Sporting Kansas City (2-5-0, 6 points) is back on the road for a match with Western Conference combatants LAFC (4-1-1, 13 points) at Banc of California Stadium on Sunday, April 17.
Kickoff for the Easter Sunday afternoon contest is set for 3 p.m. CT and will air nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Sporting took on LAFC three times in 2021, claiming two victories and suffering one defeat. These two perennial Western Conference powerhouses face each other for the first time in 2022 on Sunday, and will face one other time in July of 2022.
Here are five storylines to keep in mind for Sporting KC's match on the road against LAFC.
1. Depositing wins at Banc of California Stadium
LAFC played their inaugural MLS season in 2018, starting the year with six consecutive road matches before opening up Banc of California Stadium with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders. LAFC posted a 9-1-7 record at home in the 2018 season, with the only loss in front of their home crowd coming at the hands of Sporting KC on Aug. 11, 2018. Gerso Fernandes and current LAFC midfielder Ilie Sanchez scored in the 2-0 result, as Sporting went on to finish the 2018 regular season atop the Western Conference with LAFC finishing third in the west.
Since the first battle at Banc of California Stadium, Sporting has claimed another victory making them the only team in MLS with two road wins against LAFC. Sporting is 4-3 in seven regular season clashes with their four wins against LAFC tied for the second-most in MLS behind only the LA Galaxy (six wins). Last season, Sporting defeated LAFC on the road 4-1 with goals from four different players.
2. Salloi shines against LAFC
Winger Daniel Salloi has been a main character in the Sporting saga against LAFC. The Hungarian international has three goals and an assist in his six appearances against LAFC, netting two of them last season. His other goal came on Oct. 28, 2018, in a Decision Day battle for the top spot in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. Salloi scored a 72nd-minute match-winner as a 10-man Sporting KC side knocked off LAFC and took home the top seed in the Western Conference in 2018.
3. Men in the middle
So far this season, Sporting KC has been a physical force in the midfield. Remi Walter is the current leading scorer for Sporting and has covered more distance (50.4 miles) than any other player in MLS so far. Veteran leader Roger Espinoza also has a goal of his own and ranks second in MLS with nine possessions won in the attacking third. As a team, Sporting leads MLS with 207 possessions won in the middle third of the field. This team has been forcing turnovers and getting into the final third more than any other club as they now look to turn those opponent mistakes into goal-scoring chances.
4. Sporting reunions
Ahead of the 2018 MLS season, LAFC selected five players in the 2017 Expansion Draft. One of their selections was Sporting KC forward Latif Blessing. In his rookie season with Sporting, Blessing started 16 of 25 appearances, scored three goals, had one assist and scored in Sporting’s 2017 U.S. Open Cup championship win over the New York Red Bulls. Blessing has been a part of LAFC’s squad for five seasons now, scoring 14 goals and adding 16 assists in that time.
Another LAFC member taking on his former club on Sunday is Ilie. The Spanish midfielder scored in LAFC’s first-ever home loss as a part of Sporting KC and enjoyed five superb seasons in Sporting blue. He amassed 11 goals and 13 assists as Sporting’s number six in 171 appearances. In his first MLS season away from Sporting Ilie has scored once and played every minute so far for LAFC.
5. LAFC’s talisman
While Ilie and Blessing are key contributors to LAFC’s success in 2022, they are led by 2019 MLS MVP Carlos Vela. Since Vela joined MLS in 2018, nobody has more goal contributions than the forward (98). He has 61 goals and 37 assists in regular season play. Sporting KC winger Johnny Russell ranks third in goal contributions in that time span with 72 (41 goals, 31 assists). Sporting has done relatively well against Vela, holding him to just two goals and an assist all-time and zero goal contributions in his last two appearances. His first goal against Sporting came in that 2018 Decision Day battle when he sank a second half penalty that was erased by Salloi’s winner. Sunday, Salloi and Sporting get another crack at Vela and LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on ESPN.
