Sporting Kansas City

All of the news during the Major League Soccer offseason has been about the big spenders, but there is one team who haven't made any headlines this offseason and are favored to win the 2014 MLS Cup.

Defending champion Sporting Kansas City have turned into the model of consistency in MLS and are a club that make noise on the pitch, not in the transfer market.

The only major move made by Sporting since their conquest of Real Salt Lake at home on December 7 was a goalkeeping swap that was forced due to the retirement of Jimmy Nielsen.

To replace Nielsen, who was the starting keeper since 2010, Sporting acquired Andy Gruenebaum in a trade with the Columbus Crew. 

The 31-year-old Gruenebaum will be a solid replacement in net for a team that already boast a strong back four. 

Speaking of that back four, Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler are back and better than ever, while Chance Myers, Seth Sinovic and Ike Opara are also back and ready to a second consecutive championship.

Up front, Sporting possess one of the midfield gems of the United States men's national team in Graham Zusi, who is one of the top playmakers in the league despite not getting as much attention as the likes of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan receive.

Zusi is not the only productive member of the Sporting midfield, as the roster contains plenty of workhorses in Benny Feilhaber, Oriol Rosell and new addition Sal Zizzo. 

The midfield fleet also does not have to worry about overworking themselves in front of goal due to the presence of Claudio Bieler, who was one of the top acquisitions in the league last offseason. 

The 29-year-old from Argentina scored 10 goals in 25 games in 2013 and is expected to put up a similar tally in 2014.

Behind Bieler on the depth chart are a group of capable forwards led by C.J. Sapong and Soony Saad that will be able to take the pressure off the Argentinian if he faces a goalscoring drought. 

On top of all that, Sporting possess one of the most underrated soccer minds in all of America in Peter Vermes. 

While the likes of Bob Bradley and Jason Kreis have received international recognition, and as Mike Petke continues to receive praise with the Red Bulls, Vermes just gets on with things and does his job the right way. 

His name is one that must be brought into consideration the next time the national team comes up because of his superb resume that includes two Eastern Conference championships, a U.S. Open Cup, and of course the 2013 MLS Cup title. 

Vermes is a master at handling his squad, and he has built a deep roster that will see almost everyone on it contribute at some point during the season. 

A winner of the MLS Cup as a player and manager, the 47-year-old is one of the main reasons why Zusi and Besler have turned into consistent first-team players for the United States, while others like Saad and former forward Kei Kamara are regular names on their national-team rosters as well. 

With a lineup that features a plethora of talent, a manager that knows how to get the best out of his players, and a championship pedigree, there is no reason why Sporting Kansas City shouldn't be the favorite to win the 2014 MLS Cup.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

On Saturday night, Sporting KC defeated Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final. After 120 minutes, the teams remained tied at 1-1 and Sporting outlasted RSL 7-6 in 10 rounds of penalties to claim the title.

Sporting KC is one of the class organizations of Major League Soccer. They have a terrific stadium, a terrific fanbase, one of the best coaches in the league and a bevy of top-class players. But, were they lucky to win the title on Saturday night?

Should Aurelien Collin Even Have Been on the Field for His Goal?

On Saturday, with Sporting KC trailing 1-0 in the 76th minute, Sporting center-back Aurelien Collin scored the tying goal, forcing the game into extra time.

Collin was huge for Sporting throughout their playoff run, scoring three goals in their five playoff games. But, should he even have been on the field to score his goal against RSL?

All match long, Collin was engaged in a battle with RSL forward Robbie Findley. Findley’s pace caused Collin problems, which Collin handled on multiple occasions by simply taking Findley out.

In the 22nd minute, Collin tackled Findley hard and from behind, but there was no call on the play. The only possible explanation was that center official Hilario Grajeda thought Collin got the ball on the play, but replays clearly showed Collin caught Findley’s ankle.

In the 35th minute, Collin fouled Findley again, this time as Findley pushed the ball past Collin. Although Collin wasn’t technically the last defender—center-back Matt Besler was half a step behind Collin—Findley would have been in on goal. This time, Collin was called for the foul and cautioned.

