Sporting KC & Orlando City Player Loan Update
Since the last blog about Sporting Kansas City and the Orlando City SC player loan, Sporting KC has signed two new players. Defender Mechack Jerome and Midfielder Christian Duke were added before the season started. Here is a quick look at both players as far as a loan to Orlando City.
Mechack Jerome - Mechack has been in the game day 18 for the 1st game of the season for Sporting Kansas City and made an appearance as a sub for Myers. With that evidence and the fact that I highly doubt that Sporting KC would sign a player just to loan him back from where he came from.
Christian Duke – Christian was drafted as a supplementary draft pick after spending time with Sporting Kansas City academy. Has not appeared for Sporting KC on the first team yet in his young career. Would not be shocked at all if he does in face go on a loan to Orlando City.
With the two additional players and seeing the game day 18 for two games it is a bit easier to have an idea on who will be going to Orlando City on the season loan. I fully expect to see Dom Dwyer, Kevin Ellis, Kyle Miller and Yann Songo’o be the four players to go on loan. Could see Mikey Lopez but with his Generation Adidas contract that would surprise me.
Sporting KC and Orlando City Players Loan
When the announcement came out a month ago, January 23rd, about the agreement between MLS and USL Pro a lot of talk has come about what that meant for MLS teams. Sporting KC announced an affiliation with Orlando City SC later the same day and with that comes four players that will be on loan from Sporting to Orlando City for the season. The preseason began on February 9th with the regular season for Orlando City begins on April 7th the regular season ending August 17th then they have playoffs after that. Any players then that go out on loan would probably be around the middle of March and them come home anywhere from middle of August to beginning of September if the schedule holds like last year.
The topic of what players are loaned with being discussed between both teams and this is done with no insider information. I have went through the roster of Sporting and come up with 18 players that I see as having no chance of going out on the loan. These players are Jimmy Nielsen, Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Seth Sinovic, Lawrence Olum, Josh Gardner, Graham Zusi, Peterson Joseph, Paulo Nagamura, Oriol Rosell, Benny Feihaber, Teal Bunbury, C.J. Sapong, Bobby Convey, Jacob Peterson, and Claudio Bieler. All of these have the potential to start or be a key sub. That leaves Jon Kempin, Kevin Ellis, Ike Opara, Yann Songo’o, Michael Thomas, Kyle Miller, Mikey Lopez, Soony Saad, and Dom Dwyer as the four players that could go on loan. Here is a short look at all the players.
Jon Kempin – Jon played in one first team game, verses couincely Orlando City SC in the US Open Cup, he also did play in some reserve league games this year and the past. I can see him being loaned if the OCSC goalie is not back but if goalie is back then there is no reason to loan him out to sit on the bench.
Kevin Ellis – Kevin seems to be the primary back up to Myers on the right hand side unless Peter Vermes deems that Josh Gardner can cover Right Back also.
Ike Opara – Ike played in half of the MLS regular season with San Jose. Would seem to be the four ranked, fighting with Lawrence Olum third rank position, Center Back on the team and with Matt Besler getting United States Men National Team looks I would be surprised to see him go on loan.
Yann Songo’o – Yann is a new player to the team and MLS. With him being young, not a whole lot of experience and at a deep position on the team in Center Back, he would be a player that the loan could be good for.
Michael Thomas – Michael is one of the easier players to predict on where he will end up , the fact that he played some in the first team and would the sixth Midfielder on the team should help him. He could benefit from playing more but with Zusi and possibly Feihaber playing some USMNT this year is more likely to stay.
Kyle Miller – Kyle made no first team appearances and while having some time in reserve league and the two friendly’s he would be a good choice to send to Orlando City if Sporting feels that he can make a difference in a few years.
Mikey Lopez – Mike is a hard choice to be made, could he grow by going on loan absolutely but being a Generation Adidas player his contract doesn’t count against the salary cap. I can see this going either way and depending on what other players are going who knows where he will end up.
Soony Saad – Sonny is a player that I almost had on the safe list but one that I would be shock to see go on loan. He played in a few games with the first team and with Kamara leaving I don’t see him leaving.
