Could Sporting Kansas City be a darkhorse to win the MLS is Back Tournament at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida?
Taking a cursory look at the way Sporting's first two matches of 2020 unfolded, intuition says Sporting would more likely be deemed a favorite than a darkhorse. After all, Manager Peter Vermes' men sit atop the way-early Supporters' Shield standings with six points from two games, having outscored Vancouver and Houston by a combined 7-1 scoreline.
However, MLSsoccer.com has taken a different approach to identifying favorites and darkhorses. On Tuesday, Greg Seltzer identified six clubs he thinks are best equipped to win the MLS is Back Tournament. Today, Kansas native and MLSsoccer.com senior host Andrew Wiebe tabbed four under-the-radar teams that missed the playoffs in 2019 but could make a championship run next month in Orlando.
Of Sporting Kansas City, Wiebe writes:
"Losing Felipe Gutierrez to knee surgery is a big blow, but there’s plenty of quality to step into the Chilean’s stead. Alan Pulido was supposed to the final piece, and he may well be full of goals given his season-opening form. Between Johnny Russell, Gerso Fernandes, Gadi Kinda, Khiry Shelton and Daniel Salloi, there are chance creators and goal scorers on the wing, too.
"Want to win this thing? You gotta get goals from more than one source. Sporting have plenty of sources, even without Gutierrez. Plus, they’ve got a massive chip on their shoulder from 2019. Perhaps most importantly, I trust Peter Vermes to suss out every possible scenario and potential advantage."
To read Wiebe's full article on MLSsoccer.com, click here.
