During the week leading up to Sporting Kansas City's season opener on Saturday at D.C. United, SportingKC.com will visit five prominent storylines heading into the club's 2017 campaign. The Countdown to MLS will run Monday through Friday, serving as a comprehensive preview of the year ahead.
Sporting Kansas City's spine has been strengthened.
A busy offseason saw Manager Peter Vermes restructure his roster in all areas of the field. The squad is younger and faster, for sure, but perhaps nowhere on the field is the team's depth more prevalent than in defense.
Thanks to a slew of new arrivals over the past few months, competition runs deep at all four spots along the back line plus the defensive midfield position.
Sporting Kansas City's trophy-laden run from 2012-2013 was characterized by stability in the defensive half. Whether that stability returns in 2017 remains to be seen, but Vermes will be happy to have a wealth of options as he settles on a rotation in the coming weeks.
Right Back
Gone is Chance Myers, who was the club's longest-tenured player until his January departure. Entering the fray are Brazilian loanee Igor Juliao and SuperDraft selection Colton Storm. The starting spot, however, is likely a battle between incumbent starter Saad Abdul-Salaam and Graham Zusi, whose transition to right back has been well-documented since he started there for the United States in a pair of January Camp friendlies.
Should alternatives in this part of the field suddenly dissipate for Vermes, Kevin Ellis began his professional career as a right back and is more than capable of manning the spot.
Center Back
Ike Opara logged a career-high 25 MLS appearances last season — his first campaign unencumbered by significant injury since 2013. Matt Besler, meanwhile, saved his best soccer for the end of the year, delivering a string of strong performances during the month of October.
But the picture in central defense becomes all the more intriguing with the return of Homegrown product Erik Palmer-Brown. EPB excelled during his year-long loan with FC Porto B and is currently captaining the United States at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. His return to Sporting KC gives Vermes another bonafide option to partner with Besler, who has occupied the left side of central defense for most of the last eight years.
Again, one would be remiss to forget Ellis as a candidate for playing time at center back. The Homegrown player broke out in 2014 and had an even bigger year in 2015 as the leading goal scorer among MLS defenders.
Left Back
Jimmy Medranda was a revelation when Vermes deployed him as a left back for the majority of 2016. His trickery and technical ability make him an ideal wingback in the 4-3-3 setup. But as Sporting KC made its playoff push last October, Vermes opted for reliable veteran Seth Sinovic, who has amassed more than 150 appearances for the club. If preseason lineups give any indication, this might be Sinovic's spot to lose, as Medranda logged every minute of Tucson playing time as a midfielder.
The left back discussion doesn't end there. Tyler Pasher starred for the Swope Park Rangers last season, earning himself an MLS contract this time around. The 22-year-old brings pace and a penchant for playmaking, as evidenced by his preseason assist to Amer Didic on Feb. 15.
Defensive Midfield
Soni Mustivar has manned the No. 6 role for Sporting Kansas City for most of the last two years. But with the arrival of Spaniard Ilie Sanchez — who inherited the No. 6 jersey from the retired Paulo Nagamura — Vermes has a decision to make. Sanchez (first name pronouncedILL-ee-uh) played more than 100 games for FC Barcelona B as a product of the club's famed La Masia Academy, and his pedigree suggests he has arrived in Kansas City with every intention of starting.
