In this episode, Drew and Joe discuss the recent appointment of David Lee as the Chief Soccer Officer for Sporting Kansas City. They evaluate Lee's background with NYCFC, the influence of the City Football Group (CFG), and the potential challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for SKC. The conversation delves into the importance of youth development, the need for a strategic roster overhaul, and the excitement surrounding the blank slate that Lee has to work with. They also touch on the historical context of SKC's past successes and failures, and how this new era could reshape the club's future.Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting KC put in a pretty dire performance in against Vancouver on the weekend, leaving Cody and Drew apoplectic regarding the state of this roster and the direction of the team. We go over the performance in the game and how much it shows about the relative quality and depth of the team, which leads to a much deeper conversation about the upcoming offseason rebuild and who should remain to be rebuilt around. CSO chatter is heating up as it appears SKC may be closing in on a hire. News of finalist candidates is coming out through various media leaving Drew and Cody to try to sift through it all and come up with a consensus on the direction of the club, as well as play CSO themselves on what they'd like to see this person do once in role.Finally, the Current stay dominant and clinch the shield, Son Heung Min decodes MLS, and a preview of a Wooden Spoon 6-pointer in LA.Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting Kansas City were unfortunately unable to capture a result against Austin FC Sunday Night at Children’s Mercy Park, falling 2-1 to the Verde giving up a couple goals on the types of sequences that have become all too common for them this year. It was a return to the 4-2-3-1 setup we saw for the first hour against Colorado, and similarly to that game Kerry Zavagnin switched to the 4-4-2 to attempt to try to take the game to Austin late, but they were unfortunately not able to catch lightning twice, and gave up a late set piece goal that despite Dejan Joveljic’s best efforts in stoppage time were not able to equalize.It was yet another reminder that this team still has a lot of work ahead of it to become a consistently competitive team in MLS, and reinvigorated conversations about how the team might go about doing it roster-wise. The long awaited CSO conversation was brought back with renewed vigor as Andrew Wiebe reported pre-game that the team was in final interviews for the position and alluded to some interesting details that really got the conversation going regarding how significant this roster turnover in the winter could potentially be.The USMNT completed their September window with two very differentiated performances, candidly the first game was quite different between the two halves against S. Korea, and an interesting tactical switch by Pochettino had at least one member of this podcast crew making comparisons to Sporting KC and how a setup we’ve begged for most of the year might bring similar positive results.Finally, the KC Current continue dominating NWSL, we do a quick stock up stock down of the USMNT roster, and get into a preview of this weekend’s trip to Salt Lake City.Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting Kansas City exorcized some demons against the Colorado Rapids Saturday Night in Children’s Mercy Park, sweeping the season series with 4-2 win. We did see some adjustments to the setup moving Santi Munoz more centrally in more of a 4-3-2-1 as someone on this podcast suggested might be a good idea, and it largely improved Sporting’s shape as well as Munoz’ ability to impact the match. That said, it wasn’t until the team switched back to the 4-4-2 late that they were able to create the 3 goal scoring barrage that took down the Rapids and had the fans in the stands screaming with joy.There were a number of performances to highlight in this one, both good and bad, because the while we want to celebrate the final scoreline, it was enhanced due to some rather key interventions by John Pulskamp and Ian James, as well as some fortuitous poor shooting in key moments by the Rapids. We will get into all of that, as well as discuss more in game adjustments by Kerry Zavagnin, as well as the ebbs and flows of watching this team play that can often be exhausting for the emotional centers of our respective brains at times.There were a number of other news stories in and around the Sporting KC/MLS Soccer Sphere this week, including a Leagues Cup final that might be making more news due to the actions after the the game than the ones during it, the KC Current continuing their winning ways, as well as Mauricio Pochettino continuing to anger a certain segment of the USMNT fanbase with his player selections. Finally we will do a quick preview of Sunday Night Soccer in Kansas City as Austin FC comes to town and SKC tries to string together a pair of positive results in a row.