Then in the 69th minute, just seven minutes before Collin would score his game-tying goal, he fouled Findley again when he stabbed for the ball as Findley pushed past him in Sporting’s defensive third. It was clearly a foul and took away a good opportunity for RSL to open up Sporting’s defense. While it wasn’t what one what typically call a “professional foul”—meaning it didn’t look to be on purpose—it was certainly the type of foul that can draw a caution.

Instead, Grajeda, apparently not wanting his call to have such a large impact on the match, did not issue a second caution to Collin, but simply talked to him as Collin angelically put his hands together begging for mercy. After the game, Findley commented, “I definitely thought it was a second yellow.”

One has to respect Grajeda’s desire to let the players decide the game on the field, however, the combination of his earlier missed call and his decision not to book Collin on this second foul, left Collin on the field to help decide the game.

In fact, not only did Collin score the game-tying goal, but it was his penalty in the shootout that sealed the victory for Kansas City.

RSL Was Inches Away from Four Other Goals

Jimmy Nielsen, Sporting KC’s goalkeeper, was absolutely abysmal on Saturday night. Throughout the match, Nielsen looked terrible, moving slowly and struggling to handle back passes and balls served into his area. It appeared the combination of cold weather and Nielsen’s age had turned his blood into molasses (after the game it was revealed he was playing with broken ribs).

In the 29th minute, Nielsen punched a service straight into the air, where it fell to Findley who found himself all alone on the back post. Findley somehow missed the empty-netter, putting it off the post and Nielsen collected the rebound.

Then, in the 73rd minute, just moments before Sporting would equalize, a chip by Javier Morales went past Nielsen and somehow went off the post, across the face of the net and out of bounds. It was the second time RSL hit the post with Kyle Beckerman smashing one off the opposite post from distance just 10 minutes earlier in the 62nd minute.

Finally, in the 105th minute of play, RSL striker Alvaro Saborio scored what looked to be his second goal of the game and the potential match-winner, before he was adjudged to be offsides (replays showed he was just behind the last defender when the ball was served).

So, Did Sporting KC Get Lucky?

Regardless of the result, games like the 2013 MLS Cup, full of close calls, brilliant goals and missed chances are what lead fans to love the game as they do. Those moments, whether they benefit or hurt the club one is cheering for, are exactly what make the game exciting.

After the match, despite the bitter loss and controversy involved, even RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando was full of class, Tweeting his congratulations to Sporting KC.

One adage that fully applies to games like this is “You make your own luck.” While RSL can certainly feel aggrieved about the missed call(s) on Collin, it is part of the game. So is hitting the post. And it’s tough to take anything away from Sporting KC, who has been one of the best teams in Major League Soccer for each of the past three seasons. They didn’t get to the MLS Cup because they are lucky. They got there because they are full of class—throughout their entire organization.

In the end, while both teams would have been worthy champions, Sporting KC found a way to win—and that’s all that matters.

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Sporting Kansas City threw its own Cinco de Mayo party at Sporting Park on Sunday afternoon. Led by a brace from forward Claudio Bieler, Sporting KC defeated Chivas USA 4-0 in front of a capacity crowd of 18,811. It was the club's 21st consecutive sellout.

It was evident early on that Chivas had come to play a physical match. In the first minute, Sporting KC defender Mechack Jerome played a long ball forward for Bieler. Chivas defender Joaquin Velazquez brought Bieler down from behind just outside the 18-yard box and was shown a yellow card.

Chivas got a little lucky in the 12th minute. Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy made a bad clearance that fell to Bieler. However, Bieler's first touch failed him and he was unable to take advantage of an empty net.

That, however, was one of the few times Chivas got a break to go their way.

Sporting KC's first really good chance of the match came in the 18th minute. Graham Zusi made a nice run up the left wing and put the ball across the face of goal, but just out of reach of an onrushing Jacob Peterson, who would have only needed to make contact with the ball to score.

