Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas
Saturday, July 28, 2018 | 8 p.m. CT
Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas
2018 MLS Regular Season | Game 21 of 34
Broadcast Schedule:
English TV | ESPN
Spanish TV | ESPN Deportes
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM
Mobile | Sporting KC Uphoria
Uphoria App | By The Numbers | Five Things to Know
Game Notes | Media Guide | MatchCenter | Videos
A pivotal Western Conference clash awaits on Saturday as third-place Sporting Kansas City (9-5-6, 33 points) hosts FC Dallas (11-3-6, 39 points) at 8 p.m. CT. ESPN will televise the match live nationally from Children’s Mercy Park, while local radio broadcasts will air on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish). Fans can also stream the match live on WatchESPN and receive live updates and exclusive offers via Sporting KC Uphoria.
A limited number of tickets for Saturday’s matchup are available at SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a free cooling headband courtesy of match sponsor Dairy Farmers of America. Unbeaten in 10 straight home games across all competitions, Sporting KC will look to move within three points of FC Dallas at the summit of the Western Conference standings.
Manager Peter Vermes’ men enter the weekend rested and refocused after their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title defense came to an end with a 4-2 quarterfinal loss at rivals Houston Dynamo on July 18. The club hasn’t played since then and could be poised to welcome several integral contributors back into the lineup on Saturday. Talismanic midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and center backs Matt Besler and Ike Opara are off Sporting KC’s injury report, which currently consists of three players who will miss the game: Brad Evans (calf), Jimmy Medranda (knee) and Khiry Shelton (knee).
A four-game MLS winless skid has seen Sporting KC slip from first to third in the West, but a victory on Saturday would vault the leaders back within three points of leaders FC Dallas. The club has enjoyed a strong run of form offensively — scoring multiple goals in seven of its last nine matches across all competitions — but a normally stout defense has conceded at least twice in five straight league games for the first time since 2001. First-year forward Johnny Russell has paced the attack with an impressive 17 combined goals (nine) and assists (eight), including two each in Open Cup play.
FC Dallas is one week removed from a 1-1 stalemate with in-state rival Houston, having scored in the first minute of last Saturday’s Texas Derby on a Matt Hedges header before Mauro Manotas drew the Dynamo level seven minutes later. Roland Lamah, Dallas’ leading scorer with seven goals this season, missed a penalty kick before hitting the crossbar on an open-net chance late in the game.
Guided by fifth-year head coach Oscar Pareja, FC Dallas has undergone a minor roster shuffle with the summer transfer window set to close on Aug. 8. 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 year.
A day later, Dallas further bolstered its attacking corps with the signing of 21-year-old Chilean Pablo Aranguiz. The young playmaker figures to be the direct replacement for former No. 10 Mauro Diaz, who transferred to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC in the United Arab Emirates.
Seeking a return to the playoffs after missing out in 2017, FC Dallas has ascended to the top of the West behind a steady defense and solid production from the likes of Lamah (seven goals, four assists) and Maxi Urruti (six goals, two assists).
Nevertheless, Pareja’s side faces unfavorable history going into Saturday: Dallas won on its inaugural visit to Children’s Mercy Park in 2011, but has gone 0-8-2 at the stadium since then with seven goals scored and 26 conceded.
This dubious stretch for Dallas 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.
