Sporting KC’s 2011 MLS Cup Hopes
With former great Peter Vermes at the helm Sporting Kansas City hopes to make a deep run to the MLS Cup this year, after falling short of a playoff berth last year. They are in an Eastern Conference where just about anything can happen, so if everything goes right their chances are just as good as any other team’s of playing for an MLS Championship.
Sporting Kansas City has what could potentially be a lethal trio up top. Youngster C.J. Sapong and Teal Bunbury will combine with veteran Omar Bravo on a forward line that may be capable of scoring a lot of goal throughout the season. Vermes’ style is meant to pressure and create opportunities, which they have a great chance of doing with the youth and enthusiasm of Sapong and Bunbury mixed with the experience and leadership of Bravo. Senegalese veteran Birahim Diop and Kei Kamara from Sierra Leone also add great talent to the forward line, giving Kansas City a diverse array of options to attack and score goals with. It’s a group that should keep opposing goalkeepers sweating all game long, and give Sporting KC an opportunity to score their way to a lot of victories this year. However, the question marks start after that.
The midfield, defense, and goalkeeper positions may not be able to hold off teams enough to get wins. The exciting, pressure and attack oriented style that Vermes will employ will leave the team vulnerable to counter attacks, which will force them to be up to the challenge of stopping other teams heading into their zone with a full head of steam. If the defense, led by Brazilian Julio Cesar, can not slow teams down, then the pressure will truly be on the talented group of forwards to score goals and win high-scoring shootouts.
Either way, Sporting Kansas City should be one of the more exciting teams to watch during this MLS season, and after a lot of disappointment a year ago, they may be able to surprise people this year, not only getting into the playoffs, but scoring their way to a shot at the MLS championship.
A wild card for Sporting KC this season that deserves some attention could be NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson) who will be trying out for the team, and is serious about playing professional soccer, which he says he preferred to playing professional football growing up. With his incredible athleticism, his attempt to play soccer and contribute to Sporting KC should not be dismissed.
