Football Season Review

Sporting Kansas City endured one of their worst campaigns in recent history, failing to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2010 while also ending the season with their second worst points haul in 17 years. With just three wins from their opening 15 games, Kansas were once again off to a poor start thanks to a porous defense. Though they were finding the back of the net with some regularity, lack of cleansheets was proving to be costly as Kansas found themselves at the lower end of the Conference standings by mid-way through the season. A brief return to form with three straight wins in August raised hopes of a turnaround in the second half of the campaign but a return of just one point from their final six games meant that Kansas finished well short of the playoffs spots in the Western Conference. Kansas ended the season with their worst defensive record in their history, conceding 67 goals, and clearly felt the absence of Ike Opara who was traded to Minnesota United. None of the new arrivals managed to cement their place in the starting lineup while loss of form among some of the regular players meant Kansas struggled to get going right from the start. Peter Vermes has stayed on as the coach for the next season but will need to freshen up his roster, especially at the back, if Kansas are to bounce back in a positive fashion.

Player of the Season: Felipe Gutiérrez