Football Season Review

It was another season of hard work for Sporting Kansas City who just about managed to hold on to their place in the top six of the Western Conference standings but once again stumbled at the first hurdle in the post season. Kansas were determined to improve on a below-par 2015 campaign that saw them finish sixth in the Western Conference but went into the season without Krisztian Nemeth who had impressed in the previous campaign but was transferred out in the off-season. Coach Peter Vermes did try to improve the depth by bringing in Justin Mapp, Lawrence Olum, Brad Davis, Nuno Andre Coelho and Diego Rubio but none of the new signings were able to impress and the Kansas coach had to rely on his older players with Dom Dwyer once again leading the scoring charts with 16 goals while the midfield triumvirate of Sony Mustivar, Benny Feilhaber and Roger Espinoza were at their efficient best. It was in the center of the defense that Vermes experienced the problems with Nuno Coelho, Olum, Kevin Ellis and Ike Opara not doing enough to hold on to their place for a consistent period. The one bright spark for Vermes proved to be Jimmy Medranda's form as the 22-year old first impressed in the midfield before going on to make the left back position his own following a number of eye catching displays. An excellent start of four wins from opening five games raised hopes of a successful season for Kansas but, barring a brief return to form midway through the campaign, they struggled for consistency for large portions of the season though they did manage to improve on their previous campaign by finishing fifth in the Western Conference only to once again drop out in the knockout round itself after losing out to eventual MLS Cup winners Seattle Sounders. With Brad Davis and Paulo Nagamura retiring and Justin Mapp released, Vermes once again faces a rebuilding job while a backup for Dwyer and a reliable option up front to partner Dwyer and Graham Zusi will be key to Kansas' fortunes next season.

Player of the Season: Benny Feilhaber