FC Kansas City turned a second place finish in the regular season into a championship win in 2014. The Blues remain mostly in tact heading into this season, but with international duty pulling away some key pieces, will FCKC still be the team to beat?
Head Coach: Vlatko Andonovski, third season.
Where we left off: With a 12-7-5 record, a second place finish and a championship trophy. FC Kansas City played second fiddle to flashy league leaders Seattle all season, but in the title game, it was the Blues that came away on top.
Staying home: While it's still possible we could see Nicole Barnhart in the red, white and blue again, the long time USWNT keeper seems to have fallen out of favor with Jill Ellis. Ellis has opted to bring Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher into the last few camps as backups to Hope Solo, leaving Barnhart with plenty of time to backstop FCKC full-time. That's good news for the Blues in a season where they'll be doing the revolving door thing pretty much everywhere else on the field.
Shallow: FCKC picked up defender Kate Deines from Seattle in a draft-day trade, only to have Deines announce her retirement a few months later without ever suiting up for the Blues. FCKC will also be without Nikki Phillips, who's pregnant, and Kassey Kallman, who was traded to Boston back in October. Lack of experience is hardly the Blues' problem defensively though, with Becky Sauerbrunn, Rebecca Moros, Leigh Ann Robinson and a healthy Amy LePeilbet all returning for 2015. FCKC's defensive troubles are in the depth department, where there just isn't much, even before you subtract Sauerbrunn and her international commitments.
Ill Communication: When Lauren Holiday and Erika Tymrak were on, you could still see it, that thing that made them one of the league's most dangerous attacking tandems in 2013. But it just wasn't the same; some of that new duo shine seemed to have worn off in year two. They showed flashes, sure, and Holiday did manage a nine-goal season in 2014, but the tandem never felt as unstoppable as they once had. Not that the Blues were sweating it much, what with Amy Rodriguez returning to the game after missing the 2013 season due to the birth of her first child, and promptly experiencing yet another career resurgence. Rodriguez's latest single finger salute to Tony DiCicco and whatever it was that went on in Boston way back when included 16 goals -- 13 in the regular season and three in the playoffs.
A-Rod, of course, will be back in KC, as will Tymrak and Holiday. And Sarah Hagen, Frances Silva and Liz Bogus. And all-underrated first-teamer Jen Buczkowski. The Blues also picked up forward Shea Groom and midfielder Kaysie Clark in the draft. And traded for Heather O'Reilly. And picked up former Washington Spirit player Yael Averbuch. Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA A-Rod, Lauren H and HAO will all miss time due to USWNT commitments though, and that's where KC could run into some trouble. The Blues netted 39 goals in the regular season in 2014, but 21 of those came from Rodriguez or Holiday.
In conclusion: FCKC hasn't changed much from the team that won the title a season ago, but with Holiday and Rodriguez set to miss some time, someone else is going to have to step up offensively if the Blues want a shot at repeating.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1y8iXor
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