Eric Kronberg takes over as Sporting KC's goalie

The most veteran player on the Sporting Kansas City roster is standing in the building where everything began. The individual dream that has yet to fully launch, a franchise makeover that has grown faster than his own career, an eight-year tenure defined by patience but little else.

Eric Kronberg has been through it. And he’s not much of a veteran at all. He may be the longest-tenured player for the defending Major League Soccer champions, but he has started only four league games since being drafted by the Kansas City Wizards in 2006.

The Hunt family brought him here, where he spent most of his days inside the same Arrowhead indoor practice facility that housed two Sporting KC training sessions earlier this week.

In 2006, a wide-eyed Californian with dirty blond hair told friends he was ready to impress the soccer world.

“I was excited, ready to go, ready to show everyone what I could do,” Kronberg says. “It obviously hasn’t played out the way I thought it would.”

The opportunity has finally come.

Kronberg is slated to start in goal Saturday when Sporting KC opens its MLS Cup title defense in Seattle at 2 p.m. at CenturyLink Field.

It’s been a long, frustrating, character-testing wait. But Kronberg says he is content with the journey— in a way not even his teammates understand.

“After six months,” defender Aurelien Collin says, “I would have left.

“Eight years? Forget it.”

Only two days after Sporting KC hoisted the MLS Cup trophy for the first time in 13 years, its team captain called it quits. On a night the club celebrated its championship in front of thousands of fans at Union Station, winning goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen took the microphone and announced his 19-year career was over.

Symbolic of his professional career, Kronberg stood in the background and watched. He was surprised. Excited. Cautious.

Less than a week passed before manager Peter Vermes brought Kronberg into his office and told him the words he had longed to hear.

Kronberg would enter the 2014 season as a starter.

“I don’t think he believed me,” Vermes says.

Experience taught Kronberg skepticism.

He’s played second fiddle to three keepers in his eight seasons with the franchise. Coaches always guaranteed him his time would come. Be patient, they said. The message lost value.

“Sometimes maybe I got frustrated,” Kronberg says. “It’s difficult to go through the grind every day but not play. That’s the hardest part.”

He kept showing up anyway and says he never considered leaving Kansas City. He was motivated to eventually win a starting job, and he preferred that to be with the franchise that drafted him.

“I could see a lot of other people getting upset in that position, but you’d never see it across his face,” teammate Graham Zusi says. “That quitting attitude, I’ve never seen it once from Eric. He’s kept his head down, kept grinding it out and waited for that opportunity.”

Sporting Kansas City will return 96 percent of its on-field minutes from last season. That number excludes goalkeepers. When it opens the season in Seattle on Saturday, Sporting may feature an identical lineup it used throughout the postseason last winter.

Again, that excludes the keeper.

In other words, the club knows what to expect from its outfield lineup. Kronberg is the question mark.

“I know I can play with these guys,” Kronberg says. “I played with them every day in practice. It’s just in front of a lot more people now. That’s the only difference in my eyes.”

Nielsen brought personality, flare and leadership to the position. He also led the league in goals-against average last season among keepers who appeared in at least half their team’s games.

From stature to tactical style, Kronberg is quite different in goal. At 6-5, 210 pounds, he’s a physical specimen in front of the net. He’s active on crosses and plans to provide a more demanding presence on corner kicks. He’s also emphasized leading the counter-attack.

“I’m excited for everyone to see him play,” said defender Matt Besler, who was named the team captain Tuesday. “I think for people that haven’t seen him play, they’re going to be impressed. Specifically, you’re looking at qualities Kronie has that Jimmy didn’t.”

Sporting KC brought in competition for Kronberg when it acquired keeper Andy Gruenebaum in a December trade with Columbus. Gruenebaum has appeared in 82 matches over the past eight seasons and led the MLS in saves in 2012.

He has the experience, but Kronberg still owns the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

“I think he’s the right player for the opportunity,” Vermes said. “He’s got the qualities — he just needs some games under his belt and a steady rhythm, which he hasn’t had over the years. But he’s got our confidence because we see it in practice. He’s deserving of this opportunity because he’s capable and ready.”

A two-day return to the Arrowhead indoor practice facility brought back a rush of memories for Kronberg. The Wizards practiced here during his rookie season. It was a much different time.

Kronberg is 30 years old now. He considers himself more mature, more experienced.

He’s seen the franchise power through a successful rebranding. The city supports the team like never before in his career.

“The change has been dramatic,” Kronberg says while looking around the practice facility. “It’s been incredible to watch.”

No players remain from his rookie season. He’s outlasted all the coaches, too. New owners. New stadium.

Nearly everything has changed since his arrival in 2006. With one exception.

“Me,” he says. “I think I’m the same guy I was when I first got here.”

Still motivated. Still patient.

And still hoping to impress the soccer world.

This story was originally published March 7, 2014 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Eric Kronberg takes over as Sporting KC's goalie."