Sporting KC opened the scoring in the 41st minute. Pressure from Peterson forced a turnover from Chivas defender Bobby Burling. Zusi pounced on the loose ball and made a short pass to Bieler near the top of the 18-yard box. Bieler cut it back to his left, putting Kennedy on the turf, and placed his shot between two defenders and in the back of the net.

Bieler almost added another before the break. In the 44th minute, Jerome played in a cross from the right wing, but Kennedy was able to punch the ball away just before Bieler was able to put his head on it.

Nine minutes after the restart, things went from bad to worse for Chivas USA. Zusi played a ball from midfield and was able to find Paulo Nagamura. Nagamura continued his run and made contact with Kennedy. Referee Baldomero Toledo immediately pointed to the penalty spot and also produced a red card for Kennedy as the last man back and denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Bieler buried the penalty in the bottom left corner as backup keeper Patrick McClain went to his left.

Sporting KC was not done yet. In the 65th minute, Nagamura sent the ball out wide on the left for second-half substitute Josh Gardner. Gardner drove toward the penalty area and put a cross in for Zusi, who only had to put his foot out for it to hit the roof of the net.

When you're up by three goals and your opponent is down a man, the tendency is to back off the gas pedal a bit. In the postgame press conference, manager Peter Vermes told us:"I actually was trying to tell some of the guys, 'Listen, just let them come to you.' ... But obviously, they had a little difference of opinion, and I'm not going to fight against it. They wanted to keep going, and I'm glad that they had the mentality to do that."

In the 87th minute, Sporting KC struck again. Spanish midfielder Oriol Rosell played the ball out wide right to Jerome, who had no one within six yards of him. Jerome then played the ball into C.J. Sapong, who played it one time off of the inside of his right foot and into the net. It was Sapong's first of the season, and Rosell and Jerome each picked up his first assist of the campaign.

With the clean sheet, goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen took over the franchise record for shutouts with 38. Nielsen is the 13th goalkeeper to notch that many shutouts, but required the fewest games to do it. When asked in the locker room afterward if the record meant anything to him, Nielsen told us: "Not now. Maybe later when I retire or something but that's not in my mind at all. I came here to win today and we won. I'm a happy man."

Bieler's two goals put him into a tie atop the MLS chart with Mike Magee of the Galaxy and Jack McInerney of Philadelphia. Zusi's assist puts him into a tie with RSL's Joao Plata for the league lead.

Next up for Sporting KC are the Seattle Sounders, nine months to the day since the two teams last met in the U.S. Open Cup final at Sporting Park, a victory on penalty kicks for the home side. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, May 8.

All quotes were obtained firsthand.

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Normally, when your club scores 40 seconds into the match, it's a good sign of how well your night will go.

Unfortunately for Sporting Kansas City, that wasn't the case Saturday night as defender Chance Myers notched his first career MLS goal in the first minute, but the Portland Timbers came from behind twice to notch a 3-2 win at Sporting Park in front of a sellout crowd of 20,186.

The loss marked Sporting KC's first at home since a 2-1 defeat to the Columbus Crew July 28, 2012.

In the postgame press conference, Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said the uncharacteristic breakdowns on defense cost the club dearly. Vermes said:

"When you lose the ball like we did in the areas of the field that we did and then you have to travel so far to win it back, at some point you're going to then open up as a team. And credit to them, they went right to goal and finished off those two chances. The set piece is a set piece but the other two plays, again we gave up the ball in critical areas of the field that we normally don't do. And we (did) a poor job of putting out the fire."

The game seemed to start off really well for Sporting KC. It took the kickoff and took it straight up the field and Portland was forced to put it out for a throw-in.

Defender Matt Besler launched a monster throw into the middle of the Portland 18-yard box and found the head of Myers, who put the ball into the back of the net. Officially, the goal came after 40 seconds, the third-fastest goal in franchise history.

