Sporting KC: Is Krisztian Nemeth destined for 2019 comeback?

Sporting KC has been in search of a starting center-forward for years. Could a resurgent Krisztian Nemeth in 2019 be the answer to their woes?

It’s been quite some time since Sporting Kansas City possessed a consistent goalscorer at the number nine position. Dom Dwyer put up 16 goals back in 2016, but since his departure, the club has had to look for goal production from just about every other position on the field other than striker.

While the attacking corps of Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi and Felipe Gutierrez were able to make up for the lack of goals from the center-forward position following the Dwyer trade, the team could elevate itself to a whole new level with the addition of a dominant goal scorer.

Luckily for Sporting KC supporters, it appears that this long sought after striker may already be on the team. In 2019, Krisztian Nemeth will make his return to the starting line-up. And he might be destined to regain his scoring form.

More from MLS Multiplex

• Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
• Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
• USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
• De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
• Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States

While the Hungarian international may have struggled to find the back of the net in his previous two seasons in MLS, Nemeth has shown that he has the ability to become a prolific goalscorer in the league, displaying his poacher’s instincts in 2015 when he notched 10 goals in 28 games with Sporting KC, primarily playing on the wing. Now, with Khiry Shelton and Diego Rubio no longer on the depth chart, the number nine position is Nemeth’s to lose.

In his first official game in 2019 against Toluca FC in CONCACAF Champions League play, Nemeth settled into the center-forward position well, dropping back into the middle of the field to help maintain possession, while also swinging key attacking passes out wide to SKC wingers looking to get in behind. He was even able to get Sporting on the board with a clinical strike from inside the eighteen-yard box in the 35th minute. Nemeth also showed similar promise in his most recent preseason game against the Houston Dynamo, where he added two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win.

If his preseason and CCL form is anything to go by, Nemeth is firing on all cylinders. He has often been maligned in KC circles of late, with just two league goals in the past two years. But he has the goalscoring pedigree and the natural ability to flourish in Peter Vermes’ system.

With Nemeth back in a familiar environment surrounded by an experienced platoon of talented playmakers, don’t be surprised to see the Hungarian in the hunt for the Golden Boot come October. With his movement and finishing precision in the box, and his vision to make key passes in the final third, Sporting Kansas City’s search for that coveted center-forward may finally be over.