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Dynamo Theory: How is this year's team different from last year's?
Thad Bell: Roster-wise, very. Lauren Holiday, Amy LePeilbet, Liz Bogus and Leigh Ann Robinson all retired. That equates to three out of four on the back line gone, the best midfielder gone and the Amy Rodriguez out with pregnancy. Lots of talent gone. Style and mentality are the same. The team will try to build the play up, connect a lot of passes and play hard.
DT: With so many changes to the roster since last season what is the biggest loss and the biggest gain for this team?
TB: The biggest loss has to be Lauren Holiday. We feel that even though she was highly regarded at the national team level, she was still underrated. When we needed her to score in the first year she did. When we got A-Rod and we needed her to setup the opportunities she did. When the national team decided she should be a d-mid she did that. There really was no position she couldn’t excel at if the need arose. Someone else will have to step up and score and create but it is doubtful they will find someone that can do it all so well.
Can I say the biggest gains are babies?
The biggest gain would have been Sydney Leroux but since the replacement for Amy Rodriguez is also pregnant, the biggest gain is Katie Bowen. The Blues managed to steal her on draft day. The rest of the league thought the New Zealand national team player was going to play elsewhere but she will be back in Kansas City after the Olympics, when the Blues will need a boost.
DT: FCKC is currently sitting on one point and is ranked only above Boston in the standings. We are just three game into the season but is this start concerning for FCKC fans? At what point does it become concerning?
TB: In 2014 FC Kansas City was 9th after three games and won the championship. In 2015 FC Kansas City was 8th after three games and won their second championship. In 2016 they are again off to a slow start but the pattern isn't so bad if it repeats again.
The way Coach Vlatko Andonovski wants his team to play, they really have to be in sync with each other. With the changes each year it seems to take them a little longer to gel than other teams but once they do they are dangerous.
This year the worry is there more because of all the talent that left or is unavailable. The question is who will create? Who will score? There is little doubt that Vlatko will get the most out of them but does he have enough to work with this year?