Sporting Kansas City’s Gadi Kinda out for the season

Sporting Kansas City’s Gadi Kinda is set to miss the rest of the 2022 Major League Soccer after undergoing a successful knee injury. 

The Designated Player had an arthroscopic procedure that required cartilage restoration, keeping him on the sidelines from seven to nine months.

The Western Conference side placed the player on the Season-Ending Injury list, making him ineligible to play for the club in any remaining competition during the year. 

Sporting KC will receive an additional squad slot, as league rules state a team’s listing on the Season-Ending Injury list enables roster relief. 

Kinda’s injury was first reported as minor, when head coach Peter Vermes confirmed in his first press conference of the year that the DP underwent a minimal knee injury. He was originally only expected to miss preseason and the start of the regular season, but has been ruled out entirely. 

Vermes described his earlier procedure as a “clean up on his knee.”

Kinda joins Alan Pulido on the bench, as the Mexican also underwent knee surgery at the start of the year that will likely keep him out for the year.  

Player Nicolas Isimat-Mirin is also out, but with a shorter recovery period. After undergoing surgery for a broken cheek bone, KC Star’s Daniel Sperry confirmed a recovery time of between 4-6 weeks.

The injuries only add to Sporting KC’s turbulent start to the 2022 campaign. The Western Conference giants have slipped on the table, sliding into 11th after only two victories so far. 

The team holds a current record of 2-1-6, with a shocking goal difference of negative eight. While it may still be early in the season, Sporting KC must find a scoring solution quickly to ensure playoffs.