Never was the gap in quality so significantly on display during this recent stretch of games than it was in Seattle Sunday night as Sporting KC made it no wins in 6 straight getting pretty well dominated by the Sounders 5-2.Not only were SKC thoroughly outplayed, they were outplayed by youth players that were more engaged, better prepared, and just playing at a higher speed than SKC's youth could match. It was quite the on the job training for several of them, and many failed to meet the standard.The starting tactic was fairly aggressive, and failed to make a lot of sense given how recent opponents had frustrated Seattle in their last two games. Leading us into a deeper conversation about Kerry Zavagnin's potential as the coach that could lead this team forward through it's fairly significant winter rebuild.The USMNT discourse was set ablaze by both the roster selections of Mauricio Pochettino as well as his commentary afterwards. Neither of us are sure it's as big of a deal as it's being made out to be, but it's certainly entertaining.Finally a quick word on the Current and the shambolic management of NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, and a quick preview of this week's home match vs. the Colorado Rapids.Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting KC’s winless streak was extended to 5 games after a disappointing 3-1 loss in Orlando on Saturday Night after a substantial weather delay, making it 2 separate Kansas City soccer clubs facing significant delays to their matches vs. teams from Orlando in the same day.Kerry Zavagnin did bring the 4-4-2 back out for this match, although it was a different setup than the prior week and while some things worked, leading to a 1-1 scoreline at halftime, other things very much didn’t. Manu Garcia’s re-introduction to the injury list meant the bench was very thin and the choices Zavagnin made were less than optimal as the club appeared to run out of steam and quality as the match wore on and Orlando took advantage.As the team continues to lose ground on potentially eking its way into the playoffs, much of the conversation has shifted to the upcoming winter and the impending roster rebuild, with 17 players either out of contract or on an option year in 2026. Games like the last several also have us considering who may be seeing their last minutes in Sporting Blue.In Potpourri, we get into the Current vs Orlando game, and the NWSL scheduling debacle that turned into a 4hr delay. Also news around the league regarding a potential CSO candidate leaving his role in Montreal, as well as a number of players exiting Inter Miami as they find playing time hard to come by with Messi and Friends. And we had some fun news this weekend with the announcement that Premier League Mornings Live Fan Festival will be coming to Kansas City next month. Seems like that argument about soccer capitals only truly exists in certain people’s minds. Finally we will take a look at SKC’s upcoming trip to Seattle because we have to, but it’s unlikely either of us will have a whole lot of optimism about how that match will go.
Sporting KC unfortunately extended their winless streak to 4 games on Saturday night losing to the visiting Western Conference leaders San Diego FC 2-0. While the result seemed somewhat predictable to the proprietors of this podcast and many of its listeners, the performance that led to it was not. Sporting KC largely limited San Diego’s attack, and created a flurry of chances of their own, and probably deserved more from the final score line than they received.That said, Sporting has been on the fortuitous end of several results this season, so it was only natural for that luck to turn away from them at some point, and San Diego’s Designated Players both capitalized on some SKC errors with a level of lethality that SKC were unable to replicate themselves.This did lead to a bit of a dour mood on the H&A discord in the hours following the match regarding how far behind the club is from the top of the league at this point, creating the 2nd discussion in as many days about how realistic it is to have optimism and hope for the future of this team. We’ll dive into what is next for this club and why at least I am a bit bullish on its potential in the future. Finally we will discuss the Current continuing to find a way to get results, Tim Ford vs. Vancouver, and preview SKC’s upcoming trip the home of Mickey Mouse.
