Five Things is a weekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights the top storylines, players to watch and matchday programming ahead of each game throughout the season.
Two Western Conference foes renew their rivalry Saturday as first-place Sporting Kansas City (8-2-5, 29 points) welcomes seventh-place Houston Dynamo (6-5-3, 21 points) to Children's Mercy Park for a 7:30 p.m. CT kickoff. A limited number of tickets for the contest are available via SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a free pair of black argyle sunglasses courtesy of match sponsor UMB Bank. FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus will air three hours of live coverage beginning at 7 p.m. CT, while listeners can catch the action on Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Serving as a rematch of the 2017 Western Conference Knockout Round, Saturday's clash packs plenty of compelling narratives — as is most often the case when Sporting KC and Houston lock horns. We visit five of those storylines in the space below.
1. Not Their First Rodeo
To say Sporting KC and Houston are familiar foes might be an understatement. These clubs have squared off 27 times in all competitions since the start of 2011, splitting the series with nine wins, nine losses and nine draws each. This stretch includes six meetings in the MLS Cup Playoffs and four in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where the teams met in both tournaments last season. Sporting KC prevailed 2-0 at BBVA Compass Stadium in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 before falling 1-0 at the same venue in the Western Conference Knockout Round last October.
As if they hadn't seen enough of each other, Sporting KC and Houston are braced to battle three times over the next six weeks. Manager Peter Vermes' men will visit Houston in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on July 18 before returning for a regular season matchup on Aug. 4.
2. Houston, We Have a Problem
Children's Mercy Park has established itself as a hallowed fortress in Major League Soccer, but if any visiting team has proven immune to its harrowing effects, it's undoubtedly the Dynamo. Sporting KC is winless in its last seven regular season home games against Houston, going 0-1-6 ever since earning a 3-0 victory on Sept. 10, 2011.
The picture isn't much prettier when factoring in games played at BBVA Compass Stadium. Vermes' side is winless in the last eight regular season meetings, going 0-4-4 ever since emerging 2-0 road victors on June 6, 2014. Saturday gives Sporting KC the opportunity to snap a pair of unflattering streaks against their orange-clad counterparts.
Honduran forward Alberth Elis is playing his way into the discussion for MLS MVP. The pacy 22-year-old has 13 combined goals (8) and assists (5), tied for third most in MLS, and leads the league with 30 shots on target. His blend of speed, athleticism and finishing ability make him a lethal weapon for a Houston outfit that ranks second in MLS with 2.1 goals per game.
Elis enjoyed a strong debut campaign in MLS last season with 11 goals and four assists, including an extra-time strike in the Knockout Round that effectively ended Sporting KC's season. Limiting Elis' impact will be paramount if Sporting KC has intentions of collecting all three points on Saturday.
4. Eight Unbeaten
Don't look now, but Sporting KC has quietly strung together an eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. That's tied for the longest such run in club history and five shy of tying a record that was equaled last season. Extending this streak through the heart of summer won't be easy, but it's nevertheless something to keep an eye on as the calendar approaches July.
Sporting KC's longest unbeaten streaks in all competitions
<strong>Matches</strong> |
<strong>Dates</strong> |
13 |
08/04/12 to 10/24/12<br>
06/03/17 to 08/09/17 |
12 |
03/25/00 to 05/27/00<br>
05/25/11 to 07/09/11 |
10 |
06/05/04 to 07/24/04 |
9 |
08/23/00 to 09/29/00 |
8 |
06/21/08 to 07/27/08<br>
04/25/15 to 06/16/15<br><strong><em>05/05/18 to present</em></strong> |
5. Stay in Your Seats
Following Saturday's contest, supporters are encouraged to stay in their seats for the Special Olympics Unified Exchange game between athletes from Special Olympics Kansas City and Special Olympics Houston, starting at approximately 10 p.m. CT. The night cap is part of the 2018 Special Olympics Unified Sports Soccer Exchange Program, which promotes an environment of social inclusion by uniting people with and without intellectual disabilities through Special Olympics Unified Sports.
