Two big reasons Sporting KC is excited (REALLY excited) about the 2023 MLS season

Daniel Sperry
·3 min read

Alan Pulido sat at the podium for the first time since 2022 and was asked a simple question: “Do you expect to play in Kansas City next year?”

His answer came with a chuckle.

“Yes, Why not?” the Mexican national team star said. “I have a contract and I am very happy here in this group.”

Pulido and Kinda were the main attractions at Sporting KC’s Thursday morning media availability ahead of Sunday’s regular-season Major League Soccer finale at FC Dallas.

Regardless of how Sunday’s match (4 p.m. kickoff) plays out for Sporting, the club’s seven-game unbeaten streak — with just one loss in their past nine games — has hopes soaring for 2023.

A large part of those warm feelings lies in the pending return from injury of Kansas City’s two designated players.

As Kinda and Pulido discussed Thursday the similarities of their respective knee surgeries and recoveries, two things became apparent: the first was the difficulty they felt and experienced in sitting out an entire season.

“The hardest part was watching the team and not being able to be part of the team and to train and play with them,” Kinda said. “Mentally, it’s very hard. But I have all the help from the club and the people here.”

Pulido acknowledged similar struggles.

“I have a new perspective on myself and on several things,” he said. “It has been a good opportunity to weed out a lot of distractions. Not playing for a long time is difficult, and has been. But I’ve been able to come a long way and grow in ways I wouldn’t have been able to do without this injury and this process.”

While it’s certainly been beneficial to Sporting that summer international signings Erik Thommy and Willy Agada were so influential from the moment they stepped foot in KC, the qualities that Pulido and Kinda are poised to bring should push KC’s ceiling even higher next season.

Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes will no doubt exercise caution in re-integrating Pulido and Kinda to the mix when training camp opens. Vermes said Wednesday that what matters most is how their knees react to soccer activities come late-winter and spring.

“As they come into next year,” Vermes said, “the real key is when they start to train, the reaction, from the more and more pounding they have on the field, the reaction is positive.

“They’re progressing well in their rehab, but it all comes down to when you start to train week in and week out, how do they respond to that?”

Leagues Cup format unveiled

There was more news out of the Sporting KC camp Thursday: the format for the Leagues Cup featuring all MLS and Liga MX clubs was announced. The Leagues Cup is going to be a World Cup-style tournament, with a group stage and knockout round. Liga MX is Mexico’s top soccer division.

Both leagues will pause their respective competition when the tournament takes place from July 21-Aug. 19, 2023. While teams qualified for the previous two editions of the Leagues Cup based on where they finished in their respective standings (and whether or not they played in the CONCACAF Champions League), all teams will play Leagues Cup matches next year.

Sporting KC will be guaranteed one home match against a Liga MX opponent in its group.

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