Portland almost equalized in the fourth minute. Midfielder Diego Valeri made a run into Sporting KC's 18-yard box, but his shot caromed off the onrushing Jimmy Nielsen and bounced off of the crossbar. It was then headed clear by defender Aurelien Collin.

Portland did equalize in the 24th minute on a header from Ryan Johnson. Valeri took a left-footed corner and found Johnson, who beat Besler to the ball. It was the first goal Sporting KC had allowed from a corner kick since a 1-0 loss to Seattle on May 23, 2011, a span of 75 matches.

Sporting KC regained the lead just five minutes later. Graham Zusi's free kick found the foot of Benny Feilhaber, who chipped the ball into the penalty area, where it fell to Collin. Collin one-timed it off the inside of his left foot and into the path of Myers, who calmly finished the chance to make it 2-1.

Four minutes later, however, Portland equalized yet again, this time through Darlington Nagbe. Johnson pounced on one of the many giveaways Sporting KC had in the midfield and immediately started the counterattack. Johnson outran Collin into the 18-yard box and when Nielsen came out to cut the angle, he passed it to Nagbe, who almost had the ball go behind him but managed to make contact and put the ball in the empty net.

Halftime found Sporting KC in the unusual position, for them at least, of having had less than 50 percent of the possession and a lower passing percentage than its opponents.

Portland finally took the lead in the 58th minute. Diego Chara took advantage of yet another giveaway in the midfield and hit Rodney Wallace in stride near the top of the penalty area. Wallace put the ball past Nielsen just before being tackled from behind by Myers.

Wallace's goal marked the first time Sporting KC had given up three goals at home since a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas on August 27, 2011.

After the game, Vermes talked about the inability to hold the lead. He said, "That's not normal for us. Defensively, I say it again, we were very poor to deal with those situations. They were run of the mill plays. They weren't something where they had great buildup or whatever. And then the corner kick, the guy's wide open. I'll have to look at the film again, but he's wide open."

Sporting KC did have chances to salvage a draw out of the match but just couldn't find an equalizer.

Its best chance came in the second minute of stoppage time. Defender Seth Sinovic put a cross into the box from about 30 yards out. Collin headed the ball on frame, but Donovan Ricketts made a very good save and pushed it wide and out for a corner.

In the locker room after the game, Nielsen said:

"We’ve been begging for teams to come here and (attack). They did, and we didn’t have an answer for it. They made it very difficult for us to play the way we wanted and really punished us. Them attacking gives us a little more room, but we didn’t’ take advantage of that. We were poor in making the right decisions."

On a more positive note, Sporting KC also unveiled its new third kit, black with Sporting blue trim, with an argyle pattern on the front above the sponsor logo.

Up next for Sporting KC is a home match Sunday, May 5, with Chivas USA. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. CDT.

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Forward Claudio Bieler scored in the 89th minute and Sporting Kansas City defeated D.C. United 1-0 on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd of 18,988 at Sporting Park.

The clean sheet was Jimmy Nielsen's league-leading fourth straight, and the club's shutout streak now stands at 429 minutes. It's the team's second-longest such streak since 2000.

During the postgame press conference I attended, Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said there's only one really good thing about shutout streaks.

Vermes said, "It's only good that we don't give up goals. That's the great thing. I care less about the streaks. It's great when you don't give up goals. I say it all the time, if you don't give up goals, you not only get results but I think you set yourself up as time goes on to be able to win the important games because you're not giving the easy chances away."

If you were to describe the match in one word, disjointed would be a good choice. Neither team seemed to be linking up all that well from the back and there were very few chances to speak of for either team. The best line of the night from the press box came from MLSSoccer.com beat writer Steve Brisendine with this tweet:

Another sign that a game's pretty ugly is when you have more yellow cards (five) than shots on goal (three).

Referee Armando Villareal is only in his second year in the league, and it showed. He let too much go in the first half and tried to get control back with yellow cards in the second half. Call it tight early and you don't have those problems.

