Defender missed seven weeks this season because of a groin injury
He will likely make a second straight start Thursday against the LA Galaxy
He was a bright spot in Friday's 1-0 loss to D.C. United
Sporting Kansas City defender Kevin Ellis walked into the practice facility early one morning last month and checked in with the head trainer. After receiving brief treatment for a groin injury, he jogged onto the practice field to partake in a series of solo drills. They were labor-intensive, he later described, and the beads of sweat across his forehead told a similar story.