Sporting Kansas City has officially entered the bubble for the MLS is Back tournament taking place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, FL.
After what manager Peter Vermes described as a smooth travel day on Sunday, July 5th during his Monday morning press conference, he shared that all COVID tests administered to players, coaches and staff upon their arrival came back negative this morning (Monday, July 6th).
The team traveled at mostly full strength, with only two players on Sporting’s roster left behind due to injury: midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and center back Andreu Fontas.
Gutierrez, who had been sidelined since preseason and missed both regular-season games at the start of the 2020 season, underwent successful knee surgery in early June to repair a cartilage defect in his knee, which is expected to keep him out for 7-9 months — ending his season.
Fontas, according to Vermes, is still recovering from a recurring Achilles injury that required an “insertional Achilles tendon clean up and repair” in early October of 2019. The successful procedure was expected to keep him out for 4-5 weeks, per the team’s official report.
Despite the absence of both Gutierrez and Fontas, Vermes has confidence in the depth of his roster, noting that he thinks his squad is in a good sport to restart the season and every player they brought is available to be on the roster right now.
For more on Sporting and the MLS is Back tournament, watch manager Peter Vermes’ Zoom press conference from Monday morning (July 6th) here: