Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast: Recent Episodes
Drew VanderPloeg and Cody Welton
A conversation on topics involving the MLS club Sporting Kansas City. Tactical breakdowns of match performances, discussion around personnel and their usage, and previews of upcoming matches. Some additional content around other USMNT and MLS news as appropriate.
In the category of “Things I did not expect to open with,” Sporting KC won twice in the last week and maintained shutouts in both games! They had maintained a grand total of 3 shutouts in all competitions this season prior to last Saturday night, so to get two in a row was, shall we say, unexpected. The performances in both games were significant improvements defensively over what we have become familiar with lately, and they also did not get punished for every single mistake like they often have this year, so perhaps some luck is turning their way in that regard.
There was also a fair bit of tactical fluidity in both games, specifically in possession structure, that seemed to be personnel dependent. This is a welcome shift in philosophy from Peter Vermes and the coaching staff, and one we have been pining for basically for the entirety of this podcast’s existence, and gives us something to nerd out on a bit in tactical corner this week.
In Potpourri we discuss KP’s move to Belgium, KU football invading Children’s Mercy Park, and the menagerie of roster moves the KC Current have made as their summer transfer window closes.
Leagues Cup has become a bit of an extended break for Sporting KC, and probably one they welcome after the level of schedule density and player availability issues that they had encountered over the past several weeks. The players and staff all got a welcome few days off and hopefully are returning to training this week with a renewed sense of motivation as they look towards the last couple months of the season that hopefully include a legitimate run at the US Open Cup trophy.
Unfortunately that also means that for the proprietors of this podcast, the only soccer we had to consume were the games played by the teams that actually advanced to the later rounds of Leagues Cup and it certainly underlined the gap in capability between Sporting KC and the teams they ostensibly want to be competing with in the future. It also brought to light some concerns about what SKC is actually trying to accomplish on the field from game to game, and what their goals should be for the remainder of the MLS season as they look to identify the right personnel to take forward into 2025 and what the game model should be to get the best performance out of said players.
In Potpourri there is some significant USMNT coaching reporting that has yours truly quite excited, the KC Current win their first trophy(technically), and the Leagues Cup continues to be a bit of a bugaboo for Liga MX teams for a variety of reasons which has their fans questioning the competition in general.
We’re back! After an inopportune bout of COVID for Drew, we have returned and wow have things gone well for Sporting KC in our absence. Actually, I’m sorry, the exact opposite has happened as their Leagues Cup campaign hit the skids. SKC went down 2-1 at home vs. Toluca in a match they certainly could have gotten a result from had things gone a bit more their way, but perhaps from a quality perspective may not have really deserved. Then they headed to Columbus where the predictable happened, they got sent home again with their tail between their legs after a 4-0 defeat.
But there’s good news! Sporting KC have signed a player! What’s that you say? It’s a Centerback? Oh. From Spain? Shocking. Who barely played last year because of a knee injury? Yay.
Let’s be honest folks, there isn’t a ton to get super excited about when it comes to this team. We know that. But as any Chiefs fan that existed prior to 2017 will tell you, that’s what makes the elation that much more significant when things finally start to go your way. In the meantime, we will continue to break down this team, flaws and all, and hopefully provide some combined levity and catharsis for both ourselves and you as we progress through this season.
In Potpourri there was some actual good news, the USWNT brought home gold for the first time in 12 years. The KC Current made it to the final of the Summer Cup which is in…checks notes..October. And on Wednesday they are kicking off some other tournament called the “Women’s Cup”? The MLS is strong with the NWSL. And, speaking of MLS and NWSL connections, a 16yo kid gets derided on the internet for “reporting” something the adults in the room should really have done a much better job of vetting.
It was Sunday Funday(night?) at Children’s Mercy Park as Sporting KC kicked off their Leagues Cup campaign with a win against the Chicago Fire. There were a couple surprises in the gameday roster and starting lineup along with a couple really nice headed goals to get the 2-1 victory. Of course the beginning of Leagues Cup has also reignited the discourse around the tournament, which wasn’t helped by Don Garber’s comments about the Open Cup during all star weekend.
Stephen Afrifa was one of the surprise additions to the starting XI and had perhaps his best performance in an SKC shirt including an assist on the game winning goal. This highlighted an ongoing difference in opinion about how to successfully integrate and develop younger players between SKC’s technical staff and members of this podcast, but it was a welcome performance to see nonetheless.
SKC brought out a familiar possession shape albeit from a different base formation than usual, and it did lead to having mostly firm control of the game and limiting opportunities for Chicago to take advantage of transition.
In Potpourri we take a quick look at the Olympic tournaments for both the men and women, as both have qualified for the knockout stages before giving our one thing to look for as Toluca comes back to Kansas City next Monday.
Sporting Kansas City allowed fans to have hope of a potential turn around for about 3 days after dispatching a terrible San Jose team on the road last Saturday. Unfortunately they followed it up by closing out this very dense stretch of the schedule with a loss in Vancouver and a 1-1 draw at home vs the Pink Dog Food CITY SC team on Saturday night. The good news is, this means Cody is sufficiently grumpy about this team again so you will get the entertainment you expect from this podcast.
The secondary transfer window is open and while there is a lot of generalized talk about Sporting KC making a signing or two this summer, very little news of anything concrete has appeared as of yet. We’ll discuss what the potential is for additions this summer, and what we should reasonably expect from the team the rest of the year.
Tactical corner will be a look into a nuanced, but important change to the shape SKC and Vermes are employing with Pulido and Agada on the field at the same time. It has its positives, but it also has some dependencies that could be impacting the ability to use other players effectively.
In Potpourri the KC Current sign a new Center Back, and kick off the Summer Cup with a 3-1 drubbing of Houston in a game that saw both teams reaching deep into their rosters to complete the game. Finally, we look into the beginning of Leagues Cup play as Chicago comes to town on Sunday night.
Sporting Kansas City’s performances were apt to be described best by Genarro Gatusso over the past week, but did reside mostly in the “sometimes maybe good” department, getting 2 consecutive wins at home over FC Dallas including a weather-interrupted Open Cup quarterfinal last night that went the full 120 minutes. This had the effect of somewhat washing out the sour taste of a frustrating final 30 minutes in Colorado on the 4th of July that erased what was a fairly well executed, if unexpected, game plan for the first hour.
I don’t know if it’s fair to say SKC are making a turn, but we have seen more solid performances from certain players, and the coaching staff appearing willing to move on from some others that continue to make significant mistakes. This all taking into account the level of the competition, which in the case of Dallas, candidly isn’t very good.
Tactical corner this week will be a look into how Vermes both looks to use his midfielders and fullbacks, and what kinds of dependencies that creates as well as the traits it requires to succeed.
In Potpourri, we discuss Tactical Manager’s favorite news release of all time, Gregg Berhalter being fired by US Soccer. What realistically can the fanbase expect from a replacement coach? Are people’s expectations way too high? Who do we like for the position. Finally we will each give you one thing to look for with two more games coming up in the next 6 days.
Is that a light at the end of the tunnel we see? Sporting Kansas City finally announced the hiring of their long awaited Sporting Director on Friday, former long time New England Revolution GM Mike Burns. Then they followed it up with a comprehensive beat down of Austin FC at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday. Both of these stories have caveats, as they often do, but it was nice to have some semblance of positivity around a club that has had very little for some time.
On Tuesday we got to hear from both Peter Vermes and Burns in person as well as commitments from ownership about upcoming investment in the roster. There is a lot to unpack about this situation, from the choice of Burns, the reporting structure, the decision making matrix, how much actual money they have and what their freedom is to spend it, and what other areas the club is looking to invest in to enhance its ability to be a more effective technical department in the future. As you can all imagine, we have a lot of thoughts on this and will do our best to share them in a meaningful and informative manner.
SKC has a ton of games coming up(there will probably be 3 between now and the next time we record this podcast), including a pivotal matchup in the US Open Cup should Sporting want to try to extract any kind of positive vibes from this season.
Outside the SKC news, the USMNT got bounced from Copa America so of course everyone is having an exceptionally rational response to that and apparently calling for Jurgen Klopp to coach the team, the KC Current smothered Houston on Friday night, and CPKC stadium is going to be the home of the NWSL Cup Final.
Every time we think things can’t possibly can’t any worse, Sporting KC finds new depths of despair to plummet into and that was on full display in Columbus last Saturday. Peter Vermes tried a new formation, but the players seemed ill equipped to execute the positional responsibilities it entailed, and they candidly got dog walked out of the stadium in a 4-0 defeat. What a wonderful homecoming game for Aidan Morris though.
The result left a number of fans asking when any substantive change would actually happen. This was the kind of defeat that has gotten many an MLS coach, even those with storied careers like Sigi Schmid fired. On Monday, Sporting KC did release communications about someone leaving the club, but it was not the droid the fans were looking for. It was instead Brian Bliss.
This roster is in desperate need of the overhaul that Mike Illig and Peter Vermes have been open about discussing in the press, so we will take a look at what realistically that “overhaul” could look like and how much substantive change might actually happen given how significant the financial investment will likely need to be to accomplish it.
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Things are rotten in the state of Missouri(or Kansas), and a predictably hard portion of the SKC schedule has produced two more frustrating losses making it 10 losses from the last 12 games. But, look on the bright side, at least the San Jose Earthquakes exist. While both of the games did end in losses to very good teams in the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, there was actually some semblance of positivity due to the significantly improved chance creation over those games. They also tried some alternate tactics and players that have at least in moments appeared to breathe some life into the attack. The team still struggles to defend in transition, but at least they aren’t as depressing to watch in possession. Either that, or things are so bad that fans will find anything that appears the least bit positive to latch onto.
American Soccer Analysis released their annual league survey addressing the analytics departments of every team in MLS, and unsurprisingly, Sporting KC was 5th from last in the league in the survey. It is hard not to correlate their poor run of form lately with the limitations(perceived or valid) of their analytics practice, and continue to think that this club is falling further and further behind its rivals in multiple areas. We will dive into the information from this survey, what it really means, and how it’s not as simple as saying “do analytics” and things all of a sudden get better.
