The Missouri Azzurri also lost top striker Eddie Johnson, but have set goals to become a legitimate title threat.

"It's a big year," Conrad told the Kansas City Star. "Losing Jose and Nick puts more of an onus on me to be the guy in the back - I know what's expected of me.

"We're just not satisfied with being a team that creeps into the playoffs like we did last year," he added. "We want to compete for first in our conference and be vying for a championship."