Both teams did have one good scoring chance in the first half. In the 18th minute, defender Matt Besler put in a long throw-in from the left side and found Bieler's head, but the shot went wide right.

Just before halftime, DC United forward Lionard Pajoy dribbled through three Sporting KC defenders, but his shot was wide left of the near post. If that sounds bad, it's because it was.

Besides the goal, the other good scoring chance for Sporting KC came in the 64th minute. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber drove into the 18-yard box and passed to his right for Bieler, who gave it right back. Feilhaber's shot was across the goal mouth and wide right.

D.C. United's good scoring chance of the second half came in the 81st minute when a Sporting KC clearance came out to defender Chris Korb.

Korb's pass found midfielder Perry Kitchen, who popped it up to his left. Carlos Ruiz connected on an overhead bicycle kick, but it was well-saved by Nielsen. It wouldn't have counted if it had gone in, Ruiz having been flagged for offside, but Nielsen didn't know that.

Second-half substitute Soony Saad and Sporting KC's high-pressure style of play created an opportunity to grab the win in the 89th minute.

Midfielder Marcos Sánchez got sloppy deep in the United half and Saad stole Sánchez's pass to Marcelo Saragosa. Saad then nutmegged Saragosa and crossed the ball to Bieler just outside the six-yard box. Bieler one-timed the ball with his left foot into the back of the net past an outstretched Bill Hamid.

During the postgame press conference, Saad was asked what his favorite part of that play was. Saad said, "I think my favorite part of the play was Claudio (Bieler) hitting in the back of the net. Just watching it hit the back of the net and the stadium going crazy."

Sporting KC has next weekend off before traveling to Red Bull Arena for a match with New York on Wednesday, April 17. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT.

With more than 20,000 licensed coaches and almost 150,000 soccer referees in the United States, it would be nice to have a place where they can go to get the best instruction. A project announced by U.S. Soccer and Sporting Club (parent company of Sporting Kansas City) will be just such a place.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the two groups said they had agreed to a memorandum of understanding to jointly explore the development of a new National Training and Coaching Development Center to Kansas City, Kan.

The $50 million proposal would be designed to serve as host to U.S. National Team camps as well as coaching education and referee development programming. With U.S. Soccer looking back at its first 100 years with today's centennial, the announcement was looking to the future of the sport.

Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman said (via the official Sporting Kansas City website) that while it's an honor for U.S. Soccer to be considering Kansas City, it's also recognition of the community support the game has received. Heineman added:

The National Training and Coaching Development Center would bring tens of thousands of hotel room nights and the futsal component has the potential to have a significant, long-term impact on youth development in our sport.

When Sporting KC defender Matt Besler started for the USMNT against Canada in January, he became the first player born in the state of Kansas to play for the national team. With a center like this in town, I'm sure Besler won't be the last.

The local government is also on board for the project. Joe Reardon, Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., said, "A national development center is a grand opportunity for us to build upon the great synergy and excitement we've experienced since the opening of Sporting Park." Reardon added that they have been working with Sporting Club as they come up with the concept for the training center.

With a center like this in town, I'm sure that October's qualifier against Jamaica won't be the last. Not that it was ever in question, but it seems to me that this announcement has cemented Kansas City as an integral part of the future of the sport in this country.

Benny Feilhaber had a pair of assists as Sporting Kansas City snapped the Montreal Impact's four-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory in front of 18,609 fans at Sporting Park on Saturday night. Feilhaber had only two assists all season in 2012 with the New England Revolution.

During the postgame press conference, Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes told us it was Feilhaber's best performance with the team so far this season and exactly what Vermes was looking for when Feilhaber was acquired in the offseason. Vermes added:

I've seen him play for a long time and his defensive work and the bite he has in the midfield and today he was all over the place. Then what happens when he gets the ball and he breaks the lines and he goes at defenses he has all solutions-he can play, he can dribble at a guy, he can shoot from distance. He has all those qualities. When he does that it changes the game for us as a team. When you have (Graham) Zusi running off the ball, you have CJ (Sapong) with the qualities that he has, and then Claudio (Bieler) just needs daylight and he's going to find the goal. So when you have that it gigantic for us this early in the season.