Finally, a number of topics in Potpourri, including a rumored acquisition from Norway that now appears to be incorrect, some sad news regarding Felipe Hernandez, our update on the fun soccer in KC being played by the Current, and a quick look at both continental competitions happening this summer before we do a quick preview of Aidan Morris’ farewell match vs. SKC.
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It finally happened, after almost 2.5 months, Sporting KC won another MLS game. They certainly got some help from their opponent to do so, but it is 3 points nonetheless, and the vibes were good for at least Saturday evening in Children’s Mercy Park.
Mike Illig sat down with Sam McDowell of the KC Star for what is becoming an annual event where the relationship between fans and Peter Vermes had once again become so tenuous he had to address the questions about whether Vermes should remain at the helm. In a decision that certainly left a significant portion of the fanbase apoplectic, Illig made it clear that the team would not be making a change at this time, and that they would rather be making a significant roster overhaul over the next 14-ish months and Vermes would be entrusted to help oversee it. We will spend some time chatting about this decision, why we think it was made, and what this means about the rebuild we have been saying has been coming.
Finally the Current keep rolling, the USMNT gets pantsed by Colombia, and things do not get any easier for SKC as they head to LA to take on the Galaxy this weekend.
It’s been two weeks since we’ve last recorded the pod and not much has changed! Sporting KC have lost 3 more games since that time taking the total to 7 in a row, and are now legitimate Wooden Spoon contenders given their measly 2 wins on the season from 16 games. You heard that right, after Saturday’s game against Seattle, the season will be half over, and the best case scenario is Sporting will have 3 total wins. And given their performances to date there isn’t much optimism that it will actually increase to that number, either from the fans or the oddsmakers.
Given the state of the club and the fact that Cody and I have gotten a bit worn out talking about the same old problems every week, I posted to both social media and the H&A Discord asking for questions from you, the listeners(this is your reminder to join the H&A Discord server if you want to interact both with us and listeners of the pod, link is in the show notes). We will spend much of this week’s pod trying to answer those questions as best we can, and interweaving our thoughts on the current state of the team and how they’ve reached this level of futility while we do.
Finally, the USWNT finally gets a couple matches with Emma Hayes on the sideline and while it’s hard to take a ton from two friendlies, early returns were pretty good. Venezia makes it back up to Serie A but not without potentially damaging our hopes for seeing Gianluca Busio in Children’s Mercy Park next week with the U23’s, and we do a quick preview of this weekend’s upcoming match vs. Seattle.
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Sporting Kansas City went down to Austin this weekend and lost their 4th straight game and pushed their winless streak in league play to 7, but at least the effort was good. Peter Vermes made promises to sacrifice quality for effort where necessary but the only lineup changes were swapping backup defenders for other backup defenders.
While we can perhaps agree that in general the players were trying harder than the last match, they still have multiple weaknesses that cause them to ship goals in a very frustrating manner, something that seems counterintuitive given the ideology of the coach and the consideration that effort and mentality were significant problems.
Thankfully, we did get a bit of a palate cleanser last night in KC with Sporting putting in a pretty comprehensive beat down of FC Tulsa in the US Open Cup round of 16. There were significant performances from players we do not regularly see, and Vermes did not hesitate to ensure that regular starters came in and pulled a shift at the end of the game when he certainly could have rested them with a view to the trip to Portland on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the soccer universe, MLSPA salaries are official and man did they become a topic of discussion, NWSL loves stoppage time, SKC gets linked to a Venezuelan midfielder you’ve never heard of, and both the Men’s and Women’s national teams post rosters for their last friendlies prior to a major tournament.
Sporting Kansas City went down to Austin this weekend and lost their 4th straight game and pushed their winless streak in league play to 7, but at least the effort was good. Peter Vermes made promises to sacrifice quality for effort where necessary but the only lineup changes were swapping backup defenders for other backup defenders.
While we can perhaps agree that in general the players were trying harder than the last match, they still have multiple weaknesses that cause them to ship goals in a very frustrating manner, something that seems counterintuitive given the ideology of the coach and the consideration that effort and mentality were significant problems.
Thankfully, we did get a bit of a palate cleanser last night in KC with Sporting putting in a pretty comprehensive beat down of FC Tulsa in the US Open Cup round of 16. There were significant performances from players we do not regularly see, and Vermes did not hesitate to ensure that regular starters came in and pulled a shift at the end of the game when he certainly could have rested them with a view to the trip to Portland on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the soccer universe, MLSPA salaries are official and man did they become a topic of discussion, NWSL loves stoppage time, SKC gets linked to a Venezuelan midfielder you’ve never heard of, and both the Men’s and Women’s national teams post rosters for their last friendlies prior to a major tournament.
Things seemed to finally have reached a breaking point after Sporting KC lost again at home to Houston making it zero league wins since March, 2 total wins out of 12 games, and a point total under 12 from 12 games for the 3rd season in a row. Peter Vermes did not hold back in his post game press conference calling the goals they conceded “atrocious” and “amateur at best”, while questioning the effort and mentality of some of the players. He then doubled down in a fairly frank radio interview with Soren Petro and provided additional detail surrounding what he feels to be unacceptable playing behavior by several members of the squad.
Daniel Salloi seemed to echo his feelings after the match with similarly stern commentary regarding players not having the appropriate mentality on the field.
On the opposite side of the table, the Kansas City Current continued their unbeaten start through a whirlwind 8 days that saw cancelled flights, charter planes grounded for turbulence, and an increased defensive solidity that had Vlatko Andonovski effusive about how much he is enjoying coaching this team and still himself not knowing what their ceiling truly is.
In other news this week, Jake Davis got a new contract, MLS finally got a bit more transparent with teams’ roster makeup and designations, and Jesse Marsch became the new Canadian Men’s National Team.
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The Sporting KC Comms department made sure to let us know how well SKC had performed on the road this before the game up in Minnesota, conveniently leaving out the fact they had only played 3 road games all season. That backfired a bit as the boys in blue took a 2-1 defeat at Allianz Field with yet another attempt to make the 4-2-3-1 happen.
It doesn't seem like it is going anywhere anytime soon so we take a deeper dive into the setup, how it is traditionally used, how SKC seem to be trying to use it to their advantage, the issues they are having implementing it effectively, and what the long game might be.
We were dealt another full iteration of the Willy Agada experience, complete with dangerous runs and the highest xG performance on the team, which was also combined with a poor shot on said high xG chance, a wonderful off-side goal and naive turnovers on the ball.
Vermes’ post game comments are drawing the ire of some supporters again, both for his old man yells at cloud moment holding up a tablet screenshot of goal that looks offside without taking into account parallax effect, but was actually likely onside when you do, but additionally for taking a fairly measured approach to discussing the team’s results to date. This has also led to some areas of the internet to ask whether Vermes is too comfortable given his contract situation and whether he has the requisite drive for results the fans expect.
Finally, we have to talk about the Current some more, as they are the toast of NWSL early in the season, and we will also try to ascertain whether SKC’s fates are likely to change this weekend in Salt Lake.
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It felt like Groundhog Day in Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday night as Sporting Kansas City scored first, and held a lead into stoppage time only to give up a late equalizer on a somewhat unfortunate, yet somewhat self inflicted series of events, and this increased their tally of dropped points from winning positions to 14 on the season.
In fairness, Sporting KC was pretty lucky to have that lead, after a pretty wild own goal equalizer and then a bit of brilliance from Andreu Fontas and Erik Thommy to go ahead in a match they were otherwise struggling to create a meaningful imprint on.
It was a very physical match, which certainly dominated the discourse both locally and nationally after the game, with SKC fans bemoaning the referee for not making foul calls and most of the national media wondering how SKC had become this soft. we’ve been saying this for years
From a good news perspective, at least the coach isn’t worried about it.
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72 thousand plus midwestern soccer fans descended on Arrowhead Stadium Saturday to see Sporting KC take on Leo Messi and Inter Miami and were treated to several golazos on both sides of the ball and an unfortunate 3-2 loss for the good guys in blue. The environment was honestly pretty cool, and it did give a glimpse of what professional soccer could look like in this region, but it also highlighted the length of the road to get there and how much of it we have left to traverse.
Sporting once again scored first in the match but were also once again unable to maintain that lead and they have now have one win from 5 home matches this season, a troubling statistic for an MLS team and leaving them with an uphill battle after this weekend with 4 of their next 5 games coming on the road.
We will cover some rule changes and the Open Cup draw in potpourri, as well as do a preview of this weekend’s derby against the pink scum to the east.
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Sporting KC seems to be hell bent on shipping 3 goals in the 2nd half of home games, as they did it again on Sunday afternoon, turning a first half that had fans feeling great about the team’s prospects into a horror movie. This team continues to have a bipolar nature to their play that is creating significant frustration for both the fan base and its coach, who blamed the 2nd half performance on “poor management”, which was an interesting choice of words.
There were obviously some bright spots, and we will be sure to address them as well as identify when the tides began to shift and the insufficient nature in which the team and manager adapted to the situation which led to the collapse.
The MLS Board of Governors met this week and Paul Tenorio of the Athletic has details on some roster changes coming for this summer. They are definitely incremental changes, but do allow for more flexibility in how teams architect rosters, and we’’ll spend a bit of time discussing what these changes mean for the league at large and for Sporting KC in particular.
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Sporting Kansas City traveled to the great white north and came away with a 3-1 victory in Toronto thanks to a couple bombazos from Remi Walter and Jake Davis, with a cherry on top of the sundae resulting from a very fun and dynamic play by Alenis Vargas.
We spent a lot of time bemoaning useful depth on the pod last week, and with several starters unavailable it was reasonable to expect that things would be fairly difficult for Sporting in this match. Instead, we found several solid, useful performances from roster spots we do not normally see, and definitely did not last year when similar injury woes hit them.
