New York City FC will be without one player for the first engagement of the MLS season.
Forward Jo Inge Berget will have to wait to make his debut for the team he joined in the offseason as he recovers from a quad injury.
READ:Major Keys to NYCFC at Sporting Kansas City
The Norwegian international forward is expected to return to the training field in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere, Patrick Vieira has a clean bill of health, with nine offseason additions, including Jesus Medina, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Anton Tinnerholm, all vying to take their City bows.
Intriguingly, Saad Abdul-Salaam and Khiry Shelton could showdown on opposite sides of this rivalry for the first time after they switched places in the offseason.
Shelton, who has been fielded as a no.9 by Peter Vermes in preseason, has shaken off an injury and is in contention to play alongside a number of other new KC recruits.
Per SportingKC.com: “Vermes is likely to give MLS debuts to three new players who have joined Sporting KC from abroad.
“Playmaking Frenchman Yohan Croizet appeared in all seven preseason exhibitions, spending most of his time wide on the right wing. Chilean international Felipe Gutierrez will bolster the midfield, and Scottish winger Johnny Russell brings a goal scoring pedigree from England's second division.”
READ:NYCFC Announces Groundbreaking Radio Partnership
Injury Report
NYCFC
OUT – Jo Inge Berget
Sporting KC*
OUT – None
* According to MLSSoccer.com/Injuries
Pub Crawl... Join us on Sunday!
We’re hosting our second annual pub crawl on Sunday when the Boys in Blue take on Sporting Kansas City in our season opener this Sunday.
Find out more here or book your spot here, joining new NYCFC Stadium Host Chelsea Cabarcas and former NYCFC defender Chris Wingert.