Dom Dwyer – Dom was denied a loan to St. Mirren of the Scottish Premier League. At the time was the partnership between MLS and USL known by Sporting? Possibly, which may be the reason why the loan was denied. Even with Kei Kamara on loan for the first of the year and maybe the whole season, Teal Bunbury hurt until the summer time, I still think Dom Dwyer will end up being one of the players on loan to Orlando City.
After looking at each player listed above and also taking into account the USMNT games through the World Cup Qualifies and Gold Cup and first team schedule with League, Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League, Sporting only having four players on loan instead of a full reserve league schedule is a good thing. When both teams get together it will be interesting to see what they both need and who they want to send down to further develop and help Orlando City. Unless there are some incoming players through Free Agency or Supplemental Draft pick signing, i.e Christian Duke, with this roster I think Yann Songo’o and Dom Dwyer are locks to head down to Orlando City. The next most likely player to be heading south to me is Kyle Miller he is the odd man out with Mikey Lopez in the Midfield some due to Mikey Lopez’s contract as a GA and his ability to play in more of the attacking role. The last player could be a couple different players but if Orlando City is interested I think Sporting would like to send Jon Kempin to get some playing time if Orlando City is not full at goal keeper if not Jon Kempin then Mikey Lopez would be the logical choice.
Q & A with Craig Rocastle
I was recently able to exchange e-mail with Craig Rocastle and ask him some questions regarding his past and future. I want to first thank Mr. Rocastle for taking the time to answer the questions and be willing to in the first place. As you know Mr. Rocastle was with Sporting KC be being let go, returned to Greece and now has come back to play with the Missouri Comets. I for one can’t wait to see him play this year and hope that what you read brings a little insight to who he is.
(Q) You were just in Kansas City a short time yet you decided to return here after the year in Greece is there any particular reason or just something about the city hit you the short time you were here?
(R) Coming to Kansas City in 2010 my plan was to be here for a long time and despite my injury in the Gold Cup June 2011 which ended my 2nd season with Sporting KC I still considered Kansas City as home. I met my girlfriend here and we've just had a baby girl May 2012. I did return to my former Greek team in January 2012 for their 2nd half the season to play games and get my form back after the surgery.
(Q) From what I have been able to research of your career this is your first time that you will be playing indoor soccer are there part that you are looking forward to and also part you are not looking forward to?
(R) As explained to a lot of people soccer outside the United States is really the number 1 sport so growing up you play it every day, everywhere possible. So yes I’ve never played indoor as a profession but it is something I’m very comfortable doing. The Missouri Comets is a great organization, who have treated me so well and I’m hoping to repay it back with success.
(Q) If the chance came up would you like to return to a team that plays outdoors?
(R) I had options but I needed to make the best option for my family and this deal after 3 months of thought made the most sense for all parties involved. Being a parent you have to provide stability and there is a lot of places I would not want my child to grow up in and there are also places where my girlfriend could not continue her career in. We are all very happy with the decision made it is a new beginning.
(Q) As you climb in years above 30 and your career start to wind down is there one last football goal you haven't reached yet that you can see you accomplishing?
(R) There is nothing I have not done in my career so far that I did not dream about doing. I am grateful for what I have achieved and I'm sure I'll continue to achieve more because I'm healthy and still have the hunger. I have just started my coaching session’s #FocusOnTheGain which is doing well so far and I hope to expand this into a small academy in the near future.
(Q) After your playing career is coaching what you envision and want to do and would you focus more on academy age groups or do you want to get in a professional level?
(R) Both! Right now I'm coaching all ages on a 1 on 1 basis and also coaching a U9 team at Topeka Select 'Comets' and I really enjoy it. I've been approached to do a lot more now I've decided to stay in Kansas and I'm exciting about building my academy in the near future.
As for the professional side of things I'm building my coaching portfolio and getting the necessary qualifications to be certified so if an opportunity at a professional level is there I'll be ready to accept.
MISL Comets Playoffs
Today MISL announced the Central Division Finals schedule for the Missouri Comets and Milwaukee Wave. The first leg will be hosted by the Comets on March 9th at 7:35 p.m. CT while the second leg will be hosted by the Wave on March 11th at 3 p.m. CT. Now while it probably will not matter the third leg (mini-game) will be also hosted by the Wave immediately following the second leg. I have a few questions as to why this has already been announced when the Division winner has not yet been decided.
