"Five Things" is a season-long series presented by the Children's Mercy Sports Medicine Center that highlights the top storylines and players to watch ahead of each match. To visit the series archive, click here.
A compelling Rivalry Week showdown awaits Saturday afternoon as second-place Sporting Kansas City (11-4-5, 38 points) locks horns with Minnesota United FC (7-6-6, 27 points) at Allianz Field. The Western Conference clash will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT with national coverage on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN app as well as local radio broadcasts on Sportst Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Sporting moved into second place in the West following a 1-1 home draw against the Portland Timbers on Wednesday and will play their seventh competitive match in a 22-day period when they meet the Loons this weekend. Minnesota has weathered a tumultuous start to 2021 by climbing above the playoff line and will look to end Sporting's impressive road unbeaten run in the first of three head-to-head meetings between the clubs this season.
With plenty to be excited about on Saturday, we examine five major narratives surrounding the fixture in the space below.
1. Sensational Salloi
The 2021 MLS campaign just keeps getting better and better for Daniel Salloi. The Sporting Kansas City winger strengthened his MLS MVP bid on Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park, bagging a sublime last-gasp equalizer to give his side a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers. In doing so, he became just the third player in Sporting history—joining Eddie Johnson and the legendary Preki—to record 12 goals and six assists for the club in a single regular season.
Not surprisingly, Salloi’s dozen goals and half-dozen assists stack up rather favorably when compared to the rest of Major League Soccer in 2021. His 18 combined goals and assists are the most in the league, outpacing the likes of Carles Gil and Raul Ruidiaz—two players who have led the MLS MVP conversation over the course of the year.
Salloi has now scored or assisted in six consecutive MLS appearances dating back to July 21, two shy of tying the club record set by Diego Rubio in 2018.
2. Road Warriors
Sporting occupy second place in the Western Conference, one point behind Seattle Sounders FC, thanks in large part to their superb form away from home. For starters, Manager Peter Vermes' men are tied for the league lead with six road wins this year and their 11-5-3 regular season road record since the start of 2020 is best in MLS.
More recently, Sporting have pieced together a five-game road unbeaten run that includes defeats of the LA Galaxy, LAFC, Seattle and FC Dallas. The 4-0-1 stretch has seen Vermes' men outscore their opponents 11-2 and collect three shutouts. Sporting’s club record for longest road unbeaten run in a single regular season is six matches, set in 2000, 2004, 2011 and 2012. The team can equal that record with a win or a draw on Saturday.
3. Loons Trending Upward
Led by fifth-year head coach Adrian Heath, Minnesota reached new heights in 2020 by reaching the Western Conference finals before losing to Seattle. The postseason run included an Emanuel Reynoso-inspired 3-0 win over Sporting at Children's Mercy Park in the conference semifinals last December.
The Loons understandably had high expectations entering 2021 but opened with four consecutive losses, casting doubt on a campaign that was shaping up favorably for the club. Since then, Minnesota's uptick in form has coincided with goalkeeper Tyler Miller's return after a longterm injury. Heath's side is 7-2-6 over the last 15 matches, a stretch that has vaulted the team from 13th to sixth in the conference table. Reynoso remains one of the league's most prolific chance creators, Robin Lod has scored in four of his last five appearances and Miller ranks second in MLS with a 0.87 goals against average, not to mention five shutouts at Allianz Field.
4. Rivalry Renewed
Sporting and Minnesota have been familiar foes since the Loons entered MLS as an expansion team in 2017. Kansas City holds a 7-5-2 record in the series, including a 6-3-2 mark in the regular season. The clubs met four times during the 2021 campaign, with Sporting taking wins in two of three regular season meetings before the Loons prevailed in the playoffs.
Sporting visited Allianz Field once last season, coming away with a 2-1 victory exactly one year ago on Aug. 21, 2020. An early Gadi Kinda strike and a second-half own goal proved to be the difference in one of the first MLS matches back in home markets following the MLS is Back Tournament last summer.
5. Celebrating Rivalry Week
Saturday's clash between Sporting and Minnesota is one of several mouthwatering fixtures to highlight Heineken Rivalry Week, which actually spans two weekends and serves supporters a full slate of nationally televised action from coast to coast.
Heineken Rivalry Week National Broadcast Schedule: Aug. 20 - 29
Friday, Aug. 20
- 9:30 p.m. CT: LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Saturday, Aug. 21
- 2:30 p.m. CT: Minnesota United vs. Sporting Kansas City (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
- 7 p.m. CT: New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC (FS1, FOX Deportes)
Friday, Aug. 27
- 5:30 p.m. CT: Columbus Crew SC vs. FC Cincinnati (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
- 7:30 p.m. CT: Orlando City SC vs. Inter Miami CF (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
Saturday, Aug. 28
- 2:30 p.m. CT: Atlanta United vs. Nashville SC (Univision, TUDN)
- 6 p.m. CT: LAFC vs. LA Galaxy (FOX, FOX Deportes)
Sunday, Aug. 29
- 7 p.m. CT: Austin FC vs. FC Dallas (FS1, FOX Deportes)
- 9:30 p.m. CT: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
