A year ago at this time, there was a partially completed structure in Wyandotte County that looked like it could be, well…
Something like an giant outdoor arena.
The Kansas City Wizards had disappeared – or more accurately, had been renamed something called Sporting Kansas City.
Manager Peter Vermes was all too aware that the MLS schedule-makers would have no choice but to hand his team a brutal season-opening road trip that could last weeks – or maybe months.
And no one, outside of a few true believers in a very brave ownership group, guessed that some real, live, screaming, shouting, singing soccer mania was about to shake up Kansas City.
Even now, it's hard to believe Vermes' team survived that initial 10-game road battering, returned to find the most spectacular soccer venue in America with perhaps its loudest fans, and proceeded to go on a tear that culminated in playing for the MLS Eastern Conference championship.
But in case anyone had forgotten, memories were rekindled quickly a couple of weeks ago, when the MLS SuperDraft was held at the Kansas City Convention Center, and a mob of chanting, hooting members of "The Cauldron" – the never-silent noisemakers who sit behind the north goal at sparkling new Livestrong Sporting Park – showed up to turn the draft into a very loud Sporting KC rally.
Oh, how things have changed as February approaches this time around.
For one thing, Vermes greeted his team for their first preseason training session on Monday with an entirely new set of goals when they gathered at the Chiefs' indoor practice facility.
Some of Sporting KC's stars – Graham Zusi, Teal Bunbury and reigning MLS rookie of the year C.J. Sapong – were excused to play with the U.S men's national team.
They'll participate in a friendly against Panama at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. CST, ESPN3).
But there are other new faces around the Sporting KC camp, and most certainly there are drastically different expectations.
"We have our entire starting 11 back from the MLS Cup semifinal game," Vermes said. "We have a talented, outstanding group – and maybe this seems like a surprise because of last year's results, but we're still the youngest team in the league."
That first-team group, besides strikers Bunbury and Sapong and central midfielder Zusi in Vermes' favored 4-3-3 formation, includes goalie Jimmy Neilsen, right back Chance Myers, left back Seth Sinovic, central defenders Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler, defensive midfielder Julio Cesar, Zusi's Honduran midfield mate Roger Espinoza and explosive winger/striker Kei Kamara.
The lone key departure over the off season was nine-goal forward Omar Bravo, a "designated player" who chose – for now, at least – a return to his native Mexico and was dealt to Cruz Azul.
Even Bravo left with remarks that he'd been challenged and thrilled by Sporting KC's dramatic 2010-11 season, and that he wouldn't rule out the possibility of returning at some point.
"With Omar gone, we have two spots open for DPs," Vermes said. "We're negotiating with two possible options – one in particular, and we hope to have a resolution soon.
"I can't give out any hints, but I will say if things are worked out as we hope, this will be an exciting, "name" signing that will get plenty of attention."
It's not like Vermes, his coaches and scouts – not to mention the club's ownership – have been sitting on their hands since the end of last season.
They went for potential in the SuperDraft, grabbing exciting England-born forward Dom Dwyer from the University of South Florida in the first round and Coastal Carolina defender Cyprian Hedrick in the second.
"We're thrilled with both of them," Vermes said. "They're terrific athletes with huge upside. These are picks for our future. We're fortunate that we have a settled, successful squad and didn't have to worry about drafting for immediate need."
Sporting KC also acquired the rights to one-time local prep star Michael Thomas from San Jose. The club promptly signed the former Notre Dame midfielder, who has played the past two seasons in Sweden's top division.
"We can draft or sign players we think will become stars down the road, without the pressure on them to succeed immediately," Vermes said. "That's a great situation for us."
That statement about youth, however, seemed to contradict a few post-seasons overviews of the Sporting KC roster following last season.
The verdict around MLS seemed to be that Kansas City had a terrific front-line group, but lacked quality veteran depth – a critical component over the long haul of a regular season. Teams routinely lose players to injuries, suspensions, national team duty and so forth.