It didn't take long for Sporting KC to get started as Bieler opened the scoring in the fifth minute. Montreal's Patrice Bernier turned the ball over in the midfield, where it was picked off by defender Seth Sinovic. Sinovic passed the ball ahead to Feilhaber, who fed the ball to Bieler at the top of the 18-yard box. Bieler took one touch to his right and put the ball just inside the far post past goalkeeper Troy Perkins.

It was the second fastest goal in stadium history in league play. Only Kei Kamara's fourth-minute goal from August 2012 was faster. The strike also snapped a 197-minute scoreless streak for the home side.

During the postgame press conference I attended, Feilhaber said:

Bieler made a really good run off their center back and opened up space for himself so it was an easy choice to give him the ball. He made it look easy, which it wasn't. He was able to open up his body and bend it back post. It was an easy play for me once he made the run.

Aurelien Collin almost doubled the advantage six minutes later. Midfielder Graham Zusi had a free kick from about 40 yards out and found Collin just outside the six-yard box. Collin's header found the back of the net, but the linesman's flag was up for offside.

Sporting KC missed out on another golden opportunity in the 23rd minute. A Perkins clearance fell to midfielder Oriol Rosell near the center circle, who one-timed a pass forward to Zusi. Zusi made a run into the 18-yard box and made a short pass to Bieler, but Bieler's shot was well over the crossbar.

Montreal's one good chance in the match came just before the hour mark. Bernier played a long ball forward from the midfield stripe, and it found Davy Arnaud at the top of the 18-yard box. Arnaud's header fell to Marco Di Vaio, who put a volley on frame, but Jimmy Nielsen was there with a good save to keep the clean sheet.

Zusi secured the three points for the home side in the 80th minute. Feilhaber put a through ball between two defenders  that Zusi was able to run onto. Zusi made a run into the 18-yard box and was challenged by Montreal's Karl Ouimette, but managed to stay on his feet and skip the ball over an onrushing Perkins and into the back of the net.

Shortly after the goal, it was announced that Montreal coach Marco Schällibaum had been ejected. Apparently, the Swiss manager threw a bottle of water at an official and was sent off. Schällibaum will miss Montreal's next match on April 14th at home against Columbus. It would not surprise me in the least bit if he missed at least one additional match besides that one.

With the victory, Nielsen picked up his third clean sheet of the season, which leads MLS. The shutout streak has now reached 339 minutes, the longest in MLS this season. During that streak, the defense has allowed only two shots on goal.

There was a bit of a scary moment for Sporting KC in the 28th minute. Forward C.J. Sapong went up for the ball near midfield and collided with Jeb Brovsky, taking a shot in the back. Sapong was down on the pitch for a few minutes before being stretchered off. Vermes was in the process of subbing Bobby Convey into the match when Sapong told him he was going to be okay. He returned to the field and received a loud cheer from the sellout crowd.

Sporting KC's next match is Friday, April 5, when they will take on D.C. United at 7:30 p.m. CDT at Sporting Park.

With the MLS season set to kick off this weekend, teams across the league are unveiling new kits for 2013. Sporting Kansas City released its fresh look for this year and will be looking to repeat last year's accomplishments in style.

After finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2012, the club will not rest idly on its laurels, and management will hope the uniforms are not the only improvement the team makes this season. 

But if it is, the team is still doing alright. Sporting Kansas City shared the new jerseys via its Twitter:

John Moncke, the club’s Vice President of Stadium and Brand Revenue, is certainly excited about the change. He told SportingKC.com’s Kurt Austin the following:

Fashion is an important element of the Sporting Kansas City brand and the new 2013 primary kit takes this focus to new levels. We wanted the jersey to be a modern kit that imbues the ethos of our brand, so we played a very hands-on role in the design process.