For the Comets to win the division they would have to win out and the Wave would have to lose out. The Wave has three games remaining, first the Syracuse Silver Knights on Wednesday then two games in Independence versus the Comets. The Comets only have the two games against the Wave left. So it may seem a bit like a long shot but stranger things have happened in the world of sports.
Since the host has already been decided will it take the competitive nature out of the final two games? I am not saying that the Comets will not play hard in front of their fans but they don’t have anything to play for. The prize for winning a division has already been taken from them. (I have not found anything about a trophy but please correct me if I am wrong.) The Comets are coming into the home stretch injured after missing three players before the last game started and losing two players during the games.
On February 12th on twitter the Comets announced that they would host a playoff games on March 9th. Now was this because the thought of winning the division was possible but not likely or was it because they had already come to the agreement with hosting what game. With the Independence Event Center schedule then it would not be surprising in this. There is a high school playoff basketball game on the 10th and a Missouri Maverick ice hockey game on the 11th. If they played the game on the 10th then they could probably fit it in but if they did that would they also play the 9th in Milwaukee or would it make more sense to move that game up to the 8th. That would not fit in the MISL playoff game dates.
In the end it is what it is. We can’t determine what the MISL does for the schedule. I don’t think that in the end it will matter where the games are played. You have to play at each arena once. The only thing that will matter is if you have the play the third mini-game. We will certainly know more next weekend after both games and then get to watch the playoffs unfold.
Sporting KC Jersey Sponsor Idea
There has been a lot of talk lately about Sporting KC getting a jersey sponsor for this coming year. With the Chicago Fire announcing the sponsor ship from Quaker Oats for reportedly approximately $2.5 million per year for three years talk have again rising about the state of Sporting KC’s jersey sponsor. A lot of the fans would love to see a local business be able to be on the front of the jersey. While I also would like to see this happen the list of companies that can afford this amount of money to be placed into their advertising budget shrinks that list significantly. That being said I have a suggestion for people that want a jersey sponsor but also want it to be a local business.
Breaking down the Chicago Fire’s deal it is approximately $75,000 per league game. Now if you add in that there will be at least one US Open Cup game then that number drops to just above $71,000 per game. The deal is for the year not for just game-by-game bases so the better that they do the more games you will play and the more the sponsor will be seen. This would drop the game cost average but that is unknown at this time. If the Chicago Fire were able to win the US Open Cup, 5 games, and the MLS playoffs, 6 games, then the cost per game would be approximately $55,500.
Taking this average of cost from the Chicago Fire deal and making it a round number of say $75,000 per league game could Sporting KC then find multiple sponsor that would be willing to buy the league games? You can divide of the number of league games however you want and create packages for the sponsors to buy. This would make it more feasible to the jersey sponsor to remain local. Can a local company like Boulevard Beer afford to sponsor say a 4 game package compared to a 34 game package?
Now this does not take into account the US Open Cup games, any friendlies, and MLS playoffs. I imagine that you could come up with sponsors just for those select times. Create a US Open Cup package and an MLS playoffs package. The sponsor could just pay for the games played but knowing the max amount that it could cost if the team went to the final and agree to pay that amount. This way the team is not left without a sponsor in the final, or scrambling to find one at the last minute.
I, like a lot of people, would like to see local business like Boulevard Beer, Hallmark, AMC Entertainment, and Cerner, just to name a few be on the front of the jersey. These are businesses that perhaps do not want to or are not able to spend the $2.5 million per year that Quaker Oats just did but could sponsor 4 games at $300 thousand. This is all just a thought of how to keep the sponsor local while getting a sponsor in the first place. I am sure the Sporting KC is working on this and knows better than me how to complete a jersey sponsorship.
CCL Changes
CONCACAF announced yesterday changes to the way the Champions League will be run starting next year. They have done away with a round and added every team to group stage. The teams will be divided into eight groups of three. While this may not seem like huge news to everyone I feel these changes certainly affect each country differently and the two biggest beneficiaries are the United States and Mexico.
The reason that clubs from the United States and Mexico benefit so much is that the earliest they can meet is the quarterfinal round. Now this is not to be taken as that it is impossible for teams from outside these two countries to qualify for the quarterfinals but I think any US club that does not have to play in Mexico would have a better chance. There seems to be a mental block on US clubs, at least until recently, that travel to Mexico. They just can’t seem to win versus these clubs.
