Ilie Sanchez was born a few miles from the FC Barcelona training complex. Naturally, his childhood aspiration was to don the burgundy and blue jersey.
In the summer of 2012, he was within a week of making it reality. He spent the preseason practicing with the club, one of only two defensive midfielders in line to make the opening-day roster.
Things changed. A week before the transfer deadline, Barcelona acquired a third defensive midfielder. Sanchez was re-assigned to the B team.
“I never think about it anymore,” Sanchez said, sitting inside the Sporting Kansas City practice facility, 5,000 miles from home.