Sporting KC transfers Rosell

Uri Rosell has been transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal in Portugal's Primeira Liga division. The terms of the deal were not released by Sporting Kansas City but have been reported to be around $1.77 million in transfer fees.

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes spoke to the media after practice Tuesday. "It was not just for us, it was for both us and the player. It was a decision that we made as an organization that was good for both sides and it works out. At the end of the day it works for us and we move on to the next. Uri has been great for us and now it is time to move on to the next step."

When asked about the team responding to the loss of such a key player, Vermes responded, "I don't know anyone that has left the club and we went down. Every year we have evolved stronger and stronger. It's the nature of the business that we are in. We are in a place where sometimes you can't compete with foreign clubs because of the dynamics they have regarding finances. We have a salary cap, they don't. Certain situations sometimes dictate what you have to do but we have always managed to do the right thing, especially for the long term of our organization. As much as we liked Uri and he liked it here and he fit into our team well, we have other guys who can play there and will do a good job for us."

"We are not going to make it a one-sided deal. Whether it's great for them and not for us or vice-versa we are not going to do a deal. It's got to be good for everybody. Everybody has to be a part of it. At the end it worked out for everyone," Vermes explained.

There has been interest from Sporting CP for some time in Rosell. "A couple weeks before the information came out that there was interest from the club in him. That was correct," Vermes acknowledged. "I tell you guys all the time that we have interest in all of our players. All of our players except maybe four guys. We have clubs that want to buy our players right now but nine time out of ten they don't amount to anything. This one just progressed, they kept coming back and at the end it was the right deal to do."

Vermes says they may use the money to make moves in the summer transfer window but when asked about former Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza replied, "we have the rights to the player, if it ever becomes an opportunity we will have to deal with what comes ahead but as of right now there is nothing there. He is still under contract for a year with his current team."