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.
A pivotal Western Conference clash beckons Saturday night as third-place Sporting Kansas City (9-5-6, 33 points) continues its MLS regular season campaign against first-place FC Dallas (11-3-6, 39 points) at Children’s Mercy Park. The match will kick off at 8 p.m. CT, airing nationally on ESPN, and a limited number of tickets remain available via SeatGeek.com.
Fully rested following last weekend’s bye, Sporting KC returns to the pitch with all intentions of trimming FC Dallas’ lead at the summit of the West. Manager Peter Vermes’ men have hit a rough patch in recent weeks, but their home record against FC Dallas gives reason for optimism. In the space below, we take a look at five prevailing storylines surrounding the all-important fixture.
1. Mind the Gap
A late-season swoon caused FC Dallas to miss the playoffs in 2017, but fifth-year head coach Oscar Pareja has his team clicking on all cylinders this year. FC Dallas has, somewhat quietly, ascended to first place in the West behind a steady defense and solid production from the likes of Roland Lamah (seven goals, four assists) and Maxi Urruti (six goals, two assists).
Less than two months ago, Sporting KC owned a two-point lead on FC Dallas at the top of the division. The sides have gone their separate ways since then, however, with Sporting KC struggling for wins and FC Dallas continuing to rack up results. Needless to say, Saturday is massive: a win for the hosts would bring them within three points of Pareja’s side, while a loss would swell the gap between the teams to nine.
2. When The Going Gets Tough
The last month has seen Sporting KC endure a slump that is, in many ways, uncharacteristic of a Vermes-led team. Since defeating the Houston Dynamo on June 23, Sporting KC has conceded 15 goals during a five-game winless skid — including last week’s 4-2 loss in Houston that dashed any hopes of lifting a second straight U.S. Open Cup title.
Sporting KC’s defensive struggles stretch back to mid-June, as the club has allowed multiple goals in seven straight matches across all competitions. This comes in stark contrast to their first 16 games of 2018, which produced eight clean sheets.
3. No Mercy at Children’s Mercy Park
Make no mistake: it’s not all doom and gloom in Kansas City. Sporting KC enters Saturday on a 10-game home unbeaten run and, with 14 matches still to play, is already three goals shy of equaling last year’s regular-season goal total. A good chunk of that credit goes to forward Johnny Russell, whose 17 combined goals (nine) and assists (eight) lead the team.
Couple Sporting KC’s home unbeaten streak with FC Dallas’ calamitous record at Children’s Mercy Park, and recent history paints a positive picture for the hosts. Dallas won on its first visit to the stadium in 2011, but has gone 0-8-2 at Children’s Mercy Park since then with seven goals scored and 26 conceded. This stretch includes Sporting KC’s thrilling 3-2 win in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 last month, which saw Daniel Salloi score on either side of halftime before Yohan Croizet came off the bench to bag arguably the best goal in the stadium’s history.
4. Rested and Refocused
That should be the name of the game for a Sporting KC side that had four full days of rest prior to the resumption of training on Monday at Pinnacle. Ten days will have elapsed between the Open Cup loss at Houston and Saturday’s showdown with FC Dallas, giving players ample time to hit the reset button and prepare for the final three months of the regular season.
To make matters even better, several key players could be set to return after overcoming injuries. Center backs Matt Besler and Ike Opara have both missed the last two games — the same two games in which midfielder Felipe Gutierrez has come off the bench for a late substitute appearance. All three are in contention to play on Saturday, with Gutierrez potentially braced for his first start since March 31.
5. Fresh Faces in Frisco
With the summer transfer window set to close on Aug. 8, FC Dallas has been busy despite their favorable position in the standings. On Monday the club traded U.S. international midfielder Kellyn Acosta to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for forward Dominique Badji, who led the Rapids with seven goals this season. A day later, FC Dallas further bolstered its attacking corp with the signing of 21-year-old Chilean playmaker Pablo Aranguiz.
Whether Badji or Aranguiz feature on Saturday remains to be seen, but both undeniably strengthen Dallas’ offensive options going into the second half of 2018.