Sporting KC have addressed a significant area of need on the roster bringing in center back Alan Montes from LigaMX club Necaxa in on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. His profile is quite different from what SKC fans may be used to at the position, and on paper it looks to be a good addition and a divergence from how signings at the position had been identified and prioritized previously, which potentially mean a positive change in that philosophy.We've spent a lot of time recently discussing some of the potential for structural change tactically with the personnel on the current SKC roster, but this week we want to provide an alternate perspective about how maintaining a consistent platform could be for the purposes of player development. With a first year CB and DM, and essentially a first year GK, there is some value with stability, as well as some compromises made in build out to limit opportunities for error that could be hampering the effectiveness of the offense. These are calculated risks Kerry Zavagnin and the team appear to be making for the greater good of having players develop more quickly across the season.Finally, a bunch of transactions are happening all over the league as the secondary transfer window is well and truly open, the KC Current return from their break and don't miss a step, and a preview of a match against a San Diego team that candidly appears to be set up perfectly to exploit some of Sporting KC's larger deficiencies. Music by The Spin Wires
This week Drew is joined by Daniel Sperry of the Kansas City star to break down all things Sporting KC this week. Cody unfortunately had some life requirements get in the way of recording this week but should be back next week as usual.Sporting KC struggled to make a substantive imprint on the match in Vancouver, as we had unfortunately predicted might happen last week. Kerry Zavagnin did make substantive tactical changes at halftime that did appear to make a positive impact on the game, but it left us wondering why these choices aren't made to start games rather than in the middle of them. There is a concern that there are two Kerry's, one who puts the tactical plan together and is fairly risk averse a la his mentor Peter Vermes, and the pragmatist game manager that makes the right changes to improve his team's prospects in games that is very different from his predecessor.We also talk about a lot of MLS Hot Stove topics(that unfortunately do not include Sporting KC yet), as well as the return of NWSL regular season play for the KC Current this weekend.Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting KC went behind early in both games since the last episode, in what is becoming a worrying trend in home matches this year. They did show fight in both matches, performing much better in the 2nd half of each, which is also becoming a noteworthy trend of late.The roster has limitations, and interim coach Kerry Zavagnin is making due as best he can with the players he has at his disposal, along with making aggressive changes when things aren't working. That said, the team continues to appear to have significant limitations in influencing game state on their own, rather reacting to it, but also taking advantage when it goes in their favor.The summer transfer window is about to open and we discuss what is reasonable to expect from this window both in SKC's available flexibility but also the potential for significant change given that there is still no CSO in place to drive the strategy of the team.Finally, a quick discussion about MLS All Star, Miami figuring out how to manipulate the rulebook to sign Rodrigo de Paul, and a quick preview of SKC's upcoming visit to Vancouver.Music by The Spin Wires
National media was alight with the various visualizations of the 3+ xGD that Sporting KC gave up in Commerce City on Friday night, yet they still came home with the 2-1 victory. We talk about some of those underlying numbers, how they belie a concerning trend of likely unsustainable results and the context within how they have happened.We also talk through the biggest areas of need on the roster as the summer transfer window opens. A lot of it is dependent on how the club means to play going forward, and so much of that is in flux given the lack of certain Front Office personnel that it is very hard to predict. But we give our ideas on what we would do if given the decision making authority.The USMNT looked much the inferior team vs. Mexico in the Gold Cup final, but given the discrepancy in first choice talent, perhaps it wasn't as big of a concern as many are making it out to be. There were some useful performances in this tournament as the team looks to reintegrate many of their first choice players this fall and build to 2026.Finally a quick preview of the Seattle Sounders coming to town on Retro Night where the 2000 MLS Cup/Supporters Shield winning team will be honored 25 years on from that triumph. Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting KC got a late win in dramatic fashion vs Charlotte on Wednesday before having to hold on late against RSL to survive a late red card from Jake Davis and maintain a 1-1 result.We dive into the interesting parts of both games, both the tactical changes at halftime vs. Charlotte as well as Ian James' first start for SKC against RSL, concluded by a discussion about perhaps the most deserving Sporting Legend for quite some time, Matt Besler.We dive into the information in the latest MLSPA salary release, and what it tells us about how the team had been managed previously, along with what options it has in the future.The USMNT and USWNT have had a lot of action since our last recording, and we discuss the various different items of consequence regarding both teams.Finally a preview of this weekend's clash with the Colorado Rapids on the 4th of July.Music by The Spin Wires
Sporting KC finally returned to the friendly confines of Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday Night, but were unable to give the fans a victory as they fell to FC Dallas 4-2. SKC was able to take the early lead again in this one off of a pretty curling shot from the top of the box by Shapi Suleymanov, but in a familiar refrain the team was unable to maintain their defensive posture in central midfield, and FC Dallas used it to pull them out of shape prior to a nice crossed ball from Shaq Moore onto the foot of Petar Musa equalized.Then things got a bit weird, as the referee made a couple tight calls against Sporting KC leading to a penalty for Lucho Acosta, and an early trip to the showers for Khiry Shelton as Sporting had to play down a man for the last half hour plus stoppage time while already down 2-1 on the score sheet. I think it is fair to credit SKC with the fact that they did still try pretty aggressively to attack Dallas’ goal even with the man disadvantage, but that led to two more fairly simple finishes for Bernard Kamungo and Lucho Acosta, meaning that outside of a late consolation goal from Santi Munoz, that SKC would be heading into this 10 day break having two straight losses after having seeming to have somewhat righted the ship prior to that..The USMNT drama continued last week with Christian Pulisic and Mauricio Pochettino trading public barbs, before they thoroughly dismantled a Trinidad and Tobago team that seemed mostly disinterested in even attempting to play in their Gold Cup opener. That wasn’t the only fun performance this weekend though, as the Kansas City Current continued their dominance at the top of the league while still missing several key players. They did let Louisville back into this one late but then Temwa did what Temwa does and iced it after a nice ball from Claire Hutton sent her running down the flank and Temwa did the rest.
