TUCSON, Ariz. – For Bobby Convey, Saturday was a doubly odd experience during Sporting Kansas City’s first preseason game at the Kino Sports Complex.
For one, he occupied the spot on the left side of his new team’s three-man front line typically occupied by C.J. Sapong. Secondly, he was lining up against the San Jose Earthquakes, the team with whom he spent the last three seasons.
WATCH: Quakes, Sporting on preseason result
“It’s a little bit different,” the 28-year-old veteran told reporters after the game, a 2-1 win for Sporting. “I obviously still know a lot of the guys on the team. When you have friends on the other team, it’s a little bit strange. When the season comes and the games start meaning something, it’s not as hard.”
What will take Convey a little more time to get used to is the different style of Sporting KC.
“It’s a little different than what I’m used to, playing with the three forwards,” said Convey, who played primarily left wing and left back in San Jose’s traditional 4-4-2. “It will come along.”
For Sporting manager Peter Vermes, Convey is the perfect fit in his swashbuckling 4-3-3.
“We needed somebody on the left that can play more like a left winger, and Bobby fits the bill,” Vermes told reporters on Saturday. “But it’s still going to be a little bit of time to get acclimated to our style.
“He has some good qualities that are going to fit with our team and how we like to play.”
