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.
Winners of two straight games, Sporting Kansas City travels west this weekend for a matchup with the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Kickoff is slated for Saturday at 8 p.m. CT, airing live on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.
Goals have been flying freely for Manager Peter Vermes’ men during their current uptick, but the Rapids have been a tough puzzle to solve for Sporting KC in recent head-to-head meetings. Without further ado, we visit five things to know ahead of Saturday's Western Conference clash.
1. Take Your Chances
What a difference a few matches can make. With three weeks of the regular season in the books, Sporting Kansas City lays claim as the highest-scoring team in MLS. The team has exploded for seven goals in a two-game span for the first time since 2015, scalping the Chicago Fire and San Jose Earthquakes in back-to-back thrillers to take a tie of first place in the Western Conference.
So, what’s the cause of Sporting KC’s greater offensive output? Newcomers Felipe Gutierrez (three goals) and Johnny Russell (one goal, two assists) have left their marks, make no mistake, but they serve as only part of the answer. On the whole, Sporting KC has simply been more clinical with the chances they have created. Consider the following:
- Just 7.8% of Sporting KC’s total shots resulted in goals during the 2017 regular season, ranking 21st out of 22 MLS teams. This season, 14.9% of its total shots have resulted in goals, ranking seventh out of 23 MLS teams.
- Sporting KC scored 40 goals during the 2017 regular season, 10 below their expected goal total of 50. The team has scored seven goals this season, above their expected goal total of 5.3. This is indicative of better finishing in the attacking third, albeit bolstered by long-range strikes from Gutierrez and Graham Zusi that naturally have low probabilities of resulting in a goal.
Granted, the sample size remains small, but these numbers nevertheless point to Sporting KC converting opportunities at a higher clip — especially given that the club has essentially created the same number of chances this season (11.3 per game) as compared to 2017 (11.1 per game).
Tied for the MLS lead with three assists, homegrown forward Daniel Salloi has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2018 campaign. He won’t be available Saturday in Colorado, however, due to his selection to the Hungary U-21 Men’s National Team for UEFA European U-21 Championship qualifying. Consequently, Vermes has a decision to make about who to deploy on the left wing.
Yohan Croizet and Gerso Fernandes appear to be the likeliest candidates. Croizet, who started in Week 1, has come off the bench in each of the last two wins, while Fernandes has provided an injection of second-half speed in all three games. Either way, Salloi’s absence will test the continuity of a Sporting KC front line that has jelled well over the last fortnight.
3. House of Horrors
Save an outlying 2016 campaign that saw Colorado contend for the Supporters’ Shield, the Rapids have been a Western Conference bottom feeder in recent years. Their 19 defeats last season were the most in club history during the non-shootout era, resulting in a 10th-place finish in the West.
Yet Sporting KC’s visits to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park have been far from fruitful. Vermes’ side has lost four straight road games in the series, including each of the last three by a 1-0 scoreline. Overall, Colorado has won six of the last seven meetings dating back to August 2015. The Rapids’ six victories over Sporting KC since then are their most against any opponent.
Led by first-year manager Anthony Hudson, the Rapids have undergone some serious roster shuffling in recent months. In Colorado’s season-opening loss at the New England Revolution on March 10, a whopping eight Rapids players made their MLS debuts. That list includes all three defenders who started in a three-man backline — Tommy Smith, Danny Wilson and Deklan Wynne — plus midfield quartet Johan Blomberg, Edgar Castillo, Enzo Martinez and Jack Price and forward Niki Jackson, a fourth-round selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft who came off the bench to score Colorado’s lone goal.
Needless to say, Hudson will have his hands full in the early stages of the season as this iteration of the Rapids squad builds chemistry and acclimates to MLS. Working in his favor is the fact that this team played its first competitive match over a month ago. Colorado fell to Toronto FC 2-0 on aggregate in the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 last month, but has played just one match since then. In an unusual scheduling quirk, Hudson’s side had a bye in Weeks 1 and 3.
5. Scottish Connection
A pair of Scottish players will lock horns Saturday when Sporting KC forward Johnny Russell and Colorado center back Danny Wilson meet for the first time in MLS competition. Both joined MLS this offseason after playing in England and Scotland for the last decade. In fact, Russell and Wilson were teammates for the Scotland U-21 Men’s National Team from 2010-2012. Whoever gets the better of their battle on Saturday could go a long way in deciding the result at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
