A familiar voice echoed throughout Sporting Park Saturday moments before Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders FC kicked off an all-important Western Conference clash. It was Uri Rosell’s as he shouted the words he’d heard so many times before: I believe that we will win.
Rosell, who returned to Kansas City after his club season with Sporting Clube de Portugal, was a prominent fixture for Sporting KC at defensive midfielder. In three seasons, Rosell helped lead Sporting KC to a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title and an MLS Cup, starting 39 games while logging over 3,400 minutes.
His absence left a noticeable hole in the midfield last season, as Sporting KC struggled to maintain form after his departure in June. However, this season, one player has started filling Rosell’s shoes, and it’s beginning to pay dividends for Sporting KC.
That player is Soni Mustivar.
“I think he’s kind of an unsung hero,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said after Saturday’s 1-0 win. “In the last like five games, I think four of them he’s covered the most ground of any player on the field for both teams.
“He definitely puts the work in. He’s a good front screen for the backline. He’s got a great timing for tackles and his conscience on the field is getting better and better each game, because he has to sort of be the balance guy. It’s one thing to have incredible work ethic, it’s another thing to have a soccer IQ for the team over the course of the game that’s getting better and better.”
Mustivar put in another superb performance Saturday. He was second among all starters with 93-percent passing accuracy and third in successful passes, completing 50 out of 54 attempts. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder also won four of his five duels and made five recoveries in the club’s third straight shutout.
“Game after game, I feel better on the field,” Mustivar said. “I find my teammates easier. I just try to do my best on the field. It’s all about effort, and when I come out on the field, I give everything.”
Sporting KC is unbeaten in Mustivar’s 10 appearances this season (6-0-4), including a 4-0-2 mark in six-straight starts with a 0.50 goals against average to boot. His 85 percent passing accuracy mark this season leads the team, which is two points behind Western Conference leaders Seattle and Vancouver.
“We have a number of different guys who can fill that role, but right now Soni is playing very well,” Sporting KC captain Matt Besler said. “For me, it’s a really important position on the team. The way that we want to play, the way we want to build out of the back, there needs to be a guy who wants the ball and runs a lot.
“Soni’s been doing a very good job of picking up second balls. Like Peter said, he’s been our screen. It allows me and Kevin (Ellis) to be more aggressive if someone is in front of us, him playing like that.”
Mustivar signed with Sporting KC on Feb. 12 after a three-year stint in Romania with Petrolul Ploiesti. There, he made 61 appearances with two goals, earning a call-up to the Haiti Men’s National Team in 2013. Mustivar has made six total appearances for Haiti and is a likely candidate to represent the country once the 2015 Gold Cup kicks off in July.
Saturday, Mustivar was a BurgerFi Man of the Match nominee after another 90-minute effort in which he was seen running tirelessly up and down the field, breaking up Seattle attacks and helping Sporting KC press forward.
“That’s me — I never give up,” Mustivar said. “Every game, I try to do my best for my teammates, for the team. That’s me.”