The KC Current have started the season perfect and there is a lot to be excited about with this team. They’ve made several fun additions, and it appears they have a clear identity that while well coached, also seems to be fairly uncomplicated which perhaps is a good thing for this team given the talent level of its players.
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It was a tale of two halves last Saturday night in Kansas City as Sporting KC controlled the proceedings through the first 45 minutes of the match entering the locker room with a well deserved 2-0 lead. Unfortunately a 10 minute sequence in the 2nd half quickly erased that advantage and left the team chasing a result with limited options available on the bench to help them do so.
Useful depth is another oft-covered topic on this podcast, and it reared it’s head again in the late minutes Saturday night. We will do our best to avoid hyperbole, but there are legitimate concerns fans should have about the ceiling of this team given its limitations that are defined by multiple influencing factors that we will attempt to discuss this week.
There were many things to be encouraged about in this match outside the result though and one of them was an altered formation, which means we are 90 minutes into my prediction of over 500 minutes of Alan Pulido and Willy Agada on the pitch together. I think we can all agree this setup was successful in many ways and is likely to be utilized more given the chance creation it helped induce.
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As the estimable Sam McDowell noted after the end of Sporting KC’s 2-1 victory over San Jose last Saturday night, the team went from winless to undefeated in an instant!
It was an improved performance in many areas, while certainly leaving continued room for additional improvements in future games. The team was much more selective about the shots they took, and Dany Rosero scored on a set piece in a manner we’ve bemoaned has not been employed regularly enough in previous games.
There were a number of players we don’t get to see a lot of that played significant time in this match. Granted they were all due to injury, it was a good chance to see how they took advantage of this opportunity and by in large they were mostly good.
Finally - in Potpourri we take a look back at a wild match to open CPKC stadium and the NWSL regular season on Saturday, preview the USMNT’s Nations League semifinal vs Jamaica, and take a quick look at the Olympic draw.
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Sporting Kansas City got its 3rd draw in a row to start the season after an entertaining 0-0 final in Los Angeles where the score line did not accurately tell the story as to how the match was played. It was a very up and down affair as often happens when these clubs meet, and likely was a fun one for neutrals to watch.
That said, Sporting KC’s performance produced a familiar refrain from previous matches: The ball progression was good, and often beautiful to watch, but too often the quality of shots created were either at too long of a distance or with too many opponents in between the shooter and the goal. This led to a fairly low xG output for the 3rd straight game even if some of those shots were of better quality than could typically be expected.
Memo Rodriguez made his debut in place of Remi Walter who appears to still be recovering from the hard tackle he took against Philly. Opinions were mixed on his performance, but I think he showed the quality that we’ve been yearning for from deeper positions on the roster and we’ll look a bit further into how he fits with the team and what talents he can bring to the table.
Finally - in Potpourri we have updates on both US National Teams, as well as the KC Current christening their new stadium this weekend.
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Sporting Kansas City opened up Children’s Mercy Park for the season with what has to feel like a heartbreaking draw at the hands of the Philadelphia Union, giving up the equalizing goal in the 5th minute of stoppage time after some dubious refereeing led to a late corner kick for Philly that they eventually converted.
This of course meant that the replacement referees were a significant topic in the discourse following the match, as it was a fairly blatant error that allowed the sequence.
It was an improved performance over the Houston match, for sure, but Sporting is still struggling to create enough meaningful shots on goal to eliminate the opportunity for a referee error to have a significant impact on its results.
Alan Pulido has had a less than impactful start to the season on the stat sheet, but are his performances as bad as they seem? We take this opportunity to analyze the numbers and see if there is any reason for hope that he is on the brink of rattling off goals like he did for most of the middle of 2023.
Finally - we dig into a number of Potpourri topics of discussion surrounding the KC soccer scene this week before a quick preview of the match at LAFC where it will not likely be snowing, which appears to be a significant competitive advantage for their opponents.
Sporting KC kicked off the 2024 MLS Season with what could be called a less than crisp performance down in Houston but came away with a road draw that looks just fine in the results column. While fair to have some frustration with the level of quality the team played with compared to their opponent, the defense was (mostly)solid, and there were inklings of progressive ideas that just didn't quite come off during the match.
SKC used their media day on Tuesday this week to launch a number of stadium upgrades just in time for this week's home opener. We discuss the various ways the club is trying to improve game day experience and whether they will have the impact fans are after.
The KC Current appear to using up any goodwill they have accrued over the past couple years and this comes as no surprise to at least one of this podcast duo.
Finally a quick preview of the home opener against the Philadelphia Union.
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We are back after two weeks off, and it seems all that has happened is people got more mad at MLS over its reticence to prop up the Open Cup and the referee lockout. We discuss how important these issues really are to anyone than other than the most plugged in fan and whether parsing them to the nth degree is valuable in any way.
The SKC roster situation is fairly boring. All of the roster additions were in what could be considered bench positions and it appears the open Designated Player slot will stay that way for a bit. There is reason for some level of malaise regarding the beginning of a season where not much new is happening with the team, but there are rational reasons for it and it may not be the worst thing to hold form for a couple months, even if fans don't want to hear it.
A discussion around whether Peter Vermes is evolving, or evolving at the rate that we think is necessary. We agree that he is willing to admit areas of opportunity and address them, but is he too reactive? Also, does he have too much on his plate? Is the team effectively using analytics and modern scouting techniques? There are a number of areas that seem from the outside to be less than optimized and could use further investment.
Finally a quick discussion on the tactical update with the USWNT and a preview of the season opener vs. Houston.
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Sporting KC have made it through the first phase of their preseason in Miami, and we try to make something of what has happened there over the past few weeks. There is some instructive information regarding the depth chart, and apparently a few players have made positive strides. One player who has not, Marinos Tzionis, has made us question both the philosophy and execution of the club's player acquisition strategy
SKC traded two international roster spots for a cache of General Allocation Money, in a transaction you can only find in MLS. We will break down what it may be telling us regarding SKC's player acquisition strategy going forward especially in regards on one player the team has been linked with.
Tactical corner focuses on how to create high quality chances(those with higher percentage chance of creating a goal), and how the most recent tactical strategy has been a bugaboo for allowing that to happen with the regularity we would all like to see.
Finally, some discussion around the manufactured parity in MLS and how your finishing position in the league often defines your offseason.
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Barely more than a week after a fairly uncomfortable press conference was convened to announce Gavin Wilkinson's hiring as Sporting KC's new Sporting Director, Principal Owner Michael Illig released a written statement on the SKC website stating that they have mutually parted ways. This was in response to consistent pressure from fans, business partners and key stakeholders. While it was good to see club leadership relent and fix an obvious hiring mistake, some questions remain on how we even got here in the first place.
Kellyn Acosta has been one of the bigger names in MLS Free Agency this season and he is yet to sign with a team. Reporting via Tom Bogert with The Athletic has him linked with SKC as a possible destination along with the Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids. We discuss his potential fit in KC and what the impacts could potentially be for bringing him aboard.
MLS Referees are embroiled in a labor dispute with PRO Referees, the MLS funded organization that employs them. A work stoppage would undoubtedly be a bad look for a league making a lot of strides in global relevance and candidly, the league refs make peanuts compared to the vast majority of the players they are meant to adjudicate.
Finally a round robin of topics including the end of Camp Cupcake and what can be taken from the friendly match that concluded it, along with some more head scratching decision making by the Current in how they manage movement of players on and off their roster.
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We aren't doing this podcast or the fans of the club justice if we do not talk about the extremely questionable decision of Sporting Kansas City to hire Gavin Wilkinson as its new Sporting Director.
We do our best to cover the most important details of this decision, the history of Wilkinson as a front office leader, and his culpability in multiple instances of women being mistreated.
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We are back after a several week hiatus after Sporting KC dropped the bombshell that the home match against Inter Miami would be moved to Arrowhead. This obviously sent shockwaves through the SKC community, and we try to break down all the various perspectives on the move and the potential it holds for the club long term.
Gadi Kinda officially left SKC for Maccabi Haifa, and the announcement video was patently absurd.
MLS tried to say nah to the US Open Cup, but was rebuffed. We discuss the decision, and the rather putrid following the tournament has for most fans and how to improve that.
Camp Cupcake is in full swing, and we are struggling to find the excitement. Hopefully some fun players make an impact here, but it is hard to predict who that will be, if anyone.
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Drew and Cody bring out their exam results and discuss the season grades for players on all 3 lines as well as the technical staff. There were highs and lows, and opportunities for improvement, and we cover them all.
It seems increasingly likely that Gadi Kinda's time in KC is over. We discuss the big picture reasons for that change happening as well as how SKC could move forward.
Finally MLS hot stove is in full gear, and we will learn a lot in the next couple weeks how KC will go into the 2024 season roster construction-wise.
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We tried to prepare ourselves last week, but the finality of the decisions to move on from Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza have us feeling some kind of way. We spend some time memorializing their impact and discuss how things may move forward from here.
Speaking of moving forward, the roster decisions allowed Drew to do his annual nerdy spreadsheet work and talk through multiple ways SKC could potentially strengthen their roster this winter or perhaps in the summer. Things are far more positive than in years past while still having a good base of a team to work with.
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Sporting KC were unceremoniously eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs Sunday night in Houston. The team maintained their 4-4-2 mid block/low-pressure setup meant to create counterattacking opportunities that worked so well against St Louis, but it was ineffective against Houston.
We discuss the tactical plan, whether it was the most appropriate choice, and the struggles the team had in getting quality goal scoring chances from the transition events they created.
There was of course a dubious non-call that blanketed much of the conversation of this game, so we give it the appropriate coverage, while also considering the mistakes outside the referees and how, while unlucky, it shouldn't be the primary focus of fans' ire.
Graham Zusi and Roger Espinoza may have played their last minutes for Sporting KC, we discuss their impact at the club, and how the club still struggles to replace their influence. We will know Friday if one or both are sticking around, along with a number of other players. Next week will include a much deeper dive into roster construction going into 2024.
A quick MLS Cup final prediction to close things out.