This is obviously a ways off, first game is during week of July 31, so there will be time to look at the exact teams and see which has the best chance. But I think that all of the US teams have a better chance to make it to the quarterfinals next year then they did this year. Now does this mean that a US team can finally win the league? Well the more teams that you have in the knockout stage the better chance you have.
This should be a fun league to watch and fun trips for all the clubs that participate. I can’t wait until Sporting KC makes it to the CCL and we can start talking about trips to Caribbean and Central America.
Q & A with Andrew Wiebe
I was recently able to send a few questions to Andrew Wiebe (Twitter: @AndrewWiebe_MLS ), Sporting KC beat writer and New Media Editor at www.mlssoccer.com, about the length of MLS season compared to the English Premier League mainly but the rest of FIFA also. Andrew was nice enough to take the time to answer them and get back to me. If you want to frame of reference or more discussion on the topics please take a look at my other two posts on www.fromthelandofoz.com.
Q: Do you feel that the MLS hurts its talent and competitiveness by having such a long break from the end of one season to the beginning of the next?
A: It's been said plenty already, but the point bears repeating: Major League Soccer's footprint isn't all that much different from the English Premier League, the standard bearer when comparing our league to the rest of the world. I know Jurgen Klinsmann gave this talking point some serious momentum with his comments following the 2011 season, but I don't buy it for the most part. And that's not me simply sticking to the company line.
Comparing the 2012 MLS season to the current EPL campaign makes my point for me. Premier League fixtures start and end on the 13th of August and May this season, meaning there are almost exactly three full months of offseason to work with in the English top flight. Obviously, the MLS postseason skews things a little bit on our side of the Atlantic, but since more than half the league participates, it isn't quite as drastic as people would like to believe.
In 2012, MLS will play from March 10 to December 1 (not including CONCACAF Champions League). That means nearly nine months of play. Sure, it’s slightly less than the EPL (by just 10 days), but that makes sense because MLS plays four fewer regular-season games per team – essentially a month of action. Preseason starts in mid-January, so we are talking about around two months off and as little as a month or so in select cases. Plus, most teams continue training for a few weeks after their season ends, whittling that down time even further.
So is it valuable for rising stars, players with high ceilings and whoever else can find an opportunity to train or go on loan abroad during their down time? Sure. But that was happening long before Klinsmann took possession of US soccer’s top job. It's just been publicized heavily since he made his opinion known, and his connections (and desire to see national team hopefuls train abroad) have opened doors to players who may have taken the time to rest and recharge during previous offseasons. For me, this is an argument born of the idea that Europe does it right and MLS does it wrong without really examining the nitty-gritty details. It just doesn't hold much water in my opinion.
Q: In your opinion what is the coldest temperature that competitive soccer can be played in without hurting the attendance figures clubs can draw to their matches?
A: Certainly, a huge part of the puzzle regarding playing games in the dead of winter is the game itself. You can't play with snow/ice on the field or on top of a frozen pitch. Along those lines, it is nearly impossible to maintain some stadiums and fields during the winter months as well, especially if you are expecting to play top-level soccer in those facilities (see BMO Field).
Realistically speaking, though, this is about the fans and whether they are willing to brave the conditions on a regular basis. Who is heading out to a January/February game in 80 percent of the league's markets? Not many people, that's who. How many owners want to put on a game without any butts in the seats? They don’t exist.
While the quality of the games and facilities would be a huge concern in the winter months, the real issue here is attendance. There just isn’t a compelling argument that I’ve heard to play into December, January and February, especially since the offseason isn’t as long as some would like to believe.
Q: In your opinion would setting up a winter league in Arizona and/or Florida help a player that are not able to secure training stints or loans to Europe?
A: I'll go back to the first question on this one. If players want offseason training opportunities, they can find them with the help of their agents and clubs. And if they don't go that route, it isn't as if they are sitting at home on a fast-food diet, burping and scratching themselves all winter.
These guys are professional athletes for a reason; they are motivated, driven to succeed and dedicated to their occupation. I think a winter league is just over thinking things. Who runs it? How do you determine who plays? Can you actually get enough guys to make it viable? More importantly, do the clubs actually want their players in an environment they can't directly control?
Probably even more importantly, what is the cost/benefit ratio of funding such a venture when players have plenty of (better) alternatives at their disposal?