OPINION: Cade Cowell – The Player that Sporting KC Needs

The following is a fan post, written by a reader of the KC Soccer Journal, D.D. Scroggins. The views and opinions that follow are his.

With news coming that Sporting Kansas City is close to signing a DP #10, you would expect fans to be able to take in a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that isn’t the soccer world that that we are living. While the potential signing of Manu Garcia provides relief, saying that SKC still needs players would be a drastic understatement as there are still eight other open roster spots.

Fans can debate the greatest remaining position of need but in everything that I have read or heard this offseason, there is one trait that I am concerned we will be in short supply of based on Sporting KC’s current roster that I don’t think has been focused on enough: physicality.

Last year, in Sporting KC’s first season without Roger Espinoza, his presence on the pitch was missed. Even as Roger neared retirement and his minutes were reduced, he was a player that would always give everything that he had while playing physical and fearless.

Johnny Russell embodied a lot of the same traits but last year he was on an island as this type of player, and when he was out, physicality was missing all together. Enter Cade Cowell. The first time that I saw Cowell play it was like watching a linebacker play soccer. Perhaps it was because he was wearing #44 or because he literally ran through people to get the ball, but he played the game differently. He was fast, aggressive and there was no quit in him. Even though he was playing for the San Jose Earthquakes, I knew he was a player to watch, and he played with a passion that made him easy to root for.

Last year he was purchased from San Jose by Liga MX giant Chivas de Guadalajara.

After adjusting to life in Mexico, Cade took off at Chivas. In July, Cowell was named the Liga MX Player of the Month and was on a roll until returning from a September callup with the USMNT. He picked up a muscle injury that kept him out until Mid-October. Cade finished the Liga MX Apertura season, which runs from July to December, with five goals and two assists in 14 games. Cowell can play as a winger on either side or as a striker so below is a comparison between Cade, Johnny Russell and Brandon Vazquez, another player who went to Liga MX at the same time as Cowell and just returned to MLS with Austin FC.

Other stats (from the 24’ Apertura season for Cowell and Vazquez and from the 24’ season for Russell)

These stats show that Cowell, despite playing fewer games due to injury, was more productive and effective than both Russell and Vazquez in addition to the physicality and speed that he brings to the table.

At this point, you might be asking yourself a few questions.

1. How could SKC manage to convince Chivas to let Cade Cowell leave?

Cade was a regular for Chivas, but they went through a Coaching change. In early December, Oscar Garcia was hired to coach Chivas and replace Fernando Gago. Chivas has played two games in the Clausura season, which runs from January to May. In the first game, on January 11^th, Cade came on in the 63^rdminute and in the second game on January 17th he was an unused sub. This gives the appearance that he may not be in Garcia’s plans. Additionally, Chivas caught a lot of flack from their fans when they first brought in Cowell, who was the first US international to play for Chivas, so they may be willing to let him go.

2. For SKC to get Cowell, would he have to be a DP?

No. While it seems like Cade has been around forever, and he had over 100 appearances with San Jose before going to Chivas, he just turned 21 in October. Cade was also listed as #13 in Ryan O’Hanior’s ESPN Article “Ranking 2025’s top 15 USMNT prospects.” That means that he can be a U22 Initiative player for Sporting KC.

The chance for SKC to bring in a USMNT player who is experienced but still young, harbors several of the traits that the team needs, can play all of the forward positions and only count as a U22 seems like an opportunity Sporting can’t afford to pass up. This is one fan hoping that SKC can get this done.