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Because there is nothing else going on, it seems everyone is focused on being MLS scheduling professionals. We discuss the three week break and how much it really matters, as well as how avoidable it really was.
We dive deep into the upcoming match against Houston, how they like to progress the ball, and how SKC might negate it.
Tactical Corner is a deeper dive into Alan Pulido and what makes him good, and why it's hard to see if you only look at trailing indicators. Also, how he lets Salloi be the player he can be.
The USMNT qualified for Copa America and the Nations League semifinals but certainly left a lot on the table for the discourse.
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SKC unceremoniously sent St Louis back across the state to start their offseason after a fairly comprehensive 2-1 scoreline that honestly flattered their opponent. It was a competitive affair for about 20 minutes until SKC settled in and fairly significantly controlled the match the rest of the way.
Logan Ndenbe cemented his status as "Playoff Logan" right before rupturing his ACL and somehow playing for another 40+ minutes on it. It was an insane display and a heartbreaking injury for a player that was in great form.
Tactical Corner focuses on the differences we will see with Tim Leibold on the field in Ndenbe's stead, and whether that will actually potentially be a positive given SKC's potential future opponents, as well as what that means for the depth chart at the position going forward.
Potpourri covers a number of news topics of the week like the 3-game 1st round MLS Playoff format, the use of VAR, the USWNT hiring a coach, and what the USMNT will look like in upcoming Nations League matches and the upcoming Olympics as they attempt to build depth in the roster looking towards the 2026 World Cup.
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Sporting KC had two consecutive playoff "wins" this week after winning the PK shootout against San Jose after a fairly uninteresting 0-0 draw on Wednesday and then took the wood to St Louis in their park on Sunday night. The former being everything we have come to expect from this team on short rest against a team that didn't want to play soccer, and the latter being the exact opposite.
Luchi Gonzalez seemed to be banking on his best odds being waiting for an SKC defensive mistake(fair, but it didn't happen) or going against Tim Melia in penalty kicks(LOL). Things worked out as expected setting up the match we all have been waiting for in St Louis.
Peter Vermes brought out a very pragmatic and well coached and thought out tactical shift in St Louis in both style and personnel, and it worked impeccably to a 4-1 rout of the Pink Dog Food club in their park. Now the question is how much of that style does he bring back to KC next Sunday and what makes the most sense to ensure SKC are able to win and move on.
We spend Tactical Corner this week evaluating the difference in Erik Thommy and Gadi Kinda's games, and whether they are actually that different materially at all.
Finally Potpurri corner focuses on #playthekids and what appears to be a directionless USWNT at the moment.
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We're making an Ali-like return to this podcasting space to discuss SKC's improbable run into the MLS post-season and the "no one believed in us" narrative that the coach seems insistent on giving air to.
In fairness, we had significant doubts about this potential outcome, so we were apparently the "doubters" he was referring to, and we are willing to own that. That said, we will also discuss the fact that being pessimistic about the team's prospects, and being supportive fans are not mutually exclusive.
We get a little nerdy about analytics, the concept of luck as a data point, and our thoughts on how this information is used in MLS and SKC as a potential competitive advantage.
Finally a preview of Wednesday night's match vs. San Jose.
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We get some things off our chest. Things around Sporting Kansas City are in a word, Stale. The playing style, the general energy around the club, the decision making characteristics of the coach, etc, etc.
We discuss the frustrations around not just the 4-1 loss to St Louis, but the feeling that it was generally inevitable. The playing format never sufficiently attacked them when they were disorganized, and appeared to be more interested in managing a result more than attaining one.
Finally we spend time talking about the general structure of the club, the supporters, and whether we think the current regime can create the kind of change necessary to reinvigorate the lifeblood that made this club a staple for the past decade-plus.
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Sporting KC put in a fairly listless performance on the mid-week versus Nashville and it was unfortunately something we saw coming. Thankfully they brought much higher intensity against Houston on Saturday and even managed to raise it higher after an unfortunate red card for Johnny Russell.
We dive into the differences in the way SKC attack when they have Alan Pulido or Willy Agada in at striker, and how it impacts the personnel around them. There are some potential positive setups for both players, and it is instructive as KC go into a very important match in St Louis this weekend.
We also discuss the Home and Away Derby this weekend, the Swelce/Traylor relationship, and the Open Cup final that occurred while we were recording the pod.
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Sporting KC come home from Minnesota with 3 points, which would normally be a reason for optimism. Unfortunately SKC seemed to be more lucky than good on Saturday night and while that is also a welcome change from previous performances, it is hard to take it as a positive into the next two games on short rest against quality opponents.
Alan Pulido gets his official contract extension, and we think it is due. While it does mean things will likely remain the same for some time, he's probably the best #9 in MLS this year, and you don't look to replace that if you don't have to.
The KC Current seem to be a mess on the soccer side of the organization. They have signed many quality players, unfortunately too many of them rarely play, and the ones that do seem to be mired in a tactical system of the sophistication of a mid-level high school team. We appreciate the aggressive nature in which the Longs are investing in this team, but hope that they get the right soccer minds engaged to make that investment work for them.
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Sporting KC did a lot of the things we have come to expect from them the past couple years when playing on the road: Had veterans make significant mental errors, played soft in the midfield, and showed a complete lack of urgency attacking in transition until they were down multiple goals. We shouldn't be surprised by this, but it still is very frustrating to watch.
We discuss the structural issues with the club and staff, and the somewhat disenchanting feeling that nothing significant could really happen to change it even next season.
A "Major Player Announcement" is coming from the club tomorrow(may have already happened by the time you are listening to this), and we suspect it is the contract renewal of Alan Pulido. We discuss the pros and cons of this potential decision, and what it means for SKC going forward.
Gadi Kinda made the news this week for taking a call up to the Israeli National Team. While he was an unused sub in both of the matches, his injury situation made for a pretty terse press conference with Peter Vermes regarding both the Israeli Federation requesting his presence and Kinda's interest in going.
The New England Revolution have a borderline soap opera going on in their clubhouse as Bruce Arena recently resigned after allegations of "inappropriate and insensitive remarks" that were the subject of an MLS investigation. Apparently some of those allegations were found to be credible and he has given up his position at the club as a result. There have been a number of dramatic twists in this story since doing so and we try to give a brief primer on them all.
The USMNT played two friendlies vs. Uzbekistan and Oman winning them by a combined 7-0. We try to ascertain what exactly can be learned from both, other than the team is still struggling to find a legitimate backup for Tyler Adams.
Finally a quick preview of SKC's upcoming match this weekend at Minnesota.
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It was a derby atmosphere in Children's Mercy Park on Saturday and the game lived up to the hype. It was a fairly comprehensive performance by SKC even if STL fans don't want to admit it and blame the referees for their lot in life(get in line).
There was a lot of bantz before the game, even leading up to player intros, and we are here for it. This is what makes rivalries fun, and we can tell this is only going to intensify in the future.
Lots of key performances from SKC players that are becoming more consistent at the most appropriate time(Thommy, Davis, Rosero, Pulido). The team is coming together well, but time will tell if it means anything substantive this year.
We are Nemanja Radoja stans on this podcast, so of course we spent another 20 minutes talking about his impact, which is not insignificant. A lot of it is in the larger, less applicable metrics(goals and wins), but those count too.
Finally, a discussion around the tactical ineptitude of the KC Current, as well as a brief preview of SKC's away match vs. Miami who will be missing many of its starters(including one really important one).
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SKC is back and it was a comprehensive 3-0 win vs San Jose. While the score may have flattered SKC somewhat, it was a deserved win regardless. Drew and Cody discuss the quintessential JFR game(including the injury), the tactical personnel choices, Tim Melia doing his thing, and what we will be calling "The Full Fontas".
Tactical Corner is focused on building out of pressure, for reasons that should be pretty obvious. This is less of a structural discussion and more of a fluid one highlighting ideas and adaptive philosophies that work best against a quality pressing team like St Louis.
The RFEF are making the news for all the wrong reasons, and it is taking the shine away from an exceptional performance by the Spanish Women in Australia/New Zealand last month. It's a story that gets more unbelievable and ridiculous by the hour, and it is an unfortunate yet all too common circumstance when it comes to women's sports.
Finally, a quick preview of what should be a really fun atmosphere on Saturday vs. St Louis.
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SKC hasn't played a game(again) this week, so we focus on the management portions of the club, discussing how MLS clubs are constructed and the potential options for how you do it, the Pulido contract renewal and how it impacts SKC's future roster construction prospects, and why the KC Current are getting fined for chartering what amounts to a Spirit Airlines flight to Louisville.
As promised, there is a fair bit of time devoted to Game Models. What are they? How are they put together? What is their value and how to teams employ them. There is more to this than you probably think and we spend a fair bit of time discussing the nuance involved with them and how that relates to SKC.
Finally, Leagues Cup has been very fun, and some interesting teams are in the final. We discuss the competition to date and the game models the finalists employ and our assessment of how that final may go.
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We are back from our almost month-long hiatus and Drew has returned rom New Zealand and Australia to find that not much has changed regarding the prospects of Sporting KC. We discuss the situation and the rather concerning lack of opportunity to do much about it.
The USWNT has similar issues regarding an idealogue of a coach with very specific personnel choices that do not seem to allow the team to play even up to the sum of its parts and it played out in this year's world cup.
Leagues Cup has been a revelation, providing the kind of drama and intrigue we candidly did not expect from the competition.
We also spend a little time delving into the European transfer market, including lots of USMNT players making moves this summer.
This week Drew and Cody discuss what was a fairly disheartening 2-2 draw in Houston, the boring nature of the team's tactics, and whether they were appropriate given the roster makeup.
Radoja's absence was felt, and Drew is finally completely done with the Kendall McIntosh experiment.
Tactical corner focuses on counter-pressing, how it is used, how SKC use it, and why it is an elite skill for this team.
We dig into the USMNT penalty shootout win vs. Canada, as well as the USWNT's fairly pedestrian 2-0 win vs Wales.
Finally a preview of a pretty dangerous RSL team that comes to Children's Mercy Park on Wednesday.
