutmegged two defenders, faked a shot and then placed one with accuracy and power in the bottom corner of the net.
Pulido was to see game action the following week at Seattle, but a red card assessed to recently waived Sporting defender Ben Sweat changed the complexion of that match. So manager Peter Vermes pocketed the substitution for him.
When Pulido finally subbed in against the Union last weekend, the complexion of that match changed, too — but in a good way. Pulido was pulling players out of position and moving the ball quickly, and in tight spaces.
All of a sudden, things opened up. While Sporting didn’t score, settling instead for a draw, that 20-minute stretch may be a sign of what’s to come.
Vermes cautioned that Pulido still needs to adjust to some teammates he hasn’t played with before, such as Erik Thommy (signed in midseason of last year). But Vermes doesn’t sound concerned about Pulido’s fitness or confidence.
“He’s such a high-quality player that his play is already there,” Vermes said. “His movements are all the same. He sees the spaces. It’s all there. It’s now (about) guys just recognizing that and being able to play with him.”
The next significant step for Pulido arrives this weekend, as Sporting KC plays host to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night. While he would love to score during the match, just getting back out there in front of the home crowd at Children’s Mercy Park will be rewarding for Pulido.
“All the people here supported me when I was injured the last year,” he said. “All the people asked me, ‘Hey, how are you? How do you feel? When will you come back?’
“These things make me happy because the (fans) support me, and this is the most important thing in my life.”
U.S. Open Cup matchup set
Sporting KC will enter the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the third round of the tournament on April 25 or 26 against the Tulsa Athletic at Children’s Mercy Park, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday night.
U.S Soccer is scheduled to confirm the full third-round schedule, including match dates and times, on Friday. Tickets, which are included in all Sporting KC season ticket-member packages, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Central on Monday via SeatGeek.