KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With his 87th-minute seeing-eye strike against Toronto FC last Saturday, Oriol Rosell gave Sporting Kansas City a 2-1 home win and three critical points to keep them in the hunt for their first Supporters' Shield since 2000.
But for manager Peter Vermes, the goal was not the most impressive part of the Spaniard’s outing. It was all the other work the SKC newcomer put in during his 12-minute shift.
"What he did really well when he came in was that he was moving the ball, circulating the ball like we wanted him to," Vermes told MLSsoccer.com after Tuesday's training session. "That's a real specialty of his game."
Vermes also praised Rosell, who was making just his second appearance with the club since he joined on Aug. 2 – and his first with the nickname "Uri" on the back of his jersey – for his instincts in getting open for the final assist from right back Chance Myers.
"He made a good decision – the place that he went to, his timing – on the ball that went out to Chance," Vermes said. "He arrived at the right place, and his finish was excellent."
After his first appearance with Sporting, which lasted all of one minute, Rosell said getting more playing time was his top priority. But in the news conference that followed his match-winner against the Reds, he went in a different direction.
"No, I don't think that getting a lot of minutes off the bat is the most important thing," Rosell said. "What matters is being a good player and interacting and being with my teammates at practice and coming in and making a difference in a game – no matter how many minutes I play."
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
