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A good sign the season is just around the corner (besides a new CBA being agreed to) is that new players start getting their numbers. Our own Mike Kuhn did some sleuthing and noticed all six new Sporting Kansas City players have joined those ranks.
Of course, with the season still about two months away, more players will be added and it’s very likely that some players will decide to change their numbers now that others players have left and freed up those slots.
The biggest additions of the offseason are likely considered to be center back Nicolas Isimat-Mirin and midfielder Remi Walter, and they both made interesting choices.
First, Isimat-Mirin went with number five, a number worn by two club legends. Kerry Zavagnin (now an assistant coach) and Matt Besler are both among the all-time leaders in multiple categories, so Isimat-Mirin has big shoes to fill. No pressure.
Walter, on the other hand, went with number 54. A number with literally no Sporting KC or Kansas City Wizards history. Remi Walter will be the first player to ever wear that number (unless you count Sporting KC II forward, Josh Chong, who didn’t make an appearance with the second team).
All three new Homegrown players claimed numbers as well, with Grayson Barber taking 19, Osvaldo “Ozzie” Cisneros taking 25 and Brooks Thompson taking the number 31 he wore with SKC II. Round out the list is new backup goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh, who will wear number 22.
This is probably not the most exciting bit of news, but it’s nice to know who you are looking at on the field. Preseason was initially set to begin on February 22nd, but could be delayed because of the CBA. The Blue Testament will continue to bring you more as it’s available. Below is a handy table of all six new players and their numbers.
New 2021 SKC Numbers
# | Player |
---|---|
# | Player |
19 | Grayson Barber |
25 | Ozzie Cisneros |
5 | Nicolas Isimat-Mirin |
22 | Kendall McIntosh |
31 | Brooks Thompson |
54 | Remi Walter |