2023 MLS Season Previews: Sporting Kansas City

This is one in a series of team previews preparing fans for the 2023 MLS season. Check out the full list; teams will be revealed in predicted order of finish from Feb. 10-24.

What Sporting KC did last year

It was a very strange year, and quite the anomaly for a team that customarily gets itself into the mix year after year. The team started 2-7-3 and despite some key midseason additions (we’ll explain those in a bit here), SKC still finished 12th place and managed to be a playoff race non-factor for the entirety of the season. Then, wildly, they inserted themselves into the chase for Cristiano Ronaldo, with the aging mega-star opting for Saudi riches over Midwestern charms in the end. 

Key additions

Defender Robert Castellanos (signing), defender Tim Leibold (free transfer), M - Danny Flores (waivers), midfielder Nemanja Radoja (free transfer)

Key departures

Defender Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (option declined), defender Kaveh Rad (option declined), midfielder Uri Rosell (waived)

Making the case for Sporting KC

First of all, going 12th place and being irrelevant is not the Peter Vermes way, and it’s unlikely that MLS has passed him by to this degree. A lot of SKC’s woes had to do with Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda coming back, and they’re coming back, adding to a good and talented group. Kortne Ford’s out with a long-term injury that will challenge their already-thin defensive corps, but the recent Robert Castellanos signing is meant to address that. While they’re not among the current MLS elite as constructed, they have a playoff race in them and could tap into their collective veteran know-how once they get there. 

Players to watch

William Agada came in midway through the season and impressed as a center forward — did some math in the next section to show y’all how much, while Erik Thommy also arrived as a summer signing and provided additional offensive punch. There are now more healthy players in to share minutes, but if those two players continue on from what they did in 2022, they’ll make SKC much better, and Agada could challenge for an All-Star roster spot. 

A nerdy tidbit

Agada scored eight goals and two assists in 918 MLS minutes in 2022. If that’s extrapolated out to a full season, that’s 26 goals and seven assists, which is breakaway Golden Boot territory. While Agada will be platooning with Pulido, having both of them as options will make the No. 9 spot quite productive for them. 

A fun tidbit

More of an “awwwwww, Midwesterners really are nice” tidbit here … the club gave out jerseys to students who were nice for a program called “Kindness in the Schools,” where the jerseys literally had “Kindness” on the back. 

See, Cristiano Ronaldo, you’re really missing out. 

Projected finish

6th in the West

Normally, this would be a kind of “meh” prediction for SKC fans, but after the walk through the wilderness that was 2022, I’m sure they’d take this.