Is Sporting KC Ready to Bounce Back?
By Mike Gambill
You’ve no doubt heard of the oft-quoted saying “Better late than never” and that mantra certainly fits the bill when it comes to the performance of Sporting Kansas City this season. With an early-season meltdown and the Sporting front office ready to jettison head coach Peter Vermes, things have, well, calmed down a bit in the sense that this squad isn’t exactly terrible. The question of the day is Sporting KC ready to bounce back?
A big win against the Vancouver Whitecaps may help Sporting turn the corner.
Any time an MLS team can chalk up a 3-0 shutout clean sheet is a time for a bit of a celebration for that squad and Sporting Kansas City is no different in that regard. Stopping the Vancouver Whitecaps during their four-match unbeaten streak is an accomplishment and something that Sporting needs to build on. In fact, Sporting KC is holding on to some hope of making the MLS Cup playoffs this fall, and with 12 matches left in the regular season, they’re sitting on a 6-10-6 record which lands them in tenth place in the Western Conference – only one single point out of playoff contention right now.
Is Sporting KC Ready to Bounce Back?
The big win against a solid Vancouver squad may send signals that Sporting Kansas City is about to turn the corner on their season and move northward in the Western Conference standings. With three goals in a 20-minute span from Remi Walter, Alan Pulido, and Erik Thommy, Sporting KC may have finally hit their offensive stride again which has been largely amiss this season.
In terms of attacking statistics, Alan Pulido has finally found his form again and leads the squad with eight goals and Erik Thommy has produced three more (along with a team-leading five assists.)
Welcoming back an old team friend.
In another positive sign for Sporting Kansas City, the squad re-signed veteran Chilean midfielder Felipe Gutierrez to a deal for the remainder of the 2023 season with the option to pick up his contract next year as well. Gutierrez was a Designated Player for Sporting from 2018 through 2020 and had 19 goals and nine assists while playing for Sporting. Gutierrez brings a wealth of experience and has been a bit of a globetrotter himself having played in multiple leagues in both South America, Europe, the Middle East, and of course the MLS.
