Sporting Kansas City at Houston Dynamo
Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018 | 8 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium | Houston, Texas
2018 MLS Regular Season | Game 22 of 34
Broadcast Schedule:
English TV | FOX Sports Kansas City Plus
English TV | FOX Sports Midwest Plus
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM
Mobile | FOX Sports GO, Sporting KC Uphoria
Uphoria App | By The Numbers | Five Things to Know
Game Notes | Media Guide | MatchCenter | FOX Sports GO
Two Western Conference clubs eager to bounce back into the win column will square off Saturday as fifth-place Sporting Kansas City (9-6-6, 33 points) visits rivals Houston Dynamo (7-8-6, 27 points) at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT with three hours of live coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus and FOX Sports Midwest Plus. Viewers within the FOX Spots Midwest TV can also stream the match live on FOX Sports GO, while fans elsewhere across the U.S. can catch the action on ESPN+. Local radio broadcasts will air live on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish), with additional in-game updates available on the Sporting KC Uphoria mobile app.
All supporters are welcome to the official watch party for Saturday's game at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District (1370 Grand Blvd.). From 7:30 p.m. CT until the final whistle, No Other Pub will offer $6 Till Vodka cocktails and an all-you-can-eat buffet with endless soda and domestic draft beers.
Both teams have found victories hard to come by in recent weeks, making Saturday’s fixture all the more important as the Western Conference playoff picture begins to crystalize. Houston is winless in four straight, having sunk from sixth to ninth place since mid-July, while Sporting KC has taken a single point from a possible 15 over their last five matches to drop from first to fifth.
A frustrating 3-2 defeat to first-place FC Dallas last weekend snapped Sporting KC’s 10-game home unbeaten run in all competitions. The team continued its strong run of form on the offensive end—scoring multiple goals for the eighth time in 10 matches with second-half strikes from Gerso Fernandes and Daniel Salloi — but a Michael Barrios hat-trick gave FC Dallas its first win at Children’s Mercy Park since August 2011 and, more importantly, lifted the club nine points clear of Sporting KC in the Western Conference standings.
The Dynamo took a 2-1 loss in Portland last Saturday, with Timbers midfielder Sebastian Blanco and Houston winger Romell Quioto trading early goals before Fandendo — playing his final game in a Portland uniform prior to joining current USL side and 2019 MLS expansion team FC Cincinnati — came off the bench to poke home a dramatic 81st-minute winner.
Sporting KC and Houston are set to battle for the third time in a six-week span, with Manager Peter Vermes’ men prevailing in a 3-2 thriller on June 23 at Children’s Mercy Park before suffering a 4-2 defeat in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on July 18 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Houston forward Mauro Manotas has scored twice in both meetings this season, netting a first-half brace in June before notching a pair of late goals in last month’s Open Cup triumph.
Vermes’ side faced a two-goal halftime deficit in their first battle with Houston at Children’s Mercy Park, but staged a remarkable late rally with goals from Daniel Salloi, Diego Rubio and Khiry Shelton to seal a wild win. Forward Johnny Russell — who has amassed nine goals and eight assists in an impressive debut season — fired Sporting KC ahead in the Open Cup clash at BBVA Compass Stadium and added a late assist to Yohan Croizet, yet the Dynamo would walk away as comfortable winners as Manotas and Quioto bagged two goals apiece.
Familiarity reigns supreme in this Midwestern rivalry: Sporting KC and Houston have squared off 29 times across all competitions since the start of 2011, splitting the series with 10 wins and nine draws each during that time.
Three players who participated in Wednesday’s 2018 MLS All-Star Game against Italian powerhouse Juventus in Atlanta have returned to their respective clubs ahead of the matchup. Sporting KC defender Graham Zusi and midfielder Ilie Sanchez played the final 45 minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium alongside Houston winger Alberth Elis, who has racked up nine goals and eight assists in an excellent second season under Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera.
Last weekend saw three key players return to the Sporting KC lineup, as influential midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and center backs Matt Besler and Ike Opara overcame injuries. Vermes will continue to be without Shelton (knee), Brad Evans (calf), Jimmy Medranda (knee), while Russell is listed as questionable with a knee ailment of his own.
On the opposite sideline, four Houston players will be sidelined through injury, including long-term absentees Juan David Cabezas (quad), A.J. DeLaGarza (knee) and Mac Steeves (hip) as well as veteran center back Philippe Senderos (quad).
