NWSL preseason is underway at 10 training camps around the country. Here are three on-field and two off-field points of interest with less than five weeks until opening day.
Will Vlatko have to adjust his formation?
When FC Kansas City burst onto the scene in 2013, a then unknown Vlatko Andonovski installed a 4-2-3-1, and the Blues played beautiful soccer pretty much immediately. The shape became a trademark of the club which was the only one to reach the playoffs each of the first three seasons. A spate of retirements and pregnancies did them in last season but with a few exceptions the team stuck to the script—it just couldn’t score.
As the team convenes for the 2017 season, a look at the roster suggests a shakeup will be needed. Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux are both returning from maternity leave, and neither one is particularly well suited to playing anywhere other than up top. Throw Shea Groom in the mix and for the first time, Andonovki has three viable forwards to select from.