2012 Sporting Kansas City season

Sporting Kansas City

2012 season
Owner	Sporting Club
Head Coach	Peter Vermes
Stadium	Livestrong Sporting Park
MLS	East: 1st Overall: 2nd
MLS Cup	Quarterfinals
U.S. Open Cup	Champions
Top goalscorer	League: Kei Kamara (11) All: Kei Kamara (12)
Highest home attendance	21,010 v Chicago Fire (September 28, 2012)
Lowest home attendance	15,161 v FC Dallas (March 25, 2012)
Average home league attendance	19,405
Home colors Away colors
← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 Sporting Kansas City season was the seventeenth season of the team's existence in Major League Soccer and the second year played under the Sporting Kansas City moniker.

Overview

Preseason

Late 2011

Preparations for the 2012 Major League Soccer season began only a day after the 2011 MLS Cup. On November 21, 2011, Ryan Smith was traded to Chivas USA for 1st and 3rd round draft picks in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.^[1] Later the same day, all MLS teams were required to submit a list of 11 protected players for the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft to be held for the newly formed Montreal Impact. The club chose to protect Davy Arnaud, Matt Besler, Teal Bunbury, Aurélien Collin, Roger Espinoza, Kei Kamara, Chance Myers, Jimmy Nielsen, Júlio César, C. J. Sapong, and Graham Zusi.

During the expansion draft on November 23, the Montreal Impact selected unprotected Sporting leftback Seth Sinovic.^[2] Later the same day, Sporting KC waived Scott Lorenz, Miloš Stojčev, Craig Rocastle, and Jéferson.^[3] The following Monday (November 28), Sporting traded team captain Davy Arnaud to the Montreal Impact for Sinovic and allocation money.^[4] The club also announced that starting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen signed a contract extension through the 2013 season, with an option for the 2014 season.^[5] On November 29, Sporting KC acquired Paulo Nagamura from Chivas USA for the 1st round supplemental draft pick that was part of the November 21 Ryan Smith trade.^[6]

In December, Sporting traded an international roster slot to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for two-time MLS All-Star and World Cup veteran winger Bobby Convey.^[7] Later in December, Sporting and Mexican club Cruz Azul agreed to a deal that would see Omar Bravo return to his home country.^[8]

Early 2012

Sporting Kansas City resumed its off-season transactions at the 2012 MLS SuperDraft and 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft. Generation adidas forward Dom Dwyer of South Florida was selected 16th overall in the SuperDraft, and he was joined by defender Cyprian Hedrick of Coastal Carolina in the second round. Between the two drafts, Sporting acquired the rights to local product Michael Thomas from the Earthquakes in exchange for a fourth-round supplemental pick. Thomas officially signed on January 18. On January 17, Sporting selected Shawn Singh, Pablo Punyed, Stefan Antonijevic, and Kyle Miller in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.^[9] On January 19, yet another trade with the Earthquakes saw the acquisition of forward Jacob Peterson.^[10] On February 22, defender Daneil Cyrus was waived.^[11]

Squad

First team roster

As of December 12, 2012.^[12]

No.	Position	Player	Nation
1	Goalkeeper	Nielsen, JimmyJimmy Nielsen (Captain)	Denmark
2	Defender	Harrington, MichaelMichael Harrington	United States
3	Defender	Aiyegbusi, KoredeKorede Aiyegbusi	England
4	Defender	Ellis, KevinKevin Ellis (HGP)	United States
5	Defender	Besler, MattMatt Besler	United States
6	Midfielder	Nagamura, PauloPaulo Nagamura	Brazil
7	Defender	Myers, ChanceChance Myers	United States
8	Midfielder	Zusi, GrahamGraham Zusi	United States
9	Forward	Bunbury, TealTeal Bunbury	United States
11	Midfielder	Convey, BobbyBobby Convey	United States
12	Midfielder	Warzycha, KonradKonrad Warzycha	Poland
13	Midfielder	Olum, LawrenceLawrence Olum	Kenya
14	Forward	Dwyer, DomDom Dwyer (GA)	England
15	Midfielder	Espinoza, RogerRoger Espinoza	Honduras
16	Defender	Sinovic, SethSeth Sinovic	United States
17	Forward	Sapong, C. J.C. J. Sapong	United States
18	Goalkeeper	Kronberg, EricEric Kronberg	United States
19	Midfielder	Joseph, PetersonPeterson Joseph	Haiti
20	Midfielder	Rosell, OriolOriol Rosell	Spain
21	Goalkeeper	Kempin, JonJon Kempin (HGP)	United States
22	Forward	Saad, SoonySoony Saad	United States
23	Forward	Kamara, KeiKei Kamara	Sierra Leone
24	Defender	Hedrick, CyprianCyprian Hedrick	Cameroon
25	Defender	Marković, NevenNeven Marković	Bosnia and Herzegovina
27	Defender	Miller, KyleKyle Miller	United States
28	Goalkeeper	Avengine, ScottScott Avengine	United States
37	Midfielder	Peterson, JacobJacob Peterson	United States
55	Defender	César, JúlioJúlio César	Brazil
78	Defender	Collin, AurélienAurélien Collin	France
88	Midfielder	Thomas, MichaelMichael Thomas	United States

