Sporting Kansas City’s Kortne Ford feels ‘pure motivation’ facing former club Colorado

After two years of grueling knee injury recovery, Kortne Ford set out in 2021 to prove he could still do it. He was sent on loan from the Colorado Rapids to San Antonio FC of the USL Championship to get minutes that were no longer available with the first team.

He helped lead San Antonio to the Western Conference finals and proved to himself he could play in Major League Soccer. But when he got back to Colorado to negotiate a contract extension after his last deal had run out, he felt the Rapids’ offer didn’t reflect that they believed in him.

“I’ve been very vocal about how I wasn’t happy with how my injury was dealt with,” Ford told The Star on Monday. “Just the fact that I was kind of put in that situation there in Colorado, I felt like I deserved an opportunity to get on the field and prove that I could still play.”

Fast forward to today. Ford has become a bright spot on Sporting Kansas City’s backline, endearing himself to fans and his teammates with an MLS Team of the Week performance against Columbus. He followed that up with three more strong performances.

Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes praised Ford’s leadership on the field ahead of their next match.

“He wants to get a shutout every game,” Vermes said. “He uses his body in every way possible to defend the goal.”

“The fact that he was out for as long as he was with his injuries … as he’s come back, now it’s about getting into the routine of playing week after week,” Vermes added. “And he’s been doing a good job that.”

Back to that next match on the schedule, it’s Ford’s old squad, Colorado, led by the coach that he feels never gave him a chance to prove himself. So what does Ford feel when he sees them up next on the calendar for a 7:30 Wednesday night match at Children’s Mercy Park?

“Pure motivation,” Ford said.

Ford called himself “petty in certain ways.” Part of it is his personal feelings of being slighted, doubted, and not given an opportunity. The other part of it is creating that mental edge necessary to compete at the highest level.

“I have motivation from lots of different places in my life, from the stuff that I’ve had to overcome,” Ford said. “Being written off at an early age, being written off in college. At the end of the day, it’s about how you take that stuff and use it to your advantage and let it fuel you.”

Even in his joining Sporting KC, he had to prove himself. Ford set out milestones for himself along the way: be fit and healthy through preseason, get his first appearance, his first start, and earn the respect of coaches and teammates.

But at this moment, all that sits in front of Sporting KC in the eyes of Ford is Colorado. Up next on the schedule, and a point to prove for both himself and the squad.

“I’m very motivated to get out there and play them Wednesday,” Ford said. “Not necessarily to individually play well, but just to put together a collective performance from the group, and just to let that organization know that they missed an opportunity.”