Sporting Kansas City enters Week 3 of the Major League Soccer season looking for its first win. This week they have a new injury that could actually impact the starting lineup.
Sporting KC injury/availability updates
OUT – Logan Ndembe (ACL tear), Kyrie Shelton (ankle surgery)
Doubt – Remi Walter (ankle), Arenis Vargas (hamstring)
here it is #LAFC Please let me know if you are interested. I don't know who these people are so I need to educate myself. 😅
Lorenzo Delavalle – Knee (out)
Tomás Angel – Adductor (doubtful)#LAFCvSKC— Chad Smith (@PlayFor90) March 8, 2024
Johnny Russell is officially off the injury report for the first time this season. That makes sense considering he played the full 90 minutes against the Philadelphia Union last weekend.
New additions to the injury report include those that make sense and those that made the news this week. Arenis Vargas appears to have injured his hamstring during practice, while Remi Walter apparently injured himself during the match. Alejandro Bedoja would score the game's equalizer, but he delivered a harsh attack on Walter minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute.
I think it's definitely the sole of the plant's foot and the top of Bedoya's foot. It's not a stud. Yellow may be correct, but taking an empty leg is super dangerous. #SportingKC #SKCvPHI pic.twitter.com/aCSs5AYRgG
— Chad Smith (@PlayFor90) March 3, 2024
Amazingly, Walter played the rest of the game despite being down for a few minutes. He ran when he needed to, but limped off between plays and as soon as the game ended. After the match, several members of the media asked him for interviews, but were told that he would undergo long-term treatment. When you look at that tackle, there's no question why. Vermes opined Thursday that maybe it should be red.
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Starting eleven predictions
Let's talk about those injuries.
What happens if Walter can’t play?
Although he hasn't played all season, Felipe Hernandez appears to be Remy's primary backup. However, the only midfielder who has come off the bench so far is Memo Rodriguez, who feels more like a successor to Eric Tommie.
Even if Remi is out, I would like Hernandez to do all the ground covering in midfield. He works tirelessly and his game actually has a lot of similarities to Remi. And Felipe can play some very nice set-piece balls if given the opportunity.
Having said that, I still expect Walter to play in the middle of midfield. Daniel Sperry of the KC Star reported that Vermes thought Remy was likely to still play.
Vermes isn't too concerned about Remy's ankle. He said he needed about a day. There's a good chance I'll go this weekend.
Arenis Vargas also did not take part in training today. I have mild hamstring tightness.Vermes said he wouldn't play this weekend if he was listed as questionable.#SportingKC https://t.co/IQThPSJtgA
— Daniel Sperry (@sperrydaniel94) March 5, 2024
Whether Remi plays or not, check out the fun story I told about Remi at the beginning of the last For the Glory KC podcast.
Will Vargas be removed from the lineup?
Vargas, on the other hand, appears not to play, as highlighted in Sperry's tweet above. This frees up a spot on the 20-man game day roster. The player most likely to play that role may be Marinos Tsionis, who has not been on the bench yet this season. That said, Vermes can play on the wing in a pinch, but may decide to bring in a player like Kayden Pierre, who can also fill in at right-back (Jake Davis needs time off). (There is no indication that this is the case.)
If I had to guess, the players on the bench in this spot probably aren't looking at the field.
rest of lineup
We don't expect any changes to the lineup for the third consecutive week. However, there are some things I would like to see changed.
- Peter used all five of his subs against the Houston Dynamo in Week 1, but only used three of them against Philadelphia. He also came off the bench much later in Week 2. Maybe it's because he's playing better.
- If you bring Afrifa and Agada, it will take more than 10 minutes. Let's see if the tactics regarding subbing are similar to Week 1 or all the years we've known Vermes.
- If the team is leading like they were against Philadelphia, I don't mind a third center back coming in to close out the game. If Robert Castellanos had been in there, would he have headed out of that final corner? I think it's possible. He is very good in the air, even if he has holes in the rest of the game. It feels like a good strategy for him and Rosero to get the ball in the air if their team is leading in goals.
20 left: Palskamp, Rodriguez, Agada, Basson, Voloder, Castellanos, Tsionis, Africa, Hernandez.
Fan XI
Some observations from this week's poll:
- These GK votes are not added up. In any case, Pulskampf will rise and Melia will fall. Could Purskamp have prevented the two goals allowed? perhaps?
- CB votes are also not counted. Anyone want a formation with 2 GKs and 3 CBs? At least he has three CBs in a legal formation.
- Did Tsionis' mother vote for him on multiple candidates?
- Honestly, Pulido lost even more votes for center forward. Two weeks into the season, he still has a lot left to do.
Click here for the fan voting results. Starters are in italics. and everyone else who received about 5 percent of the vote.
goalkeeper: Melia (92.1%); Pulsukamp (10.5%)
Defender: Davis (100%), Rosselló (100%), Fontas (97.4%), Liebold (89.5%), Castellanos (7.9%), Basson (5.3%), Voloder (5.3%)
midfielder: Walter (100%), Tommy (97.4%), La Doja (94.7%)Tsionis (5.3%)
Winger: Russell (97.4%), Saroj (92.1%)Africa (7.9%), Tsionis (7.9%)
striker: Pulido (84.2%)Agada (18.4%), Saroj (5.3%)