Kevin Ellis spent most of his academy days up the field as a forward, targeting runs and dashing toward goal himself. When he signed as a homegrown player in 2011, Ellis was converted into a fullback where he sat deep on the field.
He moved yet again last season after centerback Ike Opara went down with a season-ending injury, a void Sporting Kansas City needed filled with a jam-packed schedule. With Opara out again for the long-term, Ellis has stepped up into the starting role and is beginning to turn heads with his recent form.
“Last year was great because he had a lot of opportunities to play there,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said of Ellis. “It kind of set the stage for him this year.
“Him having been a forward when he was growing up in our academy, I think it really helps a player when he’s played up front to go into the back, because you see the game in front of you. It’s a lot easier to see the game.
“He also is a very athletic kid. For his size, how well he gets up the air on a regular basis is a big positive. He’s also getting better with his 1v1 defending. It’s evolution for him, and each game he’s going to hopefully get more experience which then leads to better performances.”
Ellis had arguably his best performance of the season Friday night for Sporting KC, scoring his first-ever MLS goal and assisting on another in the club’s 4-0 trouncing of FC Dallas.
Against Seattle six days earlier, Ellis helped anchor Sporting KC’s defense, which held the Sounders to one shot — their third lowest at home in three regular seasons and the third fewest at home in the MLS era. The recent string of performances have erased what many thought was a shaky start to the season by the Kansas City native.
“I give credit to the coaching staff for helping me, going over tape and really learning the position — really becoming a student of the game and watching other guys in the league and around the world,” Ellis said. “I’ve really wanted to make that position my own.”
For Matt Besler, another hometown centerback, Ellis’ growth has come from not only experience, but also playing within himself.
“He plays simple, and that’s what we need him to do,” Besler said. “He’s not worried about doing too much. He’s worried about coming in and doing his job, rolling up his sleeves. That’s what we need in that position.
“Centerback isn’t the easiest position, and when you get drawn into trying to do to much, that’s when you get in trouble. He’s embraced that position, he’s simplified it, and he’s doing his job very well right now.”
“Rolling up his sleeves” included marking FC Dallas’ talented striker, Blas Perez, and using his 5-foot-9-inch frame to rise up and head a ball to the far post for an easy goal by Krisztian Nemeth. The dirty work paid off later in the game when he headed in Graham Zusi’s corner to put the game out of reach.
“In this position, you don’t need to beat a guy and make a ‘thread-the-needle pass’ and set a guy up to score,” Ellis said. “You just have to get the ball and play simple. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Ellis celebrated the goal — the first of his MLS career — by lifting his shirt to reveal the hashtag #GoKitGo, in dedication to the three-year-old girl who was diagnosed with lieukemia earlier this year and was introduced to Ellis through Braden's Hope for Childhood Cancer.
"I fell in love with her when I met her,” Ellis said. "I just felt l like we had a bond and I wish there was something I could do to help her. The only way I could think of was trying to get her message out and to get as many people as possible to support her and to give her love."
Sporting KC is currently riding a six-match unbeaten streak, including a spotless month of May (3-0-2), and is currently tied for second in the Western Conference. Ellis’ progress at centerback — a position he didn’t even expect to be at two seasons ago — is one big reason why.
“I enjoy playing in the middle of the field, seeing everything,” Ellis said. “Again, playing simple.”
