I walked into my first training session of the 2012 MLS season today and scoped out the field for unfamiliar faces. There were not any. The primary feature of this pre-season compared to the last couple of years appears to be the division between guys that are heavily in favor and those that are looking to push into the squad. The days of having a strong starting eleven and nothing to back them up are in the past for Sporting Kansas City and while there are likely to be a surprise or two along the way Peter Vermes seems to have a pretty good handle on who fits where in his plans. I am labeling these two groups ‘probably staying’ and ‘cut bait’.

There wasn’t any real scrambling through the cheat sheets to figure out who players were. I referred to them once while trying who to figure out who the ‘Paul Bunyan-sized tank’ was training with the rest of the team … Lawrence Olum is a big man. Absent from training altogether was the beaming smile of Birahim Diop. The speculation from basically anybody was that we’ll never see him bang in unexpected doubles again in the future. I believe this also disqualifies us from winning the MLS Cup, I had just said this week if we ever do win it, Diop would score the winner so I guess we are out of luck. I think that we have probably seen the last of him.

Was that a premature and without concrete fact statement of opinion? Yes.

You are welcome.

So what about the new guys? Eh .. if they are still here in a few weeks I’ll actually watch them. In that secondary group was Kevin Ellis and “The Haitian Xavi” Peterson Joseph. I somehow doubt they will stay there, especially in the case of Ellis who doesn’t count towards the cap. We’ll see.

Early season drills are slow drills – last year at this time Peter Vermes confessed that he simply wanted to get the team through their drills at Arrowhead uninjured and everything about today’s practice suggested that this has not changed at all. That said, the division of personnel into the two camps has ensured that the senior ‘probably staying’ group were broadly familiar with each other (if not very) and that they also had experience running drills and practices – meaning that they could simply get on with working, rather than having to teach new guys what to do. This means we actually got to see some real drills taking place today, attacking from defense to forward positions with short sharp one touch passing from the center backs through midfield, down the flanks and culminating in shots on goal. It was fun to watch .. probably because I am starved but ..

Bobby Convey … looked good. If we lost a natural born finisher in Omar Bravo we have simply gained another on Convey who looks to have the same cool calm and collected manner in front of goal. He simply passed the ball into the net effortlessly whenever he was presented with the opportunity, and it was hard not to note his efficiency in light of some of Kamara’s booming efforts and Teal Bunbury’s play last night for the US Men’s National Team. I think he will have as much if not more impact as Bravo did and I am looking forward to seeing him in our lineup.

Michael Thomas was also an eye catching addition while being unspectacular – he simply looks to be another player with good control and technique who plays the game in a simple way. If my first impression is correct he will be a quality addition to the squad. It really is too early to judge these guys in terms of actual first team potential but you can spot a rotten egg a lot of the time and Thomas has some game about him.

Soony Saad isn’t new, but hell the boy can play. His finishing was everything Convey’s was with the addition of the ability to finish in the air. He has an unteachable, intangible knack of being in the right place at the right time that is going to be exciting. I would not be surprised at all if he snuck into the match day squad next year… if we simply need a guy that can put the ball in the back of the net when presented with an opportunity, then Saad can do that. Right now he is ahead of Bunbury for me in terms of potential.

The final real word goes to Michael Harrington who has clearly come into camp fired up. He looks slimmer than last year, and he was flat out sprinting at times – he is fast. He looks like his attitude is all about competing and proving a point which is good, because he needs to step up and prove himself to get back in the starting eleven.

Nagamura wore a beanie … indoors …. he has now claimed the skinny girl who is unreasonably cold on warm days prize from Craig Rocastle. I would not bank on him at all if I was stranded in Alaska or somewhere really cold like Florida.

There are two guys in camp shorter than Korede Aiyegbusi which is amazing. I didn’t know that made people that small without the word dwarfism being used. Lawrence Olum is going to use one for a toothbrush.

Scuttlebutt was that the pre-season games from Florida may be streamed live. Don’t hold me too it, if this sentence disappears you know it is happening.

More tomorrow … think my wife is about to shoot a baby out of her vagina, she is on the couch groaning and stuff.

It is very distracting.