Sporting Kansas City clearly had plans all along to address that need, as well – not even counting the possible addition of a new designated player, someone almost certain to be an immediate contributor.
In rapid-fire succession over the past month, Sporting KC signed three MLS veterans – left-side winger Bobby Convey, midfielder Paulo Nagamura and forward Jacob Peterson.
The newcomers have eerily similar backgrounds. All three have been considered, at one time or another, surefire young stars in MLS – only to see trades, loss of form, coaching conflicts, position switches or some other problem knock them off course.
The notion is that a change of scenery, along with the stability of the current Sporting KC roster, will allow the three vets to once again display the talent that made them such exciting prospects in the first place.
"Each of them fills a need, as well," Vermes said. "They're all high-class, quality individuals who will give us something more on the pitch and lots of leadership in the (locker) room."
Convey, once the youngest player ever drafted by an MLS team, has had a bouncing career interrupted by injury – but he also has proven high-level ability and played several years in England, including a stint with Reading in the Premiership.
Like Nagamura and Jacobson, Convey is delighted with his new home. Once considered a dangerous attacking winger, Convey has suffered from accusations that he's refused to play left back.
"Whatever role I have to play is what I want to do," Convey said. "Walking through the locker room (at Livestrong Sporting Park), I wish we had a game today.
"I can't wait to play. This is the environment I've been waiting for in the U.S. That's why I went to England. Now to have this here, I want to do as well as I possibly can.
"I want to contribute wherever and whenever Peter asks. I hope I finish my career in Kansas City. Why would anyone want to leave here?"
Nagamura is a 28-year-old Brazilian who's been in the league since 2005, but was slowed by injuries the past two seasons with Chivas USA.
"We had him checked out completely, and Paulo is 100 percent physically," Vermes said.
"Paulo is very capable at any midfield spot, which is really valuable for us. He's a furious competitor. He has some interesting qualities in the middle of the midfield.
"He can also play as the holding guy, because he's smart enough to know those moments -- when to hold and when to go."
Peterson, the last of the three signings, might turn out to be the most important because he came into the league with the reputation of a goal-scorer, one of the toughest commodities to find in any soccer league – and began to find the net quickly in his 2006 debut season with Colorado.
Although Bunbury, Sapong and Kamara formed a dangerous front trio last season, Bravo's departure leaves a hole for someone who can handle the tough stuff around the net – and most important, find some goals.
Peterson has been struggling – he was shipped to Toronto, then last year on to San Jose.
Vermes, though, previously coached Jacobson with the Under-20 team within the U.S. national set-up, and saw him score 12 goals in 21 games.
"Jacob has a great attacking mentality," Vermes said. "He's explosive. And his transition moments are very good. Those are the things we preach here."
Peterson, for his part, was happy to get off the merry-go-round and find himself back with Vermes.
"Getting traded to San Jose last year, once I got there it didn't work out too well for whatever reason," Peterson said. "In Toronto before that, I thought I was starting to find my form and I got traded, but that's life as a professional and you have to move on.
"But now I'm excited to start training and get back to that form I've had in the past. It's definitely a bonus to work with Peter, because a coach who knows your qualities and can help put you in the right situations makes everything easier – and then hopefully the goals start to come."
With the addition of several veterans, a draft haul that clearly delighted the Sporting KC management and – with some luck – a new designated player still in the pipeline, things definitely look rosy.
And of course, there will be those raucous sellout crowds at Livestrong Sporting Park – a venue that provides one of the great home-field advantages anywhere in soccer.
Vermes is optimistic, but he also knows the club's goals have changed.
Rightly so.
"Making the playoffs was an important goal for us to achieve last year," Vermes said. "Being under some of the difficulties of the beginning of the season, it was the right goal.
"But now, with this stadium and the talent that we have, making the playoffs has to be a no-brainer.
"We need to surpass that and get to the next level."
Sporting KC plays its first preseason game on Feb. 4 against San Jose in Arizona.
The regular season begins Feb. 24 with Houston visiting Livestrong Sporting Park.