This week Drew and Cody discuss what was a fairly comprehensive performance for SKC vs the Vancouver Whitecaps. They were composed, meticulous, and at the right times creating chaos to take down the 3-0 victory.
There were many key performances but perhaps none more important than that of Gadi Kinda. He is in some ways, the prototype of what this system needs from the 8/10 position. We dive into how he is able to achieve this role so well and how he is likely the most important component of SKC potentially making a playoff run.
We spend a little time discussing the USMNT, Gianluca Busio, and Jesus Ferreira before also running through what was a wild and fun El Trafico on Tuesday night.
Finally a quick preview of the first match of a 3 game week in Houston.
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This week Drew and Cody discuss the state of SKC structurally, whether the roster construction makes sense given the game model and tactical ideas, and air some grievances regarding all of these topics after the somewhat predictable reversion in results occurred over the past 3 games.
Drew made the mistake of making an observation regarding the Khiry Shelton discourse on social media and somehow got drafted into being his greatest defender.
We spend a little time talking about home vs. away tactical dynamics as well as setting up your progression shape to create rest defensive postures to eliminate your opponent's best players' capabilities.
We briefly discuss the somewhat anticlimactic Gold Cup and also do a quick preview of the match against Vancouver that is most definitely in KC on Saturday, regardless of what Cody's brain convinced him of this week.
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After nothing but mostly good vibes since the beginning of May, SKC lose at home to LAFC and #thediscourse was not good. SKC was very unlucky to lose this match in a variety of areas(refs, fluke plays, chances going just barely awry, etc), but in the moment it was easy to look for someone to blame. Drew and Cody assess the performance in this match, and consider whether the hole SKC has dug itself allows for these types of results if they want to legitimately contend for the playoffs and MLS Cup.
Alan Pulido was in the news again this week with a variety of transfer rumors to the usual suspects in Liga MX. We discuss the veracity of these reports along with what conditions in which it makes sense for SKC to entertain them, or perhaps re-sign him in the off-season.
The USMNT played with swagger and took down the Nations League crown for the 2nd time this weekend after beating a hapless Mexico team and confounding John Herdman and Canada in the final. Things are looking very bright for this team nevermind the avatar mafia losing their respective minds over the Gregg Berhalter re-hiring.
Tactical corner focuses on the purpose of fullbacks, and whether SKC has the right players covering that position.
Finally, a quick preview of the upcoming matches vs LA Galaxy and Chicago.
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SKC are now the hottest team in MLS and the vibes are good. Drew and Cody unpack the performance against Austin on Saturday and discuss key performances from Nemanja Radoya, Marinos Tzionis, and Tim Leibold.
Alan Pulido scored what Cody is calling his favorite goal of the year and we break it down Zapruder-film style.
The USMNT is back in action in a meaningful game this week in the Nations League semifinals vs. Mexico, we discuss that match and the appearance of Gianluca Busio on The Gold Cup Roster
Finally a preview of the upcoming LAFC match where we hope the good vibes continue.
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Drew and Cody bask in the glow of 14 points from the last 7 matches, a pragmatic(if somewhat disappointing) draw against Vancouver, and the concept of what a team can look like when its best players are able to play regularly.
The team is playing entertaining, organized, and clear soccer right now, and it is a sight to see. Injuries are still a major concern, and they continue to pile up as fast as people can heal from them.
Andreu Fontas can be a somewhat polarizing player for Sporting KC. We investigate why, and discuss his value along with his weaknesses.
Finally, some guy named Leo Messi is coming to MLS apparently. We discuss his impact, and the wildness of the last several hours as this deal came together.
We also do a quick preview of Austin and the available SKC players for the match on Saturday.
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Sporting KC had a fairly comprehensive win against Portland on Sunday and we go through all the key performances, including game changing substitutions from veterans(in this economy?).
It is a common refrain amongst the most online SKC fans that Peter Vermes' system is staid and boring. And while there is some merit to the argument that he is somewhat reticent to making wholesale changes, he has nuanced ideas about how to play soccer that are fairly progressive, and we try to unpack a few of them.
The KC Current are down bad(again). It feels like since Matt Potter's dismissal that his (interim?)replacement has struggled to have a positive impact or set up the team in a manner that takes best advantage of its best player(s).
Finally a quick preview of the 2 upcoming matches for SKC at home against Dallas, and the road trip to Vancouver on the weekend.
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This week Drew and Cody get to talk about SKC showing up in St Louis acting like it was any other MLS match. Everyone seemed to know it was a rivalry game except the SKC players. They got handily out worked, and physically dominated. While the schedule wasn't kind to SKC, they knew about it and had the opportunity to plan for it. In hindsight, there were some poor personnel management decisions as well regarding which players played which games coming in.
Tactical Corner this week focuses on goalkeeping. With Tim Melia out for basically the rest of the season with a hip flexor injury, this seemed significant and important to evaluate the available goalkeepers and their strengths/weaknesses.
Finally a discussion on the verve, strength, and passion of this team. Mainly, do they actually have any of those traits? It's been a problem for a while that they do not set the appropriate tone in matches and rather generally have it dictated to them. Can this be something they turn around with the roster at hand?
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Drew and Cody dissect SKC's 2nd league win in a row, and SPOILER ALERT, much of it has to do with having a real number 6 on the field. Also, having good players playing is good. Also, a level of balance we just haven't seen until this point.Tactical Corner focuses on pressing, how different pressing systems are used, and how to effectively break them. Both of SKC's opponents this week will use various forms of pressing systems, so it felt appropriate to diagnose how to play against those structures.The MLSPA salary drop is out, and it had some interesting revelations. Some good, some really confounding.Finally a quick preview of the upcoming matches this week against LAFC and St Louis.Music by The Spin Wires.
Lord have mercy, Sporting KC won an MLS match, and looked largely competent in doing so! It's been a minute since we've had the opportunity to analyze a victory so apologies if we are a bit out of practice.
Drew and Cody break down a fairly comprehensive performance by SKC in Seattle, by far the most complete performance of the year by the club so far. Lots of love for the spacing and movement in the midfield, as well as a very positive performance by Jake Davis at right back. The team looks much more like the one we have become accustomed to watching, and we are hopeful this is the beginning of a string of performances of that ilk.
A discussion around Felipe Hernandez, his fit with this club, and what his abilities are and whether this is the best place for them to be effectively used. We both think he has value, but perhaps that value is misread slightly.
Do Coaches really matter? We spend some time on the topic after John Muller posted an extremely interesting article in The Athletic challenging that exact notion.
A Zapruder-esque deep dive into the scuffle between the Preki and the SKC technical staff after the game. Drew goes hard on this one to clearly analyze every part of this interaction.
Finally a quick convo of the upcoming matches this week and our hopes for continued success.
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We feel like we are living in a Monty Python sketch at this point. Nothing changes, everything is bad, and we may as well laugh about it, right? SKC got blanked by the Eastern Conference doormats at home on Saturday and things have reached a pretty dire state. We talk about what is going wrong(basically everything) and the overwhelming feeling of not being able to solve it.
Things seem more mental and structural than tactical at this point, and we discuss the issues with this team and the staff's incompetence(unwillingness?) to effectively change it.
A discussion about what a Peter Vermes divorce could look like, and what the unintended consequences could be.
Thankfully there is some good soccer being played in KC by the Current and we talk about their turnaround and why it might be happening.
Finally a wish for something resembling a good performance in Seattle on Sunday.
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Drew and Cody have some grievances to air, and we're sorry, but the problems we've been highlighting for over a year are still problems. We'd like to tell you the staff and players are solving them, but honestly, they aren't.
SKC put in a generally poor performance against NE and were lucky only to lose 2-1. It's kind of crazy to say it, but the 2nd half which included a red card in the 56th minute was actually better than the 1st. They did rebound and get their first victory in all comps against Tulsa Athletic on Tuesday night, but we are not sure how much there is to take from that performance other than Ethan Bryant showed he wants more minutes with the first team.
We discuss tactical flexibility, how it is somewhat misunderstood related to how Peter Vermes coaches this team, but also how generally it is accurate to critique him on how he employs it mid season or match to match.
A quick convo on the Vermes out discourse and whether we are finally starting to lean towards it, and a preview of the Montreal match and whether we think it is finally time for SKC to get an MLS win.
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Sporting KC have 0 wins from 8 matches, and now have as many red cards as goals. Things are pretty dire and as expected, trying to get right on the road in San Jose was likely to be very difficult. A couple bad defensive lapses lead to goals and a red card, and it would be very difficult for any team to come back from that, much less one that is struggling so mightily to be effective in the final third.
We discuss coaching ideologies and whether this game/generation of players has passed this technical staff by. Some recent interviews given by Wilfried Nancy and Ben Olsen shed light on alternate thought processes that certainly seem refreshing by comparison.
Tactical Corner is focused on the three things Drew and Cody would each change if given the reins of this team. Some of it is formational and strategy related, but some of it is a bit more simple and easier to implement in a short time window.
Matt Potter gets very abruptly dismissed by the KC Current, and we try to unpack what may be going on here, along with hoping that it something the Current can move on from positively.
Finally a quick preview off this weekend's road match vs. the Revolution.
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Things are rotten in the state of Missouri(Kansas?). Sporting KC have scored 2 goals in 7 matches and have zero wins across that span. While the MLS playoff structure allows for quite a bit of leeway early in the season, this type of start is not something teams usually come back from. While this was far from the worst performance of the year, the results stay negative, and the mood for both fans and players is pretty dour. Drew and Cody try to discuss the reasons why, and what the options or prospects are for improvement.
Plenty of time is spent on discussing who is to blame, and who(isn't) taking responsibility.
Another discussion about Automatisms, this time talking about whether some should be employed in the attacking phase by SKC to eliminate some of the poor decision making of late by the players in those situations.
A discussion around the shape of the USWNT after two friendly wins vs. Ireland, and the prospect of a Julie Ertz return in New Zealand.
