Running throughout the season on Sports Radio 810 WHB, the Sporting Kansas City Show is available on several podcast hubs including Spotify and iTunes as well as SportingKC.com/SportingKCShow. With Nate Bukaty, Carter Augustine and Aly Trost hosting the weekly program, Sporting fans have a place to go to catch up on club storylines, guest interviews and more.
The last 14 months for Sporting Kansas City defender Andreu Fontas have been anything but easy.
First came the season-ending Achilles injury, which ruled him out for the final two months of the 2019 campaign and carried well into 2020. Then came the countless concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly the health of his family and his wife, who was pregnant with their second child. Then came a quad ailment, which prevented him from joining Sporting in Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament.
With November just around the corner, however, Fontas has overcome these adverse circumstances and finds himself in the midst of a feel-good turnaround story.
The 30-year-old Spaniard made his first professional appearance on Oct. 14, going the full 90 minutes in a narrow 1-0 loss at FC Dallas, before opening his MLS scoring account in Saturday’s rampant 4-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids at Children’s Mercy Park.
Reflecting on his goal during Tuesday’s episode of the Sporting Kansas City Show, Fontas said the joy and emotion he felt on Saturday was amplified by the fact that he had overcome so much earlier this year.
“I think my face reflects exactly how I was feeling after this long road I’ve been through,” said Fontas, who was all smiles when he slotted home in the 67th minute of Saturday’s contest. “All of this time I had away from some of the things I love the most—spending time with teammates, playing soccer and enjoying the game. Now it feels like all of that is over finally. I am back on the field again. It was an amazing sensation.
“We’ve been through a very difficult time as a team, but how we played on Saturday—it was an amazing game. We didn’t concede any chances and we’re first place in the West.”
Fontas, who developed in FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and boasts nearly a decade of professional experience in Spain, joined Sporting at the end of the 2018 campaign. His 2019 season was cut short due to injury, and only two weeks ago did he make his return to the pitch after weathering the wild storm of 2020.
“Imagine having a two-year-old kid and a pregnant wife at the start of the pandemic,” Fontas said. “We were extremely careful because we didn’t know exactly what could happen. It wasn’t just the surgery I had in my Achilles. After that, not being able to train with a therapist during the pandemic was difficult. It’s been crazy, but I think we’ve done the best that we could.”
Despite not playing an MLS match for over a year, Fontas has been able to log 90-minute outings in each of his two appearances back with the team. His performance against Colorado was especially impressive, as he became the first MLS player since the dawn of the Opta era in 2010 to record a goal, two clearances, two interceptions, two tackles, 10 recoveries, 65 successful passes and a shutout win.
“It’s been so hard, but once the team came back from Orlando, I was ready to train. I’ve been working a lot and for the last few weeks, I’ve felt ready. I’ve been training a long time with the group.
“In my mind and in my head, I know I am ready. I can play 90 minutes. I’m back and I’m ready for everything.”
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Bonus podcast content is available above as the Kansas City Star’s Shaun Goodwin chats with SportsBeat KC host Blair Kerkhoff about Sporting standout Alan Pulido, who has made quite the positive impact since joining on a club-record transfer fee from Chivas de Guadalajara last December.
Sporting can punch their ticket to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a win or a draw tonight when the club visits FC Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
