** 2023 Sporting Kansas City Thread **
 

Schedule has been released. The St. Louis team is now in the league and we play them 3 times. Lots of attacking power on this team with Agada, Russell, Salloi, and hopefully a healthy Pulido and Kinda.

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...Zg&oe=63A9E363

Players In

M - Nemanja Radoja (10/26/22 - free transfer)
D - Graham Zusi (12/2/22 - free agent)
D - Andreu Fontas (12/2/22 - free agent)
M - Roger Espinoza (12/2/22 - free agent)
F - Stephen Afrifa (12/21/22 - draft)
D - Chris Rindov (12/21/22 - draft)

Players out

D - Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (11/15/22 - option declined)
D - Kaveh Rad (11/15/22 - option declined)


https://i.ibb.co/JyNQgxJ/sched.jpg

Massive hill to climb in modern MLS for anyone who comes out of the draft to stick but if you are on the team you have a shot.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With the eighth pick in the <a href="https://twitter.com/MLS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperDraft</a> 2023, presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/adidasfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adidasfootball</a>, Sporting Kansas City select Stephen Afrifa from FIU. <a href="https://t.co/0A8IyVtPwW">pic.twitter.com/0A8IyVtPwW</a></p>&mdash; Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportingKC/status/1605700100260511745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With the 37th pick, Sporting Kansas City select defender Chris Rindov from Maryland.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SportingKC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SportingKC</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperDraft</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/adidasfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adidasfootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/geBUKRBbgJ">pic.twitter.com/geBUKRBbgJ</a></p>&mdash; Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportingKC/status/1605730306069336066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Let’s do a #roadron fellas

MLS needs to get to a spot where they cap the amount of teams in the league and create a balanced schedule. There is no reason to be playing teams 3 times when there are teams you don’t even play once. It’s a joke. That and the designated player rule need to be fixed if the MLS wants to have long term growth and success.

On one hand I get it but on the other hand the lectures to MLS about growth and success...do they really need to hear them?

MLS has grown leaps and bounds by every metric possible. There has not a single facet that is not better than it was 3 years 5 years 10 years ago.

How does the designated player rule need to be fixed it does what they have wanted it to do. In addition to that every single year they change and tweak has competitive conditions and market conditions change to manage this growth.

The ghosts of the NASL still roam the halls of MLS we are not going to just freely open up all teams to spend whatever they want all the time

I need to have a good sit down with the schedule and figure something out.

Unfortunately it’s a double edged sword as an SKC fan because we are one of the teams that would refuse to spend big if they did eliminate the DP rule. I do think that we are getting to a point in American soccer with the growth and expansion of the MLS and USL that the best path for both leagues would be a merger with promotion and relegation between all leagues and teams. At that point MLS has to completely do away with the salary cap DP nonsense and it must be on your owners to keep up with the rest of the league or get relegated out of it. If there are ever dreams of actually growing past the point they are now it’s really the only way. We have transitioned from buying washed up stars to growing some home grown talent that continues to bring in more and more transfer fee money to the league. If they have dreams of ever becoming bigger than they currently are then the only obvious choice is to open up the checkbooks and get some of those stars before they’re out of their prime.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Multiple <a href="https://twitter.com/MLS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLS</a> teams inquired about Ronaldo and his future but 1 team was already at the table: <a href="https://twitter.com/SportingKC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SportingKC</a> <br>Their offer was so compelling that Ronaldo’s team had multiple meetings w/SKC before taking the Saudi deal. The package (wages/commercial) was said to be “very close”. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLS</a></p>&mdash; Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorTwellman/status/1608988566537015297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources can confirm: Sporting KC were the MLS team that came closest to signing Cristiano Ronaldo. Talks ongoing for weeks, it was a real possibility.<br><br>Package was very good. Plans were being made to make it happen. SKC had his &quot;discovery rights&quot; (i.e. path to sign him). Wild. <a href="https://t.co/MIXxIEPHHY">https://t.co/MIXxIEPHHY</a> <a href="https://t.co/On4bRwasdo">pic.twitter.com/On4bRwasdo</a></p>&mdash; Tom Bogert (@tombogert) <a href="https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1608990540410023937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SKC had plans set for all the smaller details how a potential Ronaldo arrival would change things. Ownership involved in talks and others. Patrick Mahomes an example of a superstar in a &quot;small market&quot; which Ronaldo&#39;s camp liked.<br><br>Ronaldo officially signed in Saudi Arabia today. <a href="https://t.co/eISas41Zm3">pic.twitter.com/eISas41Zm3</a></p>&mdash; Tom Bogert (@tombogert) <a href="https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1608992340609478658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I just saw that post from Taylor Twellman retweeted by Rob Heineman. That would have been one of the craziest stories in KC sports history.

ROFL oh cmon like that would have happened

Thankfully that deal fell through. The circus that would have created for the half season we would have gotten out of him would have not been worth it. No way is Ronaldo mentally strong enough to survive the travel and physicality of the MLS. He made the right decision collecting that last big paycheck and fading into obscurity.

This is hard to believe. How much money could SKC realistically offer him? Plus, he would hate playing in flyover country. He's too much of a celebrity.

Owners are billionaires with B. *shrug*

And so we shift our focus to Messi.

“Leo, we set you up with a reservation at Salty Iguana after you sign your contract.”

You’re talking about the Saudi ownership right? I don’t know if I’d consider our ownership group billionaires with a capital B if that’s what you are trying to say. The Patterson family and Cliff Illig are the only real billionaires, but they definitely aren’t anywhere close to being billionaires with a capital B. The team has definitely tightened the wallets since Patterson’s death so it’s definitely not familiar territory to be involved in any major bidding wars. Hopefully it’s a sign that they are more willing to spend big in the transfer market windows now that they are seeing other teams have more and more success with big money acquisitions.