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Sporting KC Fall 2-0 in Preseason Clash with Chicago

We’ve got the lineups, who is missing with injury updates and the highlights (for Chicago fans) of the game.

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2 weeks ago

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Credit: Thad Bell

Sporting Kansas City returned to preseason action on Saturday in Miami, Florida. After a disappointing 1-0 loss to FIU last weekend, the team was looking to bounce back, but this time against MLS competition. The Chicago Fire were up next, led by new coach Gregg Berhalter, off the backs of a 1-0 loss to Fortaleza FC out of Brazil last week.

It would be Chicago who would get the better of their second preseason game. The teams played a full 90 with Chicago scoring a goal in each half to win 2-0.

As with last week’s preseason game, it’s hard to take much away from a game no one watched. Instead, let’s stick to the facts of what we know for sure. The media did get a chance to talk to Manager Peter Vermes after the game and our Managing Editor, Thad Bell, asked him about the game.

“I actually thought the game for both teams wasn’t the greatest of games,” started Vermes. He continued by saying, “with the ball, we struggled a little bit with keeping the ball and getting out of the back.”

He ended with, “the effort and intensity of the group have been pretty good so far.” When the KC Star’s Daniel Sperry asked about the mentality of the team, Vermes said, “the approach to preseason, the effort in training, the effort in the game, it’s been good. Look, we have a young group at the moment and there are a lot of different concepts and different ideas they are trying to take in. But it’s not for a lack of effort. That parts been above average.”

The Lineups

Sporting KC rolled out a similar lineup to the ‘starters’ from last week against FIU but with two changes. Memo Rodriguez came into the midfielder for Zorhan Bassong and Jan Jurcec, who is on trial with the team, started at right back over Khiry Shelton. It’s hard to read too much into “starters” since Nemanja Radoja and Daniel Salloi were with the second team and have been consistent starters in years past.

Vermes on Jan Jurcec: "Very interesting player. Good instincts in the game. Great energy. He's been good." #SportingKC

— Chad Smith (@chadcsmith.bsky.social) 2025-01-25T19:05:59.369Z

In the 31st minute, a pre-planned sub was made to remove Memo and bring on SKC II’s Cielo Tschantret for the last 15 of the half.

The second 45 saw a full change of the lineup with many of the same guys who played second last week with a couple noticeable changes. The aforementioned Shelton and Bassong were with this group and Salloi returned from sitting out the first game.

This was a marked change from last week for a team that was loaded with players not signed to first team contracts. Only Johann Ortiz (SKC Academy), Sebastian Cruz (former SKC II) and Jansen Miller (1st round pick) are not on first team deals.

In what appeared to be another pre-planned sub, Salloi came off in the 77th minute and was replaced by SKC Academy defender Leo Christiano. It’s unclear if Christiano, who primarily played CB for SKC II last year, played on the wing or if the lineup was shuffled around.

Other than that, everyone was pretty much where we’d expect to see them. Erik Thommy was once again on the wing and the KC Soccer Journal got a chance to ask him about it. There was some hesitancy in his voice about playing on the right wing but even PR announced him as a forward when they introduced him on the call to the media.

“I can play almost every position up front, even if it’s as a winger or a midfielder,” said Thommy. “Umm, obviously everyone knows I feel more comfortable on the left side whatever it is. But [inaudible] we need to try things out. Wherever the coach plans me to play, I’m always there and will give 100 percent. We will see, we have a long season ahead of us… if the winger position is the right position for me in that formation, I can totally accept it.”

It feels like his move out of the midfield is in anticipation that the eventual DP #10 signing will force that to happen. Rumored signing Manu Garcia seems a better fit for a chance creating #10.

Who Didn’t Play?

The list of missing players got a little shorter on Saturday. It was down to just William Agada, Dany Rosero and Ryan Schewe of the players on first team contracts. We know from last week that Schewe was in concussion protocol. Last week everything else was labeled as minor which lined up with Salloi and Rodriguez returning.

Peter Vermes gave confirmation they are still just being cautious with Rosero as he returns from his surgery that ended 2024 a little early. As for Agada, he is dealing with a rib injury that’s going to keep him out of the first phase of preseason, so he’ll miss the midweek game against Charlotte FC as well. Vermes indicated the goal is to have him available for the Coachella Valley Invitational for phase two of preseason in Southern, California.

Check out the full preseason schedule with just four friendlies to go before CONCACAF Champions Cup kicks off on February 18th.

The Game

While the game was behind closed doors, the Chicago Fire did put out video of their two goals scored. One goal was scored against the first half lineup by Philip Zinckernagel, a new Targeted Allocation Money signing for the Fire.

And the other was scored against the second half lineup. That goal was scored by Homegrown Sergio Oregel Jr. Both goals were assisted by Jonathan Dean.

From the “highlights” it’s hard to tell what happened on either goal. You can’t tell what led to the chances as the video picks up deep in Kansas City territory. On the first goal you can see a player trying to shield Dean who gets a leg around them and pokes the ball into the attacker. A couple slick touches later and the ball is blasted by Robi Voloder and John Pulskamp. Perhaps the shielding player is the trialist, Jurcec.

On the second goal you can see even less when Dean crosses the ball to an open Oregel who blasts it home.

As with all games you can’t watch, it’s hard to take much away. We won’t have to wait as long for the third preseason game as Sporting KC will finish up their Florida phase of preseason on Wednesday, January 29th with a 10:00 AM CST game against fellow MLS club Charlotte FC.

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I've been covering Kansas City soccer since 2014, including Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, SKC II and more. I'm based out of Kansas City, MO, but got my start covering SKC while writing from Phoenix, AZ.

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