Finally a preview of a San Jose team that looks a lot more fun to watch than SKC is right now. How the tides have changed.
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Peter Vermes was pissed, and he wanted to see a reaction in SKC's next match against Philadelphia. Drew and Cody discuss that reaction, which was definitely an improvement over the previous match vs. Seattle, as well as a potential light at the end of the tunnel regarding the future effectiveness of the midfield, namely Nemanja Radoja at the 6.
Dany Rosero jumped off the plane and into the starting lineup and did an admirable job all things considered. You can see why SKC wanted to sign him and we expect to see plenty more of him in the future.
Ben Sweat was a casualty of some mistake ridden play early this season and the signing of Tim Leibold. He had an opportunity to make a case for his continued inclusion in this team and unfortunately did not take advantage of it.
The SKC Academy and Pro Player Pathway have been fairly inept of late in bringing forward key youth talent. We discus the current state of the academy system, our thoughts on how it is being managed, and whether we feel the club is taking it seriously or has the right personnel in place to make it effective.
The KC Current are struggling with their own cadre of injuries and we chat about their prospects as the NWSL season gets into its 3rd weekend.
Finally, a quick preview of this weekend's matchup at the bottom of the Western Conference. Perhaps with SKC facing a team with similar struggles to themselves they can find a way to their first victory of the year.
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Drew and Cody have a cathartic discussion about all the things that went wrong for SKC vs. Seattle last Saturday. It was a match rife with many of the problems we have highlighted for the past 12 months: Poor individual errors by veterans supposedly on the field because they aren't as prone to them, Poor effort by a team supposedly "Sporting Fit" and coached by someone that supposedly gets that effort from them, and Zero offensive ideas against a team playing Kelyn Rowe at left back. It was just a cornucopia of bad. We discuss how and why SKC got here and whether there is a way out other than just hoping the injured players can save the club when they get healthy.
Tactical Corner is replaced by GM Corner this week. Drew gets into the details of the roster and salary cap situation for 2024, what the club's options are, the level of rebuild that could occur if the staff decides to do it, and whether that likely or even advisable to give the current technical staff the responsibility to do.
The USMNT won their last two Nations League matches, setting up a semifinal matchup with Mexico this June in Las Vegas. We spend a fair bit of time discussing Gio Reyna's creative capabilities, and how they will likely be key to the USMNT's success over the next few years.
Finally, a quick preview of this weekend's match and the issue being that there is only one fullback available currently on the roster.
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This week Drew and Cody discuss the continued frustration of watching Sporting KC in the attacking half of the field. The lack of ideas continues, and Willy Agada gets more and more isolated every week. When you combine this with a big defensive gaffe, you end up with the 2-1 loss at FC Dallas last Saturday. We discuss why we think this is happening, and potential solutions to the problem.
We also discuss why Willy Agada is getting so few meaningful touches in each game, what both he and his teammates and Vermes can do to help rectify it, and whether this team is as close as the coach thinks to really breaking out.
Some St Louis based podcasters have decided SKC is the devil for protecting their intellectual property, and honestly, it is pretty hilarious.
Finally a quick preview of this weekend's match against Seattle, and Drew professes his love for Brian Schmetzer.
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This week SKC had their most comprehensive performance of the year but still are unable to hit the score sheet and therefore are left with another 0-0 draw, this time in the home opener against the LA Galaxy.
Are there systemic issues to be worried about, or is this just statistical variance? We discuss the positives from the match(defensive performance, great debut start from Leibold and debut in general for Radoja), as well as the clogged toilet that seems to exist in the opponent's 18 yard box.
Tactical corner focuses on Attacking Kill Mechanisms and how they are employed in the global game and whether SKC have any. Given the limited success in front of goal and limited big chance creation, the conversation seems appropriate.
A quick conversation about the completion of the USSF investigation into the Berhalter/Reyna saga, as well as some talk about the USMNT roster for the upcoming Nations League matches.
Finally, a quick preview of the match against Dallas.
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This week Drew and Cody dissect the 0-0 draw at Colorado. While a good result at a place SKC(and MLS in general) has limited success, there were some concerning trends showing in the midfield and much of it seemed to be due to the new shape the team is running. Is this a philosophical shift or just a strategic one based on available personnel and the opponent?
Do base formations really mean anything? SKC ostensibly was in a 4-3-3 this weekend although it rarely looked like it. We spend Tactical Corner this week talking about the phases of play and how they can create drastically different positional shapes and discussing what they are for and how they tend to morph as game states change.
Patience is the name of the game as we wait for this squad to get to some significant level of health. Many players yet to make significant impacts this year and that could have something to do with why the new system tweaks have not come off as successfully as we'd like.
Finally, a quick preview of this weekend's Home opener against LA Galaxy. Hopefully their back line looks as lost as it did agains Dallas.
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This week we discuss the first game of the season, a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers. There were things to be both excited about and concerned about, and a new offensive shape that seems designed for getting the ball to a player who we may not see for a month or so.
Tactical corner focuses on squad balance, and the new possession shape meant to help create it. The theory is sound, but the players meant to achieve it are unfortunately not available.
Drew comes up with a wild idea for MLS playoffs and the schedule in general. Just amuse him and listen.
And a preview for this week's match against Colorado. Please let them be as bad as they were against Seattle.
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This week the Top 3 focuses on a topic no one can avoid: Kit design discourse. We address the concept and move on to on-field topics, including, SKC signed a center back(technically), and Uri Rosell finds a home in LA. Hopefully it's not boring for him like his Spanish teammate.
Tactical Corner focuses on philosophies for defending counterattacks. This is a poignant topic given SKC's opponent this weekend and their goals as well as the way their possession system can struggle with containing them at times.
We also spend some time talking about the issues in the USWNT midfield. With the World Cup looming, there is still work to do for Vlatko Andonovski and his staff and we have some concerns that pragmatic changes haven't and aren't likely to be made at this point.
And a quick discussion on newcomers and how effectively they can integrate into the team given the first league match of the season arrives on Saturday.
Music by The Spin Wires.
A quick convo about the Chiefs 2nd SB win in 4 years, and why KC is the best sports town in the country.
Why can't Kortne Ford catch a break? How does the team recover from this? PV mentions a signing is coming, but what reasonably can we expect from this player?
Tactical Corner focuses on tactical flexibility and rigidity, and the reasons for both, along with the pros and cons of each philosophy.
We also spend a moment talking about absurd MLS playoff formats and kit designs.
Music by The Spin Wires.
We once again spend too much time discussing pre-season friendlies(scrimmages), a quick discussion on Big Willy vs. Dom Dwyer, and what reasonably can be ascertained from Vermes' preseason midfield choices.
Tactical corner focuses on a topic we reference often: Positional Play. What is it? How does it work? What are its dependencies? Why is it so popular with a number of world class coaches? How does SKC use it and why is that actually kind of cool?
The KC current are signing everyone. I need to check to see if they signed us. But seriously, the framework the Longs have built has created an insane team in its third season after making the Cup Final last year. This team is shaping up to be an epic one to watch.
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This week Drew and Cody spend way too much time talking about irrelevant preseason friendly performances and what they mean, and why we tend to do so every year.
Apple TV's MLS platform is live. What can we take from it so far? How useful will it be at driving interest in the league? Is Apple the right partner for MLS to go forward with?
Automatisms in the world game, what are they? Why are they used? How do SKC use them as a basis of structure and what their value is.
A deep dive into the somewhat anemic SKC homegrown situation. Why does it exist? Is the Academy working? Is SKC losing a competitive advantage by not properly taking advantage of their value?
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We back and we back and we back! After a brief hiatus, Drew and Cody make a Lazarus-like return to your ears for a full breakdown of the current state of SKC with a new pod format and structure.
We discuss the Top 3 stories surrounding the team, which given the pre-season timing of the pod, mostly focuses on roster makeup. The embarrassment of riches at LB, the complete lack of them at CB, and the overall depth chart and how it looks going into the season as is.
A deep dive into the 3-1-6 possession shape, how it is used in the world game, how SKC employed it last year and why we think it will return, albeit with potentially different responsibilities and results.
And finally, a word about New Jersey(i.e. The Berhalters and Reynas)
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We're back! After a brief hiatus and 3 World Cup group stage games, we have returned to give our thoughts on the USMNT as they have advanced to the knockout rounds and have played perhaps their best soccer in the Berhalter era. The midfield trio of Adams, Musah and McKennie have been the talk of the tournament, and rightfully so. We discuss their performances and those of the team, as well as the structures Gregg Berhalter has employed and how they have worked, along with the execution of the team. There are some concerns relating to depth as well as Gregg's subsititution decisions(sound familiar?), and we get into it all.
We also have a brief discussion on SKC's roster decisions that happened not long after the last pod and our thoughts(mainly how to get Khiry Shelton's agent to negotiate our personal employment).
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After what was a vastly entertaining MLS Cup Final, we are in full off-season mode, and the first of many ridiculous MLS player movement mechanisms is upon us, the Expansion Draft. We talk about the roster and who is eligible to be protected, and what we consider to be the best strategy for SKC to employ during this process. We also briefly discuss what was a fascinating match between LAFC and Philly, if not the most aesthetically pleasing soccer ever played. The 2022 Men's World Cup is upon us, and we have the full list of players representing the US in Qatar. While we are sure there is much angry commenting going on in the bowels of Twitter, we do think it is worth going through the player list, what their strengths and potential uses are, and what we think it tells us about what Gregg Berhalter's potential plans are for this team, and how he will employ these players to get the best success possible. Music by The Spin Wires.
We've been whining about it all year, and SKC finally signed a #6. We discuss the addition of Nemanja Radoja, what we really know about him, and what reasonable expectations are for his addition to the team.
The Current's run finally came to an end, and honestly they were outplayed by the Thorns. That said, there is plenty to look forward to with that team both on and off the field.
MLS Playoffs may be increasing in game quantity in 2023, which may or may not be a good idea. It is definitely tied to the new Apple TV deal, and we discuss what that deal could mean for the league and what we hope to see from it.
