Despite being less than a month old, the Major League Soccer offseason has already seen a ton of action.

Numerous acquisition drafts have been held, and a few clubs have ventured into the international market to sign players.

One of the busiest teams over the last few weeks has been Sporting Kansas City, who are in the middle of a much-needed rebuild following a late-season collapse in 2014. 

Some of the familiar faces like Matt Besler, Graham Zusi and Dom Dwyer will still be around for the 2015 campaign, but plenty of new names will make up the supporting cast around the three stars. 

One of the biggest moves of the offseason so far came on the day after the MLS Cup Final, when the 2013 MLS Cup champion sent defensive stalwart Aurelien Collin to expansion side Orlando City. 

While some may have been surprised by the trade, Sporting KC needed to make changes in the back four, which made countless errors throughout the final two months of the regular season.

Collin had to be moved because of issues with the salary cap, per a report from MLSSoccer.com. But Sporting did get a strong player in return, as Jalil Anibaba was sent to the club after Orlando City selected him in the expansion draft. 

Not only can Anibaba slide in at center-back next to Besler, he can also play the two full-back positions. Bringing in a versatile defender was a key move for the club, who faced plenty of defensive shortcomings with replacements in the starting 11 in 2014. 

Sporting Kansas City also made a drastic change behind the back four, as both Andy Gruenebaum and Erik Kronberg were let go and acquired by San Jose and Montreal respectively in the first stage of the re-entry draft. 

With their two top keepers from 2014 offloaded, Sporting were able to go out and sign Chilean 'keeper Luis Marin. The 6'2" goalkeeper will presumably act as a mentor to 21-year-old Jon Kempin, who was the Most Valuable Player of the Homegrown Player Game during All-Star Weekend. 

Kempin should be the man in between the pipes for the long term, but he isn't ready just yet to take on a full season in MLS. Tim Melia was also brought in off waivers to provide a bit of experience to the goalkeeping corps. 

With the experienced Marin in goal, Sporting should see an improvement in play at the position from the 2014 lineup of Gruenebaum, Kronberg and Kempin. 

Manager Peter Vermes has also made improvements to his midfield, as the club brought in James Marcelin and Bernando Anor in December. 

Marcelin, a Haitian international, is used to the style of play in MLS, as he played for FC Dallas and Portland in the past. 

The 6'2" defensive midfielder should provide a bit of a punch in the middle of the park next to Benny Feilhaber, who enjoyed a terrific 2014. With a defensive-minded player in the central part of midfield like Marcelin, Feilhaber should have a license to move forward more to propel the attack. 

Anor comes to the club from the Columbus Crew, where he scored six goals and provided one assist in 27 matches during the 2014 season. The Venezuelan is expected to bring more to the club on the wing. 

Although Zusi did have a decent season in 2014, Sporting lacked a second consistent contributor on the wing, which led to more focus on Zusi than expected. 

The biggest move of the offseason for Sporting came on December 17, when the club signed Dwyer to a contract extension. The Englishman was a breakout star in 2014 with 22 goals after a successful loan spell in 2013 at Orlando City. 

Behind Dwyer on the depth chart, there was also some player movement. C.J. Sapong was shipped off to Philadelphia, while Sporting brought in Krisztian Nemeth as his replacement. 

All six of the acquisitions made by Sporting during the early part of the offseason will make an impact on the 2015 campaign. And the club are far from done in the transfer department. 

It is widely believed the club will bring Roger Espinoza back from Wigan Athletic. An October report from the BBC claimed Espinoza was homesick and ready for a move back to Sporting Kansas City. 

Club CEO Robb Heineman also made it clear on Twitter he would not have a problem welcoming Mix Diskerud to the club, which would be a nice addition to the Sporting midfield if it happened. 

While some clubs have made a few key signings in the first month of the offseason, Sporting have pursued players with a purpose in order to erase the disappointing 2014 finish from the minds of their fans. 

With a solid foundation already built for the 2015 season, Sporting have the chance to come out strong as a contender in the Western Conference. If they add a player like Espinoza and a few other pieces, they could even be in the discussion for the conference championship when preseason predictions are made. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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