The American game continues to reform and modernize, and the MLS teams must make this point clear with their kits. With this new primary strip, Sporting KC is doing its part.

The sleek Adidas jerseys present an intriguing balance between the club’s signature dark and light blue colors.

While the team is bringing in the new, it is not completely throwing out the old. The contrast between the colors and the thick line separating the jersey’s two tones symbolizes the city’s unique location on the border of Kansas City and Missouri, as Austin notes.

There is no devil in the details of this kit, either. The trendy logo is ideally placed on the left side, while the club’s sponsor—Ivy Funds—is prominently displayed without being gaudy.

With a talented team and a fresh new look, Sporting Kansas City fans should be looking forward to Saturday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Union.

Sporting Kansas City and forward Kei Kamara have agreed to a loan deal with Norwich City of the Barclays English Premier League through May 6.

The club's leading scorer for the last three seasons, Kamara put up 11 goals and added eight assists in the 2012 campaign.

Among his many honors, Kamara was named an All-Star last season. He was also an MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year finalist for both of the last two years for his community work in Kansas City, as well as in his native Sierra Leone.

In a statement released by the team, manager Peter Vermes said:

Our club continues to get a lot of attention throughout Europe. As we do with all of our decisions, we always think about the long-term impact on our organization, as well as the short-term. Ultimately, this opportunity allows us to re-invest back into the club and solidify our core group of players.

We understand that players are going to be sought after and that players aspire to fulfill personal and professional ambitions. We want to continue to help them achieve those goals and this helps us accomplish that objective, along with extending his contract. We have a very strong roster and this enables another player to step up.

At least one of the players Vermes is probably expecting to step up, at least during the loan period, will be 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year C.J. Sapong.

Sapong didn't suffer from a sophomore slump, scoring more goals in 2012 (nine) than he did in his rookie campaign in more minutes, though in fewer games.

Teal Bunbury will also hope to be part of the mix, once he returns from the season-ending ACL tear he suffered on August 26 against New York.

Despite the injury, Bunbury was included on MLS's list of the top 24 players under age 24, appearing at number 20. He's scored 19 goals for Sporting KC in his career, including five before the injury last season.

Other options include 2012 first-round pick Dom Dwyer and Soony Saad, former Michigan Wolverine. Designated player Claudio Bieler will also see significant first-team minutes.

Fan Favorite

Kamara was, and still is, the textbook definition of a "fan favorite." As an example, a couple of offseasons ago, after a large snowstorm, a snowball fight was organized via Twitter and Kamara was one of the players involved.

Afterward, he took everybody out to lunch. There were about 20 people involved.

In an open "note" to fans on the team website, club CEO Robb Heineman (worth a follow on Twitter, by the way) showed that he gets how hard this will be on fans. He wrote:

I’m not going to say to you that “this is a business,” and you have to get used to it. I know it’s not a business to you, it’s very personal. It is to us as well. We get to know these young men very well, and do what we can to create a partnership that encourages them to connect with the community and hopefully stick around for the long-term. We don’t like it when they go. I understand the impact this has on your kids as well—to the nth degree. My seven- and six-year-olds, Katherine and Charlie, don’t ask me, “Why did they let him go?” They ask me, “Why did YOU let him go?” so I get it…..

As part of the loan agreement, Kamara signed a contract extension. If he returns, he will no longer be a free agent at the end of the 2013 season.

Heineman also said in his note about the move:

If Kei returns in May, his contract is extended and we will work in earnest to sign him to a deal that keeps him with the club through the end of his career. If we hadn’t have done this, Kei would have left at the end of the year as a “free” player, similar to Roger Espinoza this past year.  So the risk we take is allowing him to go for 10 games this year, in hopes of getting him for years to come.

The loan fee and, if it happens, the transfer fee will be used to reinvest in the team as allocation money, per MLS rules.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I hope Kamara plays well, but still returns in May. Here's to hoping Kamara's love of the life he built here—after not wanting to be traded here initially—will be the deciding factor.