Sporting KC Scouting Alajuelense Center Back and Striker
Alexis Gamboa and Andres Gomez might come to mind for Brian Bliss and Sporting Kansas City.
The 2023 season is upon us and the centre-back’s signings have been very cautious. Sporting KC selected Chris Rindov and Robert Castellanos, who played mainly in the lower division, for the second round. It has left many fans and pundits longing for a bigger step up in the position. We cling to even the smallest rumor.
Now we’re tracking where Brian Bliss popped up to scout players. Two reports came from Costa Rica that Bliss was scouting centre-back Alexis Gamboa at a game and a single report mentioned that he was also scouting forward Andres Gomez.
Of course, numerous reconnaissance trips by trainers, officials and scouts take place in the course of a calendar year. Let’s take a look at these two players. Central defender is obviously a position that is needed and third striker is a position that has been mentioned throughout the off-season.
Alexis Gamboa-CB
Gamboa will turn 24 in March and is under contract until the end of 2024, according to Transfermarkt, meaning a transfer fee would likely be needed to release him early. He’s another left-footed CB but has experience playing on either side of a back two.
He has made two appearances for the Costa Rica national under-23 team and has played for a few clubs at his young age. He came up in the youth system of Santos de Guapiles (Costa Rica) before moving to Belgium’s second division club SK Breveren on loan for Alajuelense (Costa Rica).
He’s made 138 appearances for almost 11,000 minutes so he’d come into the game with a lot more experience than anyone else in the CB squad whose name isn’t Andreu Fontas.
Andres Gomez – CF
Gomez is a 22-year-old with experience primarily as a center forward but also as a left winger. He is also under contract until the end of 2024. He has spent his entire career in Costa Rica, playing for Cartagines U17 side before joining Guadalupe FC. From there he was sold to Alajuelense and briefly loaned to Guadalupe.
In his career, he’s made 129 appearances for just 6,395 minutes, so he’s clearly made quite a few substitutions on (or off). During that time he has 12 goals and four assists, all for Guadalupe.
The list is almost full and it’s unlikely that any of these steps will come to fruition, but it’s interesting to have a look nonetheless. They could be targets later when they are out of contract, or even much earlier in the summer transfer window for Sporting Kansas City if those needs remain.
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