Luis Marin, the highly touted Chilean international, has mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Sporting Kansas City. Both sides have cited personal reasons as the official reason for the break. Marin, who started the first eight games of the season in goal, leaves with a record of two wins, two draws and four losses. He was benched in favor of Tim Melia for the month of May after giving up four goals to the Houston Dynamo.
Fans will speculate on the reason for the termination of the contract and the timing. Whether or not Marin's performance was the main factor in the termination will likely never be known. Getting benched and losing playing time can easily make a player unhappy and ready to move on. Homesickness has also been mentioned as a potential cause. Communication issues on the pitch have also surfaced as reasons for the termination. Marin was not able to communicate well enough with teammates on the pitch that led to his eventual trip to the bench. Melia's clear command of the defense further reinforces the idea that Marin wasn't doing his best, but it was out of his control. If true, that's a respectable reason for an early exit and one in which it is mutually beneficial and educational.
Melia, who has started the last four matches, is undefeated with two wins and two draws despite playing three of the best teams in MLS through four starts. Homegrown Player Jon Kempin has been recalled from his loan and will be the backup keeper going forward. At 22 years old, his inclusion makes sense and he will likely seen action in the upcoming rounds of the U.S. Open Cup.