Formation

Player movement

In

Date	Player	Position	Previous Club	Fee/Notes	Ref
November 28, 2011	Seth Sinovic	DF	Montreal Impact	Acquired with allocation money for Davy Arnaud	[4]
November 29, 2011	Paulo Nagamura	MF	Chivas USA	Acquired for a first-round 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft pick	[6]
December 2, 2011	Bobby Convey	MF	San Jose Earthquakes	Acquired for a 2012 international roster slot	[13]
January 12, 2012	Dom Dwyer	FW	University of South Florida	Superdraft, 1st Round	[14]
January 18, 2012	Michael Thomas	MF	Ljungskile SK	Signed after MLS rights acquired from San Jose Earthquakes for a fourth-round 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft pick	[15]
January 20, 2012	Jacob Peterson	FW	San Jose Earthquakes	Free	[16]
February 21, 2012	Cyprian Hedrick	DF	Coastal Carolina University	Superdraft, 2nd Round	[17]
March 19, 2012	Shawn Singh	DF	UCLA	Supplemental Draft, 1st Round	[18]
May 30, 2012	Kyle Miller	DF	Rockhurst University	Supplemental Draft, 3rd Round	[19]
July 6, 2012	Neven Marković	DF	Doxa Drama F.C.	Undisclosed	[20]
July 24, 2012	Scott Angevine	GK	Coastal Carolina University	Free	[21]
August 2, 2012	Oriol Rosell	MF	Barcelona B	Undisclosed	[22]

Out

Date	Player	Position	Destination Club	Fee/Notes	Ref
November 21, 2011	Ryan Smith	MF	Chivas USA	Trade	[1]
November 23, 2011	Seth Sinovic	DF	Montreal Impact	Expansion Draft	[2]
November 23, 2011	Scott Lorenz	DF	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	Waived	[3]
November 23, 2011	Jéferson	MF	Esporte Clube Bahia	Waived	[3]
November 23, 2011	Craig Rocastle	MF	Thrasyvoulos F.C.	Waived	[3]
November 23, 2011	Miloš Stojčev	DF	FC Akzhayik	Waived	[3]
November 28, 2011	Davy Arnaud	MF	Montreal Impact	Trade	[4]
December 12, 2011	Omar Bravo	FW	Cruz Azul	Free	[23]
February 22, 2012	Daneil Cyrus	DF	W Connection	Wavied	[24]
March 26, 2012	Birahim Diop	FW	None	Waived	[25]
June 29, 2012	Luke Sassano	MF	Carolina RailHawks	Waived	[26]
July 6, 2012	Shawn Singh	DF	None	Waived	[20]

Loans

In

Date	Player	Position	Loaned From	Fee/Notes	Ref

Out

Date	Player	Position	Loaned To	Fee/Notes	Ref
August 28, 2012	Konrad Warzycha	MF	Carolina RailHawks	Recalled back to Sporting KC on September 12, 2012[27]	[28]

