KANSAS CITY, Mo. – While Sporting Kansas City get ready for the decisive home leg of the Eastern Conference Championship of the MLS Cup Playoffs, they also wait for doctors to perform more tests on ailing midfielder Peterson Joseph.
The Haitian international hasn't played or even trained since briefly passing out in practice two weeks ago and has already undergone several tests in an attempt to figure out the cause.
Manager Peter Vermes told reporters last week that the club was being especially cautious because the same thing happened to Joseph last year, and he repeated that position on Tuesday.
“We have some more tests coming toward the end of the week,” Vermes told MLSsoccer.com. “Until I've got confirmation from a medical team – and that doesn't mean it's just ours, because there are going to be some specialists, too – he will not set foot on the field.”
The 23-year-old Joseph, in his third season with Sporting Kansas City, has 23 appearances and 14 starts – both career highs – in MLS play this year.
- The latest SKC news at SportingKC.com
Sporting will advance to their first MLS Cup final since 2004 with any decision – in regulation, overtime or penalties – against Houston on Nov. 23 (7:30 pm ET; NBCSN), after the two sides battled to a scoreless draw last weekend at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