Sporting KC traveled to LA this weekend a bit short handed due to a rapidly increasing injury list and it looked like it as LAFC were the far better side on the night and came away as 3-1 victors in what could almost be described as a tune up match for them before they begin their club world cup campaign in a few days. There was a moment of brilliance for Sporting as they scored a very beautiful goal that was very much against the run of play to take a 1-0 lead late in the first half. It was unfortunately short lived as LAFC were able to equalize before halftime and then drew a penalty to go up 2-1 causing Sporting to have to push their numbers forward for an equalizer that allowed LAFC to create havoc in transition, which eventually led to a stoppage time 3rd goal.We’ve reached the midpoint of the season, and it’s probably time to take stock in where this team is, what performances we’ve been warmed by so far this season, and what is reasonable to expect from the team the rest of the year. There are opportunities to improve both on and off the field, as well as a run of home games over the next several weeks to hopefully string some positive results together.Finally we will check in on everyone’s favorite topic to be mad about online, the USMNT, the KC Current continuing their dominance even as they struggle with injury issues of their own, and a quick preview of the upcoming home match against FC Dallas.
Sporting Kansas City were able to come away with all 3 points after another come from behind performance this time in Houston, on the heels of a Dejan Joveljic brace and Santi Munoz’ first goal in Sporting Blue. Houston piled on quite a bit of pressure in this one, but SKC were able to survive the onslaught and come away with a 3-1 victory.There were a number of positive performances, including Goalkeeper John Pulskamp continuing to improve and play with confidence, Jacob Bartlett having one of his better performances in recent weeks, and of course Joveljic being clinical in front of net. Unfortunately it wasn’t all positive as SKC really struggled in the opening minutes of the match, requiring two very nice saves from Pulskamp to keep Houston off the board until Sebastian Kowalcyk’s banger put SKC behind early, a trend that is becoming worryingly familiar. Interim coach Kerry Zavagnin was able to make some adjustments both at the hydration break and at halftime that allowed Sporting KC to mitigate Houston’s attack while they looked to create and finish chances of their own. There remain some questions about whether Sporting KC create the volume of chances necessary to maintain this level of success though, and whether there need to be more structures in place to help them do so.Finally, we’ll talk about the Sounders players protesting the amount of the Club World Cup bonus they receive, the Fire finally potentially getting a stadium that doesn’t suck, the KC Current invading the USWNT roster, and a couple other potpourri items before a quick preview of SKC’s trip to LAFC this weekend to take on the team that recently punched their ticket to said Club World Cup last weekend.
