Sporting Kansas City’s climb to the top just got a bit more precarious. With last week’s announcement that Roger Espinoza will be out the next ten weeks with a broken left foot Sporting KC are left scrambling to find a suitable replacement up front.
Although Espinoza’s are not eye-popping (he has just one goal and four assists this season) he is extremely critical to the build-up in the Sporting attack. In coach Peter Vermes’ 4-3-3 Espinoza can sit back and provide service for talisman Benny Feilhaber, who is traditionally more of an attacking midfielder. Without that check in the midfield it leaves Sporting susceptible on the counter-attack.
Sporting’s Open Cup match against Real Salt Lake may have tipped Vermes’ hand. In Wednesday’s victory Vermes inserted Paolo Nagamura on the right side with Soni Mustivar as a center midfielder and Feilhaber on the left. Nagamura, who has played with Sporting since 2012, is a bit more attack-minded but can match Espinoza’s service.
But Vermes typically likes to have Nagamura as a super-sub utility player, someone who can play any number of positions. If Vermes does not want to lose that option then he may opt to go with Amobi Okugo for Saturday’s tilt against the Vancouver Whitecaps (9pm TSN). Okugo came to Sporting after having played only a minimal number of minutes for Orlando City SC.
Okugo’s experience with Orlando sullied what was once a promising career. Prior to this season Okugo was considered one of the most consistent defenders in Major League Soccer. The Generation Adidas prospect was a regular for the Philadelphia Union defense, making 101 starts in 113 matches over the course of five years. His size and strength make him a very difficult player to break down and could potentially be an asset in close matches for Sporting.
His one weakness though is that he often plays better as a center-back than he does in the midfield. Being a defensive midfield requires a certain level of balance between one’s responsibilities in galvanizing the attack and assisting in defending. Okugo has never seemed comfortable on the attack and that can at times leave his team without a scoring resource. Sporting doesn’t need a goalscorer but they do need a player that can serve as an extra option.
The other interesting player to keep an eye on over these next ten weeks is Jordi Quintilla. The 21 year old was picked up by Sporting during the July transfer window from Ajaccio. Quintilla is an expert passer and is a dogged defender, much like Espinoza. The one concern with Quintilla though is match fitness. He has not played in a match since May and given that the style of MLS is very different from that of France there is obviously a learning curve.
While replacing Espinoza might sound like a simple idea the truth is that whatever decision Vermes makes will have a huge impact on Sporting KC and the entire Western Conference. With eight of their final ten matches being Western Conference tilts, Sporting will need to find an answer quick if they have any designs on winning the Supporters Shield or simply making the playoffs. The club currently finds themselves just five points (10-4-7, 37 points) behind the Whitecaps for first place in the Western Conference, but also just four points away from being out of the playoffs altogether. As opposed to previous seasons in the Eastern Conference where the club could sleepwalk into a playoff spot the Western Conference is much more competitive and challenging.
These are interesting times for Sporting KC. With the club still playing on two fronts (their victory over RSL secured a spot in the U.S. Open Cup final) the team still has much to play for in 2015. How Vermes chooses to handle the Espinoza injury will play a major role in whether the club ends up with more silverware in their cabinet or empty handed.