Football Season Guide

Sporting Kansas City's 2023 season was a lesson in trusting the process. No wins after ten games (D3 L7) represented their worst ever start to an MLS campaign and saw the supporters begin to lose faith in long-standing manager Peter Vermes, with certain sections chanting for him to be sacked. The veteran coach's biggest issue was getting his best players on the pitch at the same time, with striker Alan Pulido and midfielder Gadi Kinda - both Designated Players - still coming back from serious injuries. It was no surprise that Sporting KC's first league win of the campaign arrived when they started all three DPs - Pulido, Kinda and Erik Thommy - together for the first ever time. That trio along with Daniel Salloi and talismanic captain Jonny Russell brought about a complete transformation in SKC which saw them go on an incredible run culminating in securing a play-off place on the last day of the Regular Season. The team had real momentum going into MLS Cup and that was shown when they dominated rivals St. Louis over two legs, with City having taken their foot off the gas after securing top spot in the Western Conference. SKC's season eventually ended with a narrow defeat in the semi-finals but no one could've predicted they'd make it that far after such a disastrous start. The off-season has been relatively uneventful in terms of incoming transfers, with winger Memo Rodriguez the only notable name to arrive. There have been a couple of significant departures in the form of the aforementioned Kinda and veteran Graham Zusi, but both were no longer first team regulars. Indeed, Sporting KC have a starting eleven that can compete with anyone if they can keep their best players fit. The club scored something of an own-goal off the field with the brief appointment of a new sporting director in Gavin Wilkinson. His tenure lasted a mere eight days after backlash from the supporters over his involvement in misconduct at his previous clubs.