Peter Vermes enters Saturday’s home opener against FC Dallas with essentially the same squad to choose from that took part in the season opener last Saturday in D.C.
Diego Rubio remains out as he continues his rehabilitation from a torn ACL that he suffered toward the tail end of last season, while fellow forward Cameron Iwasa is listed as “questionable” for the second straight week with a niggling hamstring strain.
The sole newcomer on the Sporting KC injury report is Erik Palmer-Brown, who returned from international duty with the U.S. Under-20 National Team carrying an ankle sprain, sustained in the CONCACAF Championship final on Sunday, where the U.S. emerged victorious and Palmer-Brown earned Golden Ball honors as the best player in the tournament.
FC Dallas is missing several key contributors from their astounding 2016 season where the side won both the Supporters’ Shield and the U.S. Open Cup. Playmaker Mauro Diaz remains sidelined with a torn Achilles tendon, while Homegrown midfielder Victor Ulloa is out after sustaining a sports hernia. In addition, Young Designated Player Anibal Chala also has a sports hernia and Ryan Hollingshead is recuperating from a fractured neck vertebra suffered after being struck by a car in January.
Kickoff on Saturday is set for 8 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City and the FOX Sports GO app, while fans can listen to live coverage in English on ESPN 99.3 FM and in Spanish on La Grande 1340 AM.
