Five Things, presented by Keith + Associates Dentistry, 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.
Sporting Kansas City's playoff pursuit continues Thursday when regional foes Minnesota United FC visits Children's Mercy Park for a Heineken Rivalry Week showdown at 8:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the monumental Western Conference clash are available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting (8-11-7, 31 points) looks for a second straight victory at the expense of second-place Minnesota (12-8-6, 42 points).
Thursday's match is one of nine MLS battles slated for national television coverage during Heineken Rivalry Week. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, the ESPN app, Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
With that in mind, let's jump straight into five things you must know about Thursday night.
1. The Playoff Picture
It’s make-or-break time in the Western Conference. Sporting are six points shy of the seventh and final playoff spot, while the Loons occupy second place but could fall as sixth by the time the dust settles on Week 25 this Sunday.
Manager Peter Vermes’ side delivered in a must-win situation on Saturday, erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit to sink the San Jose Earthquakes behind second-half goals from Benny Feilhaber and Graham Smith. Currently 10th in the West, Sporting continues to walk the tight rope with little room for error.
2. Lauding the Loons
Arguably no team has enjoyed a better run of summer form than Minnesota. Head coach Adrian Heath’s men have gone 10-1-3 across all competitions over the last two and a half months—a sizzling stretch that began with a 4-1 defeat of Sporting in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on June 12.
This impressive spell has included four Open Cup victories on home turf, vaulting Minnesota into the 2019 final against Eastern Conference powerhouse Atlanta United FC next Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That, of course, begs the question: will Heath opt to rest key starters on Thursday with an Open Cup final looming next week? We’ll find out around 60 minutes before kickoff.
3. House of Horrors
That’s exactly what Children’s Mercy Park has been for Minnesota since their introduction to MLS as an expansion team in 2017. Sporting own a perfect 4-0-0 home record against the Loons in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one. Needless to say, the hosts will do their best to continue that trend this time around.
4. Ike’s Return
Ike Opara helped Sporting to an MLS Cup and an Open Cup title during an excellent six-year stint in Kansas City from 2013-2018. The 2017 MLS Defender of the Year joined Minnesota ahead of the 2019 campaign and remains one of the top center backs in the league, anchoring a much-improved Loons backline. Should he get the start at Children’s Mercy Park, his performance will be put under the microscope.
5. MLS Countdown Live
In the buildup to Thursday's clash, MLS Countdown Live will provide 30 minutes of pregame coverage at Children's Mercy Park. The program will begin at 8 p.m. CT and stream live via the ESPN app, @ESPN on Twitter and the ESPN YouTube channel, featuring a variety of behind-the-scenes footage from the stadium, Pinnacle and No Other Pub. The match broadcast will then commence at 8:30 p.m. CT with play-by-play man Jon Champion and color commentator Taylor Twellman on the call.
Keith + Associates Dental Fact
It was customary during the Middle Ages for people to kiss a donkey if they had a toothache.