It was a tale of two halves at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday Night as Sporting Kansas City came out fairly flat in the first half of their game against New England. Showing very little of the defensive organization that kept San Diego at bay the weekend prior. New England repeatedly exposed space on SKC’s right flank and scored two goals in the first half. Thankfully the response was incoming as interim coach Kerry Zavagnin made 3 changes at halftime that immediately breathed life into the squad and they scored 3 goals in a matter of 16 minutes to take the lead in the 2nd half.Unfortunately they were unable to hold that lead for the rest of the game as Robert Voloder went down with a broken collarbone, and his replacement was unable to handle the transition speed of Luis Diaz as he repeatedly got free along SKC’s left flank and served several dangerous balls in until Maxi Urruti finally got the equalizer. Sporting KC did push for a game winner late, but were unable to get it in the net and had to come away with a 3-3 draw on what was obviously an emotionally draining night for several of the players coming off the news of Gadi Kinda’s passing earlier in the week.That Zavagnin was able to make these impactful changes was certainly welcome, but it also has led to questions as to why they were necessary in the first place, and how effectively Zavagnin is setting up this team for success, or whether the players he’s been given to try to achieve it are of the quality necessary for this team to continue to progress.Finally we will cover St Louis continuing to be messy, the Current continuing to roll even with an expanding injury list, and everyone’s favorite topic, USMNT roster discourse before getting to a preview of the match in Houston this weekend.
MLS Rivalry week for some reason coincided with the first mid-week match day of the year and Sporting KC got the very short end of that stick having to travel to St Louis and San Diego after having just been in Portland the weekend prior, but were able to come away with two road draws after a comeback performance in St Louis, and a very pragmatic defensive-oriented 0-0 draw in San Diego.While the defense continues to gel and the performances of the center back pairing and goalkeeper John Pulskamp advance in a positive manner, there are some concerns regarding the attacking prowess of the team and whether there are the right structures or instructions in place to help the team put the ball in the net. Some of this is situational given the schedule and game state due to squad rotation, but I think we’ve seen enough to have some realistic concerns about how the team is executing offensively and to discuss what we think needs to be addressed.Finally, we’ll discuss the Current taking down the Pride but at significant cost to the health of the roster, Leo Messi being down so bad he’s whining about referees, and do a preview of the upcoming home match vs the New England Revolution.Music by The Spin Wires
This is a quick one before the STL match on Wednesday. Drew and Cody give their thoughts on the performance in Portland on Saturday before previewing the derby against St Louis. Some things have improved, but others still need work.Music by The Spin Wires
Apparently the force was with Sporting Kansas City on Star Wars Day on Sunday as they needed to make some history to come home away with the 1-0 victory vs the Galaxy, doing so without registering a single shot in the game. While it wasn’t necessarily the kind of historical moment SKC fans were hoping to be attached to, 3pts is 3pts, and it took a very organized professional performance defensively to accomplish, led by both centerbacks Jansen Miller and Robi Voloder, as well as goalkeeper John Pulskamp.If anything can be said of the Kerry Zavagnin era so far in Kansas City, it is that he has certainly raised the floor of the performances of the team. Not once has the team ever felt out of a game, and the problematic mistakes that have been a bugaboo of the past seem to have been significantly reduced, if not outright eliminated. That said, I am not sure the ceiling has been raised a ton in the process. We’ll discuss what we see as potential next steps to build on this foundation that Kerry is putting in place, and what our hopes are for the continued progression of the team this season.Finally we will talk about the Current’s 2nd loss in a row, FIFA and CONCACAF’s latest cash grab play for a Club World Cup spot, and do a preview of a matchup that will seem pretty familiar as Sporting KC heads to Portland this weekend, given they just played each other here in Kansas City just a few weeks ago.
Sporting KC traveled to TQL stadium on Saturday and unfortunately were unable to come away with a result as Kevin Denkey scored two goals, one being an immediate goal of the year candidate meaning Zorhan Bassong’s first professional goal went wanting and Sporting KC took a 2-1 defeat.Kerry Zavagnin made some interesting tactical choices in this game, leaving FCC to attempt to dictate play much of the first half and limiting space for them to play into, before opening the game up a bit after halftime as the team started chasing goals. Either way, the execution of the plan in both halves was actually pretty competent, the scoreline notwithstanding.While the team did eliminate the big mistakes that have been a hallmark of this season, there were still plenty of areas for improvement, that said, they often appeared more to be limitations of the players themselves, rather than something coachable that can significantly improve over time. We’ll talk a bit about the project SKC has in front of them still from a roster building perspective, as well as the influence recruiting has on their ability to sign the players that can have the impact they need.Finally, we will preview SKC’s return home for Sunday Night Soccer at Children’s Mercy Park vs. the LA Galaxy. It seems quite appropriate that the Galaxy are coming to town on Star Wars Day.