2021 Sporting Kansas City season
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The 2021 Sporting Kansas City season was the twenty-sixth season of the team's existence in Major League Soccer and the eleventh year played under the Sporting Kansas City moniker. The season began on April 17.[1]
| 2021 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Owner | Sporting Club | ||
| Head coach | Peter Vermes | ||
| Stadium | Children's Mercy Park | ||
| MLS | Conference: 3rd Overall: 4th | ||
| Playoffs | Conference Semifinals | ||
| U.S. Open Cup | Canceled | ||
| Leagues Cup | Quarter-finals | ||
| Highest home attendance | League/All: 20,213 (6/26 v. LAFC) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | League/All: 16,888 (9/15 v. MIN) | ||
| Average home league attendance | League/All: 18,837 | ||
| Biggest win | SKC 4–0 MIN (9/15) | ||
| Biggest defeat | All: SKC 1–6 LEÓN (8/10, LC QF) League: LAFC 4–0 SKC (9/3) | ||
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Sporting KC players reported for a seven day quarantine period involving medical exams and testing on March 1. The team then trained for six weeks beginning on March 8 before the season started on April 17.[2] Sporting KC began a one week voluntary training on March 1 before heading to Arizona on March 7. The team then began preseason training and played 4 preseason matches on March 13, March 20, March 24 and April 3 before returning to Kansas City on April 3.[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad correct as of October 29, 2021.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | John Pulskamp | United States |
| 2 | DF | Jaylin Lindsey (HGP) | United States |
| 3 | DF | Andreu Fontas | Spain |
| 4 | DF | Roberto Punčec | Croatia |
| 5 | DF | Nicolas Isimat-Mirin | France[4] |
| 6 | MF | Ilie Sánchez | Spain |
| 7 | FW | Johnny Russell (DP) | Scotland |
| 8 | DF | Graham Zusi | United States |
| 9 | FW | Alan Pulido (DP) | Mexico |
| 11 | FW | Khiry Shelton | United States |
| 13 | DF | Amadou Dia | United States |
| 15 | MF | Roger Espinoza | Honduras |
| 16 | DF | Graham Smith | United States |
| 17 | MF | Gadi Kinda | Israel |
| 19 | MF | Grayson Barber (HGP) | United States |
| 20 | FW | Dániel Sallói (HGP) | Hungary |
| 21 | MF | Felipe Hernandez (HGP) | Colombia |
| 22 | GK | Kendall McIntosh | United States |
| 23 | FW | Tyler Freeman (HGP) | United States |
| 25 | FW | Ozzie Cisneros (HGP) | United States |
| 28 | DF | Cameron Duke (HGP) | United States |
| 29 | GK | Tim Melia | United States |
| 31 | GK | Brooks Thompson (HGP) | United States |
| 32 | MF | Jose Mauri | Italy |
| 36 | DF | Luís Martins | Portugal |
| 54 | MF | Remi Walter | France |
| 96 | FW | Wilson Harris (HGP) | United States |
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.
| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2020 | Wilson Harris | FW | Sporting Kansas City II | Homegrown Signing | [5] |
| December 17, 2020 | Kendall McIntosh | GK | New York Red Bulls | 2020 MLS Re-Entry Process Signing | [6] |
| December 22, 2020 | Remi Walter | MF | Yeni Malatyaspor | International Signing | [7] |
| January 20, 2021 | Grayson Barber | MF | Sporting Kansas City Academy | Homegrown Academy Signing | [8] |
| January 20, 2021 | Ozzie Cisneros | FW | Sporting Kansas City Academy | Homegrown Academy Signing | [8] |
| January 20, 2021 | Brooks Thompson | GK | Sporting Kansas City Academy | Homegrown Academy Signing | [8] |
| February 3, 2021 | Nicolas Isimat-Mirin | DF | Beşiktaş J.K. | International Signing | [4] |
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2020 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes.
| Round | Pick Number | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 23 | Matt Constant | DF | University of North Carolina |
| 3 | 23 | Jamil Roberts | FW | Marshall University |
| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Notes | Ref |
|---|
Kickoff times are in CDT (UTC-05) unless shown otherwise
Preseason schedule announced on March 1, 2021.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 51 | 35 | +16 | 61 | Qualification for the Playoffs Conference semifinals and CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 60 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League |
| 3 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 58 | Qualification for the Playoffs first round |
| 4 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 55 | |
| 5 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 49 |
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 51 | 35 | +16 | 61 | Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League[a] |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 60 | Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League[b] |
| 4 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 58 | |
| 5 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 55 | |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 |
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
Notes:
- ^ As 2021 MLS Western Conference regular season champions (USA3)
- ^ As highest-ranked U.S. based Division I club (based on 2021 MLS regular season record) not already qualified (USA4)[9]
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | W | D | L | W | L | W | W | W | D | L | W | W | W | D | W | L | W | D | W | D | D | D | L | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | W | L | L | L |
Source: [1]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Squad appearances and goals
- Last updated on September 23, 2020.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Major League Soccer | US Open Cup | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||||
| 22 | GK | USA | Kendall McIntosh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | GK | USA | John Pulskamp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 29 | GK | USA | Tim Melia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 31 | GK | USA | Brooks Thompson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Defenders | |||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | ESP | Andreu Fontas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | DF | CRO | Roberto Punčec | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | DF | FRA | Nicolas Isimat-Mirin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | DF | USA | Graham Zusi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | DF | USA | Amadou Dia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | DF | USA | Graham Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | DF | USA | Jaylin Lindsey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 36 | DF | POR | Luís Martins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | ESP | Ilie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | MF | USA | Gianluca Busio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | MF | HON | Roger Espinoza | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | MF | ISR | Gadi Kinda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | MF | USA | Grayson Barber | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | MF | COL | Felipe Hernandez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | MF | USA | Cameron Duke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 54 | MF | FRA | Remi Walter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Forwards | |||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | SCO | Johnny Russell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | MEX | Alan Pulido | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11 | FW | USA | Khiry Shelton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FW | HUN | Dániel Sallói | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | FW | USA | Tyler Freeman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | FW | USA | Ozzie Cisneros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 96 | FW | USA | Wilson Harris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Players who have made an appearance or had a squad number this season but have left the club | |||||||||||||
- 0+1 means player did came on as a sub once. 1+1 means player started once and came on as a sub once.
- ^ MLS Digital Staff (February 10, 2021). "MLS 2021 regular season to start on April 17". Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ MLS Communications (February 13, 2021). "Major League Soccer Preseason Schedule Update Feb. 13, 2021". Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Kovzan, Sam (March 1, 2021). "Sporting KC kick off 2021 preseason, presented by Children's Mercy". Sporting KC.
- ^ a b Kovzan, Sam (February 3, 2021). "Sporting KC signs 29-year-old French center back Nicolas Isimat-Mirin". Sportingkc.com.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (October 21, 2020). "Sporting KC signs 20-year-old forward Wilson Harris as a Homegrown Player". Sporting KC.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (December 17, 2020). "Sporting KC selects 26-year-old goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh in Stage 1 of MLS Re-Entry Process". Sporting KC.
- ^ Kovzan, Sam (December 22, 2020). "Sporting KC signs 25-year-old central midfielder Remi Walter". Sporting KC.
- ^ a b c Kovzan, Sam (January 20, 2021). "Sporting KC signs Academy products Grayson Barber, Ozzie Cisneros and Brooks Thompson as Homegrown Players". Sportingkc.com.
- ^ "Procedure Set to Determine Final U.S. Representative in 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League". United States Soccer Federation. September 14, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.