Sporting KC 2019 Year in Review: Yohan Croizet

The 2019 MLS season is one Sporting Kansas City fans will be looking to forget. But with a very long offseason ahead that may not have soccer until March (assuming no MLSPA strike), we feel compelled to look back at the good and the bad from 2019. For the full list of players reviewed, head to our dedicated Year in Review page.

The Blue Testament continues our look back at 2019 with a man who has already found his way out of Kansas City — Yohan Croizet.

2019 Stats*

Games Played (Started): 20 (12)

Minutes Played: 1,091

Games Suspended: 0

Goals: 3

Assists: 2

xG (expected goals): 1.61

Positions Played: Both advanced midfield spots, both winger spots, center forward and left back. Jack of all trades...

2019 Salary: $680,004.00

Contract Through (Option Years): Croizet has already left the club.

*All stats from 2019 MLS regular season unless otherwise noted.

Best Moment of 2019

On May 26th against the Seattle Sounders Croizet had one of the best assists you’ll ever see. Not because the pass was so beautiful but because he worked so damn hard for it. It’s the kind of play you almost expect from him with his hustle. Nicolas Hasler sends a ball up to him on the wing. Croizet fights of Kim Kee-hee, goes to ground and gets back up and eventually slots the ball to Johnny Russell who drives home a great shot in a game Sporting KC eventually won by a single goal.

Worst Moment of 2019

Whatever happened to him to get him banished from the team. He last played for just a two minute sub appearance on July 26th against New York City FC. He missed the final 10 games of the season and eventually mutually parted ways with the club. It was reported that he got into some sort of argument/spat/situation with fellow midfielder Gedion Zelalem. Zelalem disappeared from SKC’s lineups after that as well (though he did appear for the Swope Park Rangers). For the Yohan haters this could be seen as a “best” moment, but it was a low point that may have ultimately led to him departing the club.

Interesting Stat

Yohan Croizet was one of only four players who exceeded their xG for SKC in 2019. One of the four was Botond Barath who only exceeded it by 0.05 percent. Yohan did so by 1.39 and he wasn’t always in good positions to score (see: left back). He trailed only Johnny Russell and Felipe Gutierrez in G-xG. He and Russell were the only two players on the team to exceed both their xG and xA numbers for the year.

Fan Vote: Keep, Banish or Wait

Keep: 13.8%

Banish: 74.7%

Wait: 11.6%

Wish granted SKC fans. Yohan “self banished” when he mutually agreed to part ways. It’s probably for the best. He was overpaid for the performance he put out. He’s occupied a Designated Player spot since joining the team basically due to his $1.5 million reported transfer fee. If he lived up to the potential everyone saw in him, it would have been a different story. When you hear Ike Opara talk about it on BS the Podcast it sounded like the guy was the next Messi. However, too often, the guy in practice didn’t show up on the field.