Three Reasons why Sporting KC won’t win MLS Cup
By Nathan Dunn
Sporting Kansas City have had a tough opening eight games to their campaign. Here are three reasons why they won’t win MLS Cup.
In full transparency, it has been impressive how well Sporting KC have done considering all that has gone wrong.
From all the injuries to players not really stepping up, SKC are still well within a playoff position and are even in the Supporters’ Shield race. They sit just two points back from the MLS-leading Seattle Sounders.
Still, SKC have a ton of work if they can truly be a competitor for MLS Cup.
Here are three reasons why Sporting KC won’t win MLS Cup.
1. Busio to be sold
The future of Gianluca Busio has been a major topic of discussion for quite a while now. The more he plays, the more he impresses. His latest goal has drawn even more interest from abroad.
🚨🚨🚨(Breaking News)
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) June 4, 2021
Multiple @SerieA_EN teams have put in bids to @SportingKC for Busio. He’s ready for the move while also on the radar of @USMNT. I’d be shocked if other clubs/leagues don’t get involved soon. #SportingKC #MLS
It looks more and more likely that his time with SKC is coming to an end with the latest rumors. If that is true, that would be a huge loss for Sporting. Currently the club’s most influential player no matter where he plays, his shoes will be hard to fill.
Busio has said that his dream is to play in Europe, which seems inevitable at this point. Peter Vermes has claimed that he is still in SKC’s future plans. If Busio is sold this summer, which seems highly likely, that would be a major player gone.
Perhaps SKC are willing to sacrifice the money for another run at MLS Cup with Busio. I wouldn’t count on it, though, because even with Busio I don’t see SKC has a great MLS Cup contender at the moment.
2. Defense still not good enough
A defense that had major struggles for the past two years still hasn’t figured much out in 2021. The addition of Nicolas Isimat-Mirin was a promising sign of changing things up, but he’s been injured.
With injuries at the back, they struggled to find consistency until Ilie and Andreu Fontas were deemed good enough recently. In total SKC have given up 10 goals, which is seventh-best in the Western Conference. Not nearly good enough to compete for MLS Cup.
The defense has been majorly helped out by the offense, which leads the league with 15 goals. That rate can’t be expected to continue, especially if Busio departs this summer. Even when Isimat-Mirin returns, the defensive worries will still be there.
3. Offseason moves not working out
Sporting KC seemingly had a decent offseason with two additions. One was supposed to bolster the midfield and the other was supposed to strengthen a weak defense. Neither of those has actually happened eight games into the season.
The one that was supposed to bolster the midfield, Remi Walter, has struggled to retain his starting spot. He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t shown much to warrant a consistent start. Perhaps he is still adjusting to the league, but he’ll need to adjust quickly if Busio leaves.
The one that was supposed to strengthen a weak midfield, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin, has been injured for most of the season. He played the first game and most of the second game before picking up an injury. He certainly looked like an upgrade from what they were playing with last year.