Jacob Peterson on SKC player acquisition and new funds

Jacob Peterson joins the Shades of Blue show and gives us great insight into Sporting KC’s scouting and player acquisition with a new influx of funds.

Many fans will remember Jake as the one with all the answers on the field. But Peterson has been working in the scouting department for SKC for several years now. Recently, things have changed around that office.

The new owner, Peter Mallouk, has been quite vocal about his intent to get Sporting KC back to the top of MLS. He’s talking a big game when it comes to spending money. But it’s not just talk. He’s already backed it up with Andre Luiz, the biggest transfer in club history.

As Peterson explains, there was an obvious shift in the kind of player the club is targeting.

“We were scouting a certain player pool and it was between these financial parameters. Now, all these players are almost irrelevant to us. Now, we have to start to look at a whole new group.”

Music to the ears of SKC fans.

But a big question that fans have always had about this team is figuring out how to convince international talent to come to the middle of the country. How do you make a person choose Kansas City over California and New York?

Much of that is on David Lee. He must sell the players on himself, in addition to the city.

Peterson tells us that Lee had Andre Luiz on his list going back to his time with NYCFC. It was a longtime coming and they were very keen on him.

We also get some insight into how exactly how the club does the “selling”. The World Cup obviously provided tons of material and a great boost. Jake says they’ve even used clips of Harry Kane gushing over KC.

That part will always be a challenge, of course. But times have changed for Jacob Peterson and player acquisition at Sporting KC. Hopefully, it’s the beginning of a new era.

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