Sporting KC: 3 Years, 3 Trophies, 4 Players

Sporting KC won the 102nd US Open Cup last night on penalties over the Philadelphia Union in a messy, rain-soaked match. This trophy joins the 2012 US Open Cup and the 2013 MLS Cup in what's getting to be a crowded cabinet.

There are four players that played in each of these finals as well as anchor a very successful run of regular season results. They are:

Graham Zusi
Matt Besler
Seth Sinovic
Chance Myers

Without Jimmy Nielsen (and, arguably, Oriol Rosell) Sporting's regular season results have slipped. Still though, overall, this has been a pretty half decade.

2012 - 2nd Overall, 1st in East
2013 - 2nd Overall, 2nd in East
2014 - 10th Overall, 5th in East
2015 - 7th Overall, 4th in West

One last thought here is on Chance Myers. I was listening to a broadcast recently where one of the commentators mentioned how Myers career wasn't what people expected - due to one thing or another. It struck me as completely off base and, well, bizarre really. It does highlight how success has never properly been measured in MLS, however.

KC sneakily created a stable backline out of seemingly ordinary American players in Besler, Sinovic and Myers. So ordinary, I guess, that three major trophies and an Eastern Conference Title slip past the folks paying close attention.

Congrats to that organization for winning another trophy. It really does appear to mean a lot to the group, from the fans, to the players and up to the leadership in the investment group.

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Here's a neat graphic showing who has won each trophy, each season (via Ryan Brister ‏@ThroughBalls)

Ready to Go, MLS Value

Here are some Major League Soccer players that are young, underpaid and very, very good. I'll call it the "Future Star / Currently a Value Team". Admittedly, that's a bad name for a team but hopefully it's descriptive enough to explain this list I'm about to provide.

Put these guys together on one team and you not only have about the best MLS team, you also have the cheapest.

Age : Name : Team : Position : Current Salary ($)

22 : Connor Lade : (NY) : Defender : 34k
26 : Chris Tierney : (NE) : Defender : 75k
25 : Seth Sinovic : (KC) : Defender : 67k
24 : Josh Williams : (CREW) : Defender : 44k

25 : Graham Zusi : (KC : Midfielder : 140k
24 : Alex Caskey : (SEA) : Midfielder : 34k
22 : Martin Rivero : (COL) : Midfielder : 50k
22 : Rafael Baca : (SJ) : Midfielder : 44k

22 : Will Bruin : (HOU) : Forward : 135k
27 : Ryan Johnson : (TOR) : Forward : 140k
25 : Saer Sene : (NE) : Forward : 150k

How these guys made the list

1. Outperforming their MLS Salary
2. Young, low mileage
3. Haven't bounced from club to club
4. High Helltown Player Rating
5. No 'keeper. 50% of MLS have a decent one

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I'm on a Major League Soccer value/bargin kick because the players in it are often incorrectly identified in their formative years. Also, the timing is good because the "international transfer window" is about to go into Hulk Smash mode. Lots of gems floating around in this league. I tried to find players that are still developing through MLS and not paid a whole lot.

Most of these guys are one college, one team players (Saer Sene and Ryan Johnson being exceptions).

Again, these are guys who are relatively untouched yet performing well in Major League Soccer. Part of me hopes that England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain look this way for physically developed talent. The other part hopes that MLS starts to let this talent go and re-invests the money they bring in to help raise / change the existing club salary restrictions.

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For the Crew folks: Josh Williams easily tops performance metrics for the club but he also finds his way atop my league lists. He's having an exceptional first "real" season. His core competencies and physical ability appear to be top level as well. Cream rises to the top and Williams is moving up there.

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Lastly... I try and maintain a place where you can find all MLS player stats, all together. You can find that here: Link.