When they loaned four players to USL Pro affiliate Orlando City FC, Sporting Kansas City's expected them to compete right away for starting spots.
All four are not only starting, but playing key roles – and manager Peter Vermes is already considering which of his other players might be heading to Florida.
“The guys are doing great,” Vermes said after Sporting's training session on Monday. “They're doing a good job with the team. They seem to be happy, and the club seems to be happy with them. So far, the experiment is doing really well.”
Dom Dwyer has scored twice in Orlando City's first three matches. Goalkeeper Jon Kempin and defender Yann Songo'o have played every minute, with Kempin recording one clean sheet and a 1.00 goals-against average in three matches, and midfielder Christian Duke has three starts.
With Sporting idle over the weekend, Vermes was able to attend some of Orlando City's training sessions the Lions' home opener, a 3-1 victory over the Rochester Rhinos in which Dwyer scored his second goal of the year.
“I watched them train for two days,” he said. "They looked really good."
Sporting's affiliation agreement, signed in the offseason as part of a pilot partnership between MLS and USL Pro, requires a minimum of four players to be loaned this season. Vermes has said he might send more, and said on Monday that he and Lions manager Adrian Heath spent part of the weekend discussing candidates.
“I had some talks with them about a few players,” Vermes said. “We don't know what's going to happen. They're considering it as well. They're very interested. It's just a matter of positions, things like that, but we're looking at giving some other guys opportunities.”
Any further loans might be on a more short-term basis, he added.
“It might be maybe a game here or there,” he said. “Not all the time.”