MLS Cup final is coming to LA, but you better have a bus pass if you want to go!
Finally we dig into a number of injuries piling up for USMNT players and hopefuls. We will have a full breakdown of the roster next week after it launches.
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The MLSPA made their bi-annual roster dump just in time for us to evaluate the SKC roster, salary cap situation, and identify priorities for next year, along with discussing who should potentially stay or go? Obviously there a many dependencies on how certain players effect the required tactics, their fit with their potential teammates, and how they effect the club's ceiling. We try to address it all in one podcast, and as a result, its a long one!
Also a quick convo on the KC Current, who have a playoff semifinal this Sunday against OL Reign. We feel like we are honing in on their tactical strategy, and regardless if we are right or not, they are an endlessly entertaining team to watch.
MLS Playoffs have also begun, and we discuss a few key topics at play both in the matches last weekend, and those upcoming this week. We might also devolve into a conversation about how all good teams have a good DM/#6, which is a familiar topic to regular listeners of the pod :)
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SKC Closed out a fairly forgettable season with a somewhat forgettable result, but we tell you why you shouldn't forget it! It's a stark reminder of some structural issues that need to be addressed, and we go through them all(sign a defensive midfielder pls, Fontas still is a liabililty, and should you build your posession structure around a 36yo RB?).
We also discuss a couple fairly lackluster pair of friendlies for the USWNT, and finish with a discussion around the systemic issues that persist within Women's Professional Soccer in the US, and how important journalism has been in bringing them to light and holding those in power accountable.
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It was an almost perfect day at CMP on Sunday, in almost every imaginable way. The weather, the vibes, the fans, and the performance on the field. Some of the best soccer we have seen all season was on display, and SKC controlled and contributed the majority of it. We are running out of words to describe Willy Agada, and we are also seeing players like Ben Sweat really round into form. We also saw a great performance from Remi Walter, but discuss why those could be harder to come by next year if the midfield makeup changes.
Rog and Zus got standing O's, and it reminded all of us that nothing lasts forever, even if we'd be surprised if the end was now for those two Sporting Legends.
We also discuss future plans, and Peter Vermes' relative candor recently regarding what those could be, and SKC's potential cap flexibility next year.
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It's an international break with no SKC games! Drew and Cody discuss a rather listless pair of matches for the USMNT and what they see happening, and whether relying on a single 19yo midfielder for success is a good idea. Also some discussion around coaching idealism and how GGG might need to adjust to get his players at their best in Qatar.
We also cover the KC Current and what may be the most fascinating tactical setup in the NWSL, or in soccer in general. Matt Potter is setting up his players to succeed, maximizing their strengths, and you love to see it.
SKC has their last home game of the year on Sunday and can knock Seattle out of the playoffs with a win. Another thing you love to see.
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We're back! And SKC have extended their positive run of form to 8 games with 2 more wins and a draw and only 1 loss across the last 2 months. We spend more time evaluating the underlying numbers of Willy Agada and Erik Thommy's performances since arriving in KC(spoiler alert: They good). Also, a discussion around off-season squad construction now that we know what pieces will be in place and where the areas of need will be.
Robbie Voloder has a wonderful game against DC United and is a halftime sub against Minnesota, which was a bit of a surprising development. Felipe Hernandez and Kayden Pierre also continue to impress, while Cam Duke struggles. Signing Ben Sweat makes a lot more sense when the team has more possession and midfield control, and we discuss SKC's visually inept performance at set pieces, or more specifically, corner kicks.
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Drew is back from LA after bringing back one lowly point on the trip. We discuss what was a fairly mixed performance from Sporting KC. There were positives we have become familiar with over the past 6 weeks, and negatives we have seen a lot this season. In any other circumstance, a 2-2 draw at LA would be a decent result, so we need to take that in context.
A discussion around the fairly disparate profiles of those in both fullback positions vs. their counterparts, and whether SKC had the appropriate time to alter the game plan to adjust for them. They did after about 20 minutes, but it felt like a bit of an emergency change. After we saw Erik Thommy easily look like the best player on the field against San Jose, this time Riqui Puig took that crown fairly substantially.
Another very solid sub appearance from Felipe Hernandez, who definitely has had 2 of his more impactful performances of the year in the last 2 games.
And some USMNT/European soccer discourse to close out the pod.
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Erik Thommy. What else can be said. Dude was on one all night against San Jose, and abused Thommy Thompson regularly. Quite clearly the best player on the field, and his quality lifted the rest of the team. While it was a 1-0 result, SKC never felt to be in significant trouble outside the first 10 minutes of the match. John Pulskamp also had another very good match, as well as Daniel Salloi, who signed a new 4yr contract extension this week to extend his stay in KC through 2026.
Drew and Cody talk through it all as well as a little USMNT discussion, mostly focused on the striker conversation.
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Fun soccer is Fun! Who knew? SKC turned in the most comprehensive performance of the season against Portland. Yes they outscored their xG by a bunch, but it is more about how they played, the positional play, the possession, the winning second balls, the pressing and counterpressing. For the first time this season, they looked like the SKC we have come to expect for several years. Drew and Cody unpack all of the pieces of the performance, as well as some concerns about its sustainability given how much it relies on one player's performance(Rog).
Much discussion as well about how good Willy Agada really is, and some mea culpas regarding the scouting department as well as the plan that Vermes had in place to deal with the absences.
Also, a quick few minutes on Major Leeds Soccer and how enjoyable it is to watch some USMNT guys playing in a system perfect for them.
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A fairly frustrating(devastating) stoppage time loss for SKC in Austin, but did it have to be this way? Drew and Cody discuss what was in many ways a pretty good performance by Sporting KC, with the exception of their ability to clear set pieces. Unfortunately this seems to be a feature, not a bug of this team since they went to this possession-based, positional play system. Vermes criticized effort on those plays, calling it "lazy" and we discuss what is going wrong in those situations.
Also a discussion on whether Agada and Thommy are the best mid-season acquisitions in SKC history, and how the team can deal with Roger's inability to be effective for more than 50-60 minutes.
Additionally, a discourse on entertaining match narratives, and a position on whether Vermes should celebrate in Savarese's face this weekend if given the chance.
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Drew and Cody discuss their relative elation given the first legitimately positive performance of the season by SKC against the LA Galaxy on the weekend. We were treated to another vintage Rog performance, as well as Zusi at his best dropping dimes from deep. Is there reason to be concerned about how SKC can effectively move on from these players? You can see how important they can be when they play well vs. the other available options. Will Willy Agada become one of the most lovable SKC players in recent memory? He is surprisingly good, active, and per his own description, plays simple(but effective).
Erik Thommy may be the most intriguing signing in some time. He is obviously very talented and plays the game well, but he's also a very smart player, and seems to be taking on a coaching aspect to his play, urging and communicating with his teammates on where to be to be effective. But also, we need to talk about that goal. The quality he has is obvious, but the way he described it was fairly enlightening as well.
At the end, we discuss roster construction and strategy more. Drew was able to get some info from the SKC stat-master himself, Mike, on both SKC's involvement in the trade market and how that market has shifted in MLS recently. We discuss how SKC's strategy for allocation money may have hampered their ability to participate in this market as well as whether the COVID-induced pausing of the salary cap increases could have also really hurt SKC's future planning.
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Drew and Cody discuss a 2-0 loss to Austin that on the face of it seems pretty bleak. SKC probably actually played one of their best matches of the season though, and there are potential positives to be excited for. Willy Agada is a real center forward, and it meant actual chances were created in this match. Was the offside trap effective or just lucky? Is Kayden Pierre the highest upside youth player SKC has? Will Cam Duke ever be seen again? All reasonable questions to ask, but there were many glimpses of positive behavior to look for in the next match.
Also given the workload of players, lots of rotation was necessary that will not be required against LA, so we could see a fun set of attacking players on the field at once.
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The disappointment is real. SKC get summarily smacked by LAFC in the 2nd half on Saturday then score no goals on 31 shots(creating a whopping 1.3xG) against a USL team getting knocked out on penalties in the Open Cup semi-final vs. Sacramento. This feeling is all too familiar this season.
There is plenty of blame to go around, and we discuss many of the places it could/should reside. The Fire Vermes pitchforks are out, and we discuss if they are appropriate, and what the potential for such a move could or should be. As the season is effectively over, we also discuss what the expectations should be for the next 11 games, and what a potential rebuild could look like in 2023.
Also a bit of a discussion around Erik Thommy, and which part of his addition is more important: His quality, or his highlighting the absence of it prior to his arrival.
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Grim is right. SKC got thoroughly outplayed by RSL at the end of this 3 game road trip, and there were few positives to take from the game. We discuss why this capitulation may have occurred, reiterate how the need for perfection hurts this team's long term prospects, and discuss whether the philosophy for rotation across these games was appropriate. Also a lot of talk about roster construction, the combination of using available talent effectively, and whether we believe the Coach and Chief Soccer Officer are doing this adequately. Also a redux on the lack of backup plans when things don't go SKC's way. Also a quick dive into USWNT and USMNT news, on the heel of winning the CONCACAF W Championship and the various changes happening with USMNT players going into this winter's World Cup. Music by The Spin Wires.
Consecutive points on the road? In this economy? Drew and Cody discuss two very organized and functionally well played(albeit completely different) performances by SKC over the past few days. We cover the concerns with the requirement of perfection to get results, the evolution of Kayden Pierre, and the return of Rog(as long as his minutes are managed effectively).
Also some discussion of the CB situation, and how it's unlikely to improve much given Kortne Ford's recent suspension. We go all in on #PlayTheKids and discuss how this could be useful time to prepare for next season.
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Drew and Cody are a bit apoplectic. This SKC season seems to be bordering on(if not already completely) lost, and it's a tough feeling to have in early July. The team showed signs of life for the first half hour before the weather postponement, and then Struber and RBNY made significant adjustments and neutralized SKC's attack.
