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Sporting KC sign midfielders Claros and Steuble

Jorge Claros

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By TATE STEINLAGE 

More than a month after transferring Oriol Rosell to Portugal, Sporting Kansas City has refueled its midfield depth with the signings of Jorge Claros and Martin Steuble.

“We are always looking for players to enhance our roster,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said in a release. “Not only is the quality of Jorge and Martin high, but obviously with the injuries and things we have dealt with this season adding them will be a great benefit for the second half of the season.”

Claros, 28, has been added to the Sporting KC roster and will be available for selection this weekend when Kansas City returns home for a matchup against the LA Galaxy on Saturday. Claros is coming off a World Cup stint with Honduras where he started two of Honduras’ three group stage matches. Overall, Claros has appeared in 53 international matches for Honduras — scoring three goals — since debuting back on Aug. 16, 2006.

With the ability to play both the defensive and box-to-box midfield roles, Claros had spent nine years with Honduran first division side Club Deportivo Motagua. Most recently, the midfielder was loaned to Scottish Premier League side Hibernian where he helped the team reach the 2012 and 2013 Scottish Cup Finals.

“I am very happy to be here,” Claros said in the release. “This is a big opportunity for me and I am thankful to Major League Soccer and to Sporting Kansas City. I hope to reward them for their faith in me with my play on the field.”

Martin Steuble, 26, joins Sporting KC after spending two years with Swiss second division club FC Wil 1900 where he scored three goals in 52 matches. Steuble has also appeared nine times for the Philippines Men’s National Team, making his debut this past March.

“I am really excited to join Sporting KC,” Steuble said. “I was there for a trial and loved what I saw. I felt good from the beginning and am honored that they offered me a contract. The team is doing very well right now and I’m just going to do whatever I can to help.”

Steuble, too, has been added to Sporting KC’s roster but will join the team in the “near term,” according to the press release.

Sporting KC now has 30 players under contract with the addition of Claros and Steuble.

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What do you make of Sporting KC’s new signings? Can Claros and Steuble help Kansas City push towards an MLS Cup repeat?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Smart teams stay together. The LA Kings model hold true to any pro sports team. As a general rule The Kings keep 80% of there roster as much as possible year after year. They prefer to have 20% of the roster as flexibility for upgrades: trades or unrestricted free agents, etc..year after year. MLS teams would be wise to follow a similar formula. Not sure if KC is doing this, but with the signings the roster is improved and more competitive in the playoffs.

    Reply
    • Manchester United is looking to overhaul at least 80% of the roster from the looks of things in the press. It will take 5-10 games before Man U can operate there machinery in a machine like manner. Arsenal could be adding too much, but I like who they added. Liverpool look the most set to take the championship while maintaining around 80% of there roster: on paper.

      Reply
      • I like continuity and all but if in the 80% you have 50% crap then you need to change just a bit more than 20%. Right?

    • Well…I heard the same thing two years ago about Rosell replacing Espinoza. For my money, I trust Peter as he has proven to be one of the best judges and developers of talent in the league. In Peter I Trust!

      Reply
  2. Funny how this sight has no reporting on the confirmed bids for Besler by Fulham and Sunderland even though it’s news on Goal.com. I would like to see Besler play in the EPL so I home Sunderland wins his services.

    Reply
  3. something out of the blue, NBA wants to have a midseason tournament like the USopen cup in MLS.
    whats next nba does an NBA2 or MLb takes more serious their minor league or the NFL gets a team in mexico.
    MLS needs to protect soccer heritage and grow from it, not let NBA, NFL, MLb grow from soccer culture.
    MLS needs start acting like a real soccer league and do some real marketing.

    Reply
    • im pretty sure nba, nfl, mlb will come up with something to steal the attention from mlssoccer and soccer fans.
      plus im sure mlssoccer will stay with their mouth shut and won’t do anything.
      i can see a basketball champions league, or even an baseball champions league.
      garber and mlssoccer needs to step up

      Reply
    • So the fact that the NBA is maybe possibly considering running a tournament that kinda sorta resembles the US Open Cup that means the MLS isn’t acting like a real soccer league and needs to do marketing?

      Maybe you shouldn’t BYOB so much.

      Reply
      • nba, hockey, revolve around soccer. mls needs to step up to the world cup fans and mls soccer fans.

    • Interesting ideas; and i dont really see it as any threat to MLS

      The Baseball Classic or FIBA Championship isnt anything compared to the WC.

      Baseball can’t do anything bc every minor league team is owned by a big league team. Plus they compain every time one of their players breaks a sweat for a non-mlb game.

      Basketball or Hockey Champions League/Open Cup would be great! If anything it would promote their games in other countries… They are not getting any more popular in this country

      Reply
    • Seriously just stfu! You have never said anything worthwhile ever. You are so out of touch from reality that I honestly feel bad for you every time you comment

      Reply
  4. Is this a first in the MLS, getting a member of street dogs (aka member of thePhilippines Men’s National Team).

    Reply
      • CSD, the answer is yes. This is a first for a Filipino to be joining an MLS team. The Azkals (Philippine MNT) are starting to make waves in SE Asian football though they still have a way to go before they can compete with the traditional Asian powerhouses like South Korea or Japan. Tom Dooley is doing a great job managing the National Team. Their best players are Neil Etheridge, third choice GK for Fulham and Stephan Schrock, recently of Eintracht Frankfurt but just recently signed with SpVgg Greuther Furth.

    • This hiring of foreigners is what slows down the entire US soccer landscape, it might even kill the progress of the USMNT.

      Remember Spain, 80′ 90’s and mid 00’s… with so many foreign players at La Liga, nothing but disappointements at the national level.

      Reply
      • In general, you have a team with positions. When your team looks for an element that team can look at the second team or youth development, a trade with a MLS team, or look outside the league for something not available on the local market. Sometimes the talent is already established and experienced and adds that element the current roster does not have. In short, it would be wise to rely on youth development to keep costs down, but in the end a team may need a talent at a position that the team does not have. This will never change in MLS or any league.

      • Because hiring the likes of Blanco, Ruiz, Valderrama, Beckham, Henry, & Schelotto (for starters) slowed down the entire US Soccer landscape and may have even stunted the development of USMNT players on those teams, let alone the Nats in the whole league!

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