Podcasts
Sporting KC lack effort and belief
The players were lacking effort and belief in the latest ugly loss. Has Sporting KC given up?
The newest episode of Shades of Blue is out now and the show has a question we truly didn’t ever expect to ask of Sporting KC. Has the team given up?
Hanging heads and faces-in-hands are to be expected during a tough season like this. But fans need to know the players on the field have a belief they can win. The fans need to see this in the way their team plays the game. Or why else should they be there?
In Sporting KC’s 4-0 loss to the Columbus Crew, that effort and belief were missing. The third goal of the night – before the Crew were even done yet – was the toughest moment to watch for SKC fans.
Sliced straight through them 🔪#Crew96 ✘ @Chris_Ramirez17 pic.twitter.com/wkmw6mvklS
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) June 23, 2024
“Sliced right through them,” is one thing. But the really troubling part is that the Sporting KC defense gave up on the play. Pulskamp made an initial save, but only Christian Ramirez was there to clean it up. Khiry Shelton and Andreu Fontas were barely jogging. Dany Rosero came to a complete stop and isn’t even in the camera frame. Robert Voloder kept running, but even he only mustered a half-hearted attempt at a block.
However, one highlight doesn’t mean the entire team has given up. Sporting KC clawed back and were a post away from earning a point against RSL last week. But their demeanor during the loss in Columbus is worrying for the matches to come.
This week’s episode covers the entire weekend of incredible soccer including US Men’s National Team’s win over Bolivia in the Copa America, the KC Current 4-1 win over Portland, Kei Kamara, and Landon Donovan’s hair.
Plus, Josh Wallace joins the show!
Please subscribe, rate, & review the KC Soccer Journal feed wherever you get your podcasts! Feel free to yell at Cody @ThatCodyTho, Thad @TheBackpost, and Robert @SpKCLife.
SPOTIFYÂ |Â APPLE
Who should Sporting KC select in the 2026 MLS Draft? Part Two
Current Sign All-American Suliafu
Who should Sporting KC select in the 2026 MLS Draft? Part One
Juice Boxes and Post Game Stats: Another Split Weekend for KC
Salloi Provides Peek Behind the Scenes in Sporting KC Offseason Vlog
Official: Sporting KC Trade for Goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland from Austin FC
The Insane Ticket Costs of the World Cup in Kansas City
What are Sporting KC’s Biggest Areas of Opportunity from Last Season?
No More Children’s Mercy Park, New Kit Release Date and Sporting KC Preseason
I enjoyed have Josh on!
I agree that data should be driving decisions and problems and that selling at value versus having players worth selling at value are two very distinct problems.
The game was so, so bad. A while ago I wanted someone to just have enough passion to fight for a win. I thought I saw that with Johnny, then it faded again into… well, this.
The locker room is lost. Maybe Bliss being let go will spark something? But I doubt it. I wish more players were fighting for future contracts here or elsewhere. That’s the part that I don’t get.
I’ve only made it part way through the podcast so maybe this is talked about, but the Vermes conversation with Soren Petro is really interesting this week. It addresses the trade market Josh brought up. It also is really instructive about the budget. And maybe I’m reading into Vermes’ words but it certainly sounds like there is some significant tension between Vermes and ownership regarding how to invest in rebuilding.
I mean, the ownership have highlighted the next three windows as key, and Vermes is saying he’s not sure what he can spend in the window that opens in a couple weeks. Petro did a great job of getting Vermes to open up just slightly for some reading between the lines.
https://omny.fm/shows/the-program/h3-peter-vermes
Agreed it is good to have Josh on. I enjoy the regulars, but just like with Sporting, different voices and viewpoints are good as well.
There should be more discussion about the poor utilization of cap space. Cody highlighted how top heavy our roster is without production from those players and I think that’s a big part of why we keep saying we just don’t have high enough skill. If you take a second to look at the MLSPA salary guide and look at the players that make around the same as ours and in the same positions, it’s pretty telling how far below our players are. We have a bad tendency of overpaying players which then makes it more difficult for us to sign new or returning players to reasonable contracts because why would you settle for less when you see what some guys are paid? And I’m not just talking about Khiry here, there are multiple players that make way too much for what they put on the field. I think that would be something interesting to delve into on the next pod.