Major League Soccer

League table

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	San Jose Earthquakes !San Jose Earthquakes (SS)	66	34	19	6	9	72	43	+29	2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League 1
2	Sporting Kansas City !Sporting Kansas City	63	34	18	7	9	42	27	+15
3	D.C. United !D.C. United	58	34	17	10	7	53	43	+10
4	New York Red Bulls !New York Red Bulls	57	34	16	9	9	57	46	+11
5	Real Salt Lake !Real Salt Lake	57	34	17	11	6	46	35	+11
6	Chicago Fire !Chicago Fire	57	34	17	11	6	46	41	+5
7	Seattle Sounders FC !Seattle Sounders FC	56	34	15	8	11	51	33	+18
8	LA Galaxy !LA Galaxy	54	34	16	12	6	59	47	+12	2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League 1
9	Houston Dynamo !Houston Dynamo	53	34	14	9	11	48	41	+7
10	Columbus Crew !Columbus Crew	52	34	15	12	7	44	44	0
11	Vancouver Whitecaps FC !Vancouver Whitecaps FC	43	34	11	13	10	35	41	−6
12	Montreal Impact !Montreal Impact	42	34	12	16	6	45	51	−6
13	FC Dallas !FC Dallas	39	34	9	13	12	42	47	−5
14	Colorado Rapids !Colorado Rapids	37	34	11	19	4	44	50	−6
15	Philadelphia Union !Philadelphia Union	36	34	10	18	6	37	45	−8
16	New England Revolution !New England Revolution	35	34	9	17	8	39	44	−5
17	Portland Timbers !Portland Timbers	34	34	8	16	10	34	56	−22
18	Chivas USA !Chivas USA	30	34	7	18	9	24	58	−34
19	Toronto FC !Toronto FC	23	34	5	21	8	36	62	−26	2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League 2

Updated to matches played on October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner

¹The highest ranked U.S.-based MLS club qualifies to the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (placed in Pot A). The other U.S. representatives in the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League are:

• Winner of the 2012 MLS Cup (Pot A)
• Runner-up of the 2012 MLS Cup (Pot B)
• Winner of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (Pot B)

²Toronto FC qualified for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the 2012 Canadian Championship.

Eastern Conference standings

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	Sporting Kansas City !Sporting Kansas City (E1)	63	34	18	7	9	42	27	+15	2012 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2	D.C. United !D.C. United	58	34	17	10	7	53	43	+10
3	New York Red Bulls !New York Red Bulls	57	34	16	9	9	57	46	+11
4	Chicago Fire !Chicago Fire	57	34	17	11	6	46	41	+5	2012 MLS Cup Knockout Round
5	Houston Dynamo !Houston Dynamo	53	34	14	9	11	48	41	+7
6	Columbus Crew !Columbus Crew	52	34	15	12	7	44	44	0
7	Montreal Impact !Montreal Impact	42	34	12	16	6	45	51	−6
8	Philadelphia Union !Philadelphia Union	36	34	10	18	6	37	45	−8
9	New England Revolution !New England Revolution	35	34	9	17	8	39	44	−5
10	Toronto FC !Toronto FC	23	34	5	21	8	36	62	−26

Updated to matches played on 18:04 EDT October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(E1) = Eastern Conference champion

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
34	63	18	7	9	42	27	+15	10	3	4	22	12	+10	8	4	5	20	15	+5

Last updated: October 25, 2012
Source: MLSSoccer.com
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Match results

  Win   Tie   Loss

Preseason

2012 Disney Pro Soccer Classic

Exhibition Matches

Regular Season

MLS Cup Playoffs

Houston Dynamo won 2 – 1 on aggregate

U.S. Open Cup

Friendly Matches

Recognition

AT&T Goal of the Week

Week	Player
Week 12	C. J. Sapong
Weeks 13-15	Júlio César

MLS Save of the Week

Week	Player
Week 7	Jimmy Nielsen
Weeks 13-15	Jimmy Nielsen
Week 18	Jimmy Nielsen
Week 19	Jimmy Nielsen
Week 31	Jimmy Nielsen
Week 32	Jimmy Nielsen

MLS All-Stars 2012

Position	Player	Note
DF	Aurélien Collin	First XI
GK	Jimmy Nielsen	First XI
MF	Graham Zusi	First XI

2012 Team Awards

Player(s)	Award [29]
Jimmy Nielsen Graham Zusi	Sporting Kansas City 2012 Most Valuable Players
Kei Kamara	Sporting Kansas City 2012 Offensive Player of the Year
Matt Besler	Sporting Kansas City 2012 Defensive Player of the Year
Kei Kamara	Sporting Kansas City 2012 Humanitarian of the Year
Paul Dean	2012 Bob Gansler Award (Most Outstanding Academy Player)
Kei Kamara	Sporting Kansas City 2012 Budweiser Golden Boot

Miscellany

Allocation ranking

Sporting Kansas City is in the #14 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club’s ranking.^[30]

International roster slots

Sporting Kansas City has 7 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots. Sporting Kansas City traded one slot to San Jose Earthquakes for the 2012 season only.

Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: * 2013 MLS SuperDraft Round 2 pick acquired from New York Red Bulls.
Future picks traded: None.

MLS rights to other players

It is believed that Sporting maintains the MLS rights to Herculez Gomez after the player declined a contract offer by the club and instead signed with a non-MLS side on a free transfer.

Notes