When starting lineups were announced an hour before Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps FC kicked off at BC Place on Wednesday night, Manager Peter Vermes' team selection may have raised a few eyebrows.
With Sporting Kansas City carrying a three-game losing streak and heading north of the border for a tricky midweek fixture against Whitecaps FC, MLS All-Stars Dom Dwyer, Graham Zusi and Brad Davis took their spots on the substitutes bench. Vermes, having an eye on Sunday's home tilt with LA Galaxy, had opted for squad rotation, deploying a three-pronged attack of Diego Rubio, Jimmy Medranda and Connor Hallisey.
By the end of the night, however, Sporting Kansas City's losing skid was no longer — thanks in part to the contributions of two 22-year-olds who had previously started one game each in 2016. Rubio and Medranda played leading roles in a 1-1 stalemate that saw Sporting KC extend its regular season unbeaten run against Cascadia foes to 11 matches.
We can start with Rubio, who opened his MLS scoring account on Wednesday after joining the club on loan from Spanish side Real Valladolid this offseason. His 27th-minute strike — a clever redirect off Lawrence Olum's low strike through traffic — effectively curtailed Vancouver's early momentum after the hosts had opened the scoring 13 minutes earlier.
In addition to providing Sporting KC's lone goal of the night, Rubio was a constant thorn in the side of Vancouver center back Kendall Waston. The Chilean forward suffered a game-high three fouls, each of which committed by the reigning MLS Defender of the Year finalist. Rubio would make his second profound impact on the match in the 51st minute, intercepting a back-pass from Tim Parker near the 18-yard box and forcing Waston into a desperate, crunching tackle. The resulting yellow card was Waston's second of the evening and gave Sporting KC a numerical advantage for the remainder of the contest.
"I told (Rubio) that the objective is, if there's a great opportunity, that he should take the chance," Vermes said postgame. "But you don't have to force the game to yourself. So I thought he played really well in the game. He did a lot of work off the ball for us, and he found himself, like a lot of players do, in a really good spot with the opportunity to finish."
While Rubio's presence was felt in and around Vancouver's penalty area, Medranda turned in a combative performance that included multiple ball-winning actions along the right flank. The Colombian's 75-minute outing consisted of the following:
- 4 interceptions (a game-high)
- 3 tackles (a team-high)
- 6 recoveries (2nd most on the team)
- 2 successful dribbles (a team-high)
Medranda also came closest to giving Sporting KC a decisive second goal, only for his low rocket to be palmed away by David Ousted in the 31st minute. His strong showing earned the praise of Vermes, who lauded Medranda's hard work after the match.
"I think the biggest thing for him was being able to play at the pace of an MLS game, and also the fitness aspect of it. He's really made a big jump in that area, and I think what you'll see more and more is that the other qualities he has are going to come out in games," Vermes said.
"He's a quick guy, he's good on the ball, he's got great technique, he sees the game well and he's really starting to get a rhythm to his play. I'm happy for him. He's really worked hard. It's tough because the past couple years, he hasn't really played a lot. But he's trained hard, and that's what you have to do sometimes. He's getting there, he just has to keep building."
With matches continuing to come thick and fast — the club is set play seven fixtures in 33 days beginning Sunday — Sporting Kansas City's depth will continue to be tested. And if Wednesday is any indication, Vermes will have capable contributors from off the bench.