We like the more direct play of the 8's, but they still struggle to find the game once they get to Zone 14. Kayden Pierre was also a bright spot. The veteran CB's still make significant mistakes at inopportune times, and the chance creation still leaves a lot to be desired. The team is so reliant on Salloi and Russell putting away any semblance of a chance that every miss seems to weigh so heavily.
Can we count on the new additions to make a substantive impact? Does this team really have a shot at making the playoffs? What does progress look like from here? All that and some cathartic annoyed complaining from us.
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Seriously, what are we doing? Drew and Cody discuss a pretty demoralizing loss to Seattle. SKC's play wasn't overtly terrible, but this was a clear distillation of clubs in vastly different places. Schmetzer had a fantastic scheme to both keep SKC from being dangerous and to exploit them for chances. Watching Will Bruin and Kelyn Rowe be significant pieces in said scheme is hard to stomach given SKC's inability to get similar value out of the same or similar players in the past, and Drew and Cody discuss why that may be.
Additionally, can SKC finally move on from the possession based system that seems to be ill-conceived for the skillset of its roster? We've been talking about pragmatism for a few weeks, and we discuss some simple changes to philosophy that could potentially lead to more useful results. Do we expect them? Maybe not, but the options do exist.
It's not all bad, and there are opportunities for players to continue to grow and hone their craft, and while RBNY will press heavily, they are a gettable opponent.
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Two SKC wins in one week? In this economy? Drew and Cody discuss both the (albeit somewhat lucky)away win at Nashville and the 6-0 drubbing of Union Omaha in the Open Cup quarterfinals. Drew professes his love for Felipe Hernandez(again), and we hope that PV agrees with the assessment that the Walter-Hernandez-Duke midfield is the most functional one that SKC has at the moment.
We also discuss the new player additions that are now official, and whether Tim Melia might be losing a step. Graham Zusi appears to not age, and DS20 steals souls. That and a bunch more...I mean it's an hour and 45 minutes so buckle up.
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We're back! Under less than auspicious circumstances. We discuss the latest SKC debacle against New England(it's not all bad, except for the usual suspects), and whether The System(trademark) needs a tweak, not just for the short term, but perhaps the long term, given current roster construction and the available traits of players. There is reason for frustration, but also some positivity as the team appears to be bringing in new attacking talent which will allow midfielders to play at places other than fullback, winger, and striker.
We also dive into the current state of the USMNT, and our thoughts on how Berhalter is doing setting the team up for the World Cup.
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Drew and Cody discuss the SKC-Vancouver match and how disheartening it is to watch a team with no offensive players lose to a really bad team at home. More alternate formation discussions arise given the available personnel. Will the International break give SKC the time needed to rest, heal and come back with some semblance of themselves when they return? Will they sign a defensive midfielder in the summer window and should we have our pitchforks out if they don't?
Also some USMNT discussion after their comprehensive win vs. Morocco. The 3-2-5 in posession, Brenden Aaronson as a "high 8" and what alternate ideas GGG has in play for the World Cup based on available personnel and tactical matchups. Probably one of his best tactical performances in his tenure. New guys get some time and some probably earned more. Should be fun to see what they do in KC on Sunday.
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We're back! It was a bit of an up and down set of results for SKC and there are many reasons for it. Drew and Cody discuss many of them, including the performance of Cam Duke at multiple positions, and the ways the team has been constructed vs. what the goal is of the style of play. We also discuss how much of Johnny Russell there may be left come the 2nd half of the season. There is potential to change the team in the summer window but what is the most important place? Do we believe they can make these changes effectively? Lots to think about.
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Drew and Cody have got 2 games to discuss this week after the 0-0 against NYCFC at Citi Postage Stamp..errr..Field and the 4-2 extra time thriller Open Cup win against FC Dallas. We appreciate PV's willingness to adjust tactics to the opponent and available personnel, and willingness to realize one of the choices was a bit galaxy-brained and use the water break to revert to a known quantity. Should Felipe Hernandez be the starting 6? Is Cam Duke the best available option to approximate what Gadi Kinda does and if so is Kayden Pierre ready to play more? Will Drew's soul be sucked out by the vampiric nature of this upcoming weekend's starting midfield? We discuss it all.
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SKC had what is likely their best performance of the year vs. FC Dallas and came away with a 2-2 draw. The numbers definitely look like SKC got the raw end of this result, and while this was an improvement over previous weeks, there is still plenty of work to do.
Drew and Cody discuss a fantastic sub performance from Cam Duke, Daniel Salloi being the offensive threat we became used to last year, and the double edged sword regarding Kortne Ford's emergency defending. We also discuss bypassing the midfield in possession, and whether playing the kids is sustainable, and if Vermes has the right development strategy to help them grow.
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Drew and Cody discuss the 0-0 home draw vs. Columbus and what worked and what didn't. The defensive mentality that Peter Vermes asked for after the LAFC loss was definitely there, in the form of Kortne Ford. A discussion around head injuries and what IFAB or MLS can do about it after Isi's injury.
Offensively, still fairly vanilla, and struggling to create chances or get the ball in dangerous areas. Fotis Bazakos' inability to call a PK aside, the team was not aggressive enough in the attacking zone. Is the problem structural? Is it roster construction? Is it using the wrong players in the wrong places? We let out a lot of frustrations and concerns out about the current state of the club and whether we see a way forward.
Progress was made, but it feels like the start of preseason, not Game 9.
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Drew and Cody discuss the current state of the team, tactics and structures. Should they be able to win every game 1-0? Are they even set up to attempt to do that? Are players being put in positions to succeed? On the heels of the second viewing of the 4-2-3-1, what are reasonable structural changes that may alleviate some of the deficiencies seen so far and allow for a different look?
We realize this is all just a thought exercise and highly unlikely to actually result in any significant change, but we can hope.
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Drew and Cody get a little lively in this one. Not full gasbag, national sports media debate show, but we have some frustrations, and we air them out. Don't listen to this one with kids in the car unless you want them learning four letter words. If you want an optimistic look at the club and what they are doing, probably want to skip this one. We will get on the "where can we go from here" vein next week.
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Cody's back! We commiserate with each other after a less than entertaining performance from SKC over the weekend. Chance creation is still a problem, and we discuss potential solutions while Drew tries to understand PV's sub strategies. If you're looking for the happy-fun SKC pod, you may want to skip this episode...
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It's a milestone as we have our first guest! Daniel Sperry of the KC Star joins to offer his insights on SKC's performance last weekend in a 1-0 win vs. RSL. Cody unfortunately was not able to join this week due to available internet overseas but we expect him back next week. Daniel and Drew discuss the return of Old Rog, the quality of Felipe Hernandez in both soccer and helping a guy clean up a spilled beer, and the overall best match SKC has played this season.
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Cody's back! He dialed in from across the ocean 7 time zones away to bring us his thoughts on SKC's performance against Chicago. Things seem pretty dour in KC after 3 losses from 4 matches. Injuries, Injuries, Injuries, and what that does to a team so focused on a singular system. We discuss 3 at the back and whether it is something SKC should implement more. Is the Single Pivot lowering SKC's chances to be competitive? I hope Roger doesn't listen to our Pod, because we...have concerns. Drew said some swears again, so we gotta roll with the E.
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Drew had to roll solo on this USMNT-focused Pod as they prepare for their final 3 games to attempt to qualify for Qatar. Drew shares his thoughts on the roster makeup, potential uses of players, and the ever-discussed topic of squad rotation. Cody will be back on the SKC review/preview tomorrow.
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Drew and Cody discuss SKC's 2-0 loss at Colorado over the weekend. An unexpected lineup due to Injury leaves questions as to what to take away from this match. Logan Ndenbe appears to be pretty good. Tzionis likes to dribble dudes, a lot. Concerns about veterans making mental errors. Should we "play the kids"? All of that and more on this episode. Also, Drew forgets who Facundo Torres plays for.
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Sorry about Drew's audio on this one. We have been using Zoom to record and have been fairly successful until now. We will ensure this doesn't occur again. We thought the content was good so we didn't want to not post it. Hopefully it isn't too hard to listen to.
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Drew and Cody preview the home opener against Houston, what we hope to see, what we expect Vermes will actually do, and whether we think this will be a sufficient bounce back opportunity for SKC.
We split this week into two episodes to make the more palatable in a single serving for everyone, as well as allow folks to consume the preview first before the match on Saturday if needed. Start with the review if you have the time and want to listen in the order in which they were recorded.
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Drew and Cody discuss SKC's disappointing start to the season in Atlanta. Is this a recurring concern regarding transition defending? Is there something else deeper at play? Is it just first game of the season rustiness. We dive into any and all potential explanations. Also a discussion on Jose Mauri's shock exit, and the positives that can be taken from the first game performance of the year.
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Drew and Cody talk about the (limited)news of the week, and discuss SKC's upcoming season opener against Atlanta United. We haven't seen Atlanta in 3 years, how have they evolved? Who is available to play for them on Sunday? What are we hoping to see from SKC in this match and for the rest of the season? We talk about it all. Blame Drew for the E rating, he couldn't help himself apparently.
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Drew and Cody discuss the week's news. SKC signed a center forward! Is a Khiry narrative being pushed? How does SKC use the 2-3-5 in possession to create control both offensively and defensively? Listen to find out!
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Drew and Cody discuss this week's preseason news and then dive into the roster construction and depth chart. Does SKC have options for shifting the balance of play in game and per opponent? Listen to find out what we think.
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We discuss what we saw in the penultimate World Cup Qualifying window for the USMNT and what we hope to see in the last group of matches next month.
Drew and Cody evaluate the current makeup of the team and there are actual (semi)competitive matches to discuss.
We discuss the SKC signings and news from camp, then get into the USMNT discussion and machinations before the upcoming WCQ window.
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We discuss the latest SKC signings and how we think the roster is shaping up. More talk about MLS Salary Cap mechanisms and whether their time has passed. Under an hour and a half(barely) this time!
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A review of the 2021 Sporting KC season. How the team played, how personnel were used, and what we think that means for the upcoming season. A look at the current roster news and what we think that entails, and our initial